Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne

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Pairing
Pairing: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne
Alternative name(s): Superbat, Clark/Bruce, Superman/Batman, Kal-El/Batman, World's Finest, BruClark, Night and Day, KryptoKnight, クラブル (Kuraburu)
Gender category: M/M
Fandom: DC Comics, Superman/Batman
Canonical?: non-canon
Prevalence: common
Archives:
Other:
"Illustration of Clark kissing Bruce on the cheek, Clark is dressed in his Superman costume and Bruce is in his Batman costume"
DC - SuperBat by kuromochi (2018)
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Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne or Superman/Batman is a slash pairing of the DC fandom. The pairing being between Superman (alter ego Clark Kent) and Batman (alter ego Bruce Wayne). Commonly known as Superbat.

Canon Across Different Media

Superman and Batman are DC Comics most popular characters and have remained in constant publication since their creation in 1938 and 1939 retrospectively. Both were pivotal in the rise of the superhero genre, were the first superheroes to be adapted into other media including radio plays and TV programmes, and remain iconic to this day with their first shared live action film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

Comics

The two started appearing on covers together as early as 1941 though didn't officially meet until 1952 in Superman #76. In this original meeting Superman and Batman found themselves trapped not only on the same cruise liner, but in the same cabin. There they quickly discovered each other's secret identities and teamed up to fight crime. From that point on their friendship bloomed and they began teaming up regularly in the Worlds Finest series starting from World's Finest #71 published in 1954.

In this series the two were undeniably the best of friends and by the time the series concluded in 1986 with World Finest #323 Superman and Batman were shown as having a very close relationship built up through years of working and fighting alongside each other.

All this changed with Frank Miller's landmark series The Dark Knight Returns which was the first DC story that depicted the heroes at odds with each other. This dynamic proved popular and became part of DC Comic's primary universe with John Byrne's The Man of Steel, a Superman reboot published in 1986. From that point onward Superman and Batman would frequently come into conflict with each other usually because of their different approaches to crime fighting.

In 2003 the pair put aside their differences and once again teamed up in the ongoing monthly series Superman/Batman by Jeph Loeb. This series re-imagined their first encounter on the cruise ship and was the first to employ duel narration which has become a staple of the pair's shared comics since. While no longer outright antagonistic, their relationship is written as having much more conflict than their earlier silver age iterations. Despite this it is clear they are, once again, undeniably close. This series ended in 2005.

In 2013 DC Comics launched a new series Batman/Superman by Greg Pak and in 2017 launched another new series titled Super Sons which features both characters as well as Superman and Batman's canonical sons Jonathan Kent/Superboy and Damian Wayne/Robin.

DC Animated Universe

DC Animated Universe (DCAU or also sometimes referred to as the Timmverse by fans) is a name used to refer to the shared universe centreed on a group of animated television series based on DC Comics, produced by Warner Bros. Animation from the early 1990s to mid-2000s; beginning with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992 and ending with Justice League Unlimited in 2006. Some parts of the associated media franchise including direct-to-video feature films and shorts, comic books, video games and other multimedia adaptations are also included in the continuity.

In this universe, Batman and Superman meet in the two part episode World's Finest which is a crossover betweenSuperman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. While at first their partnership is antagonistic the two quickly find common ground in their mission to defeat The Joker and Lex Luthor who have also teamed up for this episode.

After this both meet again in several other crossovers including Knight Time and The Demon Reborn and share a lot of screen time in Cartoon Network's Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited which are also set in the same universe.

During the Justice League centred programmes it is made evident that, unlike the other members of the team, the two have known each other for a long time and both trust and are comfortable around each other. In private they call each other 'Clark' and 'Bruce' before the rest of the team reveal their secret identities and when Superman is apparently 'killed' in the episode Hereafter it is Batman that appears the most disturbed, at first refusing to believe his friend is dead and then sharing a private moment with Superman's tomb.

The Justice League series includes many other moments between the pair and is the inspiration for a lot of common themes and stories that exist within the fandom today.

DCEU

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is a series of live action superhero films, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, based on characters that appear in DC Comics. This shared cinematic universe was launched in 2013 with Man of Steel and has released several other films including Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016.

In this film Batman and Superman share an almost entirely antagonistic relationship. Batman does not trust Superman and Superman, in turn, does not trust Batman or approve of the methods he employs when fighting crime. The two fight but ultimately resolve their differences and team up to deal with the greater threat of supervillainy.

Superman 'dies' at the end of the film but it is strongly implied that his death is not a true death and that he might return in the same way he returned from his false death in The Death of Superman comics. He is also scheduled to appear in the up and coming Justice League film to be released later in 2017.

Other Adaptations

Fandom

Due to the fact that they have over 60 years of history, Superbat is one of the most popular slash pairings in the DC fandom. Their relationship relies heavily on the odd couple dynamics. However, they are often portrayed by both canon and fan creators as two sides of the same coin.

Comics

Since they are the core characters of DC Comics universe, Superman and Batman interact with each other very often. The list below contains only some of the most notable moments of their comic book history.

Superman Vol 1 #76 (1952) titled The Mightiest Team in the World features Batman and Superman's first meeting in DC's comic book universe. Due to overcrowding, Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne are forced to share a room on a cruise ship. This leads to secret identity shenanigans.

Superman/Batman Annual vol 1 #1 (2006) is a modernized retelling of The Mightiest Team in the World. The plot is quite different from the original but writers have kept the forced room sharing trope.

Superman/Batman (2003-2011) comic book series by Jeph Loeb is a collection of Batman and Superman adventures. Most of the story arcs weren't connected to the ongoing solo titles.

Batman/Superman (2013-2016) comic book series by Greg Pak and Jae Lee is similar to its predecessor but it does tie-in with the ongoing Batman and Superman solo titles. The most iconic issue seems to be number 18 where it's established that Batman is the person Superman would miss the most.

Superman: American Alien (2016) comic book series by Max Landis is a modern take on Superman's origin story. Bruce Wayne/Batman plays a role in the evolution of Clark Kent's secret identity.

JLA: Shogun of Steel (2002) is a comic book one-shot set in the DC's Elseworlds series. The story takes place in feudal Japan where Hoshi (Kal-El of Krypton) and Hana (genderbent Bruce Wayne) fall in love. It's the only instance of Superbat being canon.

DCAU

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) is a movie which focuses on Superman and Batman teaming up to prevent a meteorite from striking Earth and take down Lex Luthor, who has been elected President of the United States.

Nolanverse/Superman Returns

These works are crossovers which take a mix of elements from both films, and sometimes add elements from other DC source materials as well. These crossovers often include first meetings, identity porn and secret identity reveals. Other works examine an established relationship between these two characters.

DCEU

Angst is extremely popular due to the animosity of their relationship in BVS and Clark's death at the end. Batman often angsts about having not trusted Clark and feels responsible for his death. Before Justice League, there were many fix-it works that imagined Clark's resurrection, or simply began at a point after he had been resurrected, and explore the two being able to reconcile.

Other Adaptations

Challenges

Awards

The pairing was also an entry in the second MLM Ship Bracket Tournament in 2023.

Example Fanworks

Fanfic

Fanart

Zines

Fanvids

Meta

Example Art Gallery

  • "Illustration of Clark laying on the floor and Bruce leaning over him and kissing him on the nose. both of them are naked"

    Superbat by Zaain (2012)

Archives & Fannish Links

Mailing Lists

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