"Whoa, what's going on in here? This doesn't look like 'Does Batman Always Win?' at all! WHERE AM I?!"

Fear not, friend, you're in the right place. I've been super happy with the success of the 'Comic Vine Battle of the Week,' so I thought I would merge my Batman segment with it. It seems slightly confusing, I know, but hear me out because I swear it's totally not. Once a month, the 'CV Battle of the Week' will technically be the latest 'Does Batman Always Win?' as well. Why? Because I'm thrilled to see how much fun you're all having with the week-long debates and voting, so I thought, "Why not let you all join in on the fun with DBAW as well?"

Basically, my latest DBAW will be posted once a month on a Monday. As you can see, the latest one is against Taskmaster, the incredibly talented mercenary from Marvel. In 'CV Battle of the Week' fashion, you'll all have until Friday morning to debate and vote on the match. On Friday, I'll not only post the results of the poll, but I'll also make an elaborate post saying who I think wins and why. And yes, I'll aim to be as thorough as my previous editions of 'DBAW.' And, if I'm fortunate enough, it'll also include thoughts from other individuals in the industry.

Match Rules

• Combatants are in character.
• This is a random encounter.
• They're fighting in a generic downtown city setting. It's unpopulated, at night and all standard city lights remain on. Assume they start roughly 30 feet apart and visible. There's a fair amount of cover between them (parked vehicles and such). The entire area is on limits. This means alleys, rooftops, building interiors, etc..
• All characters have standard gear. For Taskmaster, this does NOT include the wrist gauntlet from his first mini, nor does he have double-speed.
• Incapacitation, knockout or death all count as elimination.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!!!

Viners, you have the week to research, debate and vote! This means there's no reason to vote right away if you don't have all of the info you need to make an educated decision. Check the homepage Friday for an updated article with the following:

• My extended (and remotely reasonable/educated) thoughts on the match.
• A Viner Argument in favor of the poll's winner (can't include scans and must be in the poll thread).
• Extra thoughts from other Comic Vine staffers.
• If we're lucky, blurbs from industry talent.

Feel free to make future match suggestions in the comments below or via Gregg's Twitter page.

I wish Taskmaster used the other suit :(

Batman can win this IMHO. Taskmaster would give him hell though.

I'm not sure Batman has ever faced an opponent like this in his own stories. Being able to copy a technique/move after seeing it once is quite impressive, but a photocopy doesn't necessarily out do the original does it? And even if Taskmaster copied Batman's moves, I'm sure Batman can fight himself (considering he prepares for everything, so to speak). How many and who have been copied by Taskmaster at this point? I think that would be important to know before I delve into this much further.

Hrmmm......

Taskmaster can copy moves, but he's not wearing the suit has the gauntlets that let him makes caps shield and spideys web shooters, so if batman were able to toss a few well times toys ( which Batman is always wont to do), He might stand a chance, plus whats to say if he hides a couple moves until he wears out Taskmaster, like his special take down moves

Oh hell. Anytime Taskmaster goes up against anyone my money's on him.

Don't forget, not only can Taskmaster copy Batman's moves and style, he also comes with every style and move of everyone else he's ever fought, that's a heck of a repertoire.

Bruce is a well skilled Martial Artist, he understands the advantages and disadvantages of every move...Task Master seems to simply copy. If this comes down simply to H2H, Bruce throws a fancy move that's too tempting to pass up...TM copies it and throws it back at Bruce. Bruce counters the move and goes for an opening created by any of the disadvantages of the move, TM is done. But it would be a hard fight.

So you were telling me the truth @k4tzm4n. A very neat idea to blend these two together. But you still owe me bribes for not blogging the spoilers of this secret :P

Batman.

taskmaster can copy moves but i think not as good as the original character ,,, he also likes to announce his power bragging that he has everyone's moves so he kind of loses the advantage of surprise ..he's always been prone to eventually getting his ass kicked by heroes over the years like how cap kicked his ass in siege ..taskmaster also likes to slip away rather than confront opponents sometimes because hes all about money so if he's not getting paid he'd rather not get involved if he can help it. hes very selfishly motivated .. so my money is on batman, his will is like iron and his motivation is justice not money ...he also actually learned every martial arts discipline not copied them ...at the first sign that hes losing the fight taskmaster will cut his loses and run ...hes a path of least resistance type of guy ...batman will take this

There was a boss fight in Arkham City against Mr Freeze in which he "learned" Batman's moves as soon as he did them, so he couldn't use the same move twice. Batman won that one. Shouldn't be too much of a stretch to think he has enough unique techniques to win here, too.

I will say Batman would win this but Taskmaster would give him so much grief before finally going down.

@greeneagle: You're forgetting that Taskmaster can predict Bats moves as well as copy. He'll know bats fighting style in a very short time.

7/10 batman takes this.

Mr Freeze is not, nor has ever been or will be a combatant of Taskmasters level though. but I see where you coming from.

whats batman's fighting style? ,,,batman supposedly knows every known martial art on earth he can quickly switch styles and be very unpredictable can taskmasters power cope with that?

