Deadcool

Everyone loves the edgy characters.

Batman is taken more seriously because of his grim persona.

Having good villains helped differentiate Batman from characters like the Shadow or Green Hornet.

Having good media exposure cements in people's minds why Superman, Batman, Spiderman and Wolverine are awesome. Aquaman is still stuck with the Superfriends stigma. Once Aquaman gets a live action movie, that stigma will probably go away.

Now I have only read a bit of Green Hornet and none of The Shadow. But I think what makes Batman more popular than other "normal human" heroes is the vast mythos he has created. He has dozens of unique and interesting rogues, support characters who themselves are quite interesting such as Alfred, Gordon, Bollock, his entire Bat Family etc. Gotham as a city is a fantastic metaphor as to how the urban environment can be corrupt and malevolent. Add to that his own accomplishments, the gadgets, the cars, the martial arts, the detective work, and Batman just...works. There's a reason he's been in the public eye pretty much non stop since 1939, he's more than just a hero, he's an icon and a significant member of American pop culture.

Perception of the character by other people.

@deadcool: Well nolans movies were the most realistic of any other adaptation.

And Spiderman and Wolverine are up there but bats and supes are still number one and two. Bats and supes have 75 years of great stories and adaptations and a fanbase that has been built up over all that time.

@deadcool: I know but my point was simply that he's been around longer than every hero except superman so he has tons of adaptations, movies, games, and shows for people to love and has had a greater impact on pop culture than other heroes besides superman again

@deadcool: Yeah, these are also people who have only watched the Nolan trilogy.

@deadcool: people who give those type of answers are fake comic fans. They havent really read any of the comics from characthers that they have claim are lame. There is also a stereotype among people that Aqua man is a joke so people just assume that it must be true without actually reading the comics.

I'm biased on aqua man I still think he's a joke. I like him when he's cheesy silver age like in batman the brave and bold.

Superman is a different story I mean I had low standards for MoS so u know I was entertained. Still atleast for me I like my heroes to have some cuts and bruises like real heroes after saving the world. I think a lot of people still look at him as overpowered which makes him boring. He's and icon no doubt and the most popular superhero but he's also a one man army and can easily make anyone's hero look bad.

I do think media interpretations play a big role. But I'd also focus more on what "cool" is. When I hear people talk about heroes that are "cool", I can't help but think that they are only looking at the surface and more superficial aspects of the hero.

That is why I think Batman appeals to so many and why you'll hear comments like "Batman is cooler because he has no powers but can work along side and fight against guys like Superman".

But some heroes, such as Cap and Superman, require you to really dig deep in order to appreciate them. And some people either don't care to do that or are at an age where they don't understand it. In a way, this also probably impacts their sales in movies and TV shows as well as the willingness of studios to even green-light movies and shows with them in it.

Because some heroes just aren't that good and don't have the 75-76 year history of batman and superman

From what I've heard, Batman is considered more "realistic" so he's better as a result while Superman is more for "comic book nerds." Because comic books are still considered considerably uncool.

I think its the way people see them but then again they are open to different interpretations. Batman for instance, there is really no true version of him, he can be campy in Adam West Silver Age style or then there's the Frank Miller anti-hero whose emerged in the 1980s and then again in Nolan's version. Yet people take him seriously because he is human and somewhat tragic and can be related too. Superman meanwhile is meant to be light-hearted and god-like which appears to be less serious despite the fact he's a god and can probably control the world if he wanted to (Injustice, Red Son, Kingdom Come anyone.)

Similar thing is applied when you probably compare Spiderman with Wolverine, Spiderman's the fun-loving teenager and Wolverine, the harden immortal. Who would people take more seriously, um Wolverine!!

You're sort of answering your own question.

Basically, just let people think what they want, you can tell them why aquaman or cap should be more respected, but it's up to them to choose how they perceive these characters