From the passing down of heroic mantles to the reincarnation of iconic super teams, legacy and DC go hand in hand. But it’s not always a case of someone finding a magic scarab that happened to be connected to a previous hero, or learning about an old crimefighter and taking on the superhero identity they created. Many times, DC characters are molded into their best selves by the DC characters who came before, who lend a guiding hand so that the younger generation can better understand their abilities and themselves. Let’s take a look at some of the heroes who are known for this to see if we can discover the best mentor in the DC Universe!
 

Wildcat: Master of the Sweet Science

Certainly one of the most well-regarded teachers in the superhero community, Wildcat began his career as heavyweight prizefighter Ted Grant, a boxer who was framed for murder by gangsters. Inspired by the wave of costumed mystery men making news at the time like the original Green Lantern, Grant took on the guise of the pugilistic Wildcat and cleared his name, capturing the public’s attention in the process.

Later in life, Wildcat would become a popular mentor among superheroes. A longtime member of the Justice Society of America, Grant would help to bring up the crimefighters of the next generation, training several of the DCU’s most famous heroes in boxing and self-defense. Grant’s past students have included Dinah Lance, Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne. That’s right, the Batman himself learned to box from Wildcat.
 

Kilowog: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

The Green Lantern Corps has existed as an intergalactic peacekeeping organization for billions of years. With thousands of noble warriors taking their place within its ranks over the centuries, many GLs are remembered as legends. But there’s one friendly (if perhaps not so pretty) face who’s long been infamous for his relentless training regimen capable of quickly turning new recruits into masters of will—Kilowog! The Bolovaxian drill sergeant who personally trained Hal Jordan, Kilowog has over the years been a valued friend of dozens of GL recruits, despite the painful training camp he puts his newbies under.
 

Richard Dragon: Zen and the Art of Kicking Ass

Among the many martial artists to be found in the DCU, one name consistently floats to the top. Richard Drakunovski—better known as Richard Dragon—is one of the most skilled and proficient fighters in the world. He’s also the man that martial arts masters go to when they look to not only reinvent their skills, but reinvent themselves.

Anyone can train, get in shape and learn new techniques. It’s the art of Zen that Dragon specializes in, which compels the individual to look inside and contrast how they view themselves with who they want to become. It’s a journey of growth we’ve seen undertaken numerous times by some of DC’s most compelling heroes. From the veritable death and rebirth of Vic Sage a.k.a. the Question, to restoring purpose to a lost and permanently disabled Barbara Gordon. Dragon particularly specializes in taking angry and violent characters, like Helena Bertinelli and Renee Montoya, and renewing their spirit with a holistic philosophy, soothing their inner demons and making them much stronger in the process.
 

Lady Shiva: The School of (Very) Hard Knocks

On the opposite end of Dragon’s meditative teachings is his former friend turned global assassin, Lady Shiva. Known throughout the globe as the deadliest woman in the world, for Shiva, death is the only end of a true test in combat.

And yet, over the years, Shiva’s put her violent instructions to surprisingly heroic use. She did this first by training Tim Drake as he stepped into his role as the new Robin. Later, Batman himself approached her to help regain his muscle memory and fighting instincts after he was paralyzed by his first encounter with Bane. In both instances, the Dynamic Duo were confronted with Shiva’s belief that killing was the true threshold of realizing one’s skill. It was these experiences, in addition to her own encounters with Shiva, that ultimately dissuaded Black Canary from taking up Shiva’s offer to become her apprentice. Dinah knew Shiva would help bring out her best fighting self…but at what cost?
 

Max Mercury: Quickly Unlocking New Potential

Max Mercury is the name carried by a speedster and superhero centuries removed from his own time. When enchanted with the gift of speed by a magic shaman in the 1830s, Max would travel throughout time, battling evil under a variety of names like Quicksilver and Windrunner. When he reached the 20^th century, Max encountered Golden Age speedsters Johnny Quick and the original Flash, Jay Garrick.

It was this trio’s friendship that would prove pivotal many years later, in Wally West’s hour of need. Suffering a crisis of faith when Barry Allen seemingly returned from the dead (only to later be revealed to be the evil Reverse-Flash), Max helped Wally realize that he had been holding back his true potential for years out of fear of replacing his late partner in speed and ability. Training Wally and others (most notably Impulse) to view speed as a way of being and not simply an act, Max would go on to help several heroes access a level of power previously believed impossible.
 

Batman: Justice is a Family Affair

When it comes to superhero mentoring, one of the first names to come to mind should be Batman. Bruce Wayne has trained both the minds and bodies of an entire extended family of young crimefighters. All of Batman’s young partners, from each of the Robins and Batgirls, to newer heroes like the Signal and Bluebird, have been trained in not just martial arts, but also nutrition, detection, escape artistry, lip-reading, crime scene investigation, underwater survival, base jumping and much more!

It’s an intensive program and there’s little wonder he takes so few young heroes on. But just look at the results. Batman’s mentees have become some of the most well-regarded heroes across the DC Universe. Nightwing has led the Justice League, Oracle helps to keep superheroes connected worldwide and Cassandra Cain ranks among the world’s best martial artists. He’s also shown, perhaps more than any other DC mentor, that he has the uncanny ability to lead villains like Harley Quinn and Catwoman to embrace the side of justice.

Does this make Batman DC’s best mentor? Maybe or maybe not. But considering how much he does to protect Gotham and the world and he’s still shown a real knack for mentoring, you have to wonder how much more effective he’d be at it if he did it full time.
 

So, who then is the best mentor? Well, forgive us for moving the goal post here at the end, but perhaps it doesn’t matter. Wildcat’s probably the most well-known DC mentor, Kilowog and Max Mercury are unrivaled when it comes to training their particular branch of superheroes and the only reason Batman’s not considered the DCU’s greatest mentor is simply because he does so much else. Everyone on this list is great in their own right and every novice superhero would be fortunate to be taken under their wing. And for those that have, they’d do well to remember the training they received when the generation behind them starts to emerge. After all, with how much the DC Universe has evolved and shifted over the years, perhaps its greatest mentor is yet to come?

Donovan Morgan Grant writes about comics, graphic novels and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @donomark and X at @donoDMG1.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Donovan Morgan Grant and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.