List of Batman supporting characters

Batman alongside allies. Pictured from left to right: Robin, Batman, Oracle, Commissioner Gordon, and Huntress; art by Jim Lee.

The superhero Batman has appeared in American comic books published by DC Comics since 1939, accumulating a number of recognizable supporting characters. The first Batman supporting character was Commissioner James Gordon, who first appeared in the same comic book as Batman in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), and is Batman's ally in the Gotham City Police Department. Robin, Batman's vigilante partner, was introduced in the Spring of 1940, Alfred Pennyworth, Batman's butler, was introduced in 1943, and Barbara Gordon was introduced in 1967. Batman also forms strong bonds or close working relationships with other superheroes, including Justice League members Superman, Green Arrow and Zatanna, as well as members of the Outsiders superhero team. Others such as Jason Bard, Harold, Onyx, and Toyman work for him.

In addition, Batman has perhaps the most well known adversaries in fiction, commonly referred to as Batman's rogues gallery, which includes the Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face, among others.

Gotham City Police Department

The GCPD were featured in their own series: the limited series Batman: GCPD and the ongoing series Gotham Central, in which they investigate the unusual crimes that plague the city, in a personal effort to minimize Batman's involvement.[1][2] Gotham Central series ended its 40 issue run in 2006.[3]

James "Jim" Gordon, the police commissioner of Gotham City, is the most important member of the GCPD within the Batman mythos. Appearing alongside the main character in his first appearance, Gordon was the first Batman supporting character.[4] Batman has a strong (though secret and unofficial) working relationship with him.[5] Gordon, like other characters, has changed considerably over the years. Of particular note, is that in the early days of the characters, Gordon was not allied with Batman, and was more antagonistic towards him. However, he was a friend of Bruce Wayne.[4] In "Batman: Year One", Gordon is portrayed as one of the few honest, non-corrupt Gotham cops.[6] During "No Man's Land", Bruce offered him the knowledge of his secret identity, but Jim (still angry for Batman's early abandonment of Gotham in the days near the beginning of NML) refused to look and find out, hinting he may already know. Jim retired several months after NML,[7] but returned to duty in the One Year Later storyline.[8]

Other members of the Gotham City Police Department have played prominent roles in Batman's extended 'family'.

Renee Montoya, a character who was added into the comics in the 1990s as a character adapted from the animated series.[9][10] She later quit the GCPD when her partner Crispus Allen was murdered and the man responsible got off, in addition to her sexual orientation being unwillingly outed.[11] Following this she became a main character in the 52 limited series.[12] Renee, who eventually took on the mantle of the Question, occasionally fights crime with the current Batwoman, who is her on-again-off-again lover.[13] In the New 52, Renee appears in an image viewed by Kate Kane on the GCPD's wall of honour. She made her first full appearance in Batman #43.

Crispus Allen was a fortysomething police veteran transferred to Gotham City where he was partnered with detective Renee Montoya on the Gotham City Police Department's Major Crimes Unit. Allen had a loving wife and two teenaged sons, whom he put above his job and the safety of others when Gotham was in crisis. Allen saw Batman as a necessary evil, not wanting to deal with him but tolerating his presence. Their occasional interactions illustrated his views on Batman, notably during Brian Azzarello's "Broken City" storyline. Allen was an agnostic who doubted the existence of God in spite of his family's strong faith.

Harvey Bullock was brought in to be a pain in the side of commissioner Gordon, but after accidentally causing a heart attack, his character repented, and has been a near constant presence since then. He is presented as being a slob and constantly suspected of corruption, but ultimately a good cop and strong ally to Gordon.

Jason Bard is a cop from Detroit hired by Jim Gordon and put into the MCU. He later helps Batman escape from a trap of GCPD led by the corrupt new Commissioner Jack Forbes. Prior to the New 52 reboot, he was originally introduced as a private investigator, Pre-Crisis, and post-crisis was hired to be Batman's daytime liaison in the "Face the Face" story line,[14] and later worked for Robin during the outbreak of a gang war in Gotham City.[15]

Batman Family

"Batman Family" is the informal name for a group of characters closely associated with Batman, generally costumed vigilantes who either have been trained by Batman or operate in Gotham City with his tacit approval.

The group functions like a tactical unit of similarly-minded superheroes who operate in and around Gotham, with Batman as its team leader and, in many cases, its dispatch. Various members of the group usually interact with one another and assist in each other's cases, even within their respective series. Although some members occasionally resent Batman’s intrusion into their lives, all respect him as a legend within the superhero community and rarely dare to challenge his authority.[16] Most of the members also have a strong rapport with the Dark Knight due to their long and close relationships with him over the years, and consider him a close friend and ally, and acknowledge that he most likely shares that sentiment, no matter how averse he is to actually showing it.[17] In a 2002 storyline in which Bruce Wayne is accused of murder, Batman's friends gather to prove his innocence.[18] It has also been implied through Batman's history that this network serves as a surrogate family for Batman and keeps him from slipping too far into his ruthless vigilante persona.[19]

Current members (DC Rebirth)

Batman Inc.

