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Detailed list of friendly supporting characters in DC Comics' Batman line From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Batman supporting characters are fictional characters that appear in the American comic books published by DC Comics featuring the superhero Batman as the main protagonist.
The "Batman family," or "Bat-Family," is the informal term for Batman's closest allies, who are mainly masked vigilantes operating in Gotham City. Since the Bat-Family's introduction in 1939, Batman has accumulated a number of recognized supporting characters. The first Batman supporting character was Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon, Batman's ally in the Gotham City Police Department, who first appeared with Batman in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). Some of the other allies of Batman include his vigilante partner, Robin, who was introduced in 1940; his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, who was introduced in 1943; and Barbara Gordon, who was introduced in 1967.[1]
Batman also forms bonds and close working relationships with other superheroes, including Justice League members such as Superman, Green Arrow, Zatanna and Wonder Woman, as well as members of the Outsiders superhero team. Others such as Jason Bard, Harold, Onyx, and Toyman work for him.
In addition, Batman has a collection of adversaries in fiction that is commonly referred to as Batman's rogues gallery. The rogues gallery includes the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler, among others. He also has several love interests, including Catwoman, Talia al Ghul, Silver St. Cloud, Poison Ivy, and Julie Madison.
The Bat-Family (sometimes referred to as the Gotham Knights) is the informal name for Batman's closest allies collectively. It mainly consists of masked vigilantes who either have been trained by Batman or who operate in Gotham City with his tacit approval. Many of its members are also his adopted children, with the exception of Damian Wayne, the first of the Robins to be biologically related to Batman.
The group consists of similarly minded superheroes who operate in the Gotham City area and work towards achieving common goals. Batman is often the team leader or, in some cases, its dispatch. Various members of the group usually interact with one another and assist in each other's cases, even within their respective series. Although some members occasionally resent Batman's intrusion into their lives, all respect him as a part of the superhero community and rarely challenge his authority.[2] Most of the members also have a strong rapport with Batman.[3] In a 2002 storyline in which Bruce Wayne is accused of murder, Batman's friends gather to prove his innocence.[4] Throughout Batman's history, it has also been implied that this network serves as a surrogate family for Batman and keeps him from slipping too far into his vigilante persona.[5]
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Thomas Wayne / Batman | Bill Finger Bob Kane | Detective Comics #27 (May 1939) | As a child, Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents, which was a traumatic experience for him. After some time, however, he used a combination of his trauma and personal wealth to travel the world and acquire skills for combating crime.[6] Wayne eventually revealed to the public that he had been secretly funding Batman's activities for years (falling short of admitting that he is Batman) and would use a new corporation, Batman Incorporated, to take Batman and his mission worldwide.[7] In the DC Universe, Batman is viewed as an outlaw, but holds a high reputation with some people due to his status as a member of the Justice League;[8] Batman is also considered to be a leader, and sometimes "the world's greatest detective," since he possesses skills in observation, critical thinking and problem-solving. |
| Richard John "Dick" Grayson / Robin / Nightwing | As Dick Grayson / Robin: Bill Finger Bob Kane Jerry Robinson As Nightwing: Marv Wolfman George Pérez | Dick Grayson / Robin: Detective Comics #38 (April 1940) As Nightwing Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July 1984) | Richard Grayson was originally an orphaned child acrobat who served as Batman's first sidekick; he also was Batman's ward who eventually became his adopted son. As an adult, he took up the identity of Nightwing and served as protector of Blüdhaven, Gotham's sister city to the south. During the extended absence of Bruce, Dick temporarily served as Batman. In the New 52, Grayson returned to the identity of Nightwing. In Forever Evil, Nightwing's secret identity was exposed by the Crime Syndicate to the public. After faking his death, with Batman being the only one who knew he was alive, he joined the secret organization known as Spyral as Agent 37, though he has recently returned to being Nightwing. |
| Jason Peter Todd / Robin II / Red Hood | As Jason Todd / Robin II: Gerry Conway Don Newton As Red Hood Judd Winick | As Jason Todd: Batman #357 (March 1983) As Robin II: Batman #366 (December 1983) As Red Hood: Batman: Under the Hood (February 2005) | Jason Todd was a young street orphan who Batman caught trying to steal the Batmobile's tires. Batman recognized some skills in Jason and adopted him as his second son and the second Robin. He was later murdered by the Joker, but resurrected by Talia al Ghul using a Lazarus Pit. When Jason learns that Batman never avenged his death by killing Joker, he becomes Red Hood, his murderer's former alias, and becomes at odds with the Batman Family. In the New 52, he made a truce with Batman, forming a team with Starfire and Arsenal to investigate a group called "The Untitled". Jason later leads a new team of Outlaws consisting of Bizarro and Artemis. |
| Timothy Jackson "Tim" Drake / Robin III / Red Robin | Marv Wolfman Pat Broderick | As Tim Drake: Batman #436 (August 1989) As Robin III: Batman #457 (December 1990) As Red Robin: Red Robin #1 (August 2009) | Timothy Drake was a teenage crime fighter whose skill drove him to assist Batman after Jason Todd's death. After his family was threatened and moved into witness protection, he was adopted as Bruce Wayne's son, becoming the third Robin, and becoming Red Robin afterwards.[9] In the New 52, Tim was offered the role of Robin by Batman, but chose to be Red Robin out of respect for Jason Todd. He later leaves Gotham to lead a new team called the Teen Titans.[10] He has since been part of a new team formed by Batman and Batwoman (Kate Kane). In a 2021 story line in the Infinite Frontier era, Tim realizes he is bisexual, becoming the third LGBTQ member of Batman's inner circle. |
| Stephanie Brown / Spoiler / Robin IV / Batgirl IV | Chuck Dixon Tom Lyle | As Stephanie Brown Detective Comics #647 (June 1992) As Spoiler: Detective Comics #648 (July 1992) As Robin IV: Robin (vol. 2) #126 (May 2004) As Batgirl IV: Batgirl (vol. 2) #1 (August 2009) | Stephanie Brown became the next Robin after her love interest, Tim Drake, retired from the role. Unlike her predecessors, she was never adopted by Batman. During one patrol, Batman ordered Stephanie not to interfere, but she did so in order to save his life. This caused her to be fired for disobeying Batman's orders. As a result, she became Spoiler and went after Black Mask, who captured and tortured her. Later, Dr. Leslie Thompkins faked her death; she hid Stephanie's survival from Batman and Robin until later on. Afterwards, Stephanie became Spoiler again and fought by Batman's side. When Cassandra Cain left the mantle of Batgirl, Stephanie replaced her. She was reintroduced in The New 52 title Batman Eternal as Spoiler; she adopted the title after being forced on the run by her father, Cluemaster. |
| Barbara Joan Gordon / Batgirl II / Oracle | As Barbara Gordon / Batgirl: William Dozier Julius Schwartz Gardner Fox Carmine Infantino As Oracle: Kim Yale John Ostrander | As Barbara Gordon / Batgirl: Detective Comics #359 (January 1967) As Oracle: Suicide Squad #23 (January 1989) Return to Batgirl: Batgirl (vol. 4) #1 (September 2011) | Barbara Gordon was the daughter of Gotham police commissioner Jim Gordon and love interest of Dick Grayson. Barbara began operating as Batgirl soon after the first appearance of Robin.[11] After she was left paraplegic by the Joker, she became Oracle, the information broker to the DC Universe, and founded the Birds of Prey.[12] Following Flashpoint, Barbara's history as Oracle is cut short; having reportedly undergone an unknown method of recovery, Barbara began to serve as Batgirl once again, albeit with PTSD and anger issues stemming from her nearly fatal attack.[13] |
