TOP 10: Batman Sidekicks
While working on our episode devoted to the best Batman villains, we also realized he's had an equally rich field of crimefighting companions over the years. And only like half of them have died! But most of them haven't STAYED dead, and really, that's what is important.
Below find my completely biased list of my favorite Bat sidekicks. Note that I was keeping it to the present-day, main DC continuity, so no Carrie Kelley, no Terry McGuinness. These are characters who have directly assisted Batman in his crimefighting over the years, not just other super-hero team-ups.
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Honorable Mention: Ace the Bat-Hound
Ace is not technically a sidekick. There have been a few iterations of Ace over the years, initially a one-off novelty character in the Silver Age, then a supporting character in the early 90s Bat-books, and used again for quasi-comic relief in the New 52 and Rebirth comics. Ace was Batman's more down-to-earth answer to Superman's Krypto, but never achieved the same level of popularity. Both Ace and Krypto were featured in the animated film, DC's League of Super Pets, which is frankly the most play Ace has probably gotten, ever.
10. Alfred Pennyworth
Alfred is so low because he's not really a sidekick. He has no costume. He has no codename. But he was Batman's oldest, closest companion in his war against crime for most of Bruce's comics history -- in some cases directly assisting in cases, in others cleaning up after the damage -- up until Alfred was killed by Bane in the "City of Bane" arc a few years ago. Even then, Alfred's specter continues to loom large over the Bat-verse, as his corpse has been reanimated by demons (those pesky demons!) and his unexpected absence significantly complicated the Failsafe plotline that is currently playing out in DC Comics.
9. Bluebird
A controversial choice. Bluebird is on this list, but not Huntress? Catwoman? Batwoman? Ghost-Maker? Clayface? Talon? Azrael? From my perspective, none of those are really Batman sidekicks; they are heroic/antiheroic entities in their own right. And at least one of them is a crazy French asshole. So for me, it's Bluebird. While she barely made a dent in Bat-lore, it sure seemed like she was being set up to be a major force. Introduced during Scott Snyder's New 52 era, Harper Row is a brilliant but destitute young woman who claws her way out of The Narrows using her brains, grit, and electrical engineering skills before crossing paths with Batman and being inspired by his war against crime. Batman is, at its core, a story about classism, and whenever one of his sidekicks actually exposes him to the realities of poverty in Gotham, that interests me. She's also a more technical sidekick, with a specialty in gadgets, like her stun gun. I hope we get to see Bluebird again in the future, she deserves more exploration.
8. The Signal
While Bluebird may have not had much of a shelf life in the Bat-books, The Signal has been around in one form or another for more than a decade, and in addition to his appearances in the core Bat-books, has been a main protagonist in We Are Robin and The Outsiders. The Signal -- AKA Duke Thomas -- is unique as a Bat sidekick for numerous reasons. First, he's the first African-American sidekick, which is crazy when you consider that one of the Wayans brothers was initially cast to play Robin way back in the 90s Bat-films. He's also a metahuman, with some frankly ill-defined "photokinetic" abilities, and he may be immortal. Third, he has his own unique identity as The Signal, and his own separate mission: he's Gotham's daytime protector. All of that makes this Signal worth minding.
7. The Spoiler/Robin IV/Batgirl III
Stephanie has been on a JOURNEY in the Bat-family. Initially introduced as a supporting cast member of Tim Drake's first Robin ongoing series, Steph appeared as The Spoiler, a crimefighter inspired to fight back because her father was the costumed criminal Cluemaster, the Great Value version of The Riddler. Steph would quickly become Tim's love interest. Then, in one of Batman's biggest dick moves, he promoted Stephanie to be his fourth Robin -- and first canonical female one -- solely to manipulate Tim into doing what he wanted. That backfired spectacularly when Steph inadvertently sparked a gang war to impress Batman, which led to her brutal death at the hands of the sadistic Black Mask. Or, "death," as it was retconned to be a fake-out by Dr. Leslie Thompkins to "teach Bruce a lesson" (what the fuck, Les?). Once back in action, Stephanie took up the Batgirl mantle, having her own solo run in that guise before ultimately partnering up for a team book with the previous two Batgirls. I don't think Stephanie is the best sidekick at any one thing, but she's likable, she's got grit, and she always brings the drama. She is the soapiest of the Bat-family, and that's why I love her.
6. Robin II/Red Hood II
Jason is a mess. The original "bad boy" of the Bat-family, Jason was a kid living on the streets who tried to steal the Batmobile's hubcaps. Literally, that's how Bruce met him. Bruce instead offered Jason a chance to turn his life around by becoming his new sidekick, after Dick flew the belfry. This did not go as planned. Jason was polarizing for both Bruce and readers. He could fight, he meant well, but he was also a cocksure brat. This culminated in the real-world gimmick in which DC published a phone number where readers could call in and vote as to whether Jason would live or die after an attack by The Joker...and they voted to let him die (narrowly, I believe). So Jason became the first dead sidekick, haunting Batman for years to come, until he was brought back in the early 2000s due to *checks notes* a Superman variant punching on time walls. Are we still going with that? OK. The resurrected Jason took up the Red Hood identity, trained to become an assassin, and became an anti-hero vocally opposed to Bruce's no-killing rule (understandable, given what happened to him). He and Bruce have a fraught relationship, to put it mildly, but Jason has found a foothold in the DCU, getting his own "edgy" team book during the New 52 while continuing to be a frequent anti-hero antagonist or ally of the Bat-family. He is among the most lethal of Batman's sidekicks. But not THE most deadly...
