Other Characters Who Took on the Batman Mantle
Bruce Wayne may be the most well-known Dark Knight, but he's far from the only person to have ever taken on the role of Batman. Yes, it was Bruce who spent his entire life training his mind, body, and spirit to become the hero he is today, but his example paved the way for other Caped Crusaders to follow.
But the question is, how many people have also taken up Bruce's alter ego for themselves and were they any good at it? Read on to see 10 people who have or who will likely adopt the Batman mantle and their varying degrees of success.
10 Thomas Wayne
Bruce's Death Created a Harsher Batman
In Flashpoint's alternate timeline, it was Bruce who was killed by Joe Chill instead of Thomas and Martha Wayne. The murder sent Thomas Wayne down a dark path of vengeance, transforming him into his world's Batman, albeit a much more brutal and unforgiving one. After meeting the Prime Batman, Thomas escaped his timeline to the Prime DC Universe, where he began working with Bane in a twisted plot to get Bruce to quit being Batman so that he could be happy.
This Thomas Wayne is the product of a darker set of circumstances, so the way he operates is much harsher than any other Batman. While there are few who'd argue he's no doubt an effective Batman, his willingness to scheme against the people he loves makes him one of the most undeserving to serve in the role.
9 Jean-Paul Valley
Completely Snapped Under Pressure
Jean-Paul Valley had a hard life as he was conditioned nearly his whole life to be the most lethal warrior in the Order of St. Dumas. He became the Order's enforcer, Azrael, which brought him into conflict with Batman, who showed Valley that there was a better way. Valley worked with the Bat-Family and when Batman's back was broken by Bane during the "Knightfall" storyline, Valley was chosen by Bruce to fill in as Batman.
Unfortunately, Valley was not ready to be Batman. He was still struggling to overcome the Order's programming and kept leaning into his more violent tendencies (nearly even strangling Tim Drake). Jean-Paul eventually snapped, becoming plagued by hallucinations and savagely beating criminals and letting them die. Thankfully, Valley saw the damage he'd done in a moment of lucidity and willingly gave up Batman's mantle.
8 Jason Todd
Tried to Steal the Mantle for Himself
It was an all-out war in Gotham when Batman appeared to die in Final Crisis. With Bruce gone and no immediate successor apparent, criminals were going hog wild in the city thanks to Black Mask organizing a breakout of supervillains. While the Bat-Family tried to keep a lid on things, a recently-revived Jason Todd stepped up to bring order to Gotham. Jason donned an armored Batsuit and used two guns to kill any obstacle that stood in his way.
Todd's time as the Dark Knight was incredibly brief, lasting only throughout the Battle for the Cowl miniseries. But he showed just how ruthlessly effective he could be if he ever did take on the cape and cowl for himself. But given how he shot Damian Wayne and nearly killed Tim Drake with a batarang, it's probably best that Jason's Batman period be glossed over.
7 Tim Drake
A Brief Foray to Keep Bruce's Legacy Safe
Jason wasn't the only person during Battle for the Cowl that tried to fill the void Bruce left behind by becoming Batman. Tim was insistent that with their mentor gone, either he or Dick needed to become Gotham's new Batman. But with Dick more reticent to step up and Jason angling to take over, Tim decided not to wait. He wore one of Batman's older costumes and began hunting down Jason by himself.
While he was nowhere near prepared to be the Dark Knight, he didn't do that bad a job. His keen detective skills did successfully track Jason down. But when it came to fighting, he wasn't prepared at just how savage Jason was willing to be in a fight. While it wasn't the right time for Tim, he still showed he had the spirit and know-how to one day be Batman.
6 Damian Wayne
Sold His Soul to Protect Gotham
Yes, Batman's teenage son has, or rather, will become the Dark Knight one day. The idea was first explored in a possible future in Batman #666 where Damian goes down a dark path after Dick Grayson is murdered. In this shocking future, Gotham has gone to hell, its villains so much more dangerous than the ones fought by Bruce. To combat this, Damian sells his soul to the devil in exchange for immortality and an enhanced healing factor.