| Damian Wayne / Robin V | As an Infant: Mike W. Barr Jerry Bingham As a Teen: Grant Morrison Andy Kubert | As an Infant: Batman: Son of the Demon (1987) As a Teen: Batman #655 (September 2006) As Robin: Batman #657 (November 2006) | Damian Wayne is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul as well as the grandson of Ra’s al Ghul. Damian is raised largely by subordinates in his grandfather's terrorist organization, the League of Assassins, and trained by his mother until he began living in Gotham with the Wayne family. After Dick Grayson takes up the mantle of Batman, he chooses Damian to be the new Robin. Damian continues to operate as Robin, actively serving with his father upon his reemergence and Grayson's reemergence as Nightwing. In the eighth issue of the New 52 Batman Incorporated series, Damian is killed by his clone, Heretic, but is later revived with a Chaos Shard during the comic series Robin Rises. |
| Ace the Bat-Hound | Bill Finger Sheldon Moldoff | Batman #92 (June 1955) | In 1955, a few months after the Superman mythos saw the introduction of Krypto, the Batman mythos introduced Ace the Bat-Hound, a German Shepherd who helped Batman and Robin in multiple cases. Ace later reappeared as Bruce's guard dog and companion in the television series Batman Beyond (in which Ace is portrayed as a black Great Dane mix), and the 2005 animated series Krypto the Superdog. He also makes appearances as Batman's crime-fighting partner on the TV show Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The modern comic book version of Ace depicts him as a companion to Harold,[14] although he didn't always play a role in the plot lines. In Batman and Robin, Bruce adopts a Great Dane for Damian, who names his dog Titus. Damian at first doesn't like the dog, but the two eventually bond. Bruce and Damian call the dog Ace as a nickname. |
| Katherine Rebecca "Kate" Kane / Batwoman | Geoff Johns Grant Morrison Greg Rucka Mark Waid Keith Giffen | As Kate Kane 52 #7 (August 2006) As Batwoman 52 #11 (September 2006) | As a wealthy heiress, former West Point cadet, and cousin of Bruce Wayne who became a superhero, Kate Kane appeared after the timeline-altering Infinite Crisis in the pages of 52 for several months.[15][16] For a portion of 2006-2007's 52, she fought alongside Nightwing. After Bruce Wayne's apparent death in 2009, Batwoman was the feature character in Detective Comics for a short time, which prompted the launch of a Batwoman solo series with the onset of The New 52. |
| Selina Kyle / Catwoman | Bill Finger Bob Kane | Batman #1 (Spring 1940) | Selina Kyle was one of Batman's early adversaries. In later years, she becomes his frequent love interest and a defender of Gotham City's East End.[3] One year after the events of Infinite Crisis, she retired (allowing Holly Robinson to take the mantle of Catwoman) and gave birth to a baby girl named Helena. Batman calls her out of retirement to infiltrate an Amazon sect.[17] Following a series of kidnappings of her baby, Catwoman gives her daughter up for adoption. In The New 52, Selina is a 23-year-old thief in a romantic relationship with Batman. Even though she is not considered an actual member of Batman's team, she has helped Batman and his allies in multiple missions. |
| Cassandra Cain-Wayne / Batgirl III / Orphan / Black Bat | Kelley Puckett Damion Scott | As Cassandra Cain: Batman #567 (July 1999) As Batgirl: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120 (August 1999) As Kasumi: Justice League Elite #1 (September 2004) As Black Bat: Batman Incorporated #6 (May 2011) As Orphan: Batman and Robin Eternal #26 (March 2016) | Cassandra Cain-Wayne is a martial artist and daughter of the assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva.[18] Batman and Oracle trained her as the next Batgirl. After abandoning this role, she briefly became the leader of the League of Assassins.[19] It is revealed later that the mercenary Deathstroke is responsible for some of Cassandra's activities through brainwashing.[20] Cassandra has since been legally adopted by Bruce Wayne as his daughter.[21] After the events of Batman: RIP, Cassandra ceased being Batgirl due to apparent frustration and passed the identity to her close friend Stephanie Brown; she was later revealed to have done so willingly. She now operates as Black Bat, Batman Inc.'s representative in Hong Kong. She returned to Gotham during the events of Batman: Gates of Gotham to help stop the Architect from destroying the city. She returned to the mainstream continuity afterward in the 2015 comic Batman and Robin Eternal, in which she took her father's alias, Orphan. Moreover, a young woman wearing a similar costume to that of Black Bat appeared as a member of Batman Incorporated. |
| Duke Thomas / The Signal | Scott Snyder Greg Capullo | As Unnamed Child: Batman (vol. 2) #21 (New 52) (March 2014) As Duke Thomas: Batman #30 (New 52) (October 2014) As Robin: We Are... Robin #1 (May 2015) As The Signal: Batman and The Signal #1 (March 2018) | A young man living in Gotham, Duke Thomas became the leader of the We Are Robin vigilante gang after an attack by the Joker caused his parents to go permanently insane. The We Are Robin group consisted of hundreds of teenagers who donned the Robin R symbol and took to defending the city during Batman's absence in the aftermath of Batman: Endgame. Duke soon broke away and struck out on his own before being recruited by Batman officially, becoming the Signal, the daylight protector of Gotham. Duke is also a metahuman that possesses power over light and darkness and is a member of the Outsiders.[22][23][24] |
| Lucas "Luke" Fox / Batwing | Jimmy Palmiotti Justin Gray Eduardo Pansica | Batwing #19 (June 2013) | The latest Batwing and son of Batman associate Lucius Fox. He joined Batman's team in Detective Comics but has stepped away from the Batwing role to pursue other heroic ventures. |
| Harper Row / Bluebird | As Harper Row: Scott Snyder Greg Capullo As Bluebird: Dustin Nguyen | As an unnamed woman: Batman (vol. 2) #1 (September 2011) As Harper Row: Batman (vol. 2) #7 (March 2012) As Bluebird: Batman (vol. 2) #28 (February 2014) | Harper Row officially joined Batman's group of allies during the events of Batman Eternal, a year-long weekly maxiseries. Instead of taking on the mantle of Robin, which is traditionally that of Batman's sidekick, Harper Row instead adopts an entirely new superhero identity, Bluebird. Her appearance marks the arrival of the first new "Bat-family" character in Batman comics since DC relaunched its entire line in 2011 as part of its The New 52 publishing event. |
| Terrance "Terry" McGinnis / Batman | Paul Dini Bruce Timm | Batman Beyond #1 (March 1999) | The Batman of the future and biological son of Bruce Wayne. Debuted in the animated series Batman Beyond, and in 2011 entered the official DCU. |
| Jean-Paul Valley / Azrael | Dennis O'Neil Joe Quesada Peter Milligan Grant Morrison | Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 (October 1992) | A genetically modified assassin of the Order of St. Dumas who once replaced Bruce Wayne as Batman when he was badly injured by Bane. Valley defeated Bane but grew increasingly paranoid and violent, forcing Bruce to reclaim the Batman mantle. Valley returned to the Azrael identity and attempted to regain Batman's trust. After many years, he managed to find his way back into Batman's graces and served as an "Agent of the Bat" until his death. Because his body was never found, speculation arose as to whether he had actually died, but that speculation was laid to rest when Valley was reanimated as a member of the Black Lantern Corps during the Blackest Night.[25] He was reintroduced in the pages of Batman & Robin Eternal and recently joined Batman's team in Detective Comics. |
| Helena Bertinelli / Huntress | Joey Cavalieri Joe Staton | As Huntress: The Huntress #1 (April 1989) As Batgirl: Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83 (March 1999) | The daughter of a slain Mafia family. She rejected crime and took to patrolling Gotham as an antiheroine.[26] She serves as an agent of Oracle, one of the Birds of Prey.[12] While her relationship with Batman has been tenuous, she recently earned his respect. Following the Flashpoint event that altered DC Comics continuity, it has been revealed that Helena Bertinelli has been dead for a while, while The New 52 Huntress has been revealed as Helena Wayne.[3] It is later revealed that Bertinelli has faked her death and works as a spy, named Matron, for the secret organization known as Spyral, alongside Dick Grayson. After the Grayson series, much like Dick Grayson, Bertinelli also leaves Spyral and takes up the mantle of the Huntress and starting from DC Rebirth, much like her pre-Flashpoint version, she joins the Birds of Prey. |
