Superheroes have always brought out fierce debates on who is the best. Can the Hulk take down Superman if it came down to it? Is Batman better equipped than Iron Man? What would happen when Quicksilver meets Flash?

Now, a team of students from the University of Leicester have sought to end the debate once and for all. Seven years of student-led research into superheroes from both DC and Marvel universes, and came to the conclusion that Superman is the best equipped superhero with Batman not even figuring in the top 10. (Crashing the Batmobile all over the place kinda works against him).

Wolverine is second, followed by Thor and Mystique while Batman was 12th on the list.

How did they calculate?

Using a number of parameters on both strengths and weaknesses, the group concluded that Superman was the most powerful of them all: There is after all, just one substance in the universe – Kryptonite – which is fatal to him; everything else just bounces off of him.

Using the law of conservation of energy, the group calculated that Superman could have a stored solar energy output of 7. 07x105 Joules per second for his ‘Super Flare’ attack (the eye thing). Also, in theory, Superman could have higher density muscle tissue than the average human which also works to his advantage.

X-men duo Wolverine and Mystique were not far behind ranking 2nd and 4th respectively thanks in part to their mutant capabalities which allows Wolverine to regenerate his cells and Mystique to manipulate gene

But Batman was ranked the worst among the superheroes researched. Though his cape helps him glide, the research suggests that when even gliding at 80 km/hour can be fatal upon landing. The inability to perform the simplest of superhero feats suggests Batman would struggle to get off the ground and thus compares unfavorably in the Superhero world.