Much like Thomas Wayne in the Flashpoint universe, this version of Damian has worse circumstances than most other Dark Knights. But despite everything that he's gone through, Damian still goes on, roaming the lands and doing his best to fight for what's left of the world. Hopefully this future never comes to pass, but if it does, Damian is prepared to be the Batman it needs.
5 Jace Fox
The New Batman Took the Legacy in His Own Hands
Unlike most alternate versions of Batman, Jace Fox didn't have a personal connection to Bruce Wayne. But he is the son of Lucius Fox, who came into possession of Bruce's fortune and the Batman armory after the events of "Joker War". Jace, who had become distanced from his family, returned to Gotham just as a corrupt private law enforcement agency known as the Magistrate started to rise and take control of the city.
Though no one asked him to, Jace stepped up as a new Batman, using Batman's recovered armor and weapons (as well as Jace's skills he'd honed in the military). Jace was an effective Batman and eventually took his operation and set up in New York City, where he still protects the city as its Dark Knight. Despite not having the torch officially passed to him, Jace has done a great job as Batman.
4 Wang Baixi
A Young, But Genius, Caped Crusader
Similar to Jace, Wang Baixi lacks a direct connection to Bruce. Instead, Baixi is a product of China's Ministry of Self-Reliance's Academy of the Bat, a school dedicated to producing a Dark Knight China could call its own. Baixi, aka Bat-Man, was the top of his class thanks to his fighting prowess and, more importantly, his genius-level intelligence. Not only does Baixi produce gadgets for the Ministry of Self-Reliance, he's also made numerous robots and mechas, such as this Batman's personal sidekick, Robinbot.
Though Bat-Man didn't get the American Batman's approval to begin his crusade, Bruce came around to Baixi and even invited him to join Bruce's international team, Batman Incorporated. Baixi is young, but give him a few more years to refine his skills and he might just become a better Batman than the original.
3 Terry McGinnis
The Best Future Batman Hands Down
Of all the futures in the DC Universe, there are none more beloved, or frankly, more cool than the one seen in Batman Beyond. While initially a cartoon set in the DCAU, the comics eventually made this future a canon part of the Prime DC Universe, exploring it in mainline titles such as Batman Beyond, Batman Beyond: Neo-Year, and Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic. Like in the animated series, Terry McGinnis operates with an incredibly advanced Batsuit that enables him to fly, enhances his strength and (as of his current model), create hard-light batarangs.
Terry has had his troubles as Batman, but he always rises to the occasion. Under Bruce's mentorship, Terry became an incredibly effective Batman. But even with Bruce gone, Batman Beyond continues to protect Gotham City just as well as any Caped Crusader before him did.
2 Jim Gordon
From Commissioner to Dark Knight
In a moment that surprised everyone, Jim Gordon, Batman's longtime ally and friend, filled in for the Dark Knight when Bruce seemed to disappear after a confrontation with the Joker. Jim was given a Batsuit of his own, as well as an armored battle suit dubbed Superheavy to assist Gordon with the more resilient villains. Though he bristled at the idea, Gordon went along with it, thinking a Batman working inside the system could enact real change.
And while Gordon himself had little-to-no faith in the idea, he rose to the occasion. He kept the streets safe and fought a lot of powerful villains. Though Gordon wasn't able to defeat the unexpected Mr. Bloom on his own, Jim more than carried his weight as a hero, showing that even the least likely candidates could serve as Batman.
1 Dick Grayson
Successfully Replaced Batman. Twice.
Possibly the most notable person to wear Batman's cape and cowl other than Bruce Wayne himself. Dick Grayson is one of Batman's oldest partners and after Jean-Paul Valley failed to live up to Batman's standards, it was Dick who returned and filled in for Bruce until he was fully recovered. But that's not the only time that Grayson was called to replace Bruce. When Bruce went missing after Final Crisis, Dick again donned Batman's identity to keep Gotham from imploding.
Though Dick has carved out his own place in DC history as Nightwing, he showed that he has what it takes to be Batman. On two separate occasions, he's the only one who easily stepped in and kept things going as if Bruce had never left. He was so great in the role, some fans still look back on the decision to take the Batman mantle away from Dick as one of DC Comics' biggest mistakes.
