This may come as a surprise to those of you who don't follow monthly comics with regularity, so this is the requisite spoiler alert. You've been warned.





A few months ago, there was a story arc called "Batman: R.I.P.". It was a series of events breaking Batman's spirit completely, ultimately culminating in his death, something comic readers never believed could be possible.

Following this, another story arc began, "Battle for the Cowl". As you might expect, it was a mini-series exploring the possibilities of who would carry on the legacy of Batman, if at all.

The Battle for the Cowl has ended. The new Batman is none other than Dick Grayson, the former Nightwing and the very first Robin. What's more, he has taken Bruce's rogue son, Damien, in as the new Robin.

What are your thoughts on this? It's pretty momentous... There are some that would say it totally makes sense for Dick to take over as Batman. Then again, who is more synonymous with the cape and cowl than Bruce Wayne?

Wow. This is massive news to me. That is crazy. I don't think Dick can ever replace Bruce Wayne, but I think he will do well in this new roll. Wow. I really need to catch up.

First of, I've not fully read Battle of the Cowl, but I did Batman: R.I.P. and some other series after that for different DC heroes. Therefore, what I know is what I'm going by.
And spoilerific for those who do not follow Batman comics. :lol:

It's a personal opinion, but although Dick is the rightful heir of the Batman cowl, I think Tim is best suited for it personality wise, if circumstances for him were better (poor kid). Dick is just... or probably just my personal bias of me liking to think he was a joyful ray of light in the Batclan (darn you, Outsiders, if I was not an Owen Mercer fan...). I was not half as mad about Bruce's death than what they did to Jason, and what that just really angers me is the portrayal of Damian, but that's another story (admittedly he started to grow on me later on). I've swallowed Jason's death (and wtf revival), I'll swallow this one as well. After all, Bruce can't live forever, I just dislike the way he died, it could've been done so much better.

Originally Posted by LadyGolindrina

Wow. This is massive news to me. That is crazy. I don't think Dick can ever replace Bruce Wayne, but I think he will do well in this new roll. Wow. I really need to catch up.

I'm not so sure. Dick never seemed as ruthless as Bruce. Like, I don't know if he'd be willing to carry around a Kryptonite ring in his belt for the rest of his life, just in case. I guess we'll see how it turns out.

Originally Posted by Iroase Delschatten

First of, I've not fully read Battle of the Cowl, but I did Batman: R.I.P. and some other series after that for different DC heroes. Therefore, what I know is what I'm going by.
And spoilerific for those who do not follow Batman comics. :lol:

It's a personal opinion, but although Dick is the rightful heir of the Batman cowl, I think Tim is best suited for it personality wise, if circumstances for him were better (poor kid). Dick is just... or probably just my personal bias of me liking to think he was a joyful ray of light in the Batclan (darn you, Outsiders, if I was not an Owen Mercer fan...). I was not half as mad about Bruce's death than what they did to Jason, and what that just really angers me is the portrayal of Damian, but that's another story (admittedly he started to grow on me later on). I've swallowed Jason's death (and wtf revival), I'll swallow this one as well. After all, Bruce can't live forever, I just dislike the way he died, it could've been done so much better.

I gave my warning, didn't I? XD

I've never been sure Dick was the rightful heir. If we're going strictly by seniority, then I suppose he's next in line, but he was always the one who tried to distance himself from Bruce. Taking up the mantle of Batman, as necessary as it might be, seems like a huge step backward for the man who moved to another city and created a new super-identity just to get out of the Bat's shadow.

Now, Tim on the other hand... The stuff he's been going through in the past few years, I'd swear they were setting him up to be the next Batman. I guess the bottom line, though, is that he's still too young and inexperienced.

