The Batman Family

by Doug Smith

The Batman. The Dark Knight. The Caped Crusader. Gotham’s solitary avenger of the night, patrolling the city’s streets by himself. The ultimate loner of the DC universe.

Except for when he’s hanging out with the Justice League of America. Or the Outsiders. Or any of the 237 different members of the “Batman Family”. Seriously, the guy’s had so many sidekicks and partners over the years, they even had a series called Batman Family in the 1970s!

So who are the members of the Batman Family? Let’s take a spin through the family tree.

Robin: Batman was originally created as a solo vigilante, but it wasn’t long before National Periodicals decided that they wanted to lighten the tone of the book, and broaden the appeal to include more kids. To this end, they gave Bruce Wayne his first sidekick, an orphaned boy named Dick Grayson (first appearance: Detective Comics #38, in 1940), who assumed the codename “Robin”; the name and costume were influenced by Robin Hood. Robin was the first of many teen partners and spin-offs over the years, so we have him to thank for everybody from Captain Marvel, Jr. to Arana. Say what you will about the Boy Wonder (or, as some prefer, the Boy Hostage), at least there was some thought involved in giving him his own codename and costume, as opposed to just making junior versions of the original hero, like, say Kid Flash, Aqualad, or Wonder Girl. If old Short-Pants had debuted in the Silver Age they probably would have just called him “Batboy” and been done with it.

Robin proved popular enough that he had his own feature in Star-Spangled Comics for several years in the Golden Age. In the Silver Age, he became the leader of the Teen Titans. Dick Grayson was eventually allowed to grow up, going off to college and moving out from under Batman’s shadow. As the leader of the incredibly popular “New” Teen Titans in the 1980s, he finally ditched the green underpants and yellow cape, adopting the new codename of Nightwing. He also got to sleep with the hottest alien in the DC Universe, his Titans teammate Starfire. He remains popular with just about everybody to this day, with the possible exception of Dan DiDio.

With Dick Grayson movin’ on up, the Robin costume was passed to a new character, Jason Todd (first appearance: Batman #357, 1983); he proved so popular that DC’s fans voted to kill him in 1988. The Joker beat him up and blew him up, and he was belly up. Ahhh, but this is comics, and of course Jason eventually came back to life. How, you may ask? It involves an evil Superboy punching a wall in reality. There, aren’t you glad you asked? Anyhoo, Jason’s return was first hinted at in the Batman epic “Hush”, when he was a red herring for the identity of the mystery villain. He then returned for real, first in the identity of the Red Hood, then briefly assuming the Nightwing name, and finally just running around as “Jason Todd, general jerk face”. All of these identities brought with them a new look, but I prefer to think of him in the image you see here.

The current Robin is Tim Drake (first appearance: Batman #436, 1989), who found out that it’s a lot better to be the guy who replaces the guy who replaced The Guy. It’s kinda like replacing Pete Myers on the Chicago Bulls; you’re no Jordan but at least you’re better than the last guy, right? Actually, Tim has proven to be a very popular character in his own right, and was the first Robin to have his own title (now approaching the 175-issue mark). He’s also managed to get himself a considerably less embarrassing costume, complete with big boy pants.

(Earth-2 Note: Yes, there was yet another Robin, as the Golden Age Robin was later retconned into being the “Earth-2” version. This Dick Grayson grew up, got an even uglier costume, joined the Justice Society of America, died in Crisis On Infinite Earths, and was then completely retconned out of existence. But with DC bringing back multiple Earths, he may reappear.)

