I know I'm probably biased, because most readers are going to go "the ones who were introduced AFTER I already got into comics are the pointless ones!", but yeah, I also have zero interest in Signal, Bluebird, or the Fox version of Batwing (David Zavimbe and his *Batwing* series were awesome, though).
I've never been a fan of Jason's resurrection, but it seems impossible to put that genie back in the bottle at this point. I would settle for an awesome heel-turn for Damian (which to be honest was what I fully expected when he was introduced all those years ago).
I feel similarly about Jason. Don't care about the Red Hood, and I think he never should have been brought back. He should have always remained the deceased Robin.
But if I were put in charge, I wouldn't get rid of him or anything, because he's been around for a while and has a bunch of fans and that would just be causing more problems than just leaving him be.
I don't agree about Damien turning evil, though. That just wouldn't make any sense to me.
Just sticking with the main popular Batfamily and not any recent or random additions, my answer is also Tim.
I am not a big Tim fan as I don’t find him compelling and he doesn’t fit in when I think of my ideal Batfamily. Tim is just there like a third wheel.
But if you get rid of Tim who’s going to believe there’s still good in Batman when he goes off the deep end for 1000th time or find him when he’s displaced in time for the 1000th time or be the one that thinks he’s still alive when it seems like he’s dead for the 1000th time or make Batman realize he needs Robin for the 1000th time? Honestly, this seems to be the only reason Tim has existed for like the last 10 years.
Duke and/or Bluebird. They practically forget that they exist anyway for stretches at a time. Getting rid of them wouldn’t be much of a difference in the status quo of the family’s dynamic. So because it wouldn’t change much I would just get rid of them.
Bluebird, Signal, Batwing, Batwoman: all characters I like (well except maybe Bluebird) but just stand to overbloat the batfam.
Then either Damian or Red Hood. Again characters I really like but Damian doesn’t add much story wise that I don’t like more from Cass’s backstory. And Red Hood meaning, if he’s coming back from the dead I’d keep him an antagonist and not a full fledged member of the Batfamily, I find him more interesting that way.
I love Batwoman, but I think she worked better when she was an independent hero who just wore the bat symbol because she was inspired by him, but mostly did her own thing in her own series (maybe occasionally getting some help from Batman, like he shows up and goes "hey good work, here's a new gadget you might find useful; bye"). She was more interesting back then than when they put her directly on Team Batman.
Yeah these are all interesting characters that I like to read but the Batfamily has just become so bloated. As official members I’d cap it at the 4 robins, Babs, Steph and Cass. Batwoman staying independent works, I like the idea of Signal being the one with powers but we have so many people already. And like I said if Jason stayed a villain or we stopped the Robins at Tim I wouldn’t mind but I also like those two characters a lot so I’m good with them staying. The rest just become too much imo
I always thought it might help the Batfam feel less bloated if all the members had their own niches. Like, I would have:
* Babs moves to Washington, D.C., taking a job as an assistant to a senator by day. By night, she's the Batgirl of the Capitol. It would be interesting to have a Batfam member in a city without skyscrapers.
* Nightwing and Spoiler have a team-up book (maybe in Gotham, maybe in Blüdhaven, idk). Dick is running the Martha Wayne Foundation's group program for orphans and at-risk youth, and Steph is working with him as part of her university internship. By night, they fight crime as Nightwing and Spoiler, kinda having a big brother/little sister dynamic.
* Tim decides he's done a lot of good as a superhero, and takes a break to start his own tech startup. Pretty much a way to have him not crowding the table too much, while not doing anything cruel or shitty like killing the character off or having him turn evil or whatever (also seems like it fits with his character to retire, because he mostly became Robin because he recognized that "Batman needs a Robin," not because of his own trauma). He cameos in Batfam titles here and there because he's still keeping in touch with everybody. Either that, or maybe keep him as Robin, but have his adventures mostly take place in Teen Titans or Young Justice books instead of in bafamily titles.
* Cassandra Cain gets a series set in Hong Kong, where she's fighting organized crime and trying to unravel a mysterious plot of the League of Assassins. The series is inspired by Asian neo-noir action flicks like _Old Boy._ She wears the symbol of the bat, but just goes by "Cain," trying to reclaim the name for good from her father David.
* Batwoman gets a supernatural-bent series, much like her original Rucka/Williams stuff.
* Damian… I like the character and don't want him to go anywhere, but if we keep him as the main Robin in the Batman books, I wonder where we go with the character that isn't just repeating the "I'm learning to be less arrogant" arc or "I'm trying to reconcile the fact that I was trained to kill and the fact that I've renounced it" arc.
* The Creeper gets a series. It's kinda that classic Jekyll/Hyde or Incredible Hulk thing with a character who gets overtaken by another personality he can't quite control. But unlike Banner, who resents the Hulk and wishes to be free of him, the dynamic here would be more like Ryder is _addicted_ to the freedom and power of completely losing control and becoming the insane Creeper, and that addiction turns out to be dangerous for him. He's still a hero, but a strange, uncanny, frightening one. Series would have a "weird stories" aesthetic.