I dun even wanna talk about Jason and Damien. Even Huntress rates higher than they do, in my book. > .>

Huntress is cool. I really like Huntress, actually. A saner and female form of the Batman. *_*

As I said, Dick just doesn't have the right personality for it, in addition to what you've mentioned above (well put, by the way!). It's just a matter of time before he really cracks, if he wasn't cracking already. Then again, if he becomes a lighter version of Batman, still Batman Batman but knowing that it's still Dick in there would be awesome. But I also think it highly depends on who is writing the characters. *shakes fist at Didio*

For what Tim has gone through, he is actually more than qualified to become the next Batman, and it's not to say he is inexperienced, he has gone through a lot of what Bruce himself did already in his period of being Robin. In fact, I could say he went through a lot more (heck, his dad, Steph, Kon, Tim, all gone). I really worry for the kid, that might be partly why I'm actually relieved he did not become the next Batman (remember the verse where the went to the future and he was actually Batman, but with a gun? I can't remember which book that was from), but there are so limited choices to choose from since Terry does not exist in this verse.

So looking at the circumstances, the best choice at the moment would still be Dick. Damien is totally out of the question. Even as Robin I still want to bonk him over the head. Repeatedly.

/rantrant

I'll shut up now. xD

Originally Posted by Iroase Delschatten

Huntress is cool. I really like Huntress, actually. A saner and female form of the Batman. *_*

As I said, Dick just doesn't have the right personality for it, in addition to what you've mentioned above (well put, by the way!). It's just a matter of time before he really cracks, if he wasn't cracking already. Then again, if he becomes a lighter version of Batman, still Batman Batman but knowing that it's still Dick in there would be awesome. But I also think it highly depends on who is writing the characters. *shakes fist at Didio*

For what Tim has gone through, he is actually more than qualified to become the next Batman, and it's not to say he is inexperienced, he has gone through a lot of what Bruce himself did already in his period of being Robin. In fact, I could say he went through a lot more (heck, his dad, Steph, Kon, Tim, all gone). I really worry for the kid, that might be partly why I'm actually relieved he did not become the next Batman (remember the verse where the went to the future and he was actually Batman, but with a gun? I can't remember which book that was from), but there are so limited choices to choose from since Terry does not exist in this verse.

So looking at the circumstances, the best choice at the moment would still be Dick. Damien is totally out of the question. Even as Robin I still want to bonk him over the head. Repeatedly.

/rantrant

I'll shut up now. xD

Actually, until Jason's death in the Death in the Family story, Batman wasn't as dark of a man. All the writers after the combination of Dick leaving and Jason dying have been working to make Batman darker and darker, but he wasn't ALWAYS this way. Dick as he is now would be closer to Batman's personality when he first started out; and he has been through a lot too: allowing Tarantula to kill Blockbuster, witnessing Bludhaven (which he picked to protect) get nuked, several of his friends have been killed and resurrected / turned evil many times, etc. He had even temporarily taken up the Batman mantle (with relative success I might add) before when Bruce's back was broken, after Azrael proved to be unstable.
While Tim has the same mentality as Bruce, in the fact they are both the detective types, Tim wouldn't be able to handle the stress of being Batman. He's proven this by not handling the death of Kon-El ( he tried to clone him repeatedly and had to step down from leading the Teen Titans) Tim's young, and doesn't have the same drive that Bruce and Dick have. And while Dick has always been trying to escape Bruce's shadow, he always comes back because he really wanted Bruce's approval and respect. Tim never required it really, he's always been more aware of himself as a separate entity from Batman and Bruce (largely due to only having to live with Bruce a small portion of his life, while Dick was living with him since he was eight). Dick all in all is the most likely.
Huntress? no! She's never been able to fall in line with the way the Batman (or in her case, Batwoman / girl) code goes, which is why Bruce kicked her out early on. Huntress does much better in her own mantle, making her own way, not following someone else.
Damien's WAY too much of his mother's son to really be anywhere near the Bat-titles.
And Jason? Don't get me started on how badly the writer's have f***ed up that characterization. (Seriously, do they just say 'screw you' when it comes to continuity in the Batfamily or what these days?!)

