In Frank Miller's story, he rings a bell to call Alfred as he's dying and that suddenly became, for me, the pivotal moment because that is the moment Batman asks for help but it's also the moment Batman is created… The first thing he did the moment he became Batman was asked for help… That was the real truth; that he wasn’t a loner at all. 
The Batman Family is the unofficial name given to Batman and his Gotham-based vigilante allies, whom resemble an extended "family" of crimefighters. The core group has historically included various vigilantes under the identities of Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Huntress, Nightwing, Oracle, Azrael, and, more tenuously, Catwoman. Commissioner Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth and Doctor Thompkins have long played supporting roles to the group, while various vigilantes operating as Batwoman, Red Robin, Question and Birds of Prey have intermittently served recurring to main roles for the group.
History
Golden Age
Inception
Since the conception of Batman, the character was a loner on his crusade against crime. Quickly, however, Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger alongside their frequent collaborator Jerry Robinson created Dick Grayson as "Robin, The Boy Wonder", a sidekick for their hero and the initial concept for the Batman Family was introduced.
Batman and Robin operated as a solid team for many years. In the initial years of the Golden Age, Batman became a member of the GCPD and Commissioner Gordon became part of the Batman Family. For the most part of the Golden Age, the trio were the only members of the team with occasional collaborations by Linda Page, Bruce Wayne's romantic interest. Shortly afterwards, Alfred Pennyworth, or simply known as "Alfred, the Butler", was introduced as a pivotal figure in the Batman Family, acting as the unconditional supporting character for the team.
Silver Age
Early Silver Age Batman Family
Following the Golden Age, comic books fell under pressure of the media thanks to a publication by psychologist Fredric Wertham and as a result, the Batman Family was expanded to include female figures and deter the claims of Batman and Robin's homosexuality. Like this, Batwoman and Bat-Girl were introduced alongside Bat-Mite, the imp and Ace the Bat-Hound.
However, the previous expansion was short-lived and in 1964, editor Julius Schwartz took reigns of the Batman comics and eliminated Batwoman, Bat-Girl, Ace and Bat-Mite, deeming them too silly and unfitting to the new stories he wanted for Batman. Schwartz also decided to remove the figure of Alfred by killing his character, but this decision was also short-lived as the portrayal of Batman in the 1966 TV series showed Alfred alive and he had to be revived in the comics continuity.
Late Silver Age Batman Family.
Editor Julius Schwartz worked alongside the TV Show producer, William Dozier in order to introduce a new female character to the Batman mythos and Barbara Gordon was introduced as the new Batgirl, the daughter of Police Commissioner Gordon, succeeding Bette Kane. For the best part of the Silver Age, the new incarnation of the Batman Family remained unchanged until the ending of the publication era.
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age was defined by radical changes in the narrative of the stories in current publication. Although the "Batman Family" remained unchanged, most of their characters came into the spotlight of their own stories and worked separate from each other. Batman became a loner once again, Robin went to college as the "Teen Wonder" and Batgirl continued her solitary activities.
A notable development of this period was the retroactive stories that showcased characters from the Golden Age and how have they aged in real time. The Batman Family of the Golden Age was expanded to include Batman's former rival, Catwoman as Bruce Wayne's wife, Selina Kyle. From their marriage came their daughter, Helena Wayne, who would go on to become Huntress, following her father's steps. These developments were mostly ignored by the mainstream comics continuity and none of these characters actually became part of the main Bat Family. Other minor characters who played small roles in this age were Man-Bat and Jason Bard, both of which were soon forgotten as the Bronze Age came to an end.
Bronze Age Batman Family.
For almost the entire decade of the '70s, the Batman Family didn't play a relevant role and they would come together for rare occasions. By the end of the decade however, "Robin, the Teen Wonder" had become a much important figure of the Teen Titans, as the leader of the team with Bette Kane joining onto the team as part of the new Titans West that was planned to shake up the book until its unfortunate cancellation. The creative team developing the Teen Titans comics, needed to move Robin away from Batman's shadow as his sidekick and this caused a disruption in the Batman comics, which had decided to return to the old formula of Batman and Robin. For this reason in the early 80s, Dick Grayson, the original Robin, became Nightwing, the leader of the New Teen Titans and Jason Todd was introduced as the second Robin. Jason was introduced as the new Boy Wonder, but his background was starkly similar to that of Dick Grayson. Meanwhile, Batgirl's appearances slowly declined in the early 80s. Crisis on Infinite Earths, however allowed DC to reestablish continuity.