| Harleen Frances Quinzel / Harley Quinn | Paul Dini Bruce Timm | First appearance: Batman: The Animated Series "Joker's Favor" (September 11, 1992) First comic appearance: The Batman Adventures #12 (September 1993, non-canon) Batman: Harley Quinn #1 (October 1999, canon) | Harleen Qunizel was a former psychiatrist working at an internship at Arkham Asylum who fell in love with the Joker. After breaking Joker out of the Asylum she became Harley Quinn (a play on Harlequin), his loyal sidekick and girlfriend, but suffered abusive treatment from him.[27] In the New 52, Harley left the Joker and gradually transitioned into an antihero, being a main member of the Suicide Squad. Her origin was also revised to reflect the Joker's origins, having been pushed into a vat of chemicals by him against her will and undergoing a similar transformation to him.[28] In DC Rebirth, Harley reinvented herself as a brutal vigilante and officially joined Batman's family in the wake of Joker War.[29] |
| Minhkhoa "Khoa" Khan / Ghost-Maker | James Tynion IV Jorge Jimenez | Batman (vol. 3) #100 (December 2020) | The man who would become Ghost-Maker was an old friend of Bruce Wayne who trained with many of Bruce's mentors. He's a psychopath, unable to feel any empathy or fear, and sees vigilantism as an art rather than a duty. Their friendship turned into a rivalry due to opposing views on crimefighting as well as Ghost-Maker killing one of their mentors and have come to blows when they crossed paths.[30] Ghost-Maker agreed to stay out of Gotham and began his crimefighting career in Southeast Asia until moving on to other cities. After the events of the Joker War, Ghost-Maker broke the pact to take Batman's place as Gotham's new protector and attempted to capture a reformed Harley Quinn and kill the teen vigilante Clownhunter.[31] After fighting Batman and coming to an understanding he initially intended to leave but was convinced to stay and help fight crime in a changed Gotham City, on the condition that he doesn't kill. |
| Jarro | Scott Snyder Francis Manapul | Justice League (vol. 4) #10 (December 2018) | Jarro is a Star Conqueror created by Batman from a surviving tissue sample from Starro and raised by Batman to assist the Justice League.[32] |
| Bat-Cow | Grant Morrison Chris Burnham | Batman Incorporated (vol. 2) #1 (May 2008) | A bovine member of the Batman Family. Rescued from the slaughterhouse during one of Batman's raids on Leviathan, it was taken as a pet by Robin, Damian Wayne with the experience of making Robin a vegetarian. |
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jiro Osamu / Nihon no Battoman (Batman of Japan in English) | Grant Morrison Yanick Paquette | Batman Incorporated #1 (January 2011) | Formerly operated as the second Mr Unknown, now serves as the Batman of Tokyo as a member of Batman Inc.[33] |
| Wang Baixi / Bat-Man of China | Gene Luen Yang Viktor Bogdanovic | New Super-Man #1 (September 2016) | Wang Baixi was chosen by the Chinese Ministry of Self-Reliance to become their equivalent of America's Batman.[34] |
| Bilal Asselah / Nuitcoureur (Nightrunner in English) | David Hine Kyle Higgins Agustin Padilla | Detective Comics (vol. 2) Annual #12 (February 2011) | Batman Inc.'s representative in Paris, a Sunni Muslim and expert free runner.[35] |
| Santiago Vargas / El Gaucho | Edmond Hamilton Sheldon Moldoff | Detective Comics #215 (January 1955) | A renowned crime fighter from Argentina who was inspired by Batman, he is a former member of Club of Heroes and now operates as a member of Batman Inc. |
| Bao Pham / Clownhunter | James Tynion IV Jorge Jiménez | Batman Vol. 3 #96 (October 2020) | Vietnamise-American Bao Pham's parents were murdered by the Joker at their pho restaurant in the Narrows. Bao believed that Batman would permanently end Joker's reign of terror forever, but his faith in superheroes was shaken when the Joker continued his crime spree. Five years later during the Joker War, Bao decided to take matters into his own hands as the "Clownhunter", and began hunting and killing Joker's goons. In the aftermath of 'Fear State', Clownhunter is recruited by Ghost-Maker and Batman into Batman Inc. |
| Anzor / Gray Wolf | Ed Brisson John Timms | Batman 2022 Annual Vol. 3 #1 (May 2022) | The Chechen vigilante was working with Lex Luthor as the protector of Kazbeck. After some illicit experiments went awry in a local prison, Lex left Gray Wolf to handle the situation alone while he pulled out. Investigating an empty town, Ghost-Maker and Batman Incorporated investigated the prison, discovering the town was given Lazarus Resin and went violent in the process. Gray Wolf initially locked the villagers up to protect them, but he and Ghost-Maker were able to cure them from the Resin. He was given a place on Batman Inc. as a result.[36] |
| Beryl Hutchinson / Knight | Grant Morrison Howard Porter | (as Squire) JLA #26 (February 1999) | Formerly known as Squire, sidekick of Knight, Beryl takes on the mantle of the Knight after Cyril's death. |
| Johnny Riley / The Dark Ranger | Grant Morrison Tony Daniel | Batman #681 (December 2008) | Following the death of the first Ranger at the hands of Wingman, his former sidekick, the Scout, has taken up the mantle of the new Dark Ranger. Now operates as a member of Batman Inc. He appears to be of Aboriginal descent. |
| William "Bill" Great Eagle / Man-Of-Bats | Ed Herron Sheldon Moldoff | Batwoman Vol. 2 #2 (December 2011) | Bill Great Eagle is a Native American doctor and social activist from South Dakota. He is the Native American representative of Batman Inc. |
| Charles Great Eagle / Raven Red | Ed Herron Sheldon Moldoff | Batman Incorporated Vol. 2 #3 (September 2012) | The son of Man-of-Bats, and a member of Batman Inc. |
| Wingman IV | Joshua Williamson Howard Porter | Batman Vol 3 #123 (July 2022) | Nothing is much known about the new Wingman, other than he's the fourth person to assume the mantle and that he joined Batman Inc. |
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Cross / The Hood | Alan Grant Bret Blevins | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #21 (November 1993) | Maverick Special Government Agent of England, now operates as a member of Batman Inc. |
| Ravil / Batman of Moscow | Peter Tomasi, Patrick Gleason | Batman and Robin Vol. 2 #1 | Ravil was Batman's representative of Russia, but was murdered by Nobody with a vat of acid. |
| Cyril Sheldrake / Knight | Grant Morrison Howard Porter | JLA #26 (February 1999) | The original Knight was Percival Sheldrake who became the sidekick of Shining Knight as Squire during the World War 2 period. He became the Knight as an adult and made his son, Cyril the new Squire and teamed up with Batman. When Percy died, Cyril became the new Knight and adopted Beryl Hutchinson as his new Squire. After he joined Batman Inc., he was killed by a henchman of Leviathan. |
| Calvin Rose / Talon | James Tynion IV Scott Snyder Guillem March | Talon #0 (November 2012) | A former Talon of the Court of Owls who disobeys his masters and goes on the run from the Court. He is a world-class escape artist and a trained assassin. He was killed by Bane but revived by the Court with enhanced durability and strength. Rose starred in his own series after the launch of the New 52. The last issue of the series sees Rose inducted into Batman Incorporated.[37] |
| David Zavimbe / Batwing | Grant Morrison Chris Burnham | Batman Incorporated #5 (May 2011) | Zavimbe served as the Incorporated representative of Tinasha in the Democratic Republic of Congo.[38] |
| The Outsiders | Mike W. Barr Jim Aparo | The Brave and the Bold #200 (July 1983) | Becoming fed up with the politics and practices of the Justice League, Batman formed the Outsiders to have his own unit to perform on his terms.[39] Drifting through various incarnations, Batman restarted the team and operated as its leader until his disappearance in Final Crisis.[40] In the wake of his death, he charged Alfred with assembling and maintaining a new team of Outsiders in an attempt to replace all the individual skills of Batman through the various members.[41] In Batman Incorporated, Batman forms a new Outsiders team, which acts as a black-ops wing of Batman Inc. Freight Train, Looker, Metamorpho, Katana, and Halo rejoin the team and Red Robin becomes the new leader. The new team did not last long since all the members except for Red Robin were caught in an explosion that Lord Death Man set off in Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes. The team turned up alive in the first issue of the New 52 Batman Incorporated series. |
