Who Should Take Over The Mantle Of Batman After Bruce Wayne?

Aug 28

Batman collage — Image Source: *CultureSlate*

When the Batsuit is no longer donned by Bruce Wayne, who will take on the mantle of Batman? The decision is not one to be taken lightly, as both Bruce Wayne's legacy and the responsibility of guarding Gotham City against its multitude of threats would be left to someone new. Various members of the past and present Bat-family bring their own unique skills, motivations, and connections to the role.

Some potential successors have taken over in the past, but sometimes it hasn’t turned out so well. In the Flashpoint timeline, Bruce Wayne dies instead of his parents and so his father, Thomas Wayne, becomes Batman in the Flashpoint comics and the 2013 animated Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. There have been a few villains to wear the Batsuit as well for one-shot plots in a comic, like Joker and Bane, and even Lex Luthor.

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In the Batman Beyond show, we saw Gotham City in 2019 with Terry McGinnis donning the cape and cowl as the vigilante. The version of Batman has been considered non-canonical in the past, but after Terry’s revival in The New 52: Futures End, he’s come up a few times since. In addition to these men taking the reins, Jean-Paul Valley becomes the caped crusader in the Knightfall story arc, after Bruce Wayne gets seriously injured by Bane. The plot thickens when Jean-Paul (also known as Azrael) goes a little out of control until Bruce Wayne is forced to recollect the mantle.

Then, there are the younger sidekicks of Batman’s past. Jason Todd takes over as Batman briefly in Batman: Battle for the Cowl (2009), leaving a violent path in his wake and wielding a gun, something Bruce was sure never to do as Batman. Tim Drake shows up as the masked hero to take down Jason’s Batman as chaos spreads through Gotham. While Jason could potentially continue as Batman, it doesn’t seem like he has the moral compass required to keep the Gotham villains at bay like Bruce wanted. Tim, on the other hand, could take over permanently, but he’s sworn that he would never become Batman after seeing the vigilante role take its toll on Bruce over the years.

Dick Grayson, the first Robin, could definitely take over as Batman. He’s been training for this with Bruce throughout his life, as he went from being an acrobat with the Flying Graysons to his role as Robin and finally to the much darker persona Nightwing. Dick Grayson is the one who relieves Jason Todd of the mantle after he nearly destroys Gotham during his tenure in Battle for the Cowl. His abilities almost outweigh Bruce’s, including his acrobatic skills, detective tactics, and technological programming. He could carry out Bruce Wayne’s legacy in the next storyline.

One other potential person to take the mantle after Bruce Wayne would be Barbara Gordon. She has been Oracle and Batgirl for several years, but is her personality right for a new role as the Dark Knight? Barbara shares Bruce’s unwavering commitment to justice and protecting the innocent, following in her father’s footsteps. As Oracle, Barbara has demonstrated unparalleled technological skill and could greatly enhance Batman’s capabilities. Her background lends itself to becoming a symbol of resilience and perseverance for the city, and she already inspires respect in the superhero community.

Alfred Pennyworth has needed to take over as Batman a few times before, usually just temporarily, but there’s still more that we’d like to see from him. No one knows the history of Batman’s legacy more than Alfred and after so many years loyal to Bruce Wayne, it almost seems like there’s no one better. Alfred frequently assists Batman with his training, provides technical advice, and deploys strategy. Given Alfred's deep familiarity with the intricacies of combating Gotham's criminal underworld, he emerges as an ideal candidate to don the cape and cowl.

There is, of course, a lot of potential for someone to take over as Batman after Bruce Wayne, because Gotham City will still need a masked protector with him gone. Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, and Alfred Pennyworth are just a few people who could fill Bruce Wayne’s shoes. Each of these candidates brings unique strengths to the role: Dick's acrobatic prowess and leadership experience, Barbara's technological expertise and strategic mind, and Alfred's intimate knowledge of Batman's operations and unwavering dedication to the cause. Regardless of who takes up the mantle, Gotham will need a protector who embodies the spirit of Batman while bringing their own perspective to the role.

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