@maccyd: Yeah that's something I was fuzzy on. Is Taskmaster limited to learning/mimicking after the fact, or can he deduce someones fighting style after seeing a few moves? For instance, would he able to see someone throw a few kicks, process them as Taekwondo technique, and reverse it, or can he only mimic and reverse things he's seen them do?

If he's able to use his vast experience to deduce someone's fighting style, it's highly likely that he'll be able to counter Batman effectively in hand-to-hand, although beating him is another story as Bats is a solid combatant. I think the edge would go to Bats due to his vast array of toys. Taskmaster might be able to deal with fists and kicks, but throw in Brucey's gadgets, as well as the vast arena accommodating his ninja skills and I think he juuuuust's edges this one

People seem to be under the impression that Tasky just imitates the person he's fighting. He's built up a mental database of everyone he's ever seen fought and pulls his moves from those. So if Bats knows 141 martial arts, odds are that Tasky already has filed every one of them away.

Push comes to shove, he's on the same level of Bats skill wise by copying/already knowing his moves, and being able to counter things like thrown batarangs, but he's got firearms to push things to his advantage. After all, who would win? Batman, or Batman with a gun?

ComicVine's Taskmaster page has this list:

Beast, Black Widow, Bullseye, Captain America, Cat, Daredevil, Deadpool, Elektra, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Fist, Mister X, Ms. Marvel, Porcupine, Photon (Genis-Vell), Puma, Punisher, Quicksilver, Razorfist, Scarlet Witch, Silver Samurai, Spider-Man, Swordsman, Thing, Thor, Tigra, Toad, Vision, Wolverine, Zaran, and Blazing Skull.

Obviously can't replicate superpowers, but it's an impressive list.

Taskmaster takes this. It's Batman against every Marvel Street leveler TM's ever encountered plus what he learned himself in addition to what he picks up off Bats. Also can't Taskmaster still do double time and speed pummel Bats?

Taskmaster 6.5/10

Yeah, because that's always been a surefire thing for Taskmaster.

Batman takes the majority unless we're ignoring Taskmaster's storied reputation for jobbing. Sure, he's taken on Venom; he's also been Deadpool's punching bag for a while now and there's always the now-immortal moment where he lay down the ground and wept for mercy as Moon Knight caved his face in.

Really, most of the arguments for Taskmaster thus far are arguing powerset over displayed capability with said powerset.

I've thought about this fight before. Tasky has the shield skills of cap, Hawkeye's aim, Iron fists moves, spider-man's agility(to an extent), daredevil's style, and the list goes on. Tasky's move set would give bruce all kinds of hell.

HOWEVER, i've always felt that if they fought Batman would take the fight IF he can connect his attacks quickly.

The most important aspect of this fight IMO is the fact that Batman has a list of moves soooo long that tasky wouldn't be able to take advantage of learning them before he gets KO'ed, or killed.

BUT, if Tasky realizes how skilled Bruce is he'll likely fight defensively using his incredible agility, and aim until he can learn what he needs to to take Batman out. and take him out he would.

Also, even if Batman is able to beat him he likely won't ever be able to do it again. All repeat fights with standard gear would go to Taskmaster.

Batman has had to fight Prometheus who is like taskmaster. Also if you think back he beat Taskmaster in JLA/Avengers.

Taskmaster fought two Caps at the same time. I'm going with him. As long as it stays hand to hand. But most likely Batgo...I mean Bat..Man! wins with his plot dev..I mean his utility belt.

@citizenbane: every character has highs and lows. I didn't read the MK fight but I admit he's scared of Deadpool ( maybe crazy people are Taskmasters Kryponite I don't know) but he's also fought Asgardians during Siege. His powerset and stated skill are exactly what puts him equal or above Bats.

Taskmaster wins. He's got that double time which makes him pretty dam quick in a fight, plus he's fought some tough fighters, eg daredevil, captain America n know and uses all their moves. plus, frankly, im pretty bored of batman winning all the time especially when people keep saying he will win when he's got time to prepare shit.

Some more so than others, evidently.

Voila:

To be clear, I'm certainly not arguing Moon Knight is more skilled than Taskmaster; merely that it's just another fight that Taskmaster entered with the ability to win and still ultimately did nothing besides snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

but I admit he's scared of Deadpool ( maybe crazy people are Taskmasters Kryponite I don't know)

Alternatively, maybe walking around with oh-so-many wicked skillz isn't all it's cracked up to be. I don't know.

but he's also fought Asgardians during Siege

So what? Fodder Asgardians who were getting slaughtered left and right by just about everyone Osborn sent at them, even people like Bullseye, and beating them is supposed to put Taskmaster above Batman? Please. Is Bullseye on Batman's level now because he was casually murdering Asgardians using nothing but style and some pointy sticks?

His powerset and stated skill are exactly what puts him equal or above Bats.

His track record begs to differ. And that's really the only thing that matters.

@citizenbane: At least provide their first fight too, man :P

@k4tzm4n: This is a Batman thread. Rematch is the only one that matters >.>

I actually don't have scans of their first fight. I posted scans of the second one on another thread a long time back, so I could get them from there, but I never posted the first fight anywhere.