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cassandra Cain-Wayne / Batgirl III / Orphan / Black Bat | Kelley Puckett Damion Scott | As Cassandra Cain: Batman #567 (July 1999) As Batgirl: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120 (August 1999) As Kasumi: Justice League Elite #1 (September 2004) As Black Bat: Batman Incorporated #6 (May 2011) (as Orphan) Batman and Robin Eternal #26 (March 2016) | Cassandra made her debut in the New 52, five years in the future, where she is a member of the League of Batgirls, led by Barbara Gordon a.k.a. Bete Noir. |
| Stephanie Brown / The Spoiler / Robin IV / Batgirl IV | Chuck Dixon Tom Lyle | As Stephanie Brown: Detective Comics #647 (June 1992) As Spoiler: Detective Comics #648 (July 1992) As Robin IV Robin #126 (May 2004) (as Batgirl) Batgirl #1 (August 2009) | Five years in the future, she is a member of the League of Batgirls, led by Barbara Gordon a.k.a. Bete Noir. |
| Tiffany Fox / Batgirl | As Tiffany Fox: Len Wein John Calnan (as Batgirl) Justin Gray Jimmy Palmiotti Eduardo Pansica | As Tiffany Fox: Batman #308 (February 1979) As Batgirl Batwing #22 (September 2013) | The youngest daughter of Lucius Fox. Five years in the future Tiffany joined the League of Batgirls, led by Barbara Gordon a.k.a. Bete Noir. |
| Duke Thomas / Signal / Lark / Robin | Scott Snyder Greg Capullo | Batman (vol. 2) #21 (August 2013) | Five years in the future, Duke has become the new protege next to Batman. |
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth | Don Cameron Bob Kane Bill Finger Jerry Robinson | Batman #16 (April 1943) | The Wayne family butler and father figure to the rest of the Wayne family. Alfred raised Bruce Wayne after his parents were killed and considers Bruce a son in much the same way that he considers Bruce's adopted children his grandchildren.[42] During the "City of Bane" storyline, Alfred is held hostage by Bane, and was murdered on live television when Bane snaps his neck.[43] |
| Henry Clover, Jr / Gotham | Tom King David Finch | DCU: Rebirth Vol 1 #1 (July 2016) | Henry Clover bought the ability to use superpowers by trading in years of his life. With these powers, he could live two years at Superman's level, or hours as a god. If he wouldn't use his powers, it wouldn't affect his lifespan. He made his first public appearance helping Batman save a commercial plane from a Kobra Cult terrorist attack. Being young and inexperienced, Batman decided to take him and his sister Claire under his wing to make them better heroes. While saving civilians from various explosions, the two entered a crossfire between agents working for Amanda Waller, Hugo Strange and Psycho-Pirate, who had mind-controlled Waller's men. Psycho-Pirate then used his powers on Gotham, filling him with rage. Gotham lashed out and slaughtered twenty-seven of Waller's men. After the carnage, Gotham made the mistake of taking off his mask, which pushed the last survivor to track down and murder his parents. When Gotham realized what happened, he defied Batman and killed the soldier. Psycho-Pirate's manipulation led Gotham to believe that the city was incurable, and he began a rampage. Batman began to throw everything he could at Gotham, but as the older vigilante was quickly overpowered, the Justice League was called in to help. While Gotham was at first taken by surprise, he quickly regained his focus and fully utilized his power to achieve near-god-like strength. He defeated the entire Justice League, before being attacked and killed by his own sister. |
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin King / Orpheus | Alex Simmons Dwayne Turner | Batman: Orpheus Rising #1 (October 2001) | Orpheus was an agent of a shadowy organization that had outfitted him with crimefighting equipment and training. He became one of Batman's agents and posed as a crime boss, but was later killed by Black Mask. Gavin does not appear in the New 52 and he is probably still considered dead. |
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Birds of Prey | Jordan B. Gorfinkel Chuck Dixon | Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey #1 (June 1996) | A covert group of heroes formed by Oracle that largely fight crime in Gotham. Prominent members have included Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk, and Helena Bertinelli as the Huntress. Following "Flashpoint", the team has been rebooted with Black Canary as the leader, Starling, Poison Ivy, Katana, and Batgirl assisting the team on occasion. The group disbanded following a severe falling out between Canary and Batgirl in Birds of Prey (vol. 3) #34, but would later reform sometime after the two reconciled. |
| Michael Washington Lane / Azrael | Grant Morrison | Dark Knight #1 (May 2009) | The Third Ghost of Batman, one of a series of Batman impostors created by Dr. Simon Hurt, has recently become the new Azrael wearing a mystical suit of armor given to the original Batman by Talia al Ghul. In the New 52, Michael's absence from Batman's organization is explained by his choosing seclusion and daily prayer as a way of repenting for all that he did as a tool of Ra's Al Ghul and Doctor Hurt, believing himself to hold an important role in the apocalypse. |
| Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom / Man-Bat | Frank Robbins Neal Adams Julius Schwartz | Detective Comics #400 (June 1970) | Langstrom can alternate from being able to control his monstrous persona to giving in to his instincts. When he does control it, he uses the Man-Bat identity for good. He was recently seen as part of the Network fighting crime. In the New 52, Kirk Langstrom first appears when he and his wife Francine are escorted by Batwoman to Batman's location. Taking responsibility as the creator of the serum, he uses a sample of the serum Batman had obtained to inject himself. This creates an anti-virus that also spreads through the air. Unfortunately, Langstrom is turned into a Man-Bat (the last remaining Man-Bat) as his anti-virus cures the remaining citizens of Gotham. After reverting from the Man-Bat form, Langstrom becomes addicted to the Man-Bat serum, taking it every night. However, he apparently does not remember his actions from the night, worrying that a string of reported killings is his fault. |
| Helena Wayne / Huntress | Paul Levitz Joe Staton Joe Orlando Bob Layton | DC Super Stars #17 (November/December 1977) | The daughter of the Batman and Catwoman of an alternate universe established in the early 1960s as the world where the Golden Age stories took place. As a young girl, she was amazed to learn that her father was Batman and embraced Dick Grayson as her older brother and she looked up to Alfred as a second father. Under the code name "Huntress", Helena also struck up a friendship with fellow new superheroine Power Girl who was also a part of the JSA, her father's old team, and Infinity Inc. In the Post-Flashpoint Earth 2 continuity, Helena was the daughter of Bruce and Selina Kyle-Wayne. She was also the only Robin to her father's Batman identity. During an attempted Apokoliptian invasion, both her parents die and she only adopts the Huntress identity after accidentally arriving on Prime Earth through a Boom Tube, along with the Supergirl of Earth 2. The Worlds' Finest storyline explores how Helena and Kara arrived on main DC Earth and their attempts to return to their source Earth, five years after their arrival. While on Prime Earth, Helena keeps her existence a secret, using several fake aliases and avoids visiting Gotham City. Eventually, she meets both that Earth's version of Robin, Damian Wayne, who is also Batman's biological child and later on Batman himself, who according to her is nothing like her father. During the World's End storyline, Helena and Kara found their way back to Earth 2, where she was united with her thought-to-be dead grandfather, Thomas Wayne, who has taken over the identity of Batman. |
| Timothy "Jace" Fox / Batman | (as Timothy Fox) Len Wein Irv Novick (as Batman) Scott Snyder Bryan Hitch | (as Timothy Fox) Batman #313 (April 1979) (as Batman) Dark Nights: Death Metal #7 (January 2021) | The son of Lucius Fox, Timothy Fox was an unruly and rebellious teen who fell into criminal activity, consistently disappointing his father. In the Infinite Frontier era, Tim was sent to military school following the accidental killing of a drunk man with his car. When he returned to Gotham, now going by Jace, he discovered his father's ties to Batman, finding a Batsuit in his basement. When Bruce Wayne was declared dead, he took up the mantle of Batman. After Wayne turned up alive, Jace moved to New York City, becoming the official Batman there and joining the NYPD's Special Crimes Unit, nicknamed "Strike Force Bat". |
