Every Member of the Bat-Family, Ranked by How Much Respect They Get

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Across the many years of the DC universe, the Bat-Family has acquired many members. While there have been a plethora across the many reboots, the current timeline still has many members that are mostly beloved by fans everywhere. Excluding the past timelines, the Bat-Family still has over 20 members in its roster of heroes, both former and current.

However, some Bat-Family members get far more respect than others. Whether it’s because some are simply not as important or liked as the primaries or because some have simply been around longer to gain more respect, there’s definitely a large difference in respect levels for each member of the iconic DC family.But who among the Bat-Family gets the most respect? It’s not easy to make a decision on such a topic, but there are pretty obvious opinions out there.

20

Bluebird (Harper Row)

First appearance: Batman #7 (2012)

Growing up in Gotham City’s crime-ridden neighborhood known as the “Narrows,” Harper Row has a pretty tough life. Filled with abuse, monetary struggles, and consist abandonment, Harper had origins that could have easily made her a brand-new villain for Gotham City. Becoming an electrical engineer, she gained some pretty impressive technical skills, and after being inspired by the Caped Crusader, she took up the mantle of Bluebird.

Harper is a fun hero and had an interesting start, helping Batman from the shadows until he eventually noticed her fixing Wayne tech and other things. After a nasty and thrilling battle with the Court of Owls, Batman’s heart stopped for a moment afterward, and Bluebird brought him back. She’s not a character that anyone really dislikes, but the opinions on her are relatively neutral. She’s considered an “okay” character, but certainly not as loved as the rest of the current Bat-Family.

19

Gotham Girl (Claire Clover)

First appearance: Batman #1 (2016)

After being saved with the rest of her family from a mugger, Claire Clover became a huge fan of DC’s Dark Knight. Through the inspiration she gained from the vigilante, she and her brother signed up to get some experimental treatments done to give them Superman-esque powers to become heroes like Batman. Their new powers came with a massive drawback for them physically, though.

Anytime they’d use their abilities, time would be taken off their lifespan. Best stated by Claire herself in Batman #5 (2016), “We can be ordinary for a few decades. Superman for a few years. Or a god for a few hours.” She’s a particularly interesting character who has garnered a small fanbase that really appreciates her and what she added to the Batman (2016) run.

18

Gotham (Henry “Hank” Clover Jr.)

First appearance: DCU: Rebirth #1 (2016)

The other half of Gotham Girl is her brother, Hank, also known simply as Gotham (creative name). He gets a tad bit more respect than his sister because of how he went down swinging before his death. Growing up with the same origin as Gotham Girl, he’s truly not too different from her. But in Batman #5 (2016), while under the control of the terrible Psycho-Pirate, Hank goes on a rampage.

Through his destruction, he not only killed 27 government agents, but he took on the entire Justice League and, honestly, kind of wiped the floor with them. Using his powers to their full extent, turning him into that “god” his sister mentioned they could be, his life force quickly ran out, and he, unfortunately, succumbed to both his power usage and a battle with his sister. Gotham may have gone down as a bit of a misunderstood antagonist, but he was a member of the Bat-Family nonetheless and gained respect from fans for the fact that he actually stood toe-to-toe with the Justice League and did pretty dang well.

17

Batwing (David Zavimbe)

First appearance: Batman Inc. #5 (2011)

While most people know Lucas Fox as Batwing, there was a lesser-known Batwing active before him named David Zavimbe. He gains a lot of respect from fans because he was personally selected to be part of Batman Incorporated in Batman #5 (2011), which is a pretty great sign of talent and skill for a superhero. Batman is typically known as the best of the best, which means anyone who gets a seal of approval from him is a high-class hero.

Unfortunately, Zavimbe is eventually murdered by Massacre, which was a really depressing end—being stabbed in the back (a sucky way to go). His short time appearing in the comics and the way he died make him a little bit less respected than his successor. However, Zavimbe is still a fairly well-respected character, especially considering his overall role.

16

Ghost-Maker (Minhkhoa Khan)

First appearance: Batman #100 (2020)

One of the newest members of the Bat-Family also happens to be an old friend of Bruce Wayne. Minhkhoa Khan met the billionaire hero while he was training to become Batman under the tutelage of Kirigi over in Paektu Dojang. They quickly bonded and, after abandoning Kirigi together (because he was trying to recruit for the League of Assassins), they ran off to find new teachers. They eventually learned that their methods were far different when Khan murdered one of them.

