Ever wonder what it would be like if Bruce Lee fought Batman?

Both are known for their legendary skill in martial arts. Both are known for an indomitable will, never surrendering, never compromising. Who would win in this clash of titans of unarmed combat? Let’s consider the strengths and weaknesses of each.

To get the obvious out of the way, I think the main thing  one has to consider is that one is a fictional (although awesome!) character, and the other was a real person. Bruce Lee’s martial arts prowess was heavily documented. I know one cannot consider his films necessarily a true depiction of his abilities since all those fights were heavily choreographed. However, there is quite a bit of footage of Bruce Lee demonstrating his abilities, including his famous one inch punch. Obviously, even with all the myth and legend surrounding him, Bruce was the real deal.

Batman, on the other hand, is not real. A fictional character with over seventy years of exciting adventures to his name, Batman was first published in Detective Comics in 1939. Witnessing his parents’ death when he was a child, he swore to fight crime and defend the innocent. Traveling the world, he learned many different forms of martial arts and mastered them all.

This brings me to my first point: fighting styles. Bruce Lee is known for having created his own style known as Jeet Kune Do, or The Way of the Intercepting Fist. Formed as a response to a match he fought in 1964, it incorporated many different styles of fighting and had no fixed positions. Jeet Kune Do was the embodiment of Bruce Lee’s personal philosophy of flexibility and fluidity in thought and action. 

Batman, as mentioned above, traveled the world and mastered many different styles of martial arts. All of these disciplines he combined into a style that worked best for street fighting, stealth attack, and efficiency. His approach to fighting can be best described as shock and awe, his costume designed to frighten criminals and give Batman the edge.

The second point to consider is the mindset of each character. Bruce Lee was driven by a desire to make something of himself. Perhaps he was driven to succeed partly because of the supposed family curse that haunted him. At any rate, Bruce Lee was highly motivated to break stereotypes and showcase the true beauty of his culture. His practice of teaching non-Asians the ways of martial arts brought him into conflict with the local martial arts masters, who demanded he stop teaching non-Asians. Lee’s subsequent refusal led to him fighting a match to determine whether he had the right to teach whomever he wanted.

As a child, Bruce Wayne witnesses the murder of his parents at the age of 10. Subsequently, he vowed to devote himself to fighting crime and evil in whatever forms it may take. Basically, Batman was born and became the dominant personality. Highly driven to avenge his parents’ murders, Batman will not stop, possessed of an indomitable will, and his lifelong obsession of ridding Gotham City of crime.

So now the big question: who would win if these two fought?  In all honesty, I think it would be a tie. An epic, building destroying, run for your life tie, but a tie. These two really are about the most evenly matched fighters I can think of. Besides, in most situations like this, these two guys would eventually team up to stop a villain. So, what do you guys think? Are you Team Bruce Lee or Team Batman? Sound off in the comments below.

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