You just posted an image that says "Batman is by FAR DC's most-licensed character".
Superman had his big "Death of Superman" story that broke records and caused the collector bubble to burst, but Batman was still a bigger deal outside of the comics. "25 years ago" Superman movies were dead in the water while Batman Returns was in theaters and Batman: The Animated Series was on fire winning Emmys. A single comic stunt didn't make Superman a bigger character, by any stretch of the imagination.
The data is extrapolated between 2009 and 2014. Between those years he was their most licensed brand and it continues to this day. This isn't since their incarnation as all of them have made VASTLY more money than what was shown here.
Outside of comics Batman didn't EXIST until the 80s except a 60s TV show/movie. There were toys and such, sure, everyone had those, but Superman was THE Superhero until Death of Superman caused a massive dip in his popularity thanks to the bullshit nature of it. I'm saying Superman's mainstream popularity started to dip in the mid-late 80s while Batman's started to rise. Not "50 years" as you said but 25-30 years. Superman is still, to this day, the highest selling comic of all time. Not a single print but the comic series Superman is still above literally everything else in the world when it comes to comics/graphic novels. Batman is second and One Piece is third.
I adore Spider-man and his massive cast... but I think I could take you up on this bet and go toe-to-toe for every single Spider-man character with a Batman character, and, I would wager, the Batman-side would be more well-received than the Spider-man side for the majority of them.
That's nothing against Spider-man's rogues, as I love them all from Kraven the Hunter to Mysterio to The Shocker.
But Batman's allies and villains are mostly considered far more memorable threats. Spider-man has a surplus of generic thug villains with an animal gimmick, and that's not a BAD thing, but it isn't making Rhino or The Scorpion into the next Two-Face or Riddler.
Well-received by who? I always ask this: what is the definitive Clayface arc? Just being known doesn't make them good characters nor well received, it just makes them known. People know the name Rebecca Black, she definitely wasn't well-received.
Memorable threats? Than Green Goblin whom had an affair with Gwen Stacy and fathered a child by her before throwing her off a bridge? Than Carnage whom took over the avengers? Than Doc Ock becoming Peter/Spider-man? Come on now. You say they have a generic animal thing but many of Batman's foes have a "thug" gimmick: Two-face, Penguin, Falcone, Black Mask, even Joker. Rhyno enjoyed a fantastic and tragic arc where he tried to give up the mantle of Rhyno and be a family man but couldn't. Scorpion has had a few good arcs. But what's funny is that you're listing the B-tier of Spidey against the A-Tier of Batman. How is that a good comparison? It'd be like me listing Firefly and Cluemaster against Kingpin and Lizard.
And I'm not arguing that. Public exposure is what creates brand awareness. Batman's universe is a brand all to itself that eclipses almost all of DC's other universes combined. Doesn't mean I don't want more Superman cartoons, just that this has been the status quo for the most part since the Adam West show.
Batman has had vastly more opportunities so of course it's gonna eclipse it. I could name you 5 Batman shows in the past decade but I couldn't name you 5 Wonder Woman shows period. Again, it wasn't the status quo, the status quo was Superman > Batman > Wonder Woman > Flash. The first Superman TV series appeared a decade before Batman and lasted many more seasons. Superman was easily the most popular hero until the late 80s.
I'm talking recognition, because games rely hard on brand-recognition and public awareness when marketing a fighting game roster. A giant roster of "who are they?" won't excite people to buy a game as much as "oh look! It's Harley Quinn!".
And Flash isn't some newbie either. There was a TV series in the 90s too. Flash and his Rogues popped up in Justice League all the time. If anything, I'm disappointed we're back to Barry Allen when Wally West was my favorite Flash growing up. But it's still not like Flash is getting a ton of characters. We're getting Gorilla Grodd (who honestly is a pretty sensible choice given his exposure outside of Flash as well) and Captain Cold (unless you want Mr. Freeze as the default) and just character skins outside of that. That's... not a lot. Green Lantern has as many characters if rumors are true. Given the reception of the Flash TV series, I'm actually very surprised its representation is as low as it is.
Again, recognition can't be argued when of course Batman is gonna be more recognizable because he's had so much more mainstream media. I first learned about Bane through a movie, I first learned about Two-face through a movie, I first learned about Ventriloquist through a cartoon, I first learned about Clayface through a cartoon, I first learned about Calendar Man through a game. I have never seen the Flash tv show so I dunno who it featured but where was I gonna learn about Grodd? He was in Justice league but how would I know he's a Flash villain? Where were people gonna find out about the Flash's Rogues gallery in mainstream media? A TV series that lasted one season? It's not comparable.
We're not getting a lot of Flash and that's a tragedy as Mirror Master and Weather Wizard would provide much more variety than Bane. Funny enough though Flash has the exact same number of characters as Superman.
