Fighting Style of the DCEU Batman

[Silver Nemesis]

To begin with, I'd like to acknowledge this breakdown of the DCEU Batman's fighting style by a YouTube creator named Godzillarex:

My own breakdown in this thread is slightly different. But as I said in the discussion on the Burton Batman's fighting style, my knowledge of martial arts is purely amateur and mostly limited to Japanese styles (primarily Ju-Jitsu). So wherever my analysis differs from the video above – especially regarding non-Japanese styles – it's probably best to assume he's right and I'm wrong. Now that I've got that disclaimer out of the way, here's my breakdown.

With Batfleck we have a similar situation to the Kilmer Batman, where they each have one impressive fight scene that showcases a broader range of martial arts techniques than is typically displayed in their other battles. For Bat-Kilmer this is the fight at the bank, and for Batfleck it's the fight in the warehouse. So most of this is going to be based on the warehouse scene from BvS, which I believe was performed by stuntman Albert Valladares.

I'm not sure if Affleck undertook any martial arts training for Batman v Superman, but I do know that he trained in the Indonesian martial art of Pencak Silat for The Accountant (2016), which was the very next movie he filmed. I'm not 100% certain, but I think his Batman uses Silat during the warehouse fight. I remember someone on this site (I forget who) remarking that they thought his fighting style was similar to that of the Nolan Batman when the first clip of the warehouse scene was released. I think what that person was picking up on was the use of Silat. Nolan's Batman definitely employs this martial art (more on that subject soon), and I think Batfleck does too. This is most apparent in his fluid combinations of elbow strikes and joint locks.

Note how in that last example Batfleck twists his opponent's knife hand around to drive the blade into his leg. I'm pretty sure this is an example of Krav Maga, a martial art developed by the Israeli Defence Force. So is the following disarming technique.

Batfleck is definitely a ninja. He's frequently shown disappearing into the shadows, clinging to walls, using stealth and wielding shuriken-style batarangs. So Ninjutsu should be added to the list.

Speaking of those shuriken-style batarangs, we should probably add Shurikenjutsu to the list too. This is the Japanese martial art of hurling throwing blades. Most Batmen hurl boomerang-style batarangs, so this wouldn't apply to them. But the batarangs thrown by the Nolan and DCEU Batmen are clearly modelled on ninja throwing stars. And in both cases the unerring precision with which Batman hurls them would suggest a proficiency at Shurikenjutsu.

Batfleck definitely knows Muay Thai. His use of elbow and knee strikes is evidence of this, and in particular his use of a curving knee strike during the warehouse scene. Most knee strikes in other martial arts involve thrusting the knee directly forwards or upwards, but a curving knee entails directing the knee laterally with the hips, similar to a roundhouse kick. Batfleck does this during the warehouse fight.

Some of the techniques I identified earlier as Silat could also be examples of Muay Thai, as both martial arts place a prominent emphasis on knee and elbow strikes. To be honest, I don't know enough about either martial art to accurately make the distinction. So I'm just going to go ahead and say he's familiar with both.

Batfleck strikes one goon in the neck with what looks like a knifehand, which is a classic Karate move. So we can add Karate to the list.

At one point an enemy charges at him and Batfleck uses his attacker's forward momentum to throw him to the ground. This illustrates a central concept of Aikido, which is to turn the force of an opponent's attack against them.

He follows this up with some ground-and-pound, a technique common in MMA where a fighter takes up a dominant position over their grounded adversary and pummels them into submission.

Boxing is a no-brainer.

When Batman picks up the wounded Superman, he lifts and carries him using what looks like a variation of the overhead gutwrench backbreaker rack. This is a wrestling move.

Batfleck uses a lot of headbutts. These, combined with some of the dirty fighting moves and improvised weaponry techniques he employs against Superman (e.g. hitting him on the back of the head with a sink while he's down on the ground), suggest a familiarity with street fighting.