5. Batgirl II/Black Bat/Orphan
The most lethal Bat-family member is Cassandra Cain, AKA Batgirl II. Cassandra first appeared as Batgirl during the No Man's Land story arc. Batgirl’s secret identity was kept a mystery even from readers for much of it -- her face was fully obscured, the books threw out red herrings with abandon, and for a while it was even Huntress under the cowl -- but ultimately the role was given to the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva, bred to be the ultimate killing machine. Although technically not a metahuman, Cassandra was trained from birth to kill, giving her the ability to interpret her opponents' moves and counter them. She is among the most skilled martial artists in the DC universe, and even Batman has said that he would lose were he to fight her for real. Cassandra had a long run as the second Batgirl before going through her villain era, eventually returning to the side of the Bat-family, and even joining The Outsiders. She's a likable character and incredibly effective in battle, even if she’s not the most dynamic hero on this list.
4. Batgirl I/Oracle I
Barbara Gordon has been popular since her introduction in the 1960s, first in the comics, then in the live-action Batman TV show from 1966. Barbara is notable for being the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon, one of Batman's staunchest allies (and briefly a Batman himself!). Barbara used her brains and guts to fight crime. Although initially operating outside of the official Bat-family, Barbara was eventually brought in, developing a long-running on-off romantic relationship with the first Robin, Dick Grayson. Barbara's crimefighting career was derailed when she was shot and paralyzed by The Joker in the Killing Joke. But she pivoted, and instead focused on her information-gathering skills and took on a new identity, Oracle, which continued to support the Bat family, then founded and led her own team of vigilantes (Birds of Prey), and even joined the Justice League. In the New 52, Barbara's spine injury was healed via neural implant, and she returned to the Batgirl mantle. She has continued to be a critical member of the Bat-family, operating both as Batgirl (alongside the other Batgirls and the Birds of Prey) and Oracle.
3. Robin V
Damian Wayne was an unexpected hit. Introduced during the Grant Morrison run — or should we say, reintroduced, as Damian's existence was first alluded to in the supposedly non-canon Batman graphic novel Son of the Demon decades earlier. But Morrison took the concept of Batman's secret son, by love interest/villain Talia al Ghul, and ran with it, giving us a barely socialized, highly lethal pre-teen who is Bruce's biological son, but raised by Talia and the League of Assassins. Since his introduction, Damian has become a fan favorite, launching his own Teen Titans team, starring in the Super Sons spinoff series, and his own title, as well as assisting his father in his war on crime -- even as Damian's own ethics continue to develop. Damian is a great character -- he's all sharp edges, and speaks to the complicated parental elements of Bruce's origins -- and an extremely tactical sidekick. The darkness hanging over him and the "Dynasty"-esque origins make him narratively unique, and a wild card in the Bat-family.
2. Robin III/Red Robin
Tim Drake has struggled to find his his place in the Bat-family in recent years -- as many secondary/tertiary sidekicks introduced in the 90s have -- but for 90s comic readers, Tim will always be THEIR Robin. Tim is notable for using his deductive abilities to actually figure out that Bruce Wayne was Batman. Whether that is a good thing or not could be debated, as it has had a terrible cost on his own family. But for the entire 90s and into the 00s, Tim was essential to the Bat books, had his own long-running solo series, led the Young Justice team and then reformed Teen Titans during arguably their best run in decades. Tim's Robin excels at the detective work, and he's also one of the more friendly and magnetic characters to wear the mantle. With the advent of Damian and the refocus on Dick Grayson, Tim has had an identity crisis in the past ten years or so -- poor choice of words, given what happened to his dad in that mini-series -- which included him taking on the Red Robin title (YUM!) and, briefly, the ill-conceived Drake identity. (In what universe is using your actual last name a "secret" identity? Also, that color scheme? Hagsville.) Speaking of identities, where Tim has grown in recent years is in exploring his sexuality, having recently come out as bisexual.
1. Robin I/Nightwing
I mean, Duh. Dick Grayson was the first Bat-sidekick, and he remains the best. Dick was not the first teen sidekick in comics. Far from it. But he is arguably the best-known sidekick 80-plus years after being introduced. As a vigilante, Dick is incredibly effective. Amazing fighter. Superb acrobat (thanks, childhood in the circus). The guy has been a legit spy. Without question a better leader than Bruce. But perhaps his greatest feat is that he has been able to successfully pull away from the sidekick role and forge his own identity, which has been fully embraced by not only the characters of the DC Universe, but the readers as well. Very few sidekicks have been able to make that transition, and if anything, Dick has become more popular and arguably more essential to the DC Universe with time. From leading the Titans to The Outsiders to the Justice League and even filling in as Batman MULTIPLE times when Bruce was "dead," there has never been a more essential sidekick in comics. And also: that ass.
Disagree with our rankings? Which sidekick did we forget? Drop a comment below!