Modern Age
A man who spurned friendship as a result of the second Robin's death-- soon found himself navigating a complicated extended family of crimefighters-- all of whom looked to him for guidance and approval.
Batman and his allies.
The origins of the original Batman Family members and the events of their early years as vigilantes were amended for modern audiences, several times in some cases, and continuity and the flow of time became increasingly apparent to the universe. Batman: Year One established that Batman's crimefighting crusade as beginning when Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham aged twenty-five, after many years of training, with Alfred Pennyworth and then police lieutenant Jim Gordon, later Commissioner, becoming more significant as members of his supporting cast.[1] That same year, Batman encountered nineteen year-old antiheroine and thief Catwoman, navigating the perils of Gotham's infamous East End, which sowed the seeds of their complex love-hate relationship and eventually recurring romance.[2] The Long Halloween depicted Batman also working closely with troubled district attorney Harvey Dent, up until his third year of crimefighting, during which Dent became the supervillain Two-Face following an acid attack and mental breakdown.[3][4]
As Batman grew into a practiced crimefighter, he found allies in fellow vigilantes and superheroes. Young circus acrobat Dick Grayson became both Bruce's ward and Batman's longest-serving crimefighting partner, Robin, at the tail-end of Dark Victory after his parents were killed by mobsters during Batman's fifth year.[5][6] A few years later, genius child prodigy Barbara Gordon, secretly inspired by her adopted father Captain Gordon, became Batgirl, who was a frequent but often unattached ally to Batman and Robin.[7] Meanwhile, a strong friendship formed between Batman and Metropolis giant Superman, his JLA teammate. Leslie Thompkins, a doctor and maternal figure to Bruce, would also become an important character in Batman's supporting cast.
Ten years into Batman's journey, in one part heralding dark days to come, Batman's inner circle gradually grew apart after years of fighting alongside each other. Robin left for college,[8] Batgirl became less active and eventually retired,[9] and the now hardened Batman's crusade began taking him far beyond the borders of Gotham.[10] Mafia heir turned ruthless organized crime buster Helena Bertinelli returned to Gotham with a vengeance as the Huntress, exhibiting an iron will and moral grey which frequently put her at odds with Batman despite their tenuous alliance.[11] With tensions running high, Batman also fired Dick as Robin, taking on violent street urchin Jason Todd as his new Robin, while Dick reestablished himself as Nightwing with the Titans.[12]
The Early '90s Batman Family.
Following Crisis, the Batman Family suffered major casualties when the Joker crippled Barbara[13] and then killed Robin,[14] leaving Batman angrier and lonelier than ever. Barbara Gordon, now paraplegic, continued fighting crime as the information broker and cyber guru Oracle, with the Suicide Squad.[15] Batman, meanwhile, spiralled violently but a thirteen year-old, Tim Drake, soon deduced real identities of Batman and Robin and assumed the role of the Robin to balance him out, again opening the door to allies, new and old.[16]
As graver threats came to Gotham, Batman gradually found his strength in a web of vigilante allies. The ever-plucky and unpredictable Stephanie Brown became The Spoiler to foil her supervillain father, Cluemaster's schemes.[17] The new Robin's willingness to play with others brought Huntress and Spoiler into the fold more frequently, despite their differences with Batman.[18] Volatile tech genius Jean-Paul Valley, programmed to an Order of St. Dumas agent, became Azrael to do good. Jean-Paul was then given the Bat mantle after the criminal powerhouse Bane shattered Batman's spine but his instability eventually led to him being usurped by the original.[19] Nightwing and Oracle would both return to Batman's side, with the former even having a short stint as Batman.[20] Meanwhile, Catwoman often found herself working with Batman's allies as her exploits began tending towards heroism.[21] Mute genius mechanic Harold came to play a supporting role too.[22]
Late 90s Batman Family.