Five years in the future (Futures End)

Deceased members

Status unclear

New 52

Pre-New 52

Former members (Pre-New 52)

Paul Kirk was a masked man during WWII that became a pawn for the Council when they genetically altered him into an assassin. When Kirk learned that the Council was using him and created clones of him as their soldiers, he joined with ninja master Asano Nitobe and Interpol agent Christine St. Clair to destroy the organization and kill his doubles. Kirk would add Batman to this group before his demise in his mission, the remaining trio continuing his work posthumously. An exception in this would be made for the clone Kirk DePaul. Neither Paul or his clone appear in the New 52.
Mark Shaw was a human infiltrator for the Manhunters that would later distance himself from the group and become the super-villain Star-Tsar, infiltrating the Justice League as the Privateer. After some time in prison, he wiped his record with service in the Suicide Squad. Afterward, he would again go by the name Manhunter as a bounty hunter working with Oracle operating largely out of New York. Shaw would take down several of Batman's rogues before the two met battling the Sportsmaster. In The New 52, Mark Shaw appears in the Forever Evil storyline as a U.S. Marshal who is assigned to find Barbara Minerva, the Cheetah. He is referred to as "one of the best manhunters" in the United States Marshals Service.
Kate Spencer is the grand daughter of Phantom Lady that took up the title Manhunter and later joined the Birds of Prey. She is currently the district attorney for Gotham City where she at one point continued to operate alongside the Birds as Manhunter. Kate does not appear in the New 52.

Other superheroes

Main article: Justice League

Batman regularly interacts with other DC superheroes in titles such as the Justice League of America. A few, however, have a marked presence in the core Batman titles:

In more recent times, their friendship has been depicted as more uneasy, but still with a deep amount of respect.[51] In the current chronology, Batman and Superman first encounter one another early in their careers when Superman arrives in Gotham City to arrest the notorious "outlaw" known as Batman, just as Batman is investigating a murderous criminal named Magpie.[52] Superman left this encounter with Batman, believing he had the best of intentions, though disagreeing with Batman's methods. As Superman flew back to Metropolis, Batman lamented to himself that Superman was a remarkable individual and that "perhaps, in another lifetime, he might call the Man of Steel his friend."[52]
They have collaborated many times in the years since then, learning each other's secret identities, recognizing that their goals are essentially the same, and despite their frequent tense relationship, close allies and friends.[53] Superman has entrusted Lex Luthor's Kryptonite ring to Batman, as a weapon to be used against Superman in case the Man of Steel should ever be turned against the people of Earth.[54] In keeping with that attitude, Batman and Superman are often depicted as being the opposite sides of the same coin, both products of their environments, as indicated in their vastly different styles of crime fighting. Superman became a hero because he subscribed to wholesome idealism, while Batman was motivated by personal tragedy and a troubled past. Regardless, after one instance of Batman using the ring to prevent a mind-controlled Superman from wrongdoing, Superman told Batman that he knew he, "gave the ring to the right person." Batman shook his hand, and simply said, "What're friends for?"[51]

Antagonists

Batman comics have introduced many classic villains. His rogues gallery is one of the most identifiable in modern fiction. The Joker, Two-Face, and the Penguin are some of the most recognizable foes; other notable villains include Catwoman, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, Ra's al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, Harley Quinn, the Scarecrow, Bane, Killer Croc, the Mad Hatter, and Clayface, among others. Some of Batman's rogues gallery are notable for sometimes functioning as allies as well as villains. Some examples of this are Catwoman, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, Two-Face (Harvey Dent), Red Hood, Anarky, and Talia al Ghul. Recently, emphasis on the psychological motivations of Batman villains have painted them in a much more sympathetic light than in their earlier stories, most notably Mr. Freeze and the Ventriloquist in their Batman: The Animated Series incarnations.

Romantic interests

Batman has had many romantic relationships with various female characters throughout his years fighting crime. The following characters do not include the various female hangers-on that Bruce has employed to maintain his image as a playboy. Like his mentor, Dick Grayson, who assumed the identity of Batman after Bruce Wayne's "death" until his return, has had a lot of romantic relationships with many women in the comics throughout his time fighting side by side with Batman. Likewise, Terry McGinnis, the new Batman of Neo-Gotham in the Batman Beyond universe, had some significant love interests in his life too.

Bruce Wayne's romantic interests

Dick Grayson's love interests

Terry McGinnis' love interests

Tim Drake's love interests

In other media

Film

Animation

Bruce Wayne's love interests
Dick Grayson's love interests

Other supporting characters

Wayne Family

This section lists the ancestors and relatives of Bruce Wayne:

Characters from alternate continuities

Several characters featured outside of modern Batman canon are of note:

Supporting Characters in other media

Enemies in other media

References

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