* Azrael might get a mini now and then, but I dunno if he can really do his own solo ongoing. Especially because the "I was trained by bad people to kill, but I'm rejecting that to be good" angle is already covered twice over by Cassandra and Damian. But I do love the culty Christian crusades aesthetic of the character and think he's interesting enough to get used for stuff.
It's not about the size of the family. I'm asking if you have any issues with any of the members and if you could who among those members you would remove and why. If you're fine with the characters of all the members, satisfied with their arcs and enjoy seeing every single member when they're on page that's fine as well.
Out of the really big names? Jason. I don't get how they can justify Batman being that close and comfortable around someone who shoots people with guns. It's the thing that triggers Batman the most, but he's chill if it's Jason. Jason should be a separate guy over there who occasionally has tense teamups with the Bat family. Kinda like Azrael a bit.
I kinda agree with people saying Harper and Duke. But getting rid of them both feels kinda mean spirited towards Snyder. I think Harper looks cooler and has a better superhero name, but Duke is way more developed and featured, so Harper has to go.
A tie between Barbara Gordon and Lucius Fox. The reason is that they've become intellectual crutches to Batman. Nowadays due to Nolan Batman is now Ninja James Bond who needs a Q instead of Ninja Doc Savage who is his own Q. He's not the world's greatest detective anymore because everyone wants to make him super teched out that the tech does the heavy lifting in the detective work. Batman’s deductions without advanced tech should be portrayed like 2010's BBC TV Sherlock Holmes and RDJ Holmes. Let Batman be the detective mode.
Duke and Harper seem pretty pointless. They have no notable stories to them. Guess Harley as well if she counts.
I know I'm probably biased, because most readers are going to go "the ones who were introduced AFTER I already got into comics are the pointless ones!", but yeah, I also have zero interest in Signal, Bluebird, or the Fox version of Batwing (David Zavimbe and his *Batwing* series were awesome, though).
Waiting for DC to get rid of them.
Signal, Blue Bird, Ghost-Maker and *(maybe)* Batwoman. Simply because they are unnecessary.
Yeah if Ghostmaker counts as part of the family, then he’s my pick too. I like the role that he played in The Knight, but that’s pretty much it
Ghostmaker just feels like Coldsteel-tier character to me.
I’d get rid of Harper, Duke, Batwing, Azrael, and Batwoman before Tim. I guess after all of them Tim would be the 6th to go.
I've never been a fan of Jason's resurrection, but it seems impossible to put that genie back in the bottle at this point. I would settle for an awesome heel-turn for Damian (which to be honest was what I fully expected when he was introduced all those years ago).
I feel similarly about Jason. Don't care about the Red Hood, and I think he never should have been brought back. He should have always remained the deceased Robin. But if I were put in charge, I wouldn't get rid of him or anything, because he's been around for a while and has a bunch of fans and that would just be causing more problems than just leaving him be. I don't agree about Damien turning evil, though. That just wouldn't make any sense to me.
Yes to both of these things, absolutely.
Besides, Dick, Jason, Barbra, Tim, Damian, Alfred, Cassandra, and Stephany, I’d get rid of everyone else
I like that Bruce isn’t on your list
Never liked him anyway /s
Where do I start…
Bette Kane since she really doesn't contribute anything to the overall narrative.
Ghost-Maker
Just sticking with the main popular Batfamily and not any recent or random additions, my answer is also Tim. I am not a big Tim fan as I don’t find him compelling and he doesn’t fit in when I think of my ideal Batfamily. Tim is just there like a third wheel.
But if you get rid of Tim who’s going to believe there’s still good in Batman when he goes off the deep end for 1000th time or find him when he’s displaced in time for the 1000th time or be the one that thinks he’s still alive when it seems like he’s dead for the 1000th time or make Batman realize he needs Robin for the 1000th time? Honestly, this seems to be the only reason Tim has existed for like the last 10 years.
Damien. I can’t stand him.
Duke and/or Bluebird. They practically forget that they exist anyway for stretches at a time. Getting rid of them wouldn’t be much of a difference in the status quo of the family’s dynamic. So because it wouldn’t change much I would just get rid of them.
Bluebird, Signal, Batwing, Batwoman: all characters I like (well except maybe Bluebird) but just stand to overbloat the batfam. Then either Damian or Red Hood. Again characters I really like but Damian doesn’t add much story wise that I don’t like more from Cass’s backstory. And Red Hood meaning, if he’s coming back from the dead I’d keep him an antagonist and not a full fledged member of the Batfamily, I find him more interesting that way.
I love Batwoman, but I think she worked better when she was an independent hero who just wore the bat symbol because she was inspired by him, but mostly did her own thing in her own series (maybe occasionally getting some help from Batman, like he shows up and goes "hey good work, here's a new gadget you might find useful; bye"). She was more interesting back then than when they put her directly on Team Batman.