I think I need to start picking up issues of Batman again. Looks like I'll be taking a trip to the comic store this weekend. Thank you for this information. <3

I actually didn't read Batman R.I.P. I got back into comics after that, with Battle For the Cowl and then the New Batman and Robin as well as the monthly Batman. I struggled with this transition a little. However, Gotham needs a Batman and Robin. So I do see Dick and have always seen him as the appropriate replacement for Bruce. I do like my Batman dark but, I think Dick with his experience and his losses over the years isn't as bright a ray of light as people think. Yes he's not as much of a dick no pun intended as Bruce but still I think he's transitioning quite well into the role of Batman. I even like the outfit more. The bat shaped buckle, two finned glove deal and the cowl being different. Also Tim is the only real hold out that believes Bruce is alive. That story is being covered in Red Robin. He's on a world trotting search for Bruce. I want to believe Bruce might still be alive but... I won't get my hopes up. Even if he is, I doubt he's in any condition to reclaim the cowl.

I read a bit of the comic but I grew tired of it...Only because they've already killed batman one too many times...(Plus Azrael and Nightwing have already tried to replace Batman and they both gave up the role...If I was a betting man I would say Batman is coming back....):XP

But I have to say that Batman R.I.P was brilliant...Especially that scenario with Alfred.

Originally Posted by The Darkest Spectre

I read a bit of the comic but I grew tired of it...Only because they've already killed batman one too many times...(Plus Azrael and Nightwing have already tried to replace Batman and they both gave up the role...If I was a betting man I would say Batman is coming back....):XP

But I have to say that Batman R.I.P was brilliant...Especially that scenario with Alfred.

Seriously.

I never followed the comics, but that sounds awesome. Batman was always my favorite superhero, and this just makes me want to start reading the comics even more.

Originally posted by Spectre:I read a bit of the comic but I grew tired of it...Only because they've already killed batman one too many times...(Plus Azrael and Nightwing have already tried to replace Batman and they both gave up the role...If I was a betting man I would say Batman is coming back....)

That's got to be a given. I mean seriously, Azrael was the writers trying to give the readers a new Batman. Apparently, they were surprised when the fans' reaction was basically: "BRING BACK BRUCE OR DIE!!!!!!!!!!"

Originally posted by Kings:Also Tim is the only real hold out that believes Bruce is alive. That story is being covered in Red Robin. He's on a world trotting search for Bruce. I want to believe Bruce might still be alive but... I won't get my hopes up. Even if he is, I doubt he's in any condition to reclaim the cowl.

Of course, Tim is the only holdout. Tim does not deal well with Death. (see: trying to clone Connor)

Rowan:And Jason? Don't get me started on how badly the writer's have f***ed up that characterization. (Seriously, do they just say 'screw you' when it comes to continuity in the Batfamily or what these days?!)

Oh, yeah. As one of the few (very few) people in this world who actually liked Jason, I can definitely see that. And the current theory is that yes, they are saying 'screw you', especially to the fans who have been around long enough to know how many retcons worth of hairdye they've been using.

Iroase:Huntress is cool. I really like Huntress, actually. A saner and female form of the Batman. *_*

You think Huntress is sane?!!!! :shock: and yeah, Damien needs to be shot. Seriously, forget bonking him over the head. Shoot him, open a tear in the universe and unmake him, blow him up, lock him in a room with Joker, hire Deadshot to put a hole in his head, have Hagen suffocate him, get Ivy to hang him, get Deathstroke to cut his head off, let Freeze blast him...or Jason could beat him to death with a crow bar. Yeah, that's what I want.

If there absolutely has to be a Bat+Villianess child, it should be Selena's kid!!!

Iroase:(darn you, Outsiders, if I was not an Owen Mercer fan...).

Yeah Owen! I thought I was the only one.

So when he do for resurrection?
We all know it's going to happen.

I haven't read any of Batman R.I.P or Battle for the Cowl because the entire thing annoys me.

I can deal with Batman dying, I really can. But dying because they had to stop him or he was going to shoot an alien? That goes completely against the Batman mythos! I wish they would've killed him off in a way that stayed true to his character, and the unending perserverance and self-control he's been associated with for all these years.

I think it would've been cooler if he died fighting one of his own villains, personally. The Joker killing Batman off, or even teaming up with other major rogues like Two-Face to do it, would've been a really cool plotline.