Although he is not the most powerful hero in the DC Universe, Batman is certainly the most dangerous. What he lacks in superpowers, he makes up for in other areas. He has a vast fortune, access to highly advanced technology, various martial arts skills, and possesses a genius-level intellect. However, this has not prevented him from risking his mind, body, and soul to protect Gotham, and by extension the world, from evil. Although despite his skills and resources, Batman has faced several situations where being human was not enough. In these moments, Batman has been forced to put both his safety and humanity on the line.
Batman goes to great lengths for the sake of justice. During his struggles, he has even obtained both superhuman and supernatural abilities. In most cases, he willingly allows himself to gain new powers for the sake of fulfilling his mission. Other times, the powers he receives threaten to corrupt and consume him. However, while there are moments when has obtained new powers, this does not make him invincible. In many cases, Batman has his own weaknesses that put him at risk for failure.
Updated on January 19th, 2022 by George Chrysostomou: Batman's abilities have continued to evolve throughout his appearances in the comics. While there are countless weaknesses for writers to take advantage of when crafting a narrative, there are also other powers that the seemingly powerless Bruce Wayne can draw from in battle.
Batman's Superpowers
Omnipotence
The Batman Who Laughs was one of the most powerful iterations of Bruce Wayne from the Dark Multiverse. The character was sadistic and cruel and began to grow in his strength. The Batman Who Laughs demonstrated that Wayne could, in theory, gain complete omnipotence.
Thanks to the gifts of Doctor Manhattan, which the Batman Who Laughs steals from another Batman, he fashions himself into the Darkest Knight, a being of pure power. Very few could match up against the might of this god-like being, as he was really made up of pure darkness.
Bane's Venom
Bane's own strength and abilities are formed from the Venom drug he injects into his veins. The strange concoction is potentially lethal for those who don't use it correctly, but the former wrestler is almost addicted to the substance, which he has used to great criminal success.
Batman has had to inject himself with Venom on numerous occasions to stand toe to toe with the beast, or when he faces all manner of other threats. He can just about handle the substance, but it physically alters the Caped Crusader, increasing his mass and in turn, his durability and strength.
Various Lantern Power Rings
Batman’s willpower, sense of justice, and the fear he inspires are so strong that he has earned the attention of several Lantern Corps. On several occasions, Batman has been entrusted with Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern power ring to temporarily become a Green Lantern. There was even a time when he became a White Lantern, which made him the DC equivalent of a god. Unfortunately, Batman has also been recruited by other, more malevolent Lantern factions.
Although it was only for short periods of time, Batman has used the powers of a Yellow Power Ring in the Sinestro Corps War and Forever Evil storylines. However, even worse than being a Yellow Lantern, Batman was also recruited as a Black Lantern in Blackest Night. The evil and ruthlessness of this Lantern version of Batman were unmatched until the arrival of Dawnbreaker in Dark Nights: Metal.
Absolute Knowledge
As the world’s greatest detective, Batman’s intellect is a major factor that justifies his high threat level. Now imagine if Batman found a way to push his intelligence far beyond human understanding. This is exactly what happens during the events of the Darkseid War storyline. To learn how to counter the threat posed by the Anti-Monitor, Batman takes control of Metron’s Mobius Chair. By taking his place on the chair, Batman transforms himself into the God of Knowledge.
As the name implies, Batman obtains complete knowledge of everything in the cosmos, thanks to the Mobius chair. Except for who the Anti-Monitor is, Batman can predict any outcome and answer any question, including The Joker’s real identity. Sadly, while this omnipotent knowledge does prove beneficial, it also carries tremendous risk.
Super Strength And Durability Via Super Pills
A few months following the release of the game Injustice: Gods Among Us, the prequel comic series of the same name revealed to fans the origins behind Batman’s super strength. In Injustice Gods Among Us #8 -12, following a failed invasion attempt by forces from Apokolips, Superman shares Kryptonian Nano-technology with Lex Luthor. Their collaboration proves successful leads to the creation of the 5-U-93-R super pill, which then falls into the hands of Batman and his Insurgents.
After consuming the pill, Batman’s tensile and muscle strength increases by several thousand times their normal strength, giving him super strength and durability. Thanks to this increase in power, Batman can fight on equal ground with foes (or allies) that were once stronger than him, such as Superman and Wonder Woman.