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bat-Mite | Bill Finger Sheldon Moldoff | Detective Comics #267 (May 1959) | A reality-altering imp from the Fifth Dimension[44] Bat-Mite made many early appearances as Batman's "biggest fan".[44] Current continuity has treated him as an apparition of Batman's imagination, most recently during Batman's psychological breakdown at the hands of the Black Glove organization. During this, Bat-Mite described imagination as the Fifth Dimension and described himself as "the last fading echo of the voice of reason".[45] After appearing in one of the covers of Detective Comics #27 for the 75th anniversary of Batman, Batmite got a miniseries set in the New 52. His New 52 counterpart was brasher than the original. |
| Jack Ryder / Creeper | Steve Ditko Don Segall | Showcase #73 (April 1968) | A Gotham City television personality that lost his job and became a security guard which brought him into conflict with the mob. After he was almost killed, Ryder was saved by a scientist that made him into The Creeper. Early in his career, he would team up with Batman and became a frequent ally, even joining the Outsiders. In The New 52, Creeper was one of Andre Brigg's candidates for a United Nations-sanctioned Justice League; however, The Creeper was not selected to join the group. His origin is explained in The Phantom Stranger #7, where Jack had recently quit his job as a talk show host at Morgan Edge's network. After intervention from the Phantom Stranger, Ryder ends up being killed by a monster's attack on Metropolis. In Katana #3, after Katana's sword is broken by Killer Croc, the spirit of the Creeper is released from the captivity of her sword. It revealed that Katana's Soultaker sword was used to kill and imprison the Creeper. In the following issue, Creeper is seen bonding with Jack Ryder's dead body. Creeper uses Jack's body to cause chaos, and after he is done, Jack Ryder stays at the crime scene so he can be the first one to report the news. |
| Holly Robinson / Catwoman | Frank Miller David Mazzucchelli | As Holly: Batman #404 (February 1987) As Catwoman: Catwoman (vol. 3) #53 (March 2006) | A former prostitute trained by Wildcat and her friend Selina Kyle, to briefly become the new Catwoman following the birth of Selina's daughter. In her civilian identity, retaining the skills she learned in training to become Catwoman, she was a primary character in Countdown. The series saw her receive extensive Amazonian training as part of Granny Goodness' scheme to acquire new Female Furies. In the series' denouement, she and former supervillain friend Harley Quinn return to civilian life in Gotham, together but later Holly decides to begin a new life elsewhere on her own with money she received after helping Selina steal Tommy Elliot's fortune. Holly does not appear in the New 52. |
| Rory Regan / Ragman | Robert Kanigher Joe Kubert | Ragman #1 (August/September 1976) | A similarly vengeful vigilante hero operating in Gotham, Ragman wears a mystical suit of living rags that functions as a kind of golem.[46] Ragman does not appear in the New 52. |
| Simon Dark | Steve Niles Scott Hampton | Simon Dark #1 (October 2007) | A mysterious vigilante active in Gotham City, Simon Dark is a patchwork man constructed from the bodies of several dead children by a medical genius and a dark cult.[47] Simon does not appear in the New 52. |
| Wendy Harris / Proxy | E. Nelson Bridwell Alex Toth | Limited Collectors' Edition #C-41 (January 1976) | The daughter of the villain the Calculator was paralyzed during an attack when she served with her brother on the Teen Titans. She acts as Oracle's sidekick and assists the new Batgirl; however, her connection to the rest of the Bat Family at large is unclear. Pre-Crisis, Wendy was the niece of detective Harvey Harris, a mentor to a young Bruce Wayne. Wendy does not appear in the New 52. |
| Kitrina Falcone / Catgirl | Tony Daniel Sandu Florea | Batman #692 (December 2009) | Catgirl is Catwoman's sidekick. Kitrina is known for her abilities as an escape artist, first escaping from a locked box while tied up and thrown in the water by her uncle, Mario Falcone, and escaping from Catwoman while tied in an "inescapable knot". Kitrina does not appear in the New 52. |
| Lynx | Tony Daniel Sandu Florea | Batman: Battle for the Cowl (March 2009) | Originally seen allied with Gotham's villains, Lynx would later be seen fighting alongside its heroes. After battling Red Robin, he comes to believe she is on his side. Lynx does not appear in the New 52. |
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucius Fox | Len Wein John Calnan | Batman #307 (January 1979) | Although far less privy to Bruce Wayne's personal life than his business dealings, Lucius Fox is a trusted close associate of Wayne as his business manager responsible for both Wayne Enterprises and the Wayne Foundation. Depending on Fox's incarnation, Lucius may know nothing of Bruce's secret life (such as Batman: The Animated Series); have some hints about it (such as Batman Begins), where he knows Bruce is doing something but prefers not to know exactly what, for the purpose of deniability; or know about it entirely, as is the case in The Batman and The Dark Knight, Batman: Arkham Knight, Batman: The Enemy Within as well as his current mainstream incarnation (The New 52/DC Rebirth). |
| David Zavimbe / Batwing | Grant Morrison Chris Burnham | Batman Incorporated #5 (May 2011) | David Zavimbe and his brother Issac lost the parents to HIV/AIDS in the Congolese city of Tinasha and were afterward taken away from their orphanage to become child soldiers in General Keita's army known as the Army of the Dawn, for a war that ravaged his country. After disobeying orders to burn down a village to prevent Keita's enemy Okuru from escaping, Issac was sliced to death by the General, but David managed to drug him later that night and dropped him at Okuru's recruitment camp, where he was killed. David spent time at the Children's Harbor, an orphanage for former child soldiers, and later became a police officer in Tinasha. At some point, Zavimbe was chosen by Bruce Wayne to become the first Batwing and join Batman Incorporated as his representative in Tinasha. He would later sometime retire from the role and pass on the mantle to Luke Fox.[48] |
| Claire Clover / Gotham Girl | Tom King David Finch | DCU: Rebirth Vol 1 1 (July 2016) | Claire Clover, bought the ability to use superpowers by trading in years of her life. With these powers, she could live two years at Superman's level, or hours as a god. If she wouldn't use her powers, it wouldn't affect her lifespan. She Made her first public appearance helping Batman save a commercial plane from a Kobra Cult terrorist attack. Being young and inexperienced, Batman decided to take her under his wing to make her a better hero. |
| Basil Karlo / Clayface | Bill Finger Bob Kane | Detective Comics #40 (June 1940) | A former member of Batman's rogue gallery is recruited by Batwoman to join her and Batman's team in Detective Comics. Tim Drake invents a device for Basil Karlo to allow him to hold his human form long enough to be allowed to live a normal life as a human and then be able to switch back into Clayface to fight crime with the team. In Detective Comics issue #973, Clayface was shot by Batwoman when the insanity of his condition reached a point where he was a clear danger to innocent people's presumingly killing him.[49] However, he was later revealed to be alive but with his powers reduced and having left the city. |
| Harold Allnut | Dennis O'Neil Marv Wolfman Alan Grant | The Question #33 (December 1989) | Harold was an aide of Batman's who helped design, make, and repair many of his gadgets. Harold was later killed by Hush. Harold does not appear in the New 52 but is alive again following DC Rebirth. |
| Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane / Bat-Girl / Flamebird / Hawkfire | (as Bat-Girl) Bill Finger Bob Kane Sheldon Moldoff (as Flamebird) Tom Grummett George Pérez (as Hawkfire) W. Haden Blackman J.H. Williams III | (as Bat-Girl) Batman #139 (April 1961) (as Flamebird) Secret Origins Annual #3 (1989) (as Hawkfire) Batwoman (vol. 2) #1 (November 2011) | A perky, blonde teenager and professional tennis player, Bette Kane became the original Batgirl to pursue the original Robin, Dick Grayson. Now known as Flamebird, Bette is pursuing her dream to become her cousin, Kate Kane's apprentice. In the New 52, Bette has become Batwoman's sidekick and goes by Plebe and wears a grey jumpsuit after Kate burns her Flamebird costume. After she and Kate get into a spat, she goes out on patrol alone as Flamebird but ends up severely injured in a gang fight and goes into a coma. After she is released from the hospital, she acquires a new high-tech costume with actual pyrotechnic accents and becomes Hawkfire. She later tries to get Kate to reconcile with her uncle, Kate's father. In the DC Rebirth era, Bette has temporarily stopped being a vigilante and is attending West Point. |