Someone who received the same kind of training that Bruce Wayne did must be absurdly skilled, almost rivaling the Bat. Ghost-Maker is essentially a Batman who kills (and lacks the immense baggage), creating instant rivalry between the two. Batman eventually gave Khan the chance to work together and do better together by offering him the leadership role of Batman Incorporated. People love the badassery of Ghost-Maker and how he parallels Bruce. While Khan has terrible methods, people respect how much he gets done. He could actually make for a great future villain-turned-hero in a future Batman film, having not appeared in one yet.

15

Batwing (Lucas “Luke” Fox)

First appearance: Batwing #19 (2013)

Of the two Batwings, Lucas “Luke” Fox is most certainly the best-known. He’s been around far longer than David and had a very special connection to Bruce Wayne and the Bat-Family prior to his involvement. Thanks to The Dark Knight trilogy, general audiences are pretty familiar with Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), but many may not know that, in the comic books, he has a son who eventually becomes the iconic Batwing.

After the beloved Lucius is almost killed by a scary Batman villain known as Heretic, Luke breaks into the Wayne technology vault and creates his Batwing technology to become a vigilante. As per his origin, Luke takes matters into his own hands and doesn’t wait for others to solve a problem. This decisive approach is yet another reason for people to respect him and has helped him become a fan favorite for many.

14

Batwoman (Katherine “Kate” Kane)

First appearance: 52 #11 (2006)

Thanks to the CW Arrowverse series Batwoman, people are already pretty familiar with the character. First introduced in 52 #11 (2006), Batwoman was a bit of a mystery for a minute before the big reveal that the woman under the mask, Kate Kane, is the cousin of Bruce Wayne himself.

Compared to the rest of the Bat-Family, Batwoman can be seen as having a bold personality. She does not seek any sort of approval from the Bat and, rather than fighting for something like guilt or pain like a lot of Bat-Family members, she does so out of a desire to do what is right after she was released from the army for her sexual orientation. Batwoman is one of the most noteworthy female LGBTQ+ characters in comic books, which, combined with how well she performs as a crime fighter, has garnered her a ton of respect from viewers/readers.

First appearance: Batman #21 (2013)

Duke Thomas, aka The Signal, is not only one of the most underrated Bat-Family members but also one of the most underrated comic book heroes. What sets Duke apart is the fact that he is one of the few Bat-Family members with actual powers, with his abilities all being photokinetic-based. He can see where light has been or will be (aka Ghost Vision), has X-ray vision, can see profound distances, has microscopic vision, can perceive the electromagnetic spectrum, light and shadow bending, shadow travel, and even darkness and light generation.

The Signal is also a Bat-Family member who doesn’t lean into the darker colors in his costume or has a suit that he hides in. He’s dressed in bright yellow, almost acting as a beacon of light and hope in the darkness of Gotham City. The Signal stands out among the Bat-Family in all the best ways, yet still fits in with the group.

12

Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley Jr.)

First appearance: Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 (1992)

A major fan-favorite of the Batman mythology, mostly thanks to his inclusion in the Arkham City franchise, is Jean-Paul Valley Jr., aka Azrael. This anti-hero is the original guy who stepped in to replace Batman after the “Batman: Knightfall” storyline in the comic books (the book where Bane breaks the hero’s back). When he took up the mantle, he represented the antithesis of Batman.

Azrael is the more religiously based anti-hero in the Bat-Family, which sets him apart from the rest of the crew. He constantly has internal conflicts regarding whether he’s a sword or a shield for the world and has a lot of impostor syndrome regarding his place in the Bat-Family. Azrael is a very complex character who not only does he have a lot of respect from the audience but also keeps people engaged.

11

Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)

First appearance: All-Star Comics #69 (1977)

While a lot of Bat-Family members have origins somewhat like Batman, being either orphans or outcasts, Helena Bertinelli grew up within a mob family known simply as the Bertinellis. They’re an old-school mafia family that has very deep roots in Gotham City, which puts her in a very different social situation than the other Bat-Family members.

What keeps people invested in Huntress is that she typically doesn’t face off against super villains. Instead, Helena goes up against politicians, mob bosses, gang activity, and more in Gotham City. These are the type of villains that a lot of Batman fans prefer for the character over more supernatural foes, so the fact that they can certainly get that from this mob family princess means they have a lot of respect for her. She’s also a relatively well-known hero, appearing in both Arrow and Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn.

“}]] The Bat-Family is undoubtedly the most iconic extended clan in comic books, but who among them gets the most respect from critics and fans?  Read More