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The Dark Knight Returns is so monumentous because it has Batman putting a savage beatdown on Superman. This was astounding because it was completely unheard of before. The problem is that fans started taking it as gospel that Batman would always beat Superman, ignoring the fact that the story takes place in an alternate reality where an aged Batman had to prepare for years in order to pull off that stunt (and its Superman should be known as the Man of Straw). Similar "Batman kicks Superman's ass" scenes have since popped up in various comics and cartoons so frequently that this went from being a jaw-dropping, once-in-a-lifetime event to regular as clockwork. Batman went from being inspirational because he can stand alongside superhumans despite being powerless, to being the baddest motherfrakker around because he can automatically wreck any god-like being in the most humiliating way possible. That misconception of Batman is especially wrong because it would give him the legit superpower of unbeatability. Batman is the crafty underdog who's only able to save the day because he has extra time to plot while supervillains tucker themselves out fighting his more powerful teammates.