When you think superheroes, you think of them. All the others are johnny-come-latelys or virtual unknowns. They've been around since the 40s, been off-and-on partners for at least half of that,
And they have been a mirror of American Society for that whole period. Look down for a summary of how that is, why that is, and why Batman's ascendancy shows an America in trouble.
Superman is pure science fiction. The creation of two fanboys from Cleveland, he is the last of a race of aliens who has taken humanity under his wing. His original story stated that his race had used eugenics to make themselves into superior beings. He is The Man Of Tomorrow, a nickname older than Man of Steel.
Batman, on the other hand, is pure noir. He comes from the pulps, along with the Shadow and Philip Marlowe. He started out as a hard boiled detective in a costume, fighting crime with his fists and a rope. In the early days, true to his origins, he carried a gun and occasionally used it on someone.
During the Forties and Fifties, America transformed into a world power. Cold War aside, it was a time of optimism, of can-do and gung-ho, Peace Corp and the two car garage. It was the time of American exceptionalism, when there was nothing America couldn't do.
During the Fifties, the two characters evolved.
Superman had started out as a pink skinned, even tempered Hulk. He lifted cars, bullets bounced off, and he could leap long distances. He quickly powered up however, gaining extra powers and improving the ones he had. By the time Kennedy's Camelot arrived, he was a cosmic force. He could move whole planets. Creatures from far off worlds knew and trusted him. His few weaknesses rarely stopped him for more than an issue. His popularity was at its all time high as well, with George Reeves on TV thrilling the kids.
Batman, meanwhile, had gone in a different direction.
He slowly changed from detective to superhero. He stopped killing and gave up the gun. He started working in daylight. The police became his allies, instead of his hunters. His foes changed from generic racketeers to Dick Tracy characters, then to the big four of supers - aliens, mad scientists, robots, and giant apes. By the mid-Fifties Batman had become Gadget-Man. He fought crime with his utility belt, lab, and vehicles. Whole stories would be devoted to the gadget of the month:
"Gosh, Batman! You don't mean . . . "
"I'm afraid so, Robin. If we are to have any chance of defeating this menace, we must take the chance and use . . . BATARANG X!!!"
Superman's heyday was Batman's nadir. He finally hit bottom in 1966, with Adam West and Bat-Shark-Repellent.
In the late Sixties, everything changed.
As the sixties faded and Nixon's America emerged, the trend reversed. Batman started becoming more serious. The detective skills came back. The wacky batarangs disappeared. Superman, on the other hand, became weaker. He no longer moved planets or patrolled the galaxy.
During this period, America changed. Nixon's reign heralded in a new period in America. We stopped being the saviors of the world. American exceptionalism went bad and became mistrusted. The Government became The Man; not to be trusted.
And now here we are in a new century, and Batman is THE hero. Superman has become almost emasculated, his powers limited. Batman can beat him in a punchout.
Batman is America's current hero. Not Superman.
There have been all sorts of reasons put forward to explain the changes.
1) "You can't write stories about an invincible character. No one would read them."
Meanwhile, in the other half of the Internet, fans are discussing whether Batman could defeat God given enough prep time. All superheroes are invincible - it's what makes them superheroes. There are plenty of cosmic-level characters out there right now starring in brilliant stories. You just have to give world-shaking characters world-shaking storylines. Superman is not getting them anymore.
2) "Superman is not as realistic as Batman."
I'm afraid I have some bad news for all those people who think a trust fund baby with PTSD becoming a high tech forensic ninja is realistic. Superheroes are larger than life - again, that's what makes them superheroes. Their feelings, their will to win, their ideals - these define a character. What counts is not whether a person with such powers could exist - it's whether you can believe that such a personality could exist. Superman's "competence" has been compromised, and thus his believability.
3) "Batman's popularity is because that Frank Miller book started a trend."
Frank Miller has created many books. His work on Daredevil was classic and groundbreaking - possibly moreso than The Dark Knight Returns. All Daredevil got out of it was a Ben Affleck movie.
The real reason for the changes in popularity is not the characters.
It's their worlds.
It isn't Superman losing to Batman - it's Metropolis losing to Gotham City.
Because, as I said in the beginning, Batman is a noir character, in a noir setting.
And in noir, the hero never wins.
In noir, the government is corrupt, the police are on the take, and the social order is in ruins. The hero might take down one of the big shots, but at the end of the story, the status quo doesn't change. Forget it, Bruce - it's Chinatown.
Batman is popular because we believe in his noir world. We know that Congress is corrupt, that the police are becoming the enemy, and that the average citizen is screwed. Batman makes sense in this setting - he's even heroic. He can make a difference - without making a DIFFERENCE.
The classic Superman is not and cannot be a noir character. He is too powerful. He'd gather up all the corrupt politicians and terrorists and gangsters and fly them out to Pluto, where they would live out their lives guarded by robots, in a comfortable environment which would be nothing like Guantanamo because he's Superman. He would rebuild the slums and grow crops in the barrens to feed everybody. He would find a way to change the status quo.
And we no longer believe in such things. We no longer find the optimism of Superman realistic. We no longer believe in a world of Truth, Justice, and The American Way.
We believe in a vigilante in the shadows doing his best, in a world where the best isn't good enough.
Even in fiction, there is such a thing as too fictitious.
Really.