Superhero comics have their origins in the old pulp stories, tales of men and women battling crime with their wits and fists. Street-level heroes are an important part of any superhero universe and DC has some standouts. Two of the best are Green Arrow and Batman. Green Arrow is one of the toughest heroes without powers in the DC Universe and armed with one of humanity's oldest weapons--the bow and arrow. Batman's combination of brains and brawn have allowed him to defeat some of the most dangerous villains around and save the universe with the Justice League.
Both men are dedicated to protecting their cities and are the epitome of street-level heroes, but only one can be the best.
10 Green Arrow's The Best: A Man Of The People
Green Arrow may have grown up rich, but he's one of the biggest crusaders for the downtrodden around. The biggest bleeding heart liberal of the DC Universe, Green Arrow does everything he can do to help those less fortunate than him, using his considerable resources to help the poor and fighting the crime that makes their neighborhoods hard places to live.
There's a real sense that Green Arrow cares about the people of Star City in a way that most heroes don't--for most heroes, stopping crime and saving the day is the focus, but for Green Arrow, it's all about helping people.
9 Batman's The Best: The Most Skilled Hero Around
Batman spent years preparing before he became a hero, as only a billionaire can--by traveling the world and learning from some of the best people in their fields. Batman has pretty much every skill any hero would need to fight crime, from the obvious ones like martial arts skills and knowledge of the forensics sciences to obscure stuff like stage magician tricks and riddling skills.
Batman's breadth of skills has allowed him to triumph in all kinds of situations. There are few heroes who can work at Batman's level--not only does he fight crime in one of the most dangerous cities in comics but he also finds himself fighting universe-ending threats with the Justice League.
8 Green Arrow's The Best: A Way Better Fighter Than He Gets Credit For
Green Arrow does not get enough credit for how good of a hand-to-hand combatant is. Everyone focuses on his archery skills, which to be fair are some of the best in comics, but even without his bow and arrow, he can mix it up with the best of them. In fact, he's even proven able to fight it out with Deathstroke and not only hold his own but also win.
Green Arrow is as tough as they come, and even if he loses his bow and arrow, that doesn't mean he's a pushover. This is a guy who uses a bow a 200 pound pull--when he hits someone, they know they got hit.
7 Batman's The Best: The Man Who Has Everything
Batman's only human, and while he's good at just about everything, that doesn't mean he never misses something or loses a fight. Luckily for Gotham, Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne is not only one of the richest men in America but he also owns one of the world's biggest corporations. These two little facts give Batman access to just about anything he can think of.
Batman has everything he needs, and if he doesn't have it, he can get the stuff to build it or have it built for him. This unprecedented access to resources has allowed him to win when he should have had no chance or figure out something that he wouldn't have been able to.
6 Green Arrow's The Best: An Arrow For Every Occasion
Most street-level heroes have their own little bag of tricks to help them out--Batman has his utility belt and the Batcave, Spider-Man has his webshooters and spider tracers, Daredevil has his billy club. Green Arrow has his arsenal of trick arrows, and while some are better than others, they've come in handy a lot over the years.
From run-of-the-mill bladed arrows to flare arrows, explosive arrows, handcuff arrows, boomerang arrows, boxing gloves arrows, and more, Green Arrow has an arrow from just about every job he needs to get done.
5 Batman's The Best: He's Trained The Best Sidekicks
Green Arrow and Batman have both trained young heroes but the ones Batman has trained have distinguished themselves much more. Dick Grayson was the first Robin, led the Teen Titans, became Nightwing, and started protecting his own city, even taking over for Batman. Tim Drake led Young Justice, the Teen Titans, and is an amazing detective. Barbara Gordon is one of the smartest and toughest heroes around.
His son Damian is proving to be a formidable Robin, and while Jason Todd doesn't have the best rep, he's one of the best fighters around. Add Cassandra Cain Helena Bartinelli and Duke Thomas to that number and the Batfamily is one of the most skilled groups of heroes around and all because of Batman's training.
4 Green Arrow's The Best: He Cleans Up His Messes
Green Arrow is well known for being one of the most stubborn heroes around. This stubbornness has cost him a lot over the years, and many of his worst mistakes can be chalked up to it. However, one of the things about Green Arrow is that he always makes sure to clean up his own messes.
He rarely hides his mistakes, unlike some bat-eared heroes who will remain nameless, facing them head-on and doing his best to fix them. Green Arrow doesn't pretend he's infallible--he knows he messes up and does everything he can to fix the things he breaks.
3 Batman's The Best: Defends The Most Dangerous City In America
There are few cities in comics as dangerous as Gotham City. Just look at the numbers--even with Batman there, the city has enough crime to support multiple vigilantes. The costumed criminals who call Gotham home are some of the most dangerous around, made all the formidable by the fact that they have to deal with Batman all the time.
Batman is the main defender of Gotham City, fighting against mobsters, terrorists trying to steal WayneTech weapons and equipment, and the most dangerous criminals in the comics. In this deadly environment, Batman has thrived when most heroes would have been killed.
2 Green Arrow's The Best: He Hasn't Let The Job Change Him Too Much
Batman is defined by his crusade against crime, and he's let it take over his life. That's something that has never happened with Green Arrow. He's been through a lot of hard things over the years, but he's never let the surrounding darkness inside of him. He's been able to keep himself, for lack of a better term, in ways that Batman hasn't.
Green Arrow has found a balance between being Green Arrow and Oliver Queen. He hasn't lost his sense of humor or allowed the world to make him more brutal or violent, and he never pushes his people away for the sake of his mission. He's a more well-adjusted hero than Batman.
1 Batman's The Best: Crimefighting Is His Life
Batman was born on the night that Bruce Wayne watched his parents die. Like any newborn, it took years before Batman was able to grow into what he would become, but when he did, he devoted his life to making sure what happened to him wouldn't happen to anyone else. While he's done his best to build a family for himself, in the end, fighting crime is his life.
For Batman, the mission is the most important thing in his life, and in a city as dangerous as Gotham it has to be, he would have been killed years ago with anything less. As it is, his dedication to his craft has made him one of the greatest heroes around.
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