Genie Magic
No this is not a joke, Batman actually had the powers of a genie. This was shown only during Detective Comics #322. In this issue, Batman confronts a group of thieves who steal an artifact known as the Larko Lamp. After being exposed to dust from the lamp, Batman transforms into a real live, Bat-Genie. As the name suggests, Batman adopts all the powers traditionally associated with genies. This includes the power to use magic, flight, and most importantly, the power to grant wishes.
While the concept may sound silly, this version of Batman possesses enormous power. Due to the thieves’ lack of creative thinking, the full extent of Bat-Genie’s powers is never revealed. However, like a genie, it is possible that Batman’s wish-granting powers could have been strong enough to potentially warp reality.
Echolocation
The Amazo Virus storyline is famous for creating the events which allowed Batman to finally live up to his namesake. During the outbreak of a contagion called the Amazo Virus, regular people began to develop superpowers. Sounds great right? Wrong. A nasty side effect of the Amazo Virus is that it sends people into a berserker-like rage, which is then followed by a slow, and agonizing death.
During the outbreak, Batman becomes infected with the virus. Thankfully, the league was able to find a cure in time, but not before he developed his own set of powers. The virus makes him go blind, but in return, he also manifests echolocation based-powers. If that wasn’t cool enough, Batman also develops the ability to generate sonic blasts, which were powerful enough to render Armen Ikarus, aka the New Amazo and Subject Zero, unconscious.
Magic Armors
Over the years, Batman’s costume has undergone several changes, revamps, and upgrades. Sometimes, he even relied on blending his suit with armor that had magical properties. Two of the most notable examples include the Suit of Sorrows and the Hellbat Armor. A gift from Talia, Batman used the mystical properties of the Suit of Sorrows to boost his physical skills, to defeat Ra’s and his army of assassins.
On the other hand, the Hellbat Armor is quite possibly the most powerful suit in his possession. Batman designed the suit himself and had each member of the league contribute to its forging process. While mostly technological, Wonder Woman’s involvement in its creation makes it’s highly likely that the Hellbat armor contains some traces of magic. The powers from these two suits make Batman practically unbeatable. Unfortunately, as with all great power, there is a toll to pay for their use.
Vampire Physiology
In the Batman: Vampire trilogy, Batman fans are offered a look at what would happen if Batman became a vampire. In part 1 of the trilogy, Batman and Dracula: Red Rain, Batman encounters Dracula and his brood of vampires, who are responsible for murdering Gotham’s homeless population. After being bitten by a vampire named Tanya, Batman transforms into an incomplete vampire.
Batman quickly gets the hand of his new vampire powers, which greatly enhance his strength, agility, and senses. He even develops real bat wings that allow him to fly. With his new vampire abilities, Batman quickly turns the tables in his fight with Dracula. Unfortunately, during their fight, Dracula drains him of his blood, permanently transforming him into a full vampire. By becoming a full vampire, Batman’s supernatural powers further increase and he even learns how to transform into a mist-like state.
Blackrock Symbiote
An interesting fact about DC is that, like Marvel, they have their own version of the Venom symbiote. Referred to as the Blackrock symbiote, this alien substance covers its hosts with black goo and forces them into a feral state. However, the Blackrock symbiote is slightly stronger than the Venom symbiote.
The reason is due to the fact that it provides additional abilities to its host that the Venom symbiote does not. Between Batman/Superman issue 28-33, Batman became exposed to the Blackrock symbiote. The exposure gave him the power to fly, as well as super strength, super durability, and the ability to absorb and project energy. Under the influence of the Blackrock symbiote, Batman’s power levels matched that of Superman and he even came close to defeating the Man of Steel.
Speed Force Connection
With the release of Dark Nights: Metal, a new evil speedster was introduced to the DC universe. His power and connection to the speed force is so strong that it sures the power of Flash or any other DC speedster, including The Flash. This speedster is none other than The Red Death, aka the Batman of Earth-52. Introduced in Batman: The Red Death #1, Red Death acquired his powers by combining his batmobile and the cosmic treill to fuse himself with his Earths’ Flash.
Like most speedsters, Red Death can easily move through time and space, but he also possesses a few additional abilities that make him even more of a threat. He also has the power to create speed force constructs in the form of bats, which can cause a person to age to dust, upon making with one. Needless to say, this is an extremely painful way to go.
