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In Batman #113, one of the Dark Knight’s newest allies has a personal theory about why the Bat-Family has so many members, and he’s not wrong.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #113, on sale now from DC Comics.
The Dark Knight has always put the brunt of his war on crime squarely upon his own shoulders. Even considering the sheer number of allies he’s acquired over the years, Batman is often driven to the point of exhaustion in his mission to protect the people of Gotham City and the world at large. But there’s at least one new hero who believes Batman operates differently thanks to the sheer number of partner’s he’s had.
In Batman #113 (by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles), Ghost-Maker reveals his theory as to why Batman has picked up so many sidekicks over the years. Even if he isn’t exactly right on the intent, he does have a point about the purpose the Bat-Family serves in the Caped Crusader’s war on crime.
Ghost-Maker has already proven to be one of Batman’s most capable allies. As a former student of the world alongside a young Bruce Wayne, the two went down different paths in life and have been recently reunited. After the chaos of the Joker War, Ghost-Maker has been taken by surprise by how much of Batman’s life seems to be dominated by his constant battles and major events. He even notes that the greatest challenge of being a hero in Gotham City might actually be finding a way to not lose focus from the sheer exhaustion of the mission. This leads Ghost-Maker to hypothesize that this is why Batman has acquired so many sidekicks over the years.
Even beyond the multiple incarnations of Robin, the Bat-Family has also included the various Batgirls, affiliated heroes like Batwoman and Batwing, other assorted street-level heroes like Signal and Bluebird, and his team, the Outsiders. Ghost-Maker suggests that without all that active help in the field, it’s likely Batman wouldn’t get any sleep at all, and implies that this would at best lead him to lose his step and at worst make some sort of fatal mistake. While the assorted allies of Batman have become a family at this point and united through their bonds, Ghost-Maker isn’t totally wrong in his analysis of the purpose of sidekicks. In many ways, the Bat-Family has assembled around Batman and given him the ability to rely on others for his war on crime, allowing him to rest when needed.
Batman’s crusade against the criminals of the world has never been a battle that he could win on his own without any help. Eventually, he will need to sleep, and one day even he will die. But because of the litany of sidekicks and allies he’s procured over the years, he can do so with faith that Gotham won’t burn to the ground in his absence. Even Ghost-Maker is taking part in this process, venturing into Batman’s mind to help him make sure he can’t be further incapacitated. It’s at the heart of the Bat-Family’s legacy and speaks to an application of the symbol. Bruce Wayne really is just a man, and his sidekicks allow the war to continue even without him.
The Bat-Family may have come together out of a shared mission and may stay together because of the connections they’ve made, but in terms of purpose, they have a surprisingly straightforward one: making sure the battle for Gotham’s soul doesn’t rely on one person and one person alone.
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