Once again, this is all guess work and I could be way off the mark. But based on what we see on screen, I'd say Batfleck's fighting style incorporates elements of Ninjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, Muay Thai, Silat, boxing, Karate, Aikido, Krav Maga, ground-and-pound, wrestling and street fighting. That's more fighting styles than the Burton or Schumacher Batmen used.

This combination offers a well-rounded range of techniques covering strikes, throws, joint locks and methods for dealing with both blades and guns. He makes effective use of weaponry and always takes advantage of his environment to outmanoeuvre his enemies. Batfleck is also the most ruthless Batman and is willing to do things his predecessors would not. This makes him by far the most dangerous live action version of the character when it comes to close quarters combat. To be honest, it's hard to identify a weakness in his fighting style. He has several obvious psychological and emotional weaknesses. But his martial arts skills are pretty comprehensive and difficult to fault.

So that covers his fighting style. But what about his physical feats (not counting feats performed with the aid of the mech suit)?

According to the BvS Facebook page, Batfleck's punches exert 1420lbs of force.

He's strong enough to hoist a grown man into the air and slam him through a wooden floor with one arm.

Then there's this.

His reflexes are fast enough that he can dodge shotgun blasts at close range.

He's also fast enough to dodge Doomsday's attacks, including his heat vision.

He's considerably more acrobatic than the Burton or Nolan Batmen. I'd say he's second only to the Schumacher Batman in terms of agility.

He has several impressive durability feats, such as being able to survive a backhand stroke from a Kryptonian.

And he was able to survive this without serious injury.

Now comes the part where we discuss how he'd cope against the villains from earlier Batman films. But in this case it seems a tad redundant. Batfleck would likely defeat everyone. So the question instead becomes which characters could put up the best fight against the DCEU Batman? Would any of them stand a chance of beating him or at least stalemating him?

I don't think anyone from the Burton movies would give him any trouble.

I'd guess Schumacher's Bane and Mr Freeze are physically stronger than the DCEU Batman, but neither has the speed or skill to keep up with him. And if Bat-Clooney could beat them, so can Batfleck.

The League of Shadows would be the first opponents to present him with a real challenge. He could beat the four ninja warriors Baleman fought at the end of Batman Begins, but it wouldn't be an easy fight. Ra's al Ghul would also present a difficult prospect owing to his extensive knowledge of martial arts. It's also worth taking into account the confined space in which the train fight takes place. This would limit Batfleck's ability to manoeuvre or make use of his agility. If Ra's could match Batfleck's speed and strength then he could pose a serious threat. I think Batfleck would win, but Ra's wouldn't make it easy for him.

Ledger's Joker couldn't beat Batfleck physically, but he could hurt him psychologically. Batfleck's emotional instability caused him to be manipulated by Lex Luthor, and it's not hard to imagine Ledger's Joker doing something similar or even worse. In a straight up fight though, the DCEU Batman would win. But that might be exactly what the Nolan Joker wants...

IMO Hardy's Bane would be the biggest threat to Batfleck. He could match his strength, skill and ruthlessness, and possibly even his speed and durability. Batfleck would outclass him in terms of agility and would also be willing to use more deadly methods than Baleman. So I think Batfleck would win, but not without difficulty.

Now we arrive at the question of which Batmen would put up the best fight against Batfleck. I'd say the Burton and Nolan Batmen could each offer a respectable challenge, though both would ultimately lose.

The Burton Batman could probably match Batfleck's superhuman strength and durability and might even present a similar level of ruthlessness. However he's far less agile than the DCEU Batman. He's also not quite as skilled – particularly in the area of grappling techniques – though the skill gap isn't so big that he couldn't put up a good fight.

I think the Nolan Batman actually has a slight skill advantage over Batfleck (again, more on that soon), though he's not as strong or agile. Baleman has surprisingly good damage soak, as illustrated by the punishment he was able to take from Bane. And that was the broken down version of Baleman from TDKR. The younger prime-era version from BB and TDK would put up a good fight. But like the Burton Batman, I think he'd eventually lose.

The Schumacher Batman could probably dance around with Batfleck for a while, but I don't see how he could put him down.