@citizenbane: Asgardians that average what 5 tonners and warriors? Also Bullseye would give Bats fits, I think you're doing a little overrating your self sir.

Taskmaster wouldn't engage in this fight. I think he's over pride at this point, and there's no money in this one. Batman probably still chases him down and fucks him up.

How exactly did you arrive at this figure?

Also Bullseye would Bats fits, I think you're doing a little overrating your self sir.

I......I actually don't know what this means.

Just a repost

I honestly think Batman wins. Why? Well, a few simple factors, but I'll start with why Taskmaster could potentially beat him. The primary reason is skill. Taskmaster is easily a top tier competitor with plenty of tricks in his bag. When you get away from the stupid things like not beating Deadpool since, well those fights were terrible, and being afraid of Moon Knight (I just find these stupid but we can argue that mess later), he's done his fair share of feats. He's stalemated Captain America twice, has fought Daredevil a few times (I'll get to why he lost later), he's beaten up Black Widow and Headsman with his hands chained, and he's held his own against both Captain Americas in the form of Steve and Bucky at once by himself. He's hit the likes of Spider-Man using a ricochet cane using Bullseye's aiming ability. He's knocked down giant Skrull Pym, Stature, and Antman like characters using a single shield throw and ricochet ability and then proceeded to knock them out via nerve cluster shots to the neck, demonstrating a knowledge of some pressure points. They were not looking, however, it was still an impressive feat, IMO. You add into this his equipment, it's sort of versatile, not Batman versatile, but it's simple yet effective. Between his sword, shield, bow, and baton. Add in a few trick arrows as well and he can fight on a few ranges. Add in Taskmaster's ability to pick up on fighting styles and even predict some, he is going to give Bats one helluva fight.

We all know Bruce's skill and stats. Punching through bazooka proof glass. Blocking bullets with his gauntlets. Dodging machine gunfire. Knowing 127 different martial arts. He knows 400+ ways to incapacitate someone without spilling blood. He's proven to be one of DC's top tiers. Add in his extremely versatile bag of tricks from different batarangs, sonics, cryopellets, flashbangs, different types of gases, etc.

So I see Bruce walking away from this because of one major factor: Taskmaster's ego is huuuuuge. He's lost to Daredevil twice because of it. He should have bested Moon Knight, but he got cocky, I would however, disregard the part about him being scared of Moon Knight. That part just doesn't sit right with me, but he still has ran away from some fights before, regardless. You see, Taskmaster goes into a lot of fights thinking he has them in the bag. Just because he can predict styles and has all of this skill he walks around like he is the best, but all of this has never made him untouchable when it comes to other top tier martial artists. And Bruce does have his own style to him so Tasky might enjoy taking some of his moves and that could hinder him like it has before. Bruce is the exact opposite. Bruce is proficient and precise. So while I honestly might give Taskmaster the edge in skill, I do see Bruce's skill being perfectly capable of facing Taskmaster and with the terrain being a city (perfect for the Dark Knight) and his mindset and versatility in his equipment will end up carrying him to a slim majority of 6/10. If this were a serious Taskmaster though, I'd probably say the inverse, but for now I say the Bats takes it.

This fight is about the character's abilities. Not the way they have been miswritten over the years by many different writers.

You have a point. Battles are supposed to be without WIS, although this (and the previous CVBOW and DBAW) matchup(s) are in character. So CIS is in full swing.

I am going by the characters abilities, powers and so forth.

@citizenbane: I vaguely remember the old handbook saying something to that effect sir. Asgardians are warriors ( you can't dispute that) and on average low superhuman.

I went back and edited my statement , I said Bullseye would give Batman fits meaning he could get a victory over Bats as well.

it's batman. everyone will always say batman.

I don't, and certainly not as a standardized figure for all Asgardians.

Asgardians are warriors ( you can't dispute that)

So what? Fodder is fodder. Manhunters run around killing Lanterns, Batman was beating them into scrap metal with his bare hands during SCW.

and on average low superhuman.

I believe this is the claim I'm asking to be validated.

I went back and edited my statement , I said Bullseye would give Batman fits meaning he could get a victory over Bats as well.

2/10 at best.

Batman but Taskmaster sure would make him work for the victory I say.

I'm going with Taskmaster but I'm sure Batman fanboys will find some ridiculous way to prove otherwise. Stop giving Batman too much credit, it's annoying.

Does Batman Always Win?

yes

@citizenbane: So what? Fodder is fodder. Manhunters run around killing Lanterns, Batman was beating them into scrap metal with his bare hands during

Which has to be pure PIS

The '86 OHOTMU says the average male Asgardian can lift 30 tons (women=25 tons). But honestly this just makes it clear how ridiculous the whole Siege situation was. They were getting killed left and right by nobodies. It was just a case of Bendis ignoring/being ignorant of existing information, and I think we should equally ignore the whole scene.

Going with Batman.

Batman

My first post in comicvine and im voting for batman.

wait so every battle has to feature batman from here out? that will get boring quick. tm 6/10 wins

On paper Taskmaster should win...no problem. If it was in a comic, bats due to plot.