WhileBatmanwould have most fans thinking he’s going to be a vigilante until the day he dies, the truth is anything but. Sure, Bruce Wayne seems like he’s willing to fight the good fight until he physically can’t anymore, but at his core, the Dark Knight is champing at the bit for someone to replace him.
This doesn’t have anything to dowith Batman’s ever-expanding Bat-Family, of course. Rather this part of the hero comes out whenever he finds someone worthy of being a successor, like his former mentee Jean-Paul Valley, aka Azrael.Batman is ready to pass his crusade on, but he just can’t find the right replacement for himself.
Batman Has Found Several Possible Replacements (But None Have Worked Out)
Bruce Appears to be Looking for Someone Worthy to Entrust Gotham To
Batman is far from the lone fighter some would have fans believe he is. Bruce has always surrounded himself by crime-fighters just as eager to bring justice to the world as he is. But some heroes have stood out to Batman, people that the Caped Crusader thought had a genuine shot at filling in for him as Gotham’s protector.
Just look at Azarael. Batman helped break the Order of St. Dumas’ hold on Jean-Paul and began training him personally. And when Batman’s back was broken by Bane, Bruce trusted Jean-Paul to be the new Dark Knight. Unfortunately, Valley snapped under the pressure and began brutalizing criminals,forcing Bruce to strip Azrael of his title.
…she was secretly working with Bane as part of a plot to break Batman.
Years later, Batman was introduced to two heroes, Gotham and Gotham Girl, heroes with Kryptonian-like powers who were eager to be the city’s new heroes. Unfortunately, Gotham was killed after being manipulated by the Psycho-Pirate. Batman did continue training Gotham Girl. However, she was secretly working with Bane as part of a plot to break Batman.
Batman’s tendency to find possible replacement-worth allies doesn’t just stop there. Batman: The Widening Gyre saw Bruce partner up with the mysterious vigilante Baphomet and the two got close enough for Batman to even divulge some very personal information. But Baphomet was secretly the villainous Onomatopoeia,who used the identity to get close to Batman.
Batman’s Different Futures Seem to Tell a Different Story
But Does Bruce Wayne Really Want to Be Batman Forever?
The future is a funny thing in the DC Universe. Nothing is concrete and one glimpse into the future can be wildly different from another. Just look at the future of Batman Beyond. That future has Bruce Wayne retiring from his job and serving as the mentor for the next generation of the Dark Knight, Terry McGinniss.
But in another future, Bruce never gets a chance to retire. Instead, he’s killed on a night like any other, right in front of his son, Damian. To ensure that Gotham still has a Batman, Damian sells his soul to protect Gotham, even as it’s torn apart by war and disease.
This dark future first appears inBatman #666!
These are just a few possible ways that things could shake out for Bruce Wayne and the one thing that seems consistent with them is thatBruce acts as Batman for as long as he possibly can. Either until he’s physically unable to or he dies in the line of duty.
Batman Wants to Believe Someone Can Replace Him
The Perfect Hero May Never Come, But Bruce Will Keep Searching
It’s easy to look at someone as devoted to justice as Batman and see someone who will fight to the bitter end. But Bruce isn’t inhuman, he wants the same things everyone else wants. Stability, peace, and happiness. It was that struggle with desires that drove the 2016 Rebirth run onBatman.
This isn’t to say that Batman is looking for someone to replace him as soon as possible. If Bruce wanted out, the Bat-Family could easily pick up the slack. But Bruce doesn’t just need his soldiers in the field. He wants to know that another hero, if necessary,could do everything that Batman does for Gotham.
…Batman won’t keep trying to find the hero best-suited to replace him.
Admittedly, that’s a tall order as no one can keep Gotham safe like Batman. Even when Batman does find people he believes show potential, they either wind up betraying him or being completely unsuitable for the job. But his failures so far don’t mean Batman won’t keep trying to find the hero best-suited to replace him.
Despite the bravado and imagery, Batman is a human and wants a life. But he can’t have that until he’s 100% certain Gotham will be safe in the hands of a proper successor. Chances are that day is never going to come. But hopefully,Batmanwill find the successor Bruce trusts so he can finally, truly, live his life.