| Julia Pennyworth | As Julia Remarque Gerry Conway Don Newton As Julia Pennyworth Scott Snyder James Tynion IV | As Julia Remarque Detective Comics #501 (April 1981) As Julia Pennyworth Batman (vol. 2) #28 (April 2014) | The daughter of Alfred and a French Resistance fighter named Mlle Marie, Julia was brought in as a potential love interest for Bruce. In the New 52, Julia is a Special Reconnaissance Regiment member and first appears in Hong Kong, where she notices the Batplane and seems not too pleased, fearing that Batman might ruin everything she has planned. Julia later meets Batman and tries to fight him off, telling him she has planned to take down the crime lord known as Shen Fang, whom Batman is also after. During the fight, Julia is impaled through the torso, so Bruce takes her with him back to Gotham. Julia later learns Batman's secret and her father's involvement in it and then joins them. She severed ties with Batman after her father is murdered by Bane, blaming Batman for not saving him. |
| Violet Paige / Mother Panic | Jody Houser Gerard Way Tommy Lee Edwards | DC's Young Animal Ashcan Edition (2016) | A vengeful Gotham City vigilante with cybernetic enhancements who occasionally allied herself with Batman, who did not approve of her extremely violent methods. |
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talia al Ghul | Dennis O'Neil Bob Brown Dick Giordano | Detective Comics #411 (May 1971) | The daughter of Ra's al Ghul and is the mother of Damian.[50] After learning of her son's intention to remain Robin, as well as his new devotion to his father's family, Talia has disowned Damian in favor of another son she will create, and put a bounty on his head as well as declared a personal war on Bruce Wayne. The clone eventually kills Damian, which Talia did not anticipate, and leaving the grieving Batman vindictive towards her and the clone. In the final issue of Batman Incorporated, Talia is killed by Kathy Kane. |
| Harvey Dent | Bill Finger Bob Kane | Detective Comics #66 (August 1942) | The former District Attorney, and previously known as the villain Two-Face. He was deemed cured after his facial reconstruction surgery by Dr. Thomas Elliot. Dent was requested by Batman to watch over Gotham City during his one-year absence with Robin. Dent's style of justice has been more brutal than Batman's precision-style vigilantism. Upon Batman's return to Gotham, a series of grisly murders of several members of Batman's rogues' gallery points to Dent. When confronted by Batman, Dent blows up his apartment. The inner turmoil created by the situation forced Two-Face out of his psyche once again, and he is seen re-scarring his face with a scalpel and acid. In the New 52, in Batman and Robin #28 it is implied that Dent has achieved closure and that he commits suicide by shooting himself in the head. |
| Bane | Chuck Dixon Doug Moench Graham Nolan | Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (January 1993) | He would come to be an ally to Batman following their initial encounter; however, in the events surrounding Infinite Crisis, he appeared to return to his evil ways. Yet, he proves to walk a fine line as observed in the Secret Six. In the New 52, Bane has officially returned to being one of Batman's adversaries. |
| Edward Nygma / Riddler | Bill Finger Dick Sprang | Detective Comics #140 (October 1948) | After waking up from a coma, he has gone "legit" and formed a well-known detective agency that sometimes helps Batman. When Riddler gets caught in a bomb explosion, the explosion re-awakened his psychosis. In the New 52, Riddler has officially returned to being one of Batman's adversaries. |
| Floyd Lawton / Deadshot | David Vern Reed Lew Sayre Schwartz Bob Kane | Batman #59 (June 1950) | He entered Gotham as what appeared to be another crimefighter. However, he would try to kill Batman to be the city's only hero. He would return later in the Suicide Squad, forced to help people but when he learned he had a daughter, he sought to wipe out gangs that threatened her home. As a member of the Secret Six, he often walks a line between cold-blooded killer and murderous saint. In the New 52, Deadshot has officially returned to his evil ways, being a member of the Suicide Squad. |
| Thomas Blake / Catman | Bill Finger Jim Mooney | Detective Comics #311 (January 1963) | He started his career modelled after Catwoman and Batman as a foe to the latter. The Catman would also work for the Shade to help destroy remnants of Green Arrow's life as a hero after his apparent death, seemingly giving up crime and retiring. As a member of the Secret Six, Blake seems motivated to do good but is haunted by his violent, animal-like nature. Thomas reprises his established status as a core member of the Secret Six with the New 52 relaunch of the title. |
| Cheyenne Freemont | Bruce Jones Joe Dodd | Nightwing #118 (May 2006) | A fashion designer and daughter of two metahumans, she is reluctant to use her abilities as her parents were run out of town for using theirs. Briefly involved with Dick Grayson, she creates a costume similar to Nightwing's and uses her powers to help Nightwing save Jason Todd from the Pierce brothers before retiring as the female Nightwing. Cheyenne does not appear in the New 52. |
| Sasha Bordeaux | Greg Rucka Shawn Martinbrough | Detective Comics #751 (December 2000) | Bruce Wayne's former bodyguard. Events forced her from his side resulted in a long journey, arriving at the government organization known as Checkmate. After being turned into a partial OMAC cyborg, she now holds the title of Black Queen in the organization. Sasha does not appear in the New 52. |
| Onyx Adams / Onyx | Joey Cavalieri Jerome Moore | Detective Comics #546 (January 1985) | Orpheus' bodyguard and protector. She took up his position as gang leader after Orpheus' death. A bond developed between Onyx and Cassandra Cain. After the events of Infinite Crisis, she was not seen in Gotham until Birds of Prey #114 in 2007, which reveals she has remained an active vigilante and a contact of Oracle.[51] In the New 52, Onyx is the leader of the Fist Clan, a part of the Outsiders, a secret society composed by various clans built around a totem weapon. |
| Club of Heroes | Edmond Hamilton Sheldon Moldoff | Detective Comics #215 (January 1955) | An international group of heroes largely made up of those inspired by Batman (counting him among their number). They would later disband but would reunite when the occasion arose. Several of their numbers went on to join Batman Inc. |
| Paul Kirk / Manhunter I | Jack Kirby | Adventure Comics #58 (January 1941) | A masked man during World War II that became a pawn for the Council when they genetically altered him into an assassin. When Kirk learned that the council was using him and created clones of him as their soldiers, he joined with ninja master Asano Nitobe and Interpol agent Christine St. Clair to destroy the organization and kill his doubles. Kirk would add Batman to this group before his demise in his mission, the remaining trio continuing his work posthumously. An exception in this would be made for the clone Kirk DePaul. Neither Paul nor his clone appears in the New 52. |
| Mark Shaw / Manhunter III | Jack Kirby | 1st Issue Special#5 (August 1975) | A human infiltrator for the Manhunters that would later distance himself from the group and become the supervillain known as the Star-Tsar, infiltrating the Justice League as the Privateer. After some time in prison, he wiped his record clean with service in the Suicide Squad. Afterwards, he would again go by the name Manhunter as a bounty hunter working with Oracle operating largely out of New York. Shaw would take down several of Batman's rogues before the two met battling the Sportsmaster. In The New 52, Mark Shaw appears in the Forever Evil storyline as a U.S. Marshal who is assigned to find Barbara Minerva, the Cheetah. He is referred to as "one of the best manhunters" in the United States Marshals Service. |
| Kate Spencer / Manhunter VIII | Marc Andreyko Jesus Saiz | Manhunter (vol. 3) #1 (October 2004) | The granddaughter of the Phantom Lady that took up the Manhunter title and later joined the Birds of Prey. She is currently the district attorney for Gotham City where she at one point continued to operate alongside the Birds as Manhunter. In the New 52 continuity, Kate Spencer first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in Batwoman (Volume 2) #2 by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman. She eventually retired from her superhero identity to raise her son, Ramsey, and went back to being a lawyer. |