The popularity of the Batman/Robin team brought some problems though. Oh, you know where this is going. You’ve heard the jokes. You’ve seen “The Ambiguously Gay Duo” on SNL. But there was a time when the issue of “grown man lives in a cave with underage boy” was taken seriously (thank you SO MUCH, Dr. Frederic Wertham), although I can’t imagine how anybody could get the wrong idea…



Ummm…OK, I still think people are reading too much into it; I mean, it’s not like there was ever any proof that they, I don’t know, slept in the same bed or anything…



Oops. Anyway, DC had to prove that Batman and Robin were not, in fact, homosexuals. To accomplish this, they introduced…

Batwoman: To more firmly establish Bruce Wayne as Dick’s father figure, they introduced a “mother figure” in the character of Kathy Kane (first appearance: Detective Comics #233, 1956), who was Batman’s love interest and fellow crime fighter. Kathy donned a yellow costume and the Batwoman name. She fought crime with a variety of weapons disguised as feminine products. No, not THOSE “feminine products”! We’re talking lipstick and hairnets here. Remember, DC was trying to get OUT of trouble. Batwoman was popular with readers, and the Silver Age “Batman family” was expanded with quite a few new members (more on them later), but as DC started to move Batman back to his darker roots in the 1960s, Batwoman and most of the other new additions were quietly dumped from the Bat-books. Although she resurfaced in the pages of Batman Family in the 1970s, Kathy Kane was eventually killed in Detective Comics #485, published in 1979, and remarkably enough for a comics character…stayed dead! (Take a hint, J-Todd.)

The name Batwoman did not stay buried, though. DC recently introduced a new character named “Kate” Kane (first appearance: 52 #7, 2006), to much controversy due to the fact that she is openly gay. That’s right…in a nice bit of irony, a character that DC introduced in 1956 to dispel rumors of homosexuality was revamped fifty years later as a lesbian. Somewhere, Dr. Wertham is spinning in his grave. This new version of the character sports a black and red costume (pictured above) that seems influenced by the Batman Beyond cartoon; time will tell if she becomes a strong character in her own right.

But DC was not without a female version of Batman during those years…oh no…we had…

Batgirl: Ahhh, Batgirl. Most fans my age will tell you that the one and only true Batgirl is Barbara Gordon, since she was the original…but wait! Turns out she wasn’t the original! Kathy “Batwoman” Kane had a niece, Betty Kane (first appearance: Batman #139, 1961), who took the name Batgirl a good five years before Babs even appeared. But this Batgirl took a powder at the same time as her aunt, and was seen rarely over the years (sometimes in the pages of Teen Titans), eventually being retconned out as a part of Crisis On Infinite Earths. A new character named Bette Kane has since appeared as the superhero Flamebird (first appearance: Secret Origins Annual #3, 1989), but other than an unrequited crush on Dick Grayson she has little connection to the Batman Family.

So, back to The Real Batgirl. Barbara Gordon. “Babs.” You know how when you’re a young kid, and you first start to realize that girls are “different” from boys? (Or the other way around for you ladies.) Well, the Batman TV show of the 1960s helped me along in that area, thanks to Yvonne Craig’s portrayal of Batgirl. That’s why you’re getting an image from the TV show instead of the comics; any complaints can be sent to my Friendly Neighborhood Editor. The producers of the TV show requested that DC create a female character that they could add to the show, and the new Batgirl was born (first appearance: Detective Comics #359, 1966). Batgirl was the daughter of Gotham Police Commissioner James Gordon, and became a very popular character. She was one of the lead features in the Batman Family series and is one of the most well-known members of said family, in all forms of media. She has, over the years, had an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with Dick Grayson, and inspired countless fanboy fantasies.

But Barbara Gordon’s life took a tragic turn in the pages of the classic tale The Killing Joke, when she was shot by the Joker and left paralyzed. Confined to a wheelchair, Barbara re-emerged as the mysterious information broker known as Oracle in the pages of the 1980s series Suicide Squad. This development lead to a new era of popularity for the character, and she now leads the female-focused team known as the Birds of Prey, who have starred in a series that has gone well past the 100-issue mark; no small achievement in an industry that has only seen Wonder Woman enjoy any sort of long-term success as a starring female character. Birds of Prey is firmly rooted in the Batman mythos, continuing Barbara’s reign as one of the most popular members of the Batman Family. Many fans (and some creators) would love to see her get out of that wheelchair and resume the Batgirl identity; as much as I love “Babs as Batgirl”, I think she’s a much stronger character as Oracle. Thank God for flashback stories, so I can still get my “real Batgirl” fix.

