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Batman will die in Justice League #75 but who could replace him? Obviously, the answer is the one and only goodest boy – Ace the Bat-Hound.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the story “Hounded” Part Two from Batman: Urban Legends #12, on sale now from DC Comics.
It looks like Batman is about to die. If the recent, Death of the Justice League announcement is to be believed, then the Caped Crusader will perish along with the rest of his teammates in Justice League #75 in April. This of course brings up the debate of who will replace him, both in Gotham and the next iteration of the Justice League. Of course, there’s the next Batman, Jace Fox, or maybe even Dick Grayson again, or Tim Drake for a change. However, there is one absolutely perfect replacement that everyone is overlooking, an equal to the Dark Knight in almost every way. That’s right – his dog.
Batman and Ace the Bat-hound were captured in the previous issue and both had to figure out how to escape their current predicament on their own in “Hounded” Part Two (by Mark Russell, Karl Mostert, Trish Mulvihill, and Steve Wands) in Batman: Urban Legends #12. Usually, in a story like this, the helpless pet must rely on luck or a kind stranger or some wacky hijinks to find their way out of their cage but not Ace. No, it’s very clear that Ace is Batman’s dog. Mainly because he can find his way out of any trap like he’s in the Adam West Batman series.
As Batman is still trapped by his captors, Ace, completely on his own, managed to break out of his cage. What’s even more impressive is that he did something in this issue that even Batman didn’t manage to do, as Batman was still a prisoner by the issue’s end. What’s more, Ace didn’t even need gadgets either. Both Ace and Batman were without any tech to help them out of their current conundrum and only the famous Bat-Hound had the resourcefulness to escape.
Obviously, being as cunning as the ’66 Batman isn’t enough to justify him as a Gotham’s replacement for their fallen hero. What proved that is what Ace did as soon as he escaped his cage. Still, in a hostile environment, he needed to find the perfect way out. Ace was surrounded by enhanced super-pets and used them to his advantage. He freed them and recruited them. Each made up for the skills he lacked and they all escaped to their freedom. However, it’s not like Ace suddenly left all the work to his new animal chums. He showed that he was just as effective as the Dark Knight in combat, and against armed guards no less.
What Ace the Bat-Hound did in this issue was truly remarkable. To the point that it makes him a worthy successor to Batman in the weirdest way. He’s cunning, intelligent, and resourceful. He not only saved himself from captivity, but he also freed a ton of other animals too and took down all the villains. Although the real mastermind remains at large, it genuinely looks like Ace and his new League of Super-pets could take him down.
That’s also another thing he has over the Dark Knight. Although he can’t actually talk with Commissioner Gordon (or probably understand a fair amount of the words Gordon says) he’s much better with people than Batman ever was. He got every animal on his side here and, also, people love dogs. Who’s going to be scared of Ace the Bat-Hound leaping out of the shadow?
He may not be able to stand amongst the likes of the Justice League, but Ace the Bat-Hound could totally defend Gotham in Batman’s absence. He’s already a super-pet, even without any superpowers. Sure, Jace and the rest of the Bat-Family are safe and sensible choices but the iconic Bat-Hound shouldn’t be overlooked. He has as much history in the comics as any of them, if not more. So why not have Ace become the new Dark Knight? Who knows, it might be just the shake-up Batman comics need.
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