| Jason Blood / Etrigan the Demon | Jack Kirby | The Demon #1 (August 1972) | A demonologist based out of Gotham. Generally, when dealing with such matters, Batman has consulted Blood (and employed help from Blood's "companion", the demon Etrigan). When the Justice League was stuck in the past, Blood was recruited to form a new version of the group based on a contingency plan established by Batman. In the New 52, his past and origins are largely unchanged. Etrigan is still shown as a demon forcibly bound to a young Jason Blood in a gambit to stave off the destruction brought by the Fall of Camelot and in the revised continuity he is tied to other Dark Ages-based heroes and villains. In the present Etrigan's body lies buried in London; it is explained that he was sealed there by his own friends because of his betrayal of them, but magic emanating from it is able to possess persons above, eventually freeing the demon who promptly attacks Apollo and Midnighter. The entire Stormwatch then battles Etrigan but even after being defeated, he is able to possess a host and flees. |
| Dean Hunter / Nimrod | Alan Grant Tim Sale | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #7 (December 1992) | He was framed for a crime he did not commit by the criminal named Chancer. Breaking out of prison, he stole a military suit of armour and sought to clear his name with Batman's help. In The New 52, a new version of Nimrod appears named Maxim Zarov, a highly skilled hunter who uses teleportation techniques and is a member of, or an associate with, the Anti-Superman Army. |
The GCPD were featured in their own series: the limited series Batman: GCPD and the ongoing series Gotham Central, in which they investigate the unusual crimes that plague the city, in a personal effort to minimize Batman's involvement.[52][53] The Gotham Central series ended its 40-issue run in 2006.[54]
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Worthington "Jim" Gordon | Bill Finger Bob Kane | Detective Comics #27 (May 1939) | The police commissioner of Gotham City, is the most important member of the GCPD within the Batman mythos. Appearing alongside the main character in his first appearance, Gordon was the first Batman supporting character.[55] Batman has a strong (though secret and unofficial) working relationship with him.[56] Gordon, like other characters, has changed considerably over the years. Of particular note, is that in the early days of the characters, Gordon was not allied with Batman, and was more antagonistic towards him. However, he was a friend of Bruce Wayne.[55] In "Batman: Year One", Gordon is portrayed as one of the few honest, non-corrupt Gotham cops.[42] During "No Man's Land", Bruce offered him the knowledge of his secret identity, but Jim (still angry for Batman's early abandonment of Gotham in the days near the beginning of NML) refused to look and find out, hinting he may already know. Jim retired several months after NML,[57] but returned to duty in the One Year Later storyline.[58] |
| Harvey Bullock | as Lieutenant Bullock Archie Goodwin Howard Chaykin as Detective Harvey Bullock Doug Moench Don Newton | as Lieutenant Bullock Detective Comics #441 (June 1974) as Detective Harvey Bullock Batman #361 (July 1983) | He was brought in to be a pain in the side of Commissioner Gordon, but after accidentally causing a heart attack, his character repented, and has been a near constant presence since then. He is presented as being a slob and constantly suspected of corruption, but ultimately a good cop and strong ally to Gordon. |
| Renee Montoya | Bruce Timm Paul Dini Mitch Brian | Batman #475 (March 1992) | A character who was added into the comics in the 1990s as a character adapted from the animated series.[59][60] She later quit the GCPD when her partner Crispus Allen was murdered and the man responsible got off, in addition to her sexual orientation being unwillingly outed.[61] Following this she became a main character in the 52 limited series.[62] Renee, who eventually took on the mantle of the Question, occasionally fights crime with the current Batwoman, who is her on-again-off-again lover.[63] In The New 52, Renee appears in an image viewed by Kate Kane on the GCPD's wall of honor. She made her first full appearance in Detective Comics #41. |
| Crispus Allen | Greg Rucka Shawn Martinbrough | Detective Comics #742 (March 2000) | A fortysomething police veteran transferred to Gotham City where he was partnered with detective Renee Montoya on the Gotham City Police Department's Major Crimes Unit. Allen had a loving wife and two teenaged sons, whom he put above his job and the safety of others when Gotham was in crisis. Allen saw Batman as a necessary evil, not wanting to deal with him but tolerating his presence. Their occasional interactions illustrated his views on Batman, notably during Brian Azzarello's "Broken City" storyline. Allen was an agnostic who doubted the existence of God in spite of his family's strong faith. |
| Jason Bard | Frank Robbins Gil Kane | Detective Comics #392 (October 1969) | A cop from Detroit hired by Jim Gordon and put into the MCU. He later helps Batman escape from a trap of GCPD led by the corrupt new Commissioner Jack Forbes. Prior to the New 52 reboot, he was originally introduced as a private investigator; pre-Crisis and post-Crisis, he was hired to be Batman's daytime liaison in the "Face the Face" storyline,[64] and later worked for Robin during the outbreak of a gang war in Gotham City.[65] |
Batman regularly interacts with other DC superheroes in titles such as Justice League of America. A few, however, have had a marked presence in the core Batman titles:
| Name | Creator(s) | First appearance | Fictional biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark Joseph Kent / Kal-El of Krypton / Superman | Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster | Action Comics #1 (cover-dated June 1938; published April 18 1938) | As the two earliest superheroes, Batman and Superman are frequent costars in each other's titles, and are often used to highlight differences between vigilantism and lawful crimefighting. In the early crossovers, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight were usually depicted as good friends who cheerfully assisted one another against foes who were too big to be dealt with alone. In more recent times, their friendship has been depicted as more uneasy, but still with a deep amount of respect.[66] In the current chronology, Batman and Superman first encounter one another early in their careers when Superman arrives in Gotham City to arrest the notorious "outlaw" known as Batman, just as Batman is investigating a murderous criminal named Magpie.[67] Superman left this encounter with Batman, believing he had the best of intentions, though disagreeing with Batman's methods. As Superman flew back to Metropolis, Batman lamented to himself that Superman was a remarkable individual and that "perhaps, in another lifetime, he might call the Man of Steel his friend".[67] They have collaborated many times in the years since then, learning each other's secret identities, recognizing that their goals are essentially the same, and despite their frequent tense relationship, are close allies and friends.[68] Superman has entrusted Lex Luthor's Kryptonite ring to Batman, as a weapon to be used against Superman in case the Man of Steel should ever be turned against the people of Earth.[69] In keeping with that attitude, Batman and Superman are often depicted as being the opposite sides of the same coin, both products of their environments, as indicated in their vastly different styles of crime-fighting. Superman became a hero because he subscribed to wholesome idealism, while Batman was motivated by personal tragedy and a troubled past. Regardless, after one instance of Batman using the ring to prevent a mind-controlled Superman from wrongdoing, Superman told Batman that he knew he "gave the ring to the right person". Batman shook his hand, and simply said, "What're friends for?"[66] |
| Oliver Queen / Green Arrow | Mort Weisinger George Papp | More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941) | He began as a character very much inspired by Batman. He had a youthful ward, Speedy, much like Robin, as well as an Arrowcave, an Arrowcar, and an Arrowplane, similar to Batman's equipment. Most of these gimmicks were stripped away by the 1970s, when both Batman and the Green Arrow were revamped into more serious characters. Batman and the Green Arrow have often been partners, especially during the 1970s, when Batman's team-up title, The Brave and the Bold, was one of the few places outside of the pages of JLA where the Emerald Archer could be found. As with Superman, early team-ups between Batman and the Green Arrow were very friendly, but their relations became strained in more recent incarnations. Batman and the Green Arrow's interactions in the 1980s were often employed as counterpoints to differing techniques and political philosophies. Queen and Batman's relationship was further strained by the involvement of the Green Arrow in the mindwiping events that happened in the pages of Identity Crisis, even though Queen voted against the mindwiping of Dr. Light and Batman, but this seems to have been forgiven for reasons still unknown. Today, the Green Arrow is frequently depicted as one of the few superheroes willing to stand up to Batman directly. |
