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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
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| Posted: 30 March 2026 at 7:08pm | IP Logged | 1
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Years ago, I noted that posts beginning with some variation of “So…” almost invariably miss the original poster’s point. As I wrote, we can think of Batman as “second best at everything.” He has trained himself to be a superb fighter, but unlike Cap he has not devoted ALL his time and effort to that single goal. It takes a lot more to be the World’s Greatest Detective.
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Jason Schultz
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 23 March 2026
Posts: 13
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| Posted: 30 March 2026 at 7:22pm | IP Logged | 2
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I see, that's interesting. I, personally, would like to think that Steve's serum-enhanced brain allows him to soak up more martial knowledge than Batman could. Would that be good writing?
Edited by Jason Schultz on 30 March 2026 at 7:24pm
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
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| Posted: 30 March 2026 at 7:26pm | IP Logged | 3
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I don’t recall any mention of Steve’s brain being altered. (So glad that didn’t occur to Mark Gruenwald. He had decided Cap had a “drug origin”.)
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Jason Schultz
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 23 March 2026
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| Posted: 30 March 2026 at 7:38pm | IP Logged | 4
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There are a variety of comics mentioning Cap's mind being as enhanced as his body. He is a perfect human, after all; "a healthy mind in a healthy body" is what he's described as -- "Mens sana in corpore sano."
A direct quote from Cap below.
- "My mind was enhanced to the point that I could remember any military tactic and apply it to any situation. A side effect of this meant that I developed a didactic memory. My life since then has been a series of indelible moments, etched into my brain. I've been around for many years. I've made a lot of mistakes that I'm forced to remember. I've seen a lot of boys go to war, and not all of them have returned. So many have left without a chance for me to say goodbye that you'd think it would be impossible to keep track of. I've never forgotten the name of a single one of them, because I can't. And I consider that a privilege."
- ― Captain America
Edited by Jason Schultz on 30 March 2026 at 8:38pm
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Michael Penn
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 April 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 13146
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| Posted: 30 March 2026 at 8:21pm | IP Logged | 5
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JB, earlier in the day, I was curious to revisit Cap's origin, and I too was surprised to read this:
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Jason Schultz
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 23 March 2026
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| Posted: 30 March 2026 at 8:44pm | IP Logged | 6
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In my opinion, his enhanced mind would be a better explanation as to why he's better than Batman at fighting. His brain can soak up more knowledge, given that he's a perfect human being.
Edited by Jason Schultz on 30 March 2026 at 8:55pm
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James Woodcock
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 21 September 2007
Location: United Kingdom
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| Posted: 30 March 2026 at 11:30pm | IP Logged | 7
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Ability, training and application all play a part.
One does not necessarily follow through to the other.
Cap may well have a better brain (ability), but he was not trained to be a
detective, and seldom used that ability.
So being a detective is not necessarily a skill/ability that Steve honed.
His strength and fighting are things he honed.
Batman became the peak at everything, as JB said. But the peak specialist
has a slight edge each time. A bit like who would win a race between the
Flash and Superman? Who is the specialist?
Second best fighter to Cap
Second best detective to Sherlock Holmes
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Scott Gray
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 August 2012
Location: United Kingdom
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| Posted: 31 March 2026 at 11:42am | IP Logged | 8
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James Woodcock: Second best detective to Sherlock Holmes
*******
I'm pretty sure Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character in the DC universe. Batman is second best to Detective Chimp.
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Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 28 July 2004
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| Posted: 31 March 2026 at 11:51am | IP Logged | 9
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Batman met Sherlock Holmes in DETECTIVE 572.
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Scott Gray
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 August 2012
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| Posted: 31 March 2026 at 1:01pm | IP Logged | 10
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Good to know! So Batman is third best after Holmes and Detective Chimp.
Edited by Scott Gray on 31 March 2026 at 1:02pm
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Joseph Gauthier
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 11 March 2009
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| Posted: 31 March 2026 at 3:22pm | IP Logged | 11
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"I, personally, would like to think that Steve's serum-enhanced brain allows him to soak up more martial knowledge...".................................... To me, a much cleaner explanation is that the martial arts knowledge is something that Steve Rogers could have, and perhaps would have done, with or without the serum. An outcome of the same determination that led him to refuse to accept a 4F designation.
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Scott Gray
Byrne Robotics Member
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| Posted: 31 March 2026 at 3:46pm | IP Logged | 12
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There are probably a lot of Marvel characters who could beat Batman in a fight: Shang-Chi, Daredevil, Elektra, Black Panther and Iron Fist for starters.
The Marvel Universe has spawned a lot more "scrappers" because its DNA comes mostly from Jack Kirby.
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