Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, has been voted as our latest Character of the Month, but quite a few characters have assumed the mantle when Bruce was unable to. We could talk all day about who's the "best" choice and what makes each of them a unique take on the iconic hero, but this week, we wanted to know which individual is your favorite version of Batman. Six DC characters were added to the poll and one of them took a rather large majority over the competition.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Comic Vine community has voted Dick Grayson, a.k.a. the first Robin, as the best Batman replacement! It's fitting since Bruce even complimented Grayson's time as Batman in the latest issue of BATMAN AND ROBIN.
When it comes to heroes stepping into Bruce Wayne's costume, Dick Grayson is often the first that comes to mind. Yes, Jean-Paul Valley left one heck of an impression during Knightfall and many of us love Terry McGinnis, but after the Caped Crusader's little encounter with Darkseid, it was Grayson who put on the cape and cowl and went on some unforgettable adventures. From team-ups with Damian Wayne (courtesy of Grant Morrison) to a creepy investigation (by Scott Snyder), Grayson was able to capture what makes Batman important while making the character a little less dark. If Batman does "die" again, it's clear many would love to see the very agile and skilled Dick Grayson step back into Batman's boots and dish out some justice across Gotham City. Now, let's see where the votes went and what the community had to say about these choices!
- Dick Grayson 46%
- Terry McGinnis 31%
- Damian Wayne 8%
- Jason Todd 6%
- Jean-Paul Valley 6%
- Tim Drake 3%
WaffleSock50
"Jason Todd (Red Hood, New 52.) I feel like Jason's moved past his daddy issues that were basically his only motivation for anything before the New 52, and has learned to appreciate his friends and even has his own code of honor. He's become reformed, in a sense.
Plus, admit it. You loved his Batman suit."
RazzaTazz
"Grayson is the only one that makes sense. In a world where characters actually age and retire, he would be the only reasonable substitute for Bruce."
baneofdemon22
"I love them all, so it's really tough! I might have to go with Dick Grayson, because it was the first time I didn't think he was boring since he was on the Teen Titans. I thought he worked much better when he played off other heroes. I would have liked if he stayed Batman actually, because I really enjoyed the lighter tone, and loved his relationship with the other members of the Bat-family."
tparks
"Terry McGinnis for me. Batman Beyond could have been just a cheap way to mix things up, but it was so well done. Terry has what it takes to be Batman, so you don't feel like the cowl is being handed over to someone undeserving, but Terry is also so much different as a character then Bruce so it's not just Batman in the near-future. I really like the way this is done, and I really like that Bruce was around to keep the series grounded with the classic.
The digital comic is pretty good too."
Nightwing_Grayson
"I think to answer this question you have to answer "what does Batman (Bruce Wayne) stand for?" For me that's justice obviously (which most of these characters follow...albeit some rather more twistedly), but there are also things like the no killing policy which I think rules out Paul Valley/Jason Todd/ Damien Wayne AND Tim Drake (I know there have been a few different occasions that Tim has worn it and he's not bad in them all but the one that sticks out is in Titans Tomorrow as it's his seemingly longest time as replacing Bruce). That leaves Terry and Dick, I think an argument could be made for either of these being the greater Batman replacement, Terry is very similar to Bruce personality wise - headstrong and stubborn as well as more serious, but Dick's time as Batman was really excellent and he truly showed he had what it takes to wear the mantle. I think for me the fact that he spent a long time as Batman and showed a lot of professionalism just edges it for me over the less experienced Terry who I think still relies quite a bit on his tech and is more vulnerable in combat, Dick has been brought up by Bruce for years to work out out how to analyse and beat his opponents as well as installing a set of ideals in him while Terry hasn't had nearly as long so for these reasons I'm going Dick."
Just because the poll is closed it doesn't mean you can't continue to give your top Batman replacement some love! Go ahead and share your favorite image of the character as the Dark Knight in the comments below. Don't forget to check the homepage next Tuesday for an all-new question, too. Do you have a great idea for a future edition of the Question of the Week? If so, feel free to share it in the comments or via Twitter.
Want to keep celebrating our latest Character of the Month? Well, he's currently fighting Shredder (click here to vote) and we posted his Best Covers.
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