In the DC Comics Universe, there have been plenty of arguments over whether the smartest person on Earth is Batman or Lex Luthor. While the fan-favorite hero Mister Terrific is largely known to be the third-smartest man on the planet, there’s typically a lot of controversy surrounding the candidates for the top two spots on the list. And more often than not, those debates consider Bruce and Lex to be the most likely options.
While the intelligence of both characters cannot be overstated, which of DC Comics’ most eccentric billionaires is really the most intelligent is a topic of some debate. Batman is considered the World’s Greatest Detective, but Lex’s scientific mind is unparalleled and has routinely threatened even Superman himself. But thanks to DCeased #5, fans know who the smartest mind on Earth really is.
DCeased #5 (by Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine) finds the surviving members of the Justice League and their allies in dire straits. After the Anti-Life Equation ravages the Earth, those left to pick up the pieces debate the best way to save what’s left of humanity as Lex Luthor designs an interstellar ark to shepherd millions of people off the planet. When Superman argues against Lex’s plan, the Man of Steel’s old foe begins to proclaim himself the smartest man on the planet before stopping to confirm the Batman’s demise. When Cyborg confirms the Caped Crusader’s death, Lex states, “Right. Then I am the most intelligent person on the planet and I’m telling you the world is over. It’s inevitable.”
Even Lex Admits Batman Is Smarter
Many have argued that Batman is the smartest man on Earth even before this revelation. Having trained himself from a young age to represent the zenith of human potential, Bruce Wayne has a world-class intellect that he’s used to devise all sorts of fantastical Bat-Gadgets while foiling countless schemes by some of DC Comics’ greatest villains. It makes total sense that he’d be one of, if not the, smartest man on the planet. Batman has proved his genius many times, but if even Lex Luthor admits it then there’s no further room for doubt.
Batman Is The Smartest In Any Continuity
DCeased may not strictly be within the traditional DC Comics continuity, but even in its prime universe, Lex Luthor and Batman are confirmed by Ozymandias to be the two smartest men on the planet in the Doomsday Clock miniseries by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. Regardless of continuity, if two of the most intelligent men in comics history consider Batman to be at least be their intellectual equal, if not their better, it’s clear that he’s earned his station as DC Comics' smartest man.
Batman and Lex Luthor share a lot of similarities. Form childhood trauma and incalculable wealth to an obsessive dedication to their missions and the intelligence to match, Superman’s greatest foe is arguably the Dark Knight's mirror opposite. It may have taken Bruce Wayne's death for Lex to be comfortable admitting it, but Batman is DC Comics' smartest man, even according to the person who has most reason to argue otherwise.