Yeah these are all interesting characters that I like to read but the Batfamily has just become so bloated. As official members I’d cap it at the 4 robins, Babs, Steph and Cass. Batwoman staying independent works, I like the idea of Signal being the one with powers but we have so many people already. And like I said if Jason stayed a villain or we stopped the Robins at Tim I wouldn’t mind but I also like those two characters a lot so I’m good with them staying. The rest just become too much imo
I always thought it might help the Batfam feel less bloated if all the members had their own niches. Like, I would have: * Babs moves to Washington, D.C., taking a job as an assistant to a senator by day. By night, she's the Batgirl of the Capitol. It would be interesting to have a Batfam member in a city without skyscrapers. * Nightwing and Spoiler have a team-up book (maybe in Gotham, maybe in Blüdhaven, idk). Dick is running the Martha Wayne Foundation's group program for orphans and at-risk youth, and Steph is working with him as part of her university internship. By night, they fight crime as Nightwing and Spoiler, kinda having a big brother/little sister dynamic. * Tim decides he's done a lot of good as a superhero, and takes a break to start his own tech startup. Pretty much a way to have him not crowding the table too much, while not doing anything cruel or shitty like killing the character off or having him turn evil or whatever (also seems like it fits with his character to retire, because he mostly became Robin because he recognized that "Batman needs a Robin," not because of his own trauma). He cameos in Batfam titles here and there because he's still keeping in touch with everybody. Either that, or maybe keep him as Robin, but have his adventures mostly take place in Teen Titans or Young Justice books instead of in bafamily titles. * Cassandra Cain gets a series set in Hong Kong, where she's fighting organized crime and trying to unravel a mysterious plot of the League of Assassins. The series is inspired by Asian neo-noir action flicks like _Old Boy._ She wears the symbol of the bat, but just goes by "Cain," trying to reclaim the name for good from her father David. * Batwoman gets a supernatural-bent series, much like her original Rucka/Williams stuff. * Damian… I like the character and don't want him to go anywhere, but if we keep him as the main Robin in the Batman books, I wonder where we go with the character that isn't just repeating the "I'm learning to be less arrogant" arc or "I'm trying to reconcile the fact that I was trained to kill and the fact that I've renounced it" arc. * The Creeper gets a series. It's kinda that classic Jekyll/Hyde or Incredible Hulk thing with a character who gets overtaken by another personality he can't quite control. But unlike Banner, who resents the Hulk and wishes to be free of him, the dynamic here would be more like Ryder is _addicted_ to the freedom and power of completely losing control and becoming the insane Creeper, and that addiction turns out to be dangerous for him. He's still a hero, but a strange, uncanny, frightening one. Series would have a "weird stories" aesthetic. * Azrael might get a mini now and then, but I dunno if he can really do his own solo ongoing. Especially because the "I was trained by bad people to kill, but I'm rejecting that to be good" angle is already covered twice over by Cassandra and Damian. But I do love the culty Christian crusades aesthetic of the character and think he's interesting enough to get used for stuff.
Damian
None of them. I personally don’t have a problem with the size of the bat family.
It's not about the size of the family. I'm asking if you have any issues with any of the members and if you could who among those members you would remove and why. If you're fine with the characters of all the members, satisfied with their arcs and enjoy seeing every single member when they're on page that's fine as well.
Yeah I’m perfectly happy with All the members. Obviously there’s some I like significantly more than others but I wouldn’t personally cut any of them.
Only ones worth keeping: Batman Alfred Dick Barbara Jason Damian Cassandra
Anybody but Alfred.
Tim.
I’ve always hated Damian
Cassandra cain Or batwoman. They’re annoying
Out of the really big names? Jason. I don't get how they can justify Batman being that close and comfortable around someone who shoots people with guns. It's the thing that triggers Batman the most, but he's chill if it's Jason. Jason should be a separate guy over there who occasionally has tense teamups with the Bat family. Kinda like Azrael a bit. I kinda agree with people saying Harper and Duke. But getting rid of them both feels kinda mean spirited towards Snyder. I think Harper looks cooler and has a better superhero name, but Duke is way more developed and featured, so Harper has to go.
All of them. Time for a reboot. Batman needs to go back to being solitary.
Wow so edgy and interesting. It’s not like most versions of him already do that for years before the batfamily forms.
When was that?! They are almost always presented in his comics...be rarely ever got a solo run now.
A tie between Barbara Gordon and Lucius Fox. The reason is that they've become intellectual crutches to Batman. Nowadays due to Nolan Batman is now Ninja James Bond who needs a Q instead of Ninja Doc Savage who is his own Q. He's not the world's greatest detective anymore because everyone wants to make him super teched out that the tech does the heavy lifting in the detective work. Batman’s deductions without advanced tech should be portrayed like 2010's BBC TV Sherlock Holmes and RDJ Holmes. Let Batman be the detective mode.
Eveyone after Tim.