Divine Empowerment
As a God, Batman is the ultimate deterrent to crime. In the many times that he has become a God, Batman has obtained abilities like omnipotence, immortality, the ability to move through space and time, and overwhelming power. Unfortunately, becoming a god can seriously tamper with a person’s mental state, and Batman is no exception.
In Batman: Merciless Vol. 1, Batman steals a helmet belonging to Ares and wears it to become the new God of War. Not only does this version of Batman eliminate Ares for the role he played in Wonder Woman’s death, but he also goes on a rampage across the dark multiverse, before ing the Dark Nights. With so much power at their disposal, Bat Deities, like The Merciless and Atmahn the Night Judge, have very few weaknesses. Fortunately, there exists a weapon built for the sole purpose of eliminating divine beings.
Batman's Weaknesses
Family
Batman has always had to deal with the trauma of his past. His fear that he will lose his newfound family has been a great weakness, which villains have manipulated time and time again. Although those characters in the Bat-Family are strong in their own ways, they still leave Bruce vulnerable.
Foes like Scarecrow have used Batman's fears against him, and the likes of the Joker even killed heroes such as Jason Todd to take advantage of that Achilles heel. Ultimately, while Batman might be more powerful surrounded by his loved ones, it means he has so much more to lose.
Magic
Batman can prepare for almost every eventuality. The character is all about making plans and even has a contingency in place for the destruction or corruption of the Justice League. There's one unpredictable element that continues to weaken him, though: magic.
Despite all of his encounters with sorcery, Batman will never be able to truly master the art of magic. It's so difficult to defend against and has put his team in serious danger countless times. There have been very few narratives where Batman has actually had a solid plan in place for a mystical threat.
Joker’s Blood
The Joker’s existence constantly threatens to corrupt Batman, not just on a moral level, but a biological one as well. In Batman: Arkham City, the Joker transfers a sample of his blood, which was corrupted by a venom Variant known as Titan in Arkham Asylum, to Batman. This dose of tainted Joker blood dangerously weakens Batman to the point where he is forced to turn to the League of Assassins for help.
In Batman: Arkham Knight, Batman still struggles from Joker’s blood in his system which threatens to transform Batman into a copy of himself. In The Batman Who Laughs # 1, it's revealed that any substance incubated within the Joker’s body can corrupt Batman. After being forced to kill the Joker, Batman is exposed to a gas that escapes his body. This later transforms him into the Batman/Joker hybrid, known as The Batman Who Laughs.
Mobius Chair
Normally used by the observer Metron, the Mobius Chair is a highly advanced and powerful technological vehicle. Whoever sits upon it will become omnipotent and will receive the power to travel through time, space, and even other dimensions. It turns out that Batman is also capable of using the power of the Mobius Chair. For a while, Batman achieved temporary godhood with the knowledge of the cosmos at his fingertips.
Unfortunately, even he is not immune to the side effect of using the chair. Prolonged exposure threatened to overwhelm him and made him a danger to his allies. Fortunately, Hal Jordan was able to save Batman from himself by using his power ring to force Batman out of the chair. The Mobius Chair is proof that not even Batman is immune to the temptation of absolute knowledge.
Human Limitations
It is no question that Batman is at the peak of human perfection. Despite possessing no powers, he is still recognized as a threat to both humans and aliens alike. Unfortunately, regardless of his achievements and skills, Batman is still a human and is still vulnerable to several human weaknesses. When confronted with beings who are much stronger than Batman, such as Superman and Darkseid, he tends to rely on technology and his natural physical conditioning to either achieve victory or make a hasty retreat.
Furthermore, he is also vulnerable to human weaknesses such as his pride and fear. After all, his fear that the Justice League would go rogue, made him paranoid enough to come up with several contingency plans designed to neutralize them. These factors have often strained Batman’s relationship with his fellow League .
He Cannot Disobey Magical Or Alien Objects That Enslave His Will
Looking back at the Batman Genie entry, there is a downside to having genie powers. After becoming a genie, Batman becomes a prisoner of the magic in the lamp. Once this happens, Batman is obligated to obey the command of anyone who controls the Larko Lamp. Even if the command goes against his beliefs, Batman cannot refuse a wish made by a person holding the lamp.