6/25 is nearly a quarter of the roster. Marvel vs Capcom 2 has 17/27 X-men characters.
And Batman himself has always been a pretty unofficial "team" character, given his massive cast of supporting heroes backing him up - Batwoman, Batgirl (3+ of them), Robin (4+ of them), Azrael, Oracle, Nightwing, Huntress, etc., etc. There's a reason he made "Batman Inc." for awhile to manage his unofficial task force.
And there's been 7 Spider-man cartoons in thirty years. Batman has almost the same number of series he's led (and that includes spin-offs with new main heroes like Batman Beyond), and possibly less if you want to factor "same universe" out of the equations.
Nearly a quarter of the roster for a series who's entire premise revolves around a team. We're not getting "nearly a fourth" of Wolverine characters but X-men. It's a group based series with group based villains. Batman's universe is one person and he's nearly a third of the roster. He has sidekicks and support, so does Superman, Flash, Captain America, what have you. X-men started out as a team series and its entire premise is a team series. A cast of side or supporting characters doesn't make it a team series.
If you take away "same universe" then two or three Spider-man series have to go. Not counting animated movies or team based series they're tied at 6. If you count animated films it's super ugly.
Holding a record at a single point in history for a single issue that most agree was overblown hype doesn't mean 50 year domination. Yes, Batman has dominated. Superman has had moments of triumph (his movies were very good and successful), but then the Batman movies of the 80s hit and the animated series hit and it was nothing but money from that point forward that far exceeded Superman's output. But, even predating those, Superman NEVER had a TV show that was a big as the Adam West show as in the 60s, which was just this huge global phenomena at the time, while Batman in cartoons throughout the 70s and 80s was still a massive draw. I'm not saying Superman was doing poorly (well, outside of losing steam after the second movie), but Batman was still everywhere at the time.
Superman had a forgettable cartoon series in 1988, I guess. And don't get me wrong, Superman is still immediately identifiable across the globe. It's like arguing that Captain Marvel "dominated" Superman, even though Captain Marvel only managed to do so for a very, VERY brief window of time. One moment of glory and fame doesn't make it a grand-slam victory.
It's not a SINGLE point. Superman is STILL the HIGHEST SELLING COMIC OF ALL TIME. Batman has outsold him consistently for a decade and he's still DECADES from catching up to him if this pace were to continue. Superman was INSANELY popular before the mid-80s, they've both been around for 75 years and for (roughly) 45 of them Superman was the most popular Superhero in existence. Superman had a MUCH greater output than Batman in live tv, movies, radio shows, and merchandise. How can this even be argued? There's numbers out there.
All of these are taken before 1990
Code:
Superman (Radio)
1940s: The Adventures of Superman radio series starring Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander
1966: The Adventures of Superman vinyl LP featuring Bob Holiday as Superman
1970s1980s: various Superman-related vinyl albums from Peter Pan Records
Batman
Beginning in March 1945, Batman and Robin made regular appearances on the radio drama The Adventures of Superman on the Mutual Broadcasting System. Efforts were made to launch a Batman radio series in 1943 and again in 1950, but neither came to fruition.
In 1989, an original radio drama, Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome, was produced by Dirk Maggs for BBC Radio 4.
Superman (Animated Films)
19411943: Fleischer Studios/Famous Studios' Superman theatrical cartoon series of 17 shorts initially starring Bud Collyer
Batman
Nothing
Superman (Live Action TV)
19521958: Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves, Phyllis Coates (season 1) and Noel Neill (seasons 26)
1957: I Love Lucy, episode: "Lucy and Superman" featuring George Reeves as Superman
1961: The Adventures of Superboy unaired series pilot starring Johnny Rockwell
1975: It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman Televised production of the Broadway play starring David Wilson and Lesley Ann Warren
19881992: Superboy series starring John Haymes Newton (19881989), Gerard Christopher (19891992), and Stacy Haiduk
Batman
196668: Batman starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Dick Grayson/Robin
1972: "Equal pay" Public Service Announcement featuring Dick Gautier as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin, and Yvonne Craig as Batgirl
1979: Legends of the Superheroes by Hanna Barbera, featuring West and Ward as Batman and Robin
Superman (Live action film)
1948: Superman a serial in 15 chapters starring Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill; recounts origin story, then fights the Spider Lady
1950: Atom Man vs. Superman serial in 15 parts starring Kirk Alyn, Noel Neill and Lyle Talbot; Fights Atom Man, Lex Luthor
1951: Superman and the Mole Men feature film, starring George Reeves and Phyllis Coates
1954: Stamp Day for Superman short film featuring George Reeves and Noel Neill promoting Stamp Day for the U.S. Treasury
