Mirror.co.uk reports, the Caped Crusader, who has been fighting crime in comics, on TV and in numerous film adaptations since 1939, beat Peter Parker's arachnid alter-ego to second place in the survey by SFX.co.uk.

The Man of Steel flew into third place ahead of X-Men hero 'Wolverine', who clawed his way to number four. 'Iron Man' rounds out the top five.

"No matter how often 'Batman' is reinvented - a noir detective in the 1940s, a camp icon in the 1960s, a Gothic Knight in the 1980s - he's always the coolest, most iconic and recognisable superhero there is," said Dave Golder, editor of the SFX.