The only live action Batman that I'm confident could beat Batfleck is West, and that's due to his absurdly superhuman feats and god-tier plot armour. I can imagine Bat-West employing a special yogic technique to tense his muscles so that Batfleck would injure himself every time he hit him. West would just stand there and let Batfleck wear himself out, then calmly knock him out when his energy was spent.

ROBIN: Holy punching bag! How could you take a beating like that?

BATMAN: Elementary muscle control, Robin. By concentrating and regulating my breathing, I was able to induce an advanced state of muscular rigidity; a technique pioneered by the great Harry Houdini. Remember, Robin – never neglect your isometrics.

ROBIN: Gosh, Batman! You're right!

But what does everyone else think? Have I misidentified any aspects of the DCEU Batman's fighting style? Anything I've overlooked? How do you think he'd do against the earlier screen villains or against the earlier Batmen?

[thecolorsblend]

Good video! And yeah, the Muay Thai thing is pretty clear. Tbh, I've never had much use for it. And I've always been wary of using major joints as battering rams. If it works, it works. But if you miscalculate the surface you're hitting, you might really hurt yourself. Or so I would think, though I've never actually heard of it ever happening.

One thing that Batfleck has going for him is an uncanny level of stamina. I've never seen anything like it, tbh. The other Batmen did incredible things in their various fights. But in terms of sheer number of opponents over a long period of time, the warehouse fight is probably the most intricate and technically challenging Batman fight ever committed to "film". And when it was over, Batfleck went off and rescued Martha.

To put that in perspective, Keaton was still out of breath after his fight with Catwoman when he got back to the Batcave. And she used what looks like a jazzed up variation on kickboxing with him.

Kilmer jumped off a billboard or a rooftop or something to save Dick from the day-glo street gang and when he got back to the Batcave, he was clearly wiped even though he never threw a single punch.

But Batfleck had several minutes of non-stop leather with multiple assailants, endured two gunshots (blocked by his headgear) and one stabbing and still had plenty of gas in the tank to save Martha and then survive a fight with Doomsday. In my book, surviving a fight with Doomsday is basically the same as winning.

Stamina can be developed and strengthened but everybody has an upper limit. There's only so much anybody can do. Well, Batfleck is obviously pushing 50 and this is the stuff he was capable of. That raises the question of how amazing he must've been when he was in his physical prime. It's almost scary to contemplate.

Another note. I have no idea who Affleck's stunt/fight double was in the warehouse fight. But whatever he got paid, it couldn't have been enough. It's a little obvious when he's fighting vs. when Affleck is doing it but that only adds to my appreciation of his skill. Sometimes you see "stunts" in movies where you (correctly) believe "Yeah, whatever, I could do that".

There's nothing Affleck OR his double do in that scene that I can compete with. Bravo to both of them.

[The Dark Knight]

Batfleck also liked using a particular sideways kick. He performs one against Superman in BvS, and against a parademon in JL.

That little battle in JL is a good representation of Batman – I never saw how it was disrespecting his abilities or weakening him. I thought it was an incredibly exciting and balanced depiction of a night out fighting crime.

A Kryptonite impaired Superman provides barely any resistance, so what you saw was a total domination from Batfleck. Whereas that parademon was operating at full power without any impairments...so the scenarios are consistent in my mind. The JL sequence shows that Batman, 1, is a highly trained human, but human nonetheless, and 2, finds a way to win. He can be taken off guard, but he can also recover and adapt.

It's as if requesting the Knightcrawler (an underrated vehicle, by the way) inspires him, allowing him to summon extra energy reserves to finally put down his foe with a technical takedown involving the grapnel gun. This sequence shows if pure strength isn't enough in a fight, a vehicle or gadget will be brought in to even the odds. That has been the case with the character forever – it's the reason why he wears a utility belt in the first place.