This is not the first time that Batman’s will was overwritten by a powerful artifact. In the Blackest Night, following his death at the hands of Darkseid, Batman is later brought back to life as a Black Lantern. While the Batman that was resurrected was actually a clone, it was still an exact copy of him. Sadly, his morals are overwritten and replaced by the Black Lanterns' sole desire to eliminate all life in the universe.
Talia Al Ghul
Out of all the foes Batman has faced, only one of them can be considered his own personal kryptonite. That honor goes to none other than Talia Al Ghul. As the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul, Talia is one of the few people able to get Batman to drop his guard.
One of her greatest exploits was conceiving her and Batman’s child, Damian, and then tricking him into believing that he died in a miscarriage. Thus, ensuring Ra’s could have an heir to train without Batman’s interference. Like Batman, Talia also has affections for him and has risked her life many times to help him. In the end, however, her loyalty always returns to her father. Not only is Talia his equal in of combat, but she has also succeeded in exploiting him at his most vulnerable. A feat few women have been able to pull off.
Overuse Of Armors
Due to the power of these two armors, Batman only has small windows of opportunity where he can safely wear them. For the Suit of Sorrows, Batman came to the realization that wearing the suit for too long, would slowly make him lose control of all rational thought. If he had kept the armor on, he would have ended up like the previous owners and gone on a rampage.
The Hellbat Armor carries even greater risk. Unlike the Suit of Sorrows, the Hellbat armor presents more of a physical risk than a psychological one. As one of his strongest armors, the suit cannot properly function without drawing energy directly from Bruce’s body. Using the armor for too long or exceeding its recommended limits can literally drain Batman of his life force.
Sunlight
The idea of having vampire powers may sound like the ideal power for Batman, but the truth is the cost of using them is far too great. While his urge to fight against drinking human blood is damaging to his morality, it is not his biggest weakness.
In fact, it offers a huge advantage over other vampires. By abstaining from drinking human blood, Batman is not affected by holy water or crucifixes. A fact that Joker learns the hard way in Bloodstorm. Even receiving a stake to the heart only manages to put him in a coma. At the end of Crimson Mist, Batman seeks to end his cursed existence and does so by exposing himself to sunlight. As readers watch his body vanish, Batman’s actions confirm that sunlight is the only method that can permanently end the suffering of his cursed existence.
Demonic Possession
Batman is known for having an indomitable will. Even being exposed to several shots of Scarecrow’s fear toxin is not enough to break him. However, it seems that even his mental defenses are not strong enough to fight off possession from mystical elements. In the animated film, Justice League Dark he demonstrates that at the very least he can resist possession by a human spirit like Dean. In the few times that he was subjected to this form of possession, its effectiveness over him diminished after every use. Unfortunately, this is a different story with possession of a demonic nature.
In the film Justice League vs. Teen Titans, Batman concludes that he has no chance at resisting possession from one of Trigon’s demons. The only method he as to prevent himself from being taken over is by injecting himself with a specialized nerve toxin, which puts him in a coma.
Speedster Weaknesses
By gaining Flash’s speed, Red Death also takes on the weaknesses of a speedster. This includes a vulnerability to weapons or powers that reduce his ability to generate friction. He also cannot run when under a strong gravitational field. Red Death also has another unusual weakness. After fusing his body with Flash, he got his speed but also trapped his consciousness inside him. He must always be on guard to prevent the Flash from taking control.
Red Death’s body is highly unstable, because of how he got his powers. His body can permanently break down if he runs too fast for too long. This if runs past his limits, he could potentially run himself out of existence similar to how the flash did. Furthermore, every time he engages in high-speed movement, his body disassembles into bat-like speed force constructs and needs to remain immobile to regain his form.
One Specific Weapon
Despite being on the theoretical side, there is evidence to that bat-gods are vulnerable to the Godkiller. Forged by the Greek God Hephaestus for Deathstroke, the Godkiller's original purpose was to kill the Titan, Lapetus. However, it's proven that it has the potential to kill other divine beings as well.
Aside from being able to take down Gods, the Godkiller has other useful powers. It can endow its wielder with increased strength, guide them to their target, unleash shock blasts, can shapeshift into different weapons, absorb blows and redirect them back to the source with twice the power, and can even regenerate itself if destroyed. Even though, the Godkiller is The Merciless' main weapon it does not mean that he is immune to it. Due to The Merciless' powers being tied to Ares’ own, this also makes him vulnerable to the Godkiller.
