7 Times Batman Was Saved By A Sidekick

Performing rescues is a near-nightly feat for Batman, but even the World’s Greatest Detective needs to be saved from time to time, a task that his many allies have never hesitated to take on. Although Batman prefers to operate in the shadows, that has not stopped him from building up a vast collection of sidekicks and allies among his fellow heroes. The Dark Knight’s apprentice heroes in the Bat Family and his fellow leaders of DC’s superhero community in the Justice League respect and admire Batman as much as the denizens of Gotham City, and are always on hand to lend the Dark Knight support on missions of great importance.

While no superhero is arguably as synonymous with contingency planning as Batman is, even he occasionally finds himself in situations where a villain is a step or two ahead of him. In such instances, Batman’s sidekicks and allies have frequently come to some very memorable comic book rescues.

Here are 7 times where Batman was saved by one of his sidekicks, or other allies from DC’s pantheon of heroes.

7) Carrie Kelley – The Dark Knight Returns

Of the many Robins in the Bat Family, Carrie Kelley has a legacy all her own as the Robin of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. A Gotham City teenager who deeply hero-worships the Caped Crusader, Kelley comes to Batman’s aid shortly after he comes out of retirement. The older Batman is still getting back into his crime-fighting groove during a tough battle against a Gotham City gang known as the Mutants, and nearly gets himself killed.

After Carrie helps get Batman to safety, he determines she has what it takes to assume the mantle of Robin. Carrie went on to fight by Batman’s side throughout the story of The Dark Knight Returns, helping him liberate Gotham and start a new era, with an entire “Sons of Batman” gang (and eventually the entire surviving Justice League) behind them.

6) Green Arrow – The Dark Knight Returns

When Batman finds himself headed into a smackdown with Superman in The Dark Knight Returns, he calls upon an assist from the aging Oliver Queen a.k.a. Green Arrow. Oliver holds his own grudge against Superman, having lost his arm to the Man of Steel in an unexplained prior fight a decade earlier, before all superheroes save for Superman were outlawed by the U.S. government.

This makes the older Green Arrow more than happy to give an armored Batman a hand when he’s on the ropes during his fight with Superman. Oliver fires an arrow (with his teeth, no less) loaded with Kryptonite to weaken Superman, allowing Batman to gain the upper hand and win the showdown of heroes.

5) Superman

DC fans know Batman and Superman as sworn allies, with the duo carrying the title of the World’s Finest on team-ups, so it should come as no surprise that they have saved each other’s lives on many occasions. In Superman’s case, the instances of him saving Batman have included Superman intervening to save his friend and other Justice League heroes during Doomsday’s rampage in “The Death of Superman” story arc, culminating in the Man of Steel sacrificing himself to stop the Kryptonian beast.

Superman also saved Batman from an explosion caused by Hush in the “Batman: Hush” story arc, along with Superman having previously done everything in his power to hold back on the mind control Poison Ivy used on him to attack Batman. With such trust between them, it is only to be expected that the Last Son of Krypton will readily rescue the Dark Knight in a time of great need, and vice versa.

4) Alfred Pennyworth

As Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler (and, according to one fan theory, even his potential father), Alfred Pennyworth has been another of Batman’s most trusted allies, using his training and skill set to both aid the Dark Knight on many missions and save his life on others.

One such instance occurred early in Batman’s career in Batman #16, with Alfred directly aiding Batman and Robin in a fight against a Gotham City gang. Alfred also intervened in a fight between Batman and Superman in the Injustice universe, with Alfred taking a strength-enhancing pill to go toe-to-toe against the unhinged Man of Steel. With many other examples of Alfred stepping in at a crucial moment, he is one butler well-equipped for the life of a superhero. And during the more recent “City of Bane” story arc, Alfred even gave his life for Bruce, and still managed to “save” his ward from the brink of insanity, via a posthumous message. A good butler’s job is never done.

3) Tim Drake

The third canonical Robin, Tim Drake, is well known as one of the most brilliant members of the Bat-Family, piecing together the Dark Knight’s secret identity using detective skills equal to Batman himself. Tim’s own origin story as Robin begins with Batman reluctant to have him assume the mantle of the Boy Wonder after the death of Jason Todd, only for Tim to rescue Batman from the Scarecrow’s clutches, proving himself a more than capable ally and earning him the right to become the new Robin.

Tim continued to prove himself an invaluable ally to Batman on many occasions after that, standing as both a worthy bearer of the Robin legacy and one whose origin began with saving Batman’s life.

2) Catwoman

Batman’s greatest love, Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, has grown from a villainess to an anti-heroine, and her relationship with Batman has seen her save his life in numerous instances. The popular Batman story The Long Halloween is one of the most notable instances of Catwoman coming to Batman’s rescue, after Batman has been placed under the mind control of the ruthless villainess Poison Ivy.

Catwoman eventually intervened in the situation, defeating Poison Ivy and unshackling Batman from her control. There are plenty of other instances of Catwoman coming to the rescue in her relationship with Batman; her loose moral compass is rather forgivable with the help she has consistently provided to the Caped Crusader.

1) Dick Grayson

Batman’s most famous crime-fighting apprentice, Dick Grayson, is both the first Robin and eventually becomes the hero Nightwing. During their long-standing partnership, Dick has been a trusted ally who has saved Batman’s life on many occasions. One notable example is seen in “Batman: Hush”, in which Dick comes to Batman’s aid after the latter is badly wounded. Dick also saved his mentor in Batman: The Night of the Monster Men, in which Nightwing rescues Batman from the story’s titular monsters in the aftermath of a hurricane striking Gotham City.

Naturally, these examples only scratch the surface of the instances in which Dick Grayson has been a crucial ally to Batman. With many other examples, Nightwing’s training under the Dark Knight has more than shaped him into Batman’s heroic equal.

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