And then there’s the current Batgirl, Cassandra Cain (first appearance: Batman #567, 1999). Personally, I’m not a big fan of the character, but that’s because I’m a crotchety old fanboy who is set in my ways. She does have a very vocal fan base and lately, they’re not happy campers. But I don’t really care about her, so let’s move on.

One of Barbara Gordon’s main operative in the Birds of Prey is…

Huntress: Helena Bertinelli (no relation to Valerie) is the daughter of a murdered Mafia boss, who becomes a vigilante as a means of exacting vengeance. While Batman has frequently disapproved of her sometimes-brutal methods, they have worked together, and Barbara continues to try to get Huntress to move closer to the right side of the street. Getting Bertinelli to be less violent has been a difficult task, but they're taking it one day at a time.

Helena first appeared in Huntress #1, in 1989, but is not the first version of this character. That’s right, kids, it’s time for another trip to Earth-2 continuity! (Yeah, I know, it makes my head hurt too.)

The Huntress was originally introduced in All-Star Comics #69 (1977) as the daughter of the Earth-2 Batman and Catwoman, and was a new member of the legendary Justice Society of America. She had a backup feature in Wonder Woman and was a regular participant in those classic JLA/JSA crossovers, but like Earth-2 Robin, she died in the pages of Crisis On Infinite Earths and was then retconned from history completely. Ouch, babe. The Bertinelli version sports a costume very similar to her Earth-2 counterpart. Since I was first introduced to Huntress as Helena Wayne, and since I love me some Brian Bolland artwork, I’m posting the cover image from a trade paperback that collects her 1970s features. Once again, any complaints can be directed to my Friendly Neighborhood Editor.

You say you want some more Brian Bolland artwork? Me too. Let’s talk about…

Catwoman: Selina Kyle (first appearance: Batman #1, 1940) is one of Batman’s earliest foes and also one of his greatest loves. But since she’s a criminal, it can never last. They’ve been together, broken up, and reunited more times than Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, only without the video evidence. Over the years, Selina has sported a wide variety of costumes, and I wasn’t sure which one to spotlight here, but Mr. Bolland took care of that little problem for me. Thanks Mr. Bolland! Catwoman has also embraced a semi-heroic lifestyle in recent years, as she starred in two long-running series of her own. However, her most recent series has just been cancelled and she is showing signs of returning to her more villainous ways. Which is understandable; I’m sure that movie with Halle Berry would drive anybody to a life of crime.

Catwoman wasn’t Batman’s only love interest though; in fact, over the years, he’s had more girlfriends than Hugh Hefner. There was the aforementioned Kathy Kane, as well as Silver St. Cloud, Vicki Vale, Vesper Fairchild, Sasha Bordeaux, and most recently Jezebel Jet. But the “other” great love of his life, aside from Selina Kyle, would be Talia al Ghul, daughter of one of his deadliest enemies, Ra’s al Ghul. And together, Bruce and Talia gave the world…

Damien Wayne: The only member of the Batman family to actually have some Wayne DNA in him. Maybe. The lovechild of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul was born in the graphic novel Batman: Son of the Demon (1987), but the current version (first appearance: Batman #655, 2006) is supposedly a new character, as the graphic novel is considered to be out of continuity. Fandom hasn’t exactly embraced the kid (who is a bit of a homicidal brat, after all), so when current Batman writer Grant Morrison leaves that title, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Damien’s heritage retconned away faster than you can say “Xorn”.

Speaking of characters that disappeared quickly…anybody remember Orpheus? How about Onyx? Both were minor characters that Batman kinda “deputized” to help him in his war against crime in Gotham. Both of them were African-American, had names that started with the letter “O”, and are pretty much forgotten now. This really puts the damper on that pitch I was working on for “The Ocelot”. Oh well.