1978: Superman: The Movie directed by Richard Donner and starring Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine (ranked at no. 26 on The AFI's Top 50 Heroes list)
1979: The Return of Superman (also known as "Turkish Superman") is an adaptation of Superman from Turkey[4]
1981: Superman II directed by Richard Lester and starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, and Terence Stamp
1983: Superman III directed by Richard Lester and starring Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Annette O'Toole and Robert Vaughn
1984: Supergirl spin-off directed by Jeannot Szwarc and starring Helen Slater, Faye Dunaway, and Marc McClure (repeating his role of Jimmy Olsen from the Reeve features)
1987: Superman IV: The Quest For Peace directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Jon Cryer and Mariel Hemingway
Batman
1943: Batman, 15-chapter serial starring Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin
1949: Batman and Robin, 15-chapter serial starring Robert Lowery as Batman and Johnny Duncan as Robin
1966: Batman: The Movie, feature film based on the contemporaneous Batman television series; starring Adam West as Batman, Burt Ward as Robin, Cesar Romero as the Joker, Burgess Meredith as the Penguin, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, and Lee Meriweather as Catwoman
1989
1989: Batman, directed by Tim Burton; starring Michael Keaton as Batman, Jack Nicholson as the Joker, and Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale
Superman (animated TV)
1966: The New Adventures of Superman
1988: Superman TV series based on the "new" DC Comics Superman; produced by Ruby-Spears; starring Beau Weaver and Ginny McSwain. Animated by Toei Animation, Japan
Batman
197778: The New Adventures of Batman, produced by Filmation; while the H-B produced Super Friends ran on ABC, Adam West and Burt Ward (Robin) voiced their previously live-action roles for this CBS cartoon series; later rerun as part of The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour (the Tarzan segments had also been previously seen as their own series)
Superman (Books)
1942: The Adventures of Superman by George Lowther
1971: Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex by Larry Niven
1978: Last Son of Krypton by Elliot S! Maggin
1981: Miracle Monday by Elliot S! Maggin
1983: Superman III (novelization) by William Kotzwinkle
Batman
Nothing (As far as I see)
Superman (merchandising)
Sunnyland Refining Co., in 1981, marketed jars of creamy and crunchy peanut butter using the familiar image of Superman. In the 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great, it was noted that this was DC's first licensing deal for a brand of food.[11]
A Superman pinball machine was produced by Atari in 1979.[12]
Superman is part of the DC Deckbuilding Game by Cryptozoic Entertainment
In fact Superman had become popular to the extent that in 1942, with sales of the character's three titles standing at a combined total of over 1.5 million, Time was reporting that "the Navy Department (had) ruled that Superman comic books should be included among essential supplies destined for the Marine garrison at Midway Islands."[170] The character was soon licensed by companies keen to cash in on this success through merchandising. The earliest paraphernalia appeared in 1939, a button proclaiming membership in the Supermen of America club. By 1940 the amount of merchandise available increased dramatically, with jigsaw puzzles, paper dolls, bubble gum and trading cards available, as well as wooden or metal figures. The popularity of such merchandise increased when Superman was licensed to appear in other media, and Les Daniels has written that this represents "the start of the process that media moguls of later decades would describe as 'synergy.'"
Can't find much for Batman on wiki in terms of his early merchandising pre-90s.
Really? You want me to do this?
Okay. Bare minimum of 30.
Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood, Red Robin, Robin, Bluebird, Catwoman, Huntress, Batgirl, Batwoman, Spoiler, Joker, Harley Quinn, Clayface, Scarecrow, Bane, Killer Croc, Ra's Al Ghul, Azrael, Mr. Freeze, Deadshot, Man-Bat, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, Hush, Penguin, Zsasz, Firefly, Black Mask, Lady Shiva...
... That's 30, right? Those were the ones I felt were "fighter-capable" and just off the top of my head. I intentionally didn't mention more cerebral ones like Mad Hatter, Oracle, The Riddler, Babydoll, The Ventriloquist, or Professor Pyg, etc., allies like Gordon or Alfred, or prominent foes from other comics like Deathstroke. I could keep naming Batman characters that would more than fit the bill all day.
That's not a bad thing. It's just that he's had nearly 80 years to build up a great roster.
This is why I said it starts to falter.
Two-Face, Black Mask. What do they offer differently from each other? How do you differentiate Batgirl, Batwoman, Spoiler, and Lady Shiva enough? What do you do with Ra's and Azreal? What is Hush gonna offer that isn't already hit by other characters? The reason I said it starts to falter is that too many similar beats: genius level intellect, proficient in hand to hand combat, tactician, skilled marksman, acrobatic. It's all very same-y.
. 
