A team is only as strong as its members. Each member’s strength and skill add more resilience to any group of remarkable individuals. What makes a team better is the versatility of each member, how they incorporate their walks of life into the team. The Avengers and Justice League meet this criteria. Each time has its best people on the front lines. And often, these teams are pitted against each other due to fans’ imagination. However, what if they played some Red Rover? They drafted some members from each other, specifically the biggest members from each other. More narrowly, who will do better on the Avengers; Batman or Superman?
Superman is the leader of the Justice League for a variety of reasons; he is the strongest on the team, he embodies what it is to be a great person, he inspires hope, and he values all life. Superman is not intimidated by standing in the light. He is the good the world needs and strives to be. With all the power he wields, he steps over its tempting corruption to use it to gain peace. At times, he doesn’t use it at all to gain peace. While Captain America may fit some of the role, Superman – for being an all-powerful being – never forgets the little guys. Superman’s approach to many problems is soft and understanding. His presence alone is warmth in a cold world, a light in the darkness, a spark of hope in a bitter environment. However, when the issue keeps pressing, he could turn on a dime and unleash his power on any great threat. His power triumphs over many of the Avengers. Some of their combined might come close to Superman, but it does not eclipse it. For a team that has many ordinary people with enhanced skills or suits, a member like Superman will give that team much-needed strength. The Avengers’ powerful members, like the Hulk and Thor, may go missing from time to time since the Hulk prefers to be alone, and Thor has his duties in Asgard and the other realms. Yet, Superman is a part of any operation that tries to achieve peace. His reach is vast, from intergalactic to the small ma-and-pa shop. The Avengers have warriors and soldiers or warmongers of some kind, but Superman is a man raised on a farm, and that experience goes a long way.
Batman is a man who could very well take command of the Justice League full-time. He has the resources, the wealth, the intelligence, the grit, and the determination to outlast many of his team. In some ways, he is more courageous than some of his fellow members since he takes on global threats with only his wit and utility belt. Batman goes after them – no matter their size, their reach, or their power – because he wants to eliminate all forms of evil. Each threat may be different in the eyes of other people, but all Batman sees with each enemy is the man who killed his parents. He uses that rage to push through obstructions to defeat the threat in front of him. Hulk has rage, of course, but that rage could be a double-edged sword. Batman wields it with much more precision, like a scalpel. It gives him an edge, it gives him another weapon to utilize. Batman stays far away from killing, but that doesn’t stop him from showing that he is willing to do it in many different ways. And his versatility is really high. He is many of the Avengers at once as well. He is the fighter that Captain America and Black Widow are, an expert in espionage like Black Widow, a genius and engineer like Iron Man, and a weapons expert like Hawkeye. He adds his own flare, too, by being the greatest detective and the greatest doomsday prepper. Many situations are accounted for because of him. His own wisdom and intelligence have no limits. His determination is unconquerable. Batman puts people and situations in perspective. He knows how to humble people in his blunt ways. For a team like The Avengers that are at odds quite a bit, that role may be vital.
Now who is the best hero to join the Justice League? The answer is simple. It’s Superman. Superman’s humbled, calm demeanor with his godly powers adds a layer to The Avengers that they don’t have. Many Avengers have egos, but Superman does not. Many of the Avengers lack real, substantial power. Superman has a virtually limitless supply of it. Superman doesn’t bring in any ego, flaws, any limits to the fight. As a hero and a man, he is the person anyone wants to be around, whether it’s on the battlefield or a backyard barbecue. Batman, on the other hand, could add fuel to the flame. Although he sees his fellow members as allies, he also sees and treats them as threats. The Avengers have disagreements multiple times and that type of mentality from one of their own will be corrosive. Plus, as important as Batman is to the Justice League, he isn’t always there. He picks the fights he wants to join. He may be great standing solo, but being a part of a team is where Batman starts to develop flaws. Superman, though is a beacon of hope for everyone that’s around him. And he is more than willing to lend his help wherever he is needed or who needs him.