| Zatanna Zatara | Gardner Fox Murphy Anderson | Hawkman #4 (November 1964) | A powerful sorceress, stage magician, and a former member of the Justice League of America. Her father, John Zatara, trained a young Bruce Wayne in escapology. Zatanna and Bruce have a working friendship in the comics, with Bruce calling her for assistance from time to time. Zatanna's standing with Batman after the events of Identity Crisis was initially very strained, but the pair made their peace to the point where she proposed that they start a relationship, but Bruce told her he cares too much about her to bring her into his world. |
| Dinah Laurel Lance / The Black Canary | Dennis O'Neil Dick Dillin | Justice League of America #220 (November 1983) | A former member of the Justice Society and of Oracle's covert team in Birds of Prey as well as being the wife of the Green Arrow, a founding member of the Justice League of America, and its current chairperson. The relationship between Black Canary and Batman has not been stressed by the events of Identity Crisis, even though Black Canary was involved with the group who mindwiped Dr. Light. |
| Helena Wayne / The Huntress | Paul Levitz Joe Staton Joe Orlando Bob Layton | DC Super Stars #17 (November/December 1977) | The daughter of an alternate version of Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Selina Kyle (Catwoman) from Earth-Two.[3] She was also the only Robin to her father's Batman identity and a more ruthless character than was previously seen at the time. Helena adopts the Huntress identity after accidentally arriving on Prime Earth through a Boom Tube, after the death of both her parents. |
| Patrick "Eel" O'Brian / Plastic Man | Jack Cole | Police Comics #1 (August 1941) | A crook that developed superpowers after falling into a chemical bath, deciding afterward to change his ways. Joining the FBI and the All-Star Squadron, he would make a life for himself in Gotham. During a case where the JLA fought the Injustice Gang, Plastic Man was brought into the League by Batman to help, shortly thereafter joining the group. During this time, O'Brian became close to Batman and came to rely on him as a close friend, often the Dark Knight being the only person able to motivate the elastic hero to action. |
| Charles Victor Sage / The Question | Steve Ditko | Blue Beetle #1 (June 1967) | Originally a Charlton Comics superhero, created by Steve Ditko, Vic Sage was revamped by Dennis O'Neil in 1987. Since the late 1990s, the Question has had a recurring supporting role in various Batman titles. Sage died of lung cancer in 52 Week 38; former GCPD detective Renee Montoya is now the new Question. |
| Richard Dragon | Dennis O'Neil Jim Berry | Dragon's Fists novel (1974) | As one of the martial artists in the DC Universe, Denny O'Neil's Richard Dragon appears occasionally in Batman-related titles. Dragon is involved in training the modern Huntress, and allusions are made to his involvement training Batman himself. |
| Hiro Okamura / Toyman | Jeph Loeb Ed McGuinness | Superman (vol. 2) #127 (September 1997) | A 13-year-old genius from Japan. He was recruited by Superboy and Robin (Tim Drake) after he successfully created the composite Superman/Batman ship that saved Earth. He now works with Batman to create customized equipment and weapons, replacing Harold. Hiro is later discovered to be one of several robots who fills in for the real Toyman while he is incarcerated; this was revealed in Action Comics #865. |
| Theodore Stephen "Ted" Kord / The Blue Beetle | Steve Ditko | Captain Atom #83 (November 1966) | A close friend of Oracle (sometimes working with the Birds of Prey), served with Batman in the League, and an idol to Tim Drake. Before his death, his company became a subsidiary to Wayne Industries. |
| Alan Ladd Wellington Scott / The Green Lantern | Martin Nodell | All-American Comics #16 (July 1940) | The Green Lantern of the Golden Age who lives and works in Gotham City. |
| The Justice Society of America | Gardner Fox Everett E. Hibbard Sheldon Mayer | All Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940–1941) | Since the end of World War II, the JSA was headquartered in Gotham in a brownstone. |
| Thomas Andrew Tresser / Nemesis | Cary Burkett Dan Spiegle | The Brave and the Bold #166 (September 1980) | He sought to clear the name of his brother; brainwashed by the Council into becoming an assassin and taking down that same organization. During this, he would find an ally in Batman and the pair teamed together until Nemesis was successful in his goals. |
| Tatsu Yamashiro / Katana | Mike W. Barr Jim Aparo | The Brave and the Bold #200 (July 1983) | Initially meeting at the formation of the Outsiders, she moved to Gotham in the penthouse that served as the group's base of operations. During her years as a member, Katana became close friends with Batman, occasionally teaming with him when he called upon her. When President Luthor formed a group of individuals led by Captain Atom to apprehend Superman and Batman, the Dark Knight entrusted Katana as his spy within. |
| Theodore "Ted" Grant / Wildcat | Bill Finger Irwin Hasen | Sensation Comics #1 (January 1942) | An original member of the Justice Society of America and an ex-heavyweight champion boxer, trained a young Bruce Wayne at one point. The two have remained close allies, and Batman has been quoted as saying that Grant is one of the few fighters he respects. |
| Roy Harper / Arsenal / Red Arrow | As Roy Harper / Speedy: Mort Weisinger George Papp As Arsenal: Marv Wolfman Tom Grummett As Red Arrow: Mark Waid Alex Ross | As Roy Harper / Speedy: More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941) As Arsenal: The New Titans #99 (July 1993) As Red Arrow: Justice League of America (vol. 2) #7 (May 2007) | Originally known as Speedy. Member of the Titans, the Outsiders and the Outlaws, partner and friend of the Green Arrow, Nightwing and the Red Hood. Occasionally has been aided by Batman himself. |
| Connor Hawke / Green Arrow II | Kelley Puckett Jim Aparo | Green Arrow (vol. 2) #0 (October 1994) | Oliver Queen's son and successor. Ally of Batman and Nightwing and Batman's agent in the ploy to take down the Injustice Gang. |
| Gotham and Gotham Girl | Tom King and David Finch | DC Rebirth (July 2016) | Claire and Henry Clover, Jr. operate as twins with Superman-like powers, having bought them through their family's money, trading in their lives for them as the powers would affect their life-span. The two would assist Batman against Solomon Grundy and the Kobra Cult.[70] Henry Jr. was killed by the Psycho Pirate while an unstable Claire later joined Thomas Wayne/Batman.[71] |
Batman comics have introduced many classic villains. His rogues gallery is one of the most identifiable in modern fiction. The Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, and the Penguin are some of the most recognizable foes; other notable villains include Poison Ivy, Ra's al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, the Scarecrow, Bane, Killer Croc, the Mad Hatter, and Clayface, among others. Some of Batman's rogues gallery are notable for sometimes functioning as allies as well as villains. Some examples of this are Catwoman, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, Two-Face (Harvey Dent), the Red Hood, Anarky, and Talia al Ghul. Recently, emphasis on the psychological motivations of Batman villains have painted them in a much more sympathetic light than in their earlier stories, most notably Mr. Freeze and the Ventriloquist in their Batman: The Animated Series incarnations.
Unlike his peers from DC Universe, like Superman, Flash, Green Lantern etc., Batman never had an official single love interest, but several of them in its publishing history.
The following have trained Bruce Wayne in his path to becoming Batman:
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2014) |
This section lists the ancestors and relatives of Bruce Wayne:
This is the family that Martha Wayne is from, making them relatives of Batman and Batwoman:
Several characters featured outside of modern Batman canon are of note
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