In three recent DC Comics series, Batman has revealed that he gets the final say in approving young heroes – no matter where they operate.
In order to be a hero in the DC Universe, Batman‘s approval is necessary. Known for being a mentor – and adopted father figure – to numerous orphaned youths, Batman has cemented his place in the Justice League. In three recent comics, the Caped Crusader has shown that he will provide opportunities for younger heroes – with caveats.
When it comes to preparing for trouble, Batman is leagues ahead of DC’s heroes, going so far as to plan against his own allies. Fans have long been familiar with his preparation for the possibility of Superman or other heroes turning to evil. The Dark Knight has contingency plans for everyone and he is constantly conducting threat assessments for missions – whether anyone knows it or not. And while he’s willing to give young heroes a shot, he’s going to keep a close eye on them and have plans in place should they mess up.
In the WebToon series Vixen: NYC, Batman is featured meeting with Vixen very briefly and keeping an eye on her progression as a new hero. The creative team (Jasmine Walls, Manou Azumi, Omar Vallejos, Hailey Stewart, Toby Fan, BBM, Micah Myers, Mickey, and Amani Kabwe) has shown that Mari – the titular heroine – is capable of being a heroine, but she is still being watched outside of Gotham. The same is true of Jaime Reyes, down in El Paso, in Blue Beetle: Graduation Day #1, which has the creative team of Josh Trujillo, Adrián Gutiérrez, Wil Quintana, Lucas Gattoni, Andrew Marino, and Katie Kubert.
Batman is the Mentor of the DC Universe, Not Just the Robins
With a threat that potentially connects to the Blue Beetle imminent, Batman has made preparations for the young hero to be out of the way. The issue features Superman meeting with Jaime on his graduation day to congratulate him – and dissuade him from doing any further hero work in the near future. However, this plan was not conceived by the Man of Steel. It was a request passed along from Batman, who is concerned that Jaime will be more of a liability than an ally. Given that Batman operates predominantly in Gotham, it is rather surprising that his oversight of the world’s youngest heroes surpasse the city limits – even going beyond Blüdhaven to some of the edges of the United States. The various Robins that make up the Bat-Family and other numerous sidekicks aren’t the only ones being regularly monitored by the iconic vigilante.
Although both of these series take place in potentially different universes, they both show the lengths that Batman is willing to go to when it comes to shaping the heroes of the future. He already has his hands full with Gotham’s criminals and omniversal threats. After all, in the WebToon series, Red Hood: Outlaws, from Patrick R. Young, Nico Bascuñán, Javier Rodríguez Véjares, Sebastián Franchini, and Lorenzo di Santo, the Justice League is needed off-world. This series shows that Batman is willing to test the next generation of heroes and trust the fate of the planet to them, when Jason Todd and his current team are left to monitor the Watchtower in their stead. Yet this trust does not come easily and should failure occur, he likely has additional punishments prepared – as well as immense disapproval.
Across each of these stories, Batman has his eyes on each of these developing heroes, no matter how far away they are from one another and from his base of operations within Gotham. To be a hero in the DC Universe, it seems likely that Batman has to give his approval, and even that isn’t enough to maintain his trust and avoid back-up destruction plans.
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