Batman, hands down, is the more popular and iconic character. Why? Because he's the goddamn Batman, or so the saying goes. >.<

But seriously, Batman has a much bigger fanbase. Like Cicadetta said, Batman has been around for much longer, and he's had a lot more attention than Iron Man. If you were looking for a more iconic kind of Marvel hero, I would go with someone like Spidey or Captain America.

Batman also probably has some of the best writing EVAR. Have you ever read the Dark Knight Returns? AMAZING. Batsy has had some of comic's greatest writers. Even Neil Gaiman has done Batman work. <3

And the movies, well... they've been around for ages. Admittedly, some of them were pretty terrible (Batman and Robin *cough cough*) but even the old Batman movies have quite the following, and it's understandable why. Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson... Goodness, did I ever love that cast. ^___^

And the newer Nolan movies are just mind-blowing and have created such a huge network of fans and admirers, I can't even begin to explain it. o.o

Anyway, I'm going to stop hogging your thread now, I think my opinion is pretty clear. >_>

Iron man is okay, but Bats has the win.