Requesting the Knightcrawler tapped into something I enjoy about Batman. He very often has a backup plan, managing to turn the tables on opponents in time of apparent despair. Those who control technology control the world. Money, therefore, IS actually one of Batman's superpowers.  Like James Bond, technology elevates a peak human into something more, with it becoming an extension of their personality. Without his wonderful toys, Batman isn't complete. The entire package allows him to not just compete, but thrive.

And I find help from back in the cave enriches Batman's world, such as Alfred assisting with the Penguin radio signal in Returns. Batman does need help, he does require gadgets and he does require vehicles to operate at full capacity. Everyone and everything has a purpose in these moments of adversity. It's not just believable, it's the act of storytelling.

I safely claim a JL parademon is much stronger than Hardy's Bane, and obviously much more nimble with their wings. I believe Batfleck could defeat a parademon (a serious foe in anyone's estimations, especially for a human) in a one-on-one boxing slugfest, but too much time and effort would be required for each individual opponent to be put down. Nobody is going to decline the option of ending such a fight sooner, especially when you're surrounded by many more of the same creatures.

Batfleck shows how Batman has to keep moving, and keep the tricks flowing, in order to compete against superhuman threats. Case in point rolling the Batmobile, ejecting, morphing into a glide, landing and resuming combat. He also needs contingency plans for WHEN things go wrong. I'm sure the 'big guns' he refers to in JL originally meant something else, but the use of Lois nonetheless remains a fallback, ala Hush when Superman was mind controlled by Poison Ivy.

BvS will always be Batfleck's finest hour, but his subsequent appearance still contains slithers of gold despite the frustrations of the reshoots and what was cut in the editing bay.

[The Laughing Fish]

There's nothing Affleck OR his double do in that scene that I can compete with. Bravo to both of them.

You should check out the previz stunt footage that rehearsed the warehouse scene. The fact that it's shot-by-shot exactly as it is in the movie goes to show how brilliant the translation to the final product was. The clip contains behind-the-scenes filming too.

BvS will always be Batfleck's finest hour, but his subsequent appearance still contains slithers of gold despite the frustrations of the reshoots and what was cut in the editing bay.

Too bad all of this great work will largely go underappreciated by the majority of the hypocritical so-called "fans" who complained about...well, you know what. The lying degenerates they are.

As a spectacle, I thought the BvS warehouse scene sets the benchmark of a Batman movie fight scene aim for. One that successfully adopts the flexibility of the suit and takes it advantage further with excellent martial arts choregraphy, that makes you believe this guy in a Batsuit can take on all these crooks all at once. The movie adaptations in the past had to rely on close-ups and quick editing to accommodate actors who had to wear the tight, uncomfortable costumes. Some did the best they could to great effect under the circumstances i.e. Burton and even Schumacher, at times. Some came off as second rate i.e. Nolan, even more so when the camera pans around in front of clumsily choreographed actors fumbling over.

But if I could be objective for a moment, the only weakest fight choreography in Batfleck's appearances would have to be the Knightmare scene. I admire Snyder's ambition to shoot under one take with the camera rotating around the screen with a close-up of Batman getting restrained and taken prisoner, but call it nitpicking - I still think there are a few moments the Superman foot soldiers clumsily took too long to fire at him point blank range. Similar to those awkward moments in Nolan's movies. Still, you have to be impressed with how Batfleck can juggle between using the guns as clubs to strike in close combat and open fire (as we can see on 2:08):

As for JL, I never had an issue with him struggling with the Parademons. I thought it made a lot of sense, given he is supposed to be the most human member of the team, and needed to be resourceful and be smart to beat them. If he went to full-on Bat-God mode, it would be far more ridiculous. People have the right to complain about the movie's expensive and unnecessary reshoots and shoddy CGI, but this particular aspect is petty to me.

[Silver Nemesis]

This short film does a surprisingly good job of capturing Batfleck's fighting style with stop-motion animation.

[thecolorsblend]

This short film does a surprisingly good job of capturing Batfleck's fighting style with stop-motion animation.

I agree. I guess there's no getting around the herky-jerky thing with stop-motion. But aside from that, very well done.

Nice little twist ending too.