Another character that is rarely mentioned today is one that actually replaced Bruce Wayne as Batman for a while. You thought Bruce was crazy? You should meet…

Azrael: Jean-Paul Valley (first appearance: Batman: Sword of Azrael #1, 1992) has a backstory just too confusing to get into here. But let’s try to summarize: he started out as a misguided opponent of Batman, then became his ally, and then replaced Bruce as Batman when Bane broke Bruce’s back. Azrael redefined the term “batshit crazy” during his time as Batman, so Bruce had to come back and reclaim the Bat-title. Eventually, Azrael regained Batman’s trust and became one of his agents; he had a solo series that somehow ran for 100 issues (I always theorized that DC just couldn’t bring themselves to cancel a book that the legendary Denny O’Neil wrote), but when the curtain finally fell, Jean-Paul was shot and apparently killed. It may be more “Jason Todd dead” than “Kathy Kane dead”, though, as there have been recent hints that Azrael will return. If Jean-Paul does come back, maybe he can hang out with…

Spoiler: Another member of the Batman Family who recently returned from the dead. Spoiler (first appearance: Detective Comics #647, 1992) is Stephanie Brown, the daughter of C-list Bat-villain Cluemaster. She was actually more of a sidekick to Robin than Batman (what do you call the sidekick’s sidekick? The grandsidekick? Sidekick once removed?), although she did assume the Robin identity for a brief time, and got killed as a result. This was a controversial death for quite a few reasons; some fans decried it as misogynistic, while others were upset that Stephanie didn’t get a memorial in the Bat-Cave like Jason Todd’s. Myself, I wasn’t so much upset about Stephanie's death as I was about what it did to…

Dr. Leslie Thompkins: Dr. Thompkins (first appearance: Detective Comics #457, 1976) was a family friend of Bruce Wayne’s parents. After Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered, Dr. Thompkins helped Alfred Pennyworth raise Bruce. She is one of the few civilians who knows that Bruce is Batman; an avowed pacifist, she is strongly opposed to Bruce’s violent methods and often serves as a moral compass when Bruce most desperately needs one. Which is why it made absolutely no sense when it was revealed that Dr. Thompkins could have saved Stephanie Brown’s life, but chose to let her die so that she could teach Batman a lesson! Yeesh! This was such a stupid development that Spoiler’s death was recently retconned away with a brief “Oh, we faked it” explanation. Hopefully, Dr. Thompkins can return from her Batman-imposed exile now, which will be good news for…

Alfred Pennyworth: Now, this is the man. Alfred (first appearance: Batman #16, 1943) has been there for Bruce Wayne since Bruce was a child. He is, for all intents and purposes, Bruce’s father. He’s never afraid to call Bruce on his BS when it’s needed. He tends to his wounds and has undoubtedly saved his life on several occasions. He’s a butler, an actor, a moral compass, a surgeon, a friend, a warrior, and at some times with Dr. Thompkins, a lover. He is…the most interesting man in the world! And he prefers Dos Equis. (Wait, that’s a beer commercial. Sorry!) Anyway, Alfred is the most constant figure in Bruce Wayne’s life. Except for when he’s been dead. Or turned into the monster/villain The Outsider. Or replaced by Aunt Harriet. Otherwise, he’s always there. The most recent “Batman” movies have cast Michael Caine as Alfred, and I’m using his image because Michael Caine is so damn cool he makes everything just a little bit better (even Jaws 4).

And while we’re on the subject of casting cool actors in the movies…

Lucius Fox: Mr. Fox is one of Bruce Wayne's closest friends; on film he is currently being played by Morgan Freeman. It doesn’t get much cooler than that. In the comics, Lucius (first appearance: Batman #307, 1979) is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises and a brilliant businessman; he runs the business so Bruce can maintain his playboy image. In the movies, he’s more of a genius inventor, but he’s being played by Morgan Freeman, so it’s cool.