Batman and his vigilante allies worked very closely together over period in which a series of major crises to hit Gotham, and developed the dynamics of an extended crimefighting "family". Batman, Robin, Azrael, Huntress, Oracle, Nightwing and Catwoman each played pivotal roles during Gotham's epidemic emergency, created by the Order of St. Dumas, and the plague's weaponisation by Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins. Meanwhile, Huntress and Oracle were inducted into the JLA under Batman's recommendation,[23] Oracle formed a close partnership with founding JLAer Dinah Lance[24] and Nightwing relocated to Blüdhaven.[25] The core vigilante group was similarly significant in the response to a devestating earthquake which struck Gotham, and the Cataclysm also saw Robin-associate the Spoiler, Hub City's vigilante investigator the Question and rising GCPD Detective Renee Montoya serve prominent roles helping Gotham.
Batman Family during No Man's Land.
Following the Cataclysm, Gotham was declared a No Man's Land, cut off from the United States, which allowed crime, violence and desolation to bloom without obstruction. Huntress and Oracle were the only vigilantes to remain active in No Man's Land during its entirety as Batman abandoned Gotham and fell into depression. Huntress, fighting now emboldened gangs and supervillains, dawned Batman's symbol in his absence and moonlighted as the Bat, Commissioner Gordon and Renee Montoya fought in a GCPD team turned guerilla band, Oracle worked as information savant in the absence of technology and Leslie Thompkins set up a triage. Batman eventually returned and gradually mobilized the Batman Family to take back Gotham, with each playing their part. A new Batgirl was found in Cassandra Cain, a vagrant and highly-trained martial artist assisting Oracle. The No Man's Land lasted a calendar year but was ended by the interventions of the Batman Family, although not without great cost.
The Batman Family were stronger than ever before, with great numbers and varied skillsets, but their trust in and loyalties to each other would be greatly tested. The vigilantes became outlawed and hunted for a period, and were later key targets of the Joker's Last Laugh. False murder accusations levelled against Huntress and later Batman further challenged their convictions. Athena's specialised crime family launched a meticulous war on the Batman Family and the blockbuster Hush conspiracy pushed the group to the hilt. The death of Azrael would prove another turning point for the heroes as the family splintered.[26]
Afterwards, Damian Wayne was revealed as Bruce Wayne's biological son with Talia al Ghul in the storyline Batman and Son. Bruce was left in charge of raising Damian, who became a valuable member of the team. However, Batman was soon believed to be dead at the hands of Darkseid during the Final Crisis. In reality he had been sent to the past and he was tasked to survive all the way to the present in a time-travel voyage that would eventually kill him and destroy the present. In the aftermath of Bruce's death, a battle royale across Gotham took place during the storyline Batman: Battle for the Cowl.
Late 00s Batman Family.
Members of the Bat Family struggled to find the missing Batman while others fought to take over the mantle of the Bat. The final battle between Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake ended up with a victory for Dick, who had to become the Batman in Bruce's absence. Like this, Dick Grayson became Batman once again. He promoted Damian Wayne to the mantle of Robin, forcing Tim Drake to become Red Robin. Around this time, a new Batwoman was also introduced; Kate Kane. Spoiler was revealed to be alive and soon after her return to Gotham, took over the mantle of Batgirl. The new Batgirl worked closely with Oracle and upon Bruce's return, they all gathered together to form Batman Incorporated, an international organization, which promotes vigilantes allied with Batman and the Bat Family.
New 52
The DC Universe heavily changed its continuity into the DCnU following the events of Flashpoint in 2011. This was part of an effort to make storylines more accessible to newer readers, beginning with the New 52. This new timeline combines elements from the DCU, Vertigo Universe and Wildstorm Universe while drastically changing the origins and histories of characters.
Early 10s Batman Family.
