Batman is Bruce Wayne. Well, most of the time.

Let’s face it, Bruce is only human and despite all that he’s capable of, there are times when he needs a break. And therein lies a problem because Gotham City will always need a Batman. Fortunately, over the years we’ve seen other heroic individuals step in when Bruce isn’t available. Sometimes these men have been worthy successors, other times less so…and then there are those who donned the cowl without asking first. Good, bad or misguided, here are six other people who have been Batman.
 

Jean-Paul Valley/Azrael

Tenure: The Knightfall Saga (Knightfall, Knightquest and Knightsend)

Reason for Substitution: Bane had broken Bruce Wayne’s back, which made it kind of hard to continue being Batman (it’s a job where you need to be able to do physically difficult things, like stand upright). Stubborn as always, Bruce didn’t want to call Dick for help, so he went to Azrael, a vigilante whom he had been working with for about five minutes. What could possibly go wrong?

Performance Review: It turns out lots of things could go wrong. Jean-Paul did beat Bane and make some cool upgrades to the batsuit, but otherwise his tenure was a bit chaotic. He kicked Robin out of the Batcave and got excessively violent with criminals, including letting one named Abattoir die. When Bruce healed up and came back to reclaim the mantle, Jean-Paul threw a small fit. (To be fair, being Batman is awesome, so I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same.)
 

Dick Grayson

Tenure: Quite a few times. The most notable occasions were Detective Comics #165, Prodigal and Batman: Reborn.

Reason for Substitution: There have been various reasons. Dick’s first time filling in for Bruce was due to Batman being badly wounded. Dick, who was still a teenager at the time, wore a suit with padding to make him look like an adult (this was in Detective Comics #165). During Prodigal, Bruce was going on an extended secret mission and since Dick had been sore about being passed over for Azrael, this was a good chance at setting things right. Dick also filled in for Bruce when he was presumed dead (Batman: Reborn) and while he was on jury duty (2018’s Batman #51). Hey, we all have to do our civic duty.

Performance Review: Dick did a pretty decent job. As Batman, he was even able to rein in Damian Wayne’s violent tendencies, and if you’re familiar with Damian’s early appearances, then you know just how impressive that is.
 

Jim Gordon

Tenure: Detective Comics #225 and 2015’s Batman #41-50

Reason for Substitution: Jim Gordon’s first stint as the Dark Knight occurred when the Caped Crusader sponsored a “Batman-for-a-day” contest and Jim was one of the contestants (Detective Comics #225). This seems like a worse idea than when he subbed in Azrael, but at least Jim had training. The GCPD Commissioner had an extended tenure years later when Batman went missing and Powers International worked with the GCPD to create a Batman program, complete with a mecha batsuit. Jim was selected due to his military training, his experience with Batman and his familiarity with the Gotham underworld.

Performance Review: He did a pretty good job. He was a stickler for working inside of the law due to the whole cop thing, but it didn’t stop him from kicking butt and taking names. Plus, the mecha suit was cool.
 

Jace Fox

Tenure: The Next Batman: Second Son and I Am Batman

Reason for Substitution: Jace Fox didn’t fill in for Bruce Wayne. He just kind of did his own thing without asking for permission. Jace, who is the son of Bruce Wayne’s business associate and advisor Lucius Fox, found one of Batman’s old armories and decided he would use it to make a difference. Jace set up shop in New York City and began operating as Batman.

Performance Review: Jace did a pretty good job making the mantle his own. He resisted the urge to use his family’s wealth, feeling it would corrupt his mission. Jace was more aware of class inequality and tried to approach his mission as Batman through a more inclusive lens. He also tried to work within the system, working alongside New York’s police department and mayor. 
 

Thomas Wayne

Tenure: Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance

Reason for Substitution: We can blame this one on Barry Allen. When the Flash monkeyed with the timeline during the Flashpoint event, it changed history so that Bruce had been killed by the Crime Alley mugger rather than Thomas and Martha Wayne. Thomas becomes Batman to avenge his young son, and Martha…well, IYKYK.

Performance Review: This one is kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Thomas was pretty heroic in Flashpoint, helping Barry Allen save reality. On the other hand, he also worked alongside Bane during Tom King’s Batman run in order to mess with Bruce’s life (WHAT THE HELL, DAD?). And then there’s the fact that he uses a gun.
 

Terry McGinnis

Tenure: Batman Beyond and various tie-in and spinoff comics

Reason for Substitution: This is a unique one because technically, it hasn’t happened yet. Far into the future, Bruce Wayne has gotten too old to do the job, so a teenager named Terry McGinnis stepped in after he found the Batcave. The greatly aged Bruce recognized the need for a Batman, so he begrudgingly allowed Terry to take up the mantle under his supervision.

Performance Review: Bruce would probably never say it aloud, but Terry has done a phenomenal job. He may have made a few mistakes here and there, but Batman Beyond has given us three great seasons of animated TV, a couple of animated movies and a whole bunch of exciting comics. The future of Batman is in great hands.
 

Honorable Mention: Batman Inc. and the Batmen of All Nations

There are actually a lot of Batmen scattered throughout the DC Universe. Detective Comics #215 introduced the Batmen of All Nations, a group of international vigilantes who operate as Batman across various countries. In 2010, Bruce built from that concept to launch Batman Incorporated, a global network that placed various Batmen in different parts of the world. It was basically making the Batman identity a franchise, like McDonald’s or Starbucks. Bruce cooled on the idea after the Leviathan War and chose to concentrate his efforts on Gotham.
 

So, what does all of this teach us? Batman is bigger than Bruce Wayne. As long as there is crime in Gotham, there will always be a Batman. Just don’t do any more “Batman-for-a-day” contests, because that will probably backfire.
 

Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, "Gotham Gazette." Follow him on Bluesky at @joshualapinbertone and on X at @TBUJosh.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone 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.