You know who else is cool?

Man-Bat: In fact, Man-Bat (first appearance: Detective Comics #400, 1970) is so damn cool, Grant Morrison recently introduced an entire army of Man-Bats! (Men-Bat?) Dr. Kirk Langstrom is the classic tragic villain, a scientist who saw his experiments go horribly wrong (is there any other kind of wrong?) and was transformed into a bat-like monster. He’s battled Batman many times over the years, but he’s also starred in his own feature in the Batman Family comic book, and had a few miniseries since then as well. And let’s face it, while it’s easy to say “Oh, they just rearranged Batman’s name to come up with him”, that’s a trick you couldn’t do to create Man-Super or Man-Aqua. Although, I’m thinking Man-Spider has a certain ring to it…hmmm…

Dr. Langstrom’s wife, Francine, has become another one of Batman’s civilian allies, assisting the current version of the Outsiders team. But when you want to talk about civilian allies, really, you gotta talk about…

Jim Gordon: Sometimes he’s a police lieutenant, sometimes he’s the commissioner, sometimes he’s Batman’s friend, sometimes he’s on Batman’s tail. But James Gordon (first appearance: Detective Comics #27, 1939) is probably the most constant figure in Batman’s life not named Alfred. The only good cop in a corrupt town, he overcame his early distrust of Batman to cautiously assist the Caped Crusader in his war on crime. He’s seen his daughter shot and paralyzed, and his wife murdered, but he remains steadfast in his dedication to the law. If you had to break down Batman’s supporting cast to no more than three characters, Jim Gordon would make the cut. He’s essential to the Batman mythos.

One of Gotham’s other few good cops is…

Renee Montoya: Originally created for the cartoon series Batman: The Animated Series, Montoya was added to the comics in the pages of Batman #475 (1992). A detective in Gotham City’s homicide division, she has been partnered over the years with Harvey Bullock and Crispus Allen. Renee recently replaced Vic Sage as the new Question, which is a move I’m still not sold on; Vic’s death was handled well, but I feel like I’m trading two good characters for one, you know? Renee recently had her own miniseries, but I preferred the 1980s The Question, which was written by Bat-legend Denny O’Neil, and introduced the world to…

Harold Allnut: Poor Harold. A mute hunchback who first appeared in The Question #33 (1989), he soon moved to Gotham City and worked for the Penguin, but was taken in by Batman and became a valuable ally thanks to his brilliant abilities with technology. Bruce Wayne let him live in the Batcave (seriously, Bruce? You couldn’t have put him up in that swanky Gotham penthouse apartment you operated out of in the ‘70s?) but then batshit crazy Azrael kicked him out. Harold later turned up as a traitor during the “Hush” storyline and died. (I couldn't find a good image of Harold to post here, but that just gave me an excuse to use that really cool Batman Family cover instead.) Even though he made relatively few appearances, Harold was an important member of the Batman family because he hung out with…

Ace the Bat-Hound! That’s right kids, we’re back in the Silver Age! Ace the Bat-Hound (first appearance: Batman #92, 1955) was introduced due to the success of Krypto in the Superman comics. Ace didn’t have any powers, but he did have an awesome mask. What with the Batman family having a “dad” (Batman), “mom” (Batwoman), “son” (Robin), and “daughter” (Batgirl), I guess it was decided they needed a dog. All that’s missing now is a white picket fence and another .5 of a kid. Sadly, Ace wasn’t seen much after the Silver Age (there was a rumor that he was sent to a farm upstate), but he did come back in the early ‘90s and live in the Batcave with Harold. Until batshit crazy Azrael kicked them out.

Sure, Ace the Bat-Hound is a perfect example of Silver Age silliness, but really, he wasn’t that bad. And really, if he’s the worst thing to come out of the Silver Age of Batman, then it really could have been worse, right?

Bat-Mite: I think we're done now.