In this new timeline, several details of the Batman mythos have changed. There is a new origin story for the Justice League, establishing that Batman has only been publicly active for five years although he was considered an urban legend before this.[28] The GCPD still harbor some animosity towards him as a vigilante, although he maintains an alliance with James Gordon.[29] Dick Grayson returns to his role as Nightwing, making Bruce the only Batman again.[30] Barbara Gordon recovers from her wheelchair and becomes Batgirl again.[31] Tim Drake as Red Robin becomes a founding member of the Teen Titans.[32] Jason Todd as Red Hood forms his own team of mercenaries, the Outlaws.[33] Bette Kane would retire from the role of Flamebird and become Hawkfire under the tutelage of Batwoman.[34]
Rebirth, Infinite Frontier, and Dawn of DC
The current Bat Family
During the Rebirth and Infinite Frontier relaunches, much of the Batman Family's pre-Flashpoint history was returned to them. During Bane's takeover of Gotham City, he snapped Alfred Pennyworth's neck in front of Damian Wayne. This instantly killed the butler and traumatized the young hero.[35] This event, along with Damian taking a more extreme route to crime fighting,[36] resulted in him abandoning the mantle of Robin and going rogue.[37] He would later return to the role while participating in the Lazarus Tournament.[38]
After suffering amnesia, and taking on the persona of "Ric Grayson",[39] Dick Grayson returned to the mantle of Nightwing.[40] Jason Todd kept the role of Red Hood, and began to cooperate with his family again.[41] With Damian absent, Tim Drake returned to Gotham and took over the role of Robin.[42] Barbara Gordan became Oracle again, as the physical stress of being Batgirl wore down her spinal implants.[43] Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain retained their roles as Spoiler and Orphan, but during The Joker War they became collectively known as the Batgirls.[44]
Kate Kane remained as Batwoman[45] and Duke Thomas became The Signal.[46] Likewise, Jean-Paul Valley remained as Azrael, however his past as Batman was restored.[47] Helena Bertinelli left her role at Spyral and returned to the role of Huntress.[48] Under the watchful eye of Batman, Harley Quinn began to make amends for her past by helping those affected by the Joker.[49]
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Notes
- As the Batman Family is not an officially recognized team, there is no credited first appearance. The earliest possible appearance would be with the introduction of Robin (Dick Grayson) in Detective Comics #38.
Trivia
- The Bat-Family apparently uses an encrypted group chat to keep up to date on what's happening in everyone's lives.[52]
See Also
- 506 Appearances of Batman Family
- 107 Images that include Batman Family
- Organization Gallery: Batman Family
Links
- None.
Footnotes
- ↑ Batman: Year One #
- ↑ Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper
- ↑ Batman: The Long Halloween #
- ↑ Two-Face: Year One #
- ↑ Batman: Dark Victory #
- ↑ Robin: Year One #
- ↑ Batgirl: Year One #
- ↑ Nightwing: Year One
- ↑ Batgirl Special #1
- ↑ Year One: Batman/Ra's al Ghul #
- ↑ Huntress: Year One #
- ↑ Nightwing: Year One #
- ↑ Batman: The Killing Joke #
- ↑ Batman: Death in the Family
- ↑ Batman Chronicles #5
- ↑ Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying
- ↑ Detective Comics Vol 1 547-549
- ↑ Robin (Volume 2) #
- ↑ Batman: Knightfall
- ↑ Batman: Prodigal
- ↑ Catwoman (Volume 2) #
- ↑ Batman #458
- ↑ JLA: Strength in Numbers (Collected)
- ↑ Birds of Prey: Black Canary/Oracle #
- ↑ Nightwing (Volume 2) #
- ↑ Azrael: Agent of the Bat #100
- ↑ Batman & Robin Eternal #16
- ↑ Justice League: Origin
- ↑ Batman: Faces of Death
- ↑ Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes
- ↑ Batgirl: The Darkest Reflection
- ↑ Teen Titans: It's Our Right to Fight
- ↑ Red Hood and the Outlaws: REDemption
- ↑ Batwoman: Hydrology
- ↑ Batman (Volume 3) #77
- ↑ Teen Titans (Volume 6) #43
- ↑ Teen Titans Annual (Volume 6) #2
- ↑ Robin (Volume 3) #1
- ↑ Nightwing (Volume 4) #50
- ↑ Nightwing (Volume 4) #75
- ↑ Red Hood and the Outlaws (Volume 2) #1
- ↑ Batman: Urban Legends #4
- ↑ Batman (Volume 3) #100
- ↑ Batman: The Joker War Zone #1
- ↑ Detective Comics #934
- ↑ Batman and the Signal #1
- ↑ Detective Comics #1054
- ↑ Batgirl and the Birds of Prey: Rebirth #1
- ↑ Harley Quinn (Volume 4) #1
- ↑ Green Arrow: Rebirth #1
- ↑ Poison Ivy #26
- ↑ Nightwing (Volume 4) #79