Batman is one of DC’s oldest and most popular characters, and as such, he’s starred in more stories than anyone else. To keep his comics interesting after so many decades, it’s only natural that DC introduces other characters for him to bounce off of. Each character, in turn, has their own role and dynamic that sets them apart. Dick is the original Robin and Batman’s greatest success. Gordon is Batman’s counterpart on the right side of the law and his friend. Alfred is his closest confidant and father figure, and so on. The Bat-Family has exploded over the years, and each member is great in their own way.
However, while every member brings something to the table, that doesn’t mean that there’s not someone else who does the same thing better. A conservative reading of the Batman Family places it at around twenty active members, and there are plenty more in the wings, which means that it’s inevitable that some characters share archetypes or traits. Unfortunately, that means some great characters definitely get overshadowed because they lack a niche to call their own. Today, we’re looking at five such heroes and presenting potential niches for each of them.
Let’s start with the Robin that time is trying very hard to forget. Tim was the third Robin, and his introduction shook things up in a brand-new way. He redesigned the costume and operated on an entirely different angle than his predecessors. He breathed life into the mantle and is arguably the best at being Robin, but he lost that position when Bruce was thought to have died, and Damian took over as the new Robin. Ever since, he’s been in limbo, unable to shake his identity as Robin but unable to stay as the Boy Wonder. He’s tried a few new identities, but nothing’s stuck, and he hasn’t had a meaningful advancement made in years.
What Tim needs is to leave his past behind and forge his own identity as a mystery-focused hero. He’s the best detective in the Family outside of Bruce, and on his best days, he’s even better. Tim has a very dedicated fanbase, but he needs to be allowed to grow up and make his own identity, like how Dick became Nightwing or Jason became Red Hood. He’s currently taking a break from superheroics, but that can only last for so long. Tim has never wanted to be Batman, and he can’t be Robin, so he has to be his own person first and foremost. Heck, maybe he should even leave Gotham for a while for breathing room.
Jace is the son of longtime Batman ally Lucius Fox and brother to another Bat-adjacent hero, Batwing. He was introduced as the Future State’s Batman, taking up the mantle when Bruce is forced underground as Gotham became a cyberpunk dystopia. In the modern day, he’s the Batman of New York City, having stumbled upon a bunker of Bruce’s old gear and decided to become a much more public-facing Dark Knight. The problem is that he has no connection to Bruce and there are already half a dozen other people with a better claim to being the next Batman. Jace is both too similar and too different to Bruce to have his own niche.
What Jace needs is his own identity as a new Batman. As long as Bruce is around, he’ll never be the main Batman, so having his suit and stories be so similar to the original is a massive handicap. I say writers play into his roots as a cyberpunk version of Batman and make him into the bridge between Bruce and Batman Beyond. Give Jace a more technologically advanced and cleaner suit and let him tackle futuristic, bleeding-edge villains and stories. People always want more Batman Beyond, and this is a great way to give Jace a space all his own.
Helena Bertinelli is the black sheep of the Bat-Family. She’s a far more brutal and unforgiving member, taking a much harsher approach to keeping the streets safe. She joined the Bat-Fam in the late ’90s, where she worked her tail off to try and prove herself to the disapproving Dark Knight. She never quite earned his trust, but she did become a person the rest of the Family could rely on, and she worked with Batman himself regularly. Most of their interactions boiled down to clashing over their methods, which is the problem. The Bat-Family has another black sheep who is far more popular and thematically tied, Jason Todd.
Jason’s arrival and pseudo-reformation stole Helena’s niche, and I don’t see her getting it back anytime soon. Heck, she can’t even be the morally complicated religious member with Azrael around. With that said, she needs a new angle. I suggest playing up her family’s connection to organized crime. Other Bat-Family members are connected to criminals, but Helena has the deepest connection to old-school, mafia-style crime. Making her the de facto person for that style of story could add style to her adventures that’s currently lacking, and give Batman a reason to consult her, if she’s the expert.
Titus is the second Bat-Hound, gifted to Damian as a way for Bruce to bond with him, given how difficult it used to be for the two to connect. Ever since, he’s become the second Bat-Hound, taking up the call when the Legion of Super-Pets needs to operate, and is Krypto’s best friend. The problem is that there’s already Ace as the main Bat-Hound, and neither dog appears enough to warrant there being two of them. Whenever stories actually acknowledge that the Bat-Hound exists, it’s far more likely to be Ace than it is Titus.
Titus needs a reason to be the Bat-Hound if they’re going to keep Ace around, and the reason for him to exist is already built in. He can be Damian’s own Bat-Hound for the next generation, supporting him on his solo adventures. Damian is well-known as an animal lover, so it only makes sense that he’d have Titus assist him a whole lot more than Bruce does with Ace. Ace can be Bruce’s dog, and Titus can be Damian’s, which can give them each their own stories to sniff out crime in.
Stephanie is one of the main members of the Bat-Family, but she definitely suffers from a lack of something to call her own. She was the fourth Robin and third Batgirl, but isn’t remembered as the star in either of her roles, only being given criminally short times as both her first go-around. Nowadays, she’s somewhat in limbo. Not as bad as Tim Drake, but like her ex-boyfriend, she definitely suffers from being the “friend” instead of the main character. She’s Batgirl, but Barbara and Cass are both more popular and are leading stories, leaving Steph usually as a supporting character to them.
She’s recently taken a new role as the next leader of the Titans, being trained by Nightwing for the role. The problem isn’t that Steph doesn’t have things going for her. She’s the scrappy, underestimated Bat-Fam member that everyone loves to root for, but she doesn’t have a space of her own. Giving her the Titans is a good start, but she also needs something like her own established area to operate. She can easily become the “normal” member of the group, focused on her non-hero life and connections, which most of the Bat-Family is criminally lacking.
Every member of the Bat-Family is unique and important, but some definitely need a little help carving out their own space. Which Bat-Fam member do you think needs a niche overhaul?
