If you want to see a terrible fight, choose one between family members. If you’re looking for worse, turn to the Batfamily. Here Batman battles against his close allies.
By Joshua Lapin-Bertone
No one fights like family, just ask Batman. Over the years, the Dark Knight has had multiple companions, building a family of heroes. Of course, when you put so many people together in an environment as stressful as Gotham, in a profession as stressful as crime fighting, and then train them in martial arts… well, chances are they’re going to land blows in the end.
Let’s face it, Batman isn’t exactly known for his kind demeanor, and over the years, he’s pissed off his allies more times than we can count. We take a look at some of Batman’s battles against the Batfamily.
Batman’s battles against his closest allies
Do not stop reading: Top 5: Memorable Batman fights in the cinema
batman vs nightwing
When did it happen: Batman #600
Stage: the batcave
Moment by moment: After Bruce Wayne is framed for the murder of his girlfriend Vesper Fairchild, the Batfamily stages an intervention. Batman does not want to fight the charges and decides to abandon his identity as Bruce Wayne. He is very contemptuous of his allies when they ask for explanations and Nightwing ends up losing his mind. Dick lands the first blow and the battle begins. Batman evades most of Nightwing’s punches and refuses to answer his questions, which only infuriates Dick even more. In his fury, he accidentally destroys Jason Todd’s monument, ending the fight.
The winner: The fight ended before a proper victor could be determined, but based on their immature behavior, neither man was the victor here.
Batman vs. Batgirl
When it happened: Batgirl #50 from 2004
Stage: Bristol Cemetery, and eventually all of Gotham City
Moment by moment: Batman and Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) become infected with a drug called Soul, which is said to send its users into violent fits of rage. The two allies fiercely fight each other in a battle that takes them throughout the city. Nightwing, Oracle, and Robin try to catch up with the frenzied combatants, hoping to heal them before anyone dies. Collateral damage is significant and culminates in the explosion of a bridge. Shocked by the freezing water, the two hug each other, ending their fight. Later, Batman reveals to Oracle that the drug had only a minor effect on them and that the fight was his way of giving Cassandra therapy. Sometimes Batman has strange battles.
The winner: Let’s be clear, the only reason Batman survived is because Batgirl allowed him to survive. This could technically be a draw, but only because Cass didn’t unleash her full power.
Batman vs. red-robin
When did it happen: Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Red Robin #1
Stage: The rooftops of Amsterdam
Moment by moment: Undercover as a killer known as the Insider, Bruce is tasked with killing Red Robin, prompting the two crime fighters to mount a fight to keep up appearances. Never one to waste a good fight, Bruce decides to use the mock battle as an opportunity to test Tim’s skills. Red Robin accepts the challenge and rebuffs Bruce’s advances. As an Insider, Bruce is forced to rely on his suit’s technology to repel Red Robin’s blows. The pair trade blows for some time, eventually stopping their charade to stop a group of assassins. One of the forced battles for Batman, but spectacular.
The winner: Let’s call this a draw, but it’s worth noting that Tim’s fighting skills impressed Bruce.
Batman vs. bat-woman
When it happened: Batwoman #16 from 2018.
The sand: The Kane Industries Building
Moment by moment: Batman attempts to apprehend the villainous Alice, but Batwoman believes her sister can still redeem herself. Fearing that a stint in Arkham will kill her, Batwoman attacks Batman and attempts to escape her with Alice. It’s as much a chase as it is an actual fight, with Batwoman barely keeping one step ahead of Batman, Kate is finally able to use the building’s public address system to play the sound of a gunshot, triggering Bruce’s childhood trauma. Batwoman takes advantage of the delay to knock down a piece of architecture, trapping the Dark Knight.
The winner: Kate’s exact phrase was “I @#$%!@# won.”
batman vs. alfred
When did it happen: The Batman Who Laughs #4
The sand: the batcave
Moment by moment: Bruce has allowed the Joker’s toxin to infect him and has donned a visor that once belonged to The Batman Who Laughs. He thinks his connection to the Dark Multiverse will be to his advantage. Alfred is understandably worried and takes Bruce’s visor away. Still infused with the Joker’s toxin, Bruce surprisingly attacks Alfred. However, the butler proves to be an effective fighter, dealing multiple blows to the Dark Knight. Batman ends up overpowering Alfred, but his butler’s tears snap him out of his manic rage, ending the fight.
The winner: I give this one to Alfred as he landed numerous punches on Bruce before the fight was stopped.
When family vs. family, no one wins except the readers, because let’s face it, it’s dramatic and a lot of fun to watch. Their fights can be violent and sometimes cause property damage, but in the end, you couldn’t ask for a better family than the Bat-Family, partly because of all their bickering. If Bruce, Dick, Cass, Tim, Kate, and Alfred can put aside the emotions of their past fights over and over again to come to each other’s rescue and support, then you know their relationship is built on a solid foundation. And that’s a good thing because it doesn’t look like the infighting within the Batfamily is going to end anytime soon. Tell us, what other battles of Batman against his allies do you think we will see in the future?
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about television, movies, and comics for dccomics.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, “Gotham Gazette.” Follow him on Twitter at @TBUJosh.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC Entertainment or Warner Bros.
Source: DCComics.com
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