One side says it’s Batman villains. The other side it’s Spider-Man villains. The superhero genre has a rich list of supervillains. They are plenty that give the heroes some scare, some going as far as beating them. Other go further in killing them. Villains are a staple to the genre. And Batman and Spider-Man have two of the most famous, or infamous rather, group of villains. As long as the superhero genre will exist, the debate of who has the better rogues gallery will always be there. But another question has also come up. What if Batman and Spider-Man were to exchange villains, which hero will have more success? Each hero has their own history with these villains and their own success rate against them. But how will that look like? How will each of these two legendary heroes strategize around them? To be honest, Batman and Spider-Man wouldn’t have to change much of their tactics if they exchanged villains.
There comes a question to why are these villains so iconic. For Batman, it seems to be easier. Batman has the advantage of having a live action adaptation interpretation for the last several generations. Since these portrayals are released in the theaters, his world has been able to reach a more general audience for a longer period of time. With those stories comes villains. People have grown up with these villains just as much as they have grown up with Batman. For a fan of the books, they are drawn in by these stories either because of Batman or because of the villain in that particular plot. Many times, it is the villain, and how they are used, that IS the main factor to bring in the audience. This is where Spider-Man’s rogues gallery gets similar attention. They haven’t had the generational presence as Batman’s villains have but they still have success on the book side of things. These villains are treated with so much care and respect to the point, at times, they eclipse Batman or Spider-Man in their own story. More than that, that type of love is given to many villains. Writers do not put that level of love or one or three but a handful of villains. That means it makes it easier for the audience to embrace the character. They don’t have to work to get to know the villain. They already know. And there’s a chance that whoever the villain is, the choice isn’t necessarily wrong to have them be the main villain of the story because so many of Batman and Spider-Man’s villains are so well crafted and recognizable.
So why would Batman and Spider-Man be fine if they swapped villains? The obvious reason is that they are more than capable. Batman is the more seasoned one with a huge arsenal of advanced equipment and martial arts mastery. Spider-Man also has his own mastery with fighting, his superpowers and his firm grasp of sciences. These factors make them an adversary even against their greatest allies.
But the big reason is that both heroes have seen each other’s villain in their own rouge’s gallery. Batman and Spider-Man villains are identical in the sense that they are the two of the most famous group of villains. But they are also identical because there are villains that are very similar to each other in makeup. The Joker and Green Goblin. Clayface and Sandman or Venom/Carnage. Catwoman and Black Cat. Bane and Kraven. Killer Croc and The Lizard. Man-Bat and The Vulture. The Penguin and Kingpin. Scarecrow/Mad Hatter and Mysterio. Both heroes have a lot of experience with these types of villains. When they go against them, more often than not, they come out on top. When Batman comes across Kraven or Black Cat, although they may have some alterations to their approach, Batman will rely on what he has learned from Bane and Catwoman to defeat them. The same goes for Spider-Man. If he has to fight, The Joker or Killer Croc, his run-ins with the Green Goblin and The Lizard will provide him with enough insight to put the fight in his favor. In fact, Spider-Man might have an easier time because of his powers. Regardless, both superheroes have enough experience to deal with certain villains. Sure, Batman’s and Spider-Man’s list of villains go beyond the ones mentioned. However, many of the villains mentioned are the ones these heroes come across often or have a strong history with. So, their experience with these types of villains is strong. Fighting The Joker will be a familiar place for Spider-Man. Fighting Kraven will be a familiar spot for Batman.
Many fans want to see a conflict involving Batman’s villains and Spider-Man’s villains. Rightfully so. That conversation has evolved into asking who would fair better against the other hero’s villains. Batman and Spider-Man would do just fine against the villains if swapped. A large part because their main villains share so many characteristics with each other. They just need to rely on the methods they use with their own enemies to defeat the other guy’s villains. Both heroes are capable of fighting above their weight. But if the villains are in the same weight class, Batman will be fine fighting the Green Goblin and Spider-Man will be fine fighting The Joker.
