10 Times Batman Was a Great Dad

Batman often gets a reputation as being a bad dad, which I believe is definitely blown out of proportion and mostly undeserved. Don’t get me wrong, he is not perfect by any means. Most of the time, Bruce is an emotionally constipated man who doesn’t know how to reach out to others in any way other than their space in the mission of Batman. However, that has never stopped Batman from trying to be a father. He’s adopted or fathered no less than five children, and is a surrogate father or father figure to a few more characters at least. Despite all the emotional baggage he carries and his general fear of letting people in, Bruce has still grown into a great father to his kids. 

There’s a reason there’s a meme that Batman will adopt every orphan he sees, and genuinely there is some truth to that. Bruce cannot help himself from wanting to comfort and connect with kids who have experienced pain, just like he has. He has strong paternal instincts, even if his own bullheadedness and bad writing get in the way sometimes. And to back up my claim, let’s look at ten times Batman has been an amazing father to his many children.

1) Convince Cass To Forgive Herself

Cassandra Cain has always had a death wish, never forgiving that she killed a man at her birth father Cain’s orders when she was just a little girl. It’s what drove her to be a hero for so long. But Batman would not accept her throwing her life away. In Gotham Knights #2, Batman and Batgirl board a ship that is rapidly sinking. Batgirl pushes Batman and an unconscious criminal out of the way, trapping herself inside a room. Batman knows that she’s trying to die to make up for her past, and while he could easily get her out of the room, he knows that won’t help her in the long run. Instead, he tells Cass that the only way to move forward is to let go of that self-hate, just like he has in the past. He lets her make the choice to save herself. Not just physically, but spiritually lifting the weight of her death wish and helping her fly.

2) Batman Embraces Who Jason Is

Batman and Jason Todd butt head a lot. Often it seems like they hate each other, but in actuality it stems from how deeply they care for each other. Still, they have hurt each other plenty over the years, both purposefully and accidentally. They fundamentally disagree on how to save the world, and as long as both stick to their principals they will never see eye to eye, but despite how much he disapproves of what Jason does, Bruce has accepted that Jason should be who he needs to be. In Red Hood and the Outlaws volume two #1, Batman tells Jason that he doesn’t need Jason to be like him, he just wants Jason to be himself and be the best person he can be. Then, the two eat fast food like the night they first met. Even if DC is going to make them fight again, these two still care deeply for each other.

3) Support Damian’s Normal Life

If you know anything about Damian Wayne’s history, then you know he’s never experienced what it’s like to live a normal life. Neither has his father. But that’s exactly what makes Bruce’s attempt to help Damian live like a normal teenager in the first thirteen issues of volume three of Batman and Robin so incredible. He has Damian start attending high school, and he’s there to support him every step of the way, such as Bruce cheering for Damian while he’s trying out for the soccer team in issue, or this panel of him praising Damian’s sketches from issue #6. The whole arc is about the two learning to be father and son, not just Batman and Robin, and it’s incredible how supportive Bruce is the whole way through. He shows interest in and encourages all of Damian’s passions outside the mask, and wants to see him grow into his own man with his own goals. More of this, please.

4) Stay in When Jason was Sick

Red Hood and the Outlaws volume two #3 shows us a flashback early on in Jason’s career as Robin. He came down with the flu and was benched until he recovered. The dejected Jason mopes around on the couch and snaps at Alfred, until Bruce walks in and tells him he’s taking the night off, too. Jason falls asleep against Bruce’s shoulder as they watch TV. Everyone knows how obsessed Bruce is with his mission to save Gotham, so the fact that willingly took a night off without input from anyone else just to spend time with his sick son shows exactly how much he loves Jason. This is the perfect father-son moment between the two of them and definitely better than the two being forced to hate each other twenty minutes after they reconcile just so they can reconcile again at the end of the next arc.

5) Dick is His Measuring Stick For Being A Good Person

In Infinite Crisis #3, the Superman of Earth-2 is trying to convince New Earth Batman that life will be better if the two worlds are folded together, because everyone is a better person on Earth-2. Batman responds by asking if Earth-2 Dick is better, to which Superman says no. Dick Grayson is the person Batman believes in most, the ultimate symbol of hope. Superman says that everyone is better on Earth-2 so it’s only right to let the two worlds combine, but Batman argues that can’t be true because Dick Grayson is such an amazing person here. Bruce cannot imagine him being any better of a person than he already is. He believes in Dick’s goodness so much that he forces Superman to admit there is some incredible goodness present on New Earth as well. Batman will always put his faith in Dick Grayson. He fights for his world with his son as the ultimate example of the good it can produce.

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6) Tell Duke He’s a Gift to Gotham

Duke Thomas is the newest addition to the Bat Family, and while both of his parents are still alive, they were driven crazy by Joker Gas, and Duke was taken in by Batman. He was trained to be his newest partner in the war to save Gotham City, with Duke operating in the daytime, unlike the other heroes who operate at night. In Batman and the Signal #3, Duke is facing doubts about why Batman chose him to be a hero, and Batman immediately reassures him. Bruce believes in Duke, and chose him to be the Signal because Duke is a hero, all he needed was the training and someone to believe in him. Bruce did, and he inspired Signal to save Gotham in a way only he could.

7) Adopt Tim Drake After His Dad Died

Tim Drake’s dad was unfortunately killed by Captain Boomerang in the atrocious Identity Crisis comic, leaving Tim an orphan. Bruce immediately stepped up to care for the young Robin, and let him stay in the manor. In Batman #654, Bruce talks to Tim about living in the Manor permanently. Importantly, in order to do so legally, Bruce would have to adopt Tim as his son. Instead of just doing it, he talks to Tim and asks what he wants. Bruce makes it clear that he doesn’t want to replace Tim’s father, but wants to support Tim in whatever way Tim wants him to. Tim breaks down and hugs Bruce, to which he responds by hugging back and telling him everything will be okay. It’s a beautiful moment, as all of the scenes of Batman adopting one of his kids are.

8) Tell Dick He Inspires Him

In Nightwing #100, Bruce and Dick meet at Alfred’s grave, where Bruce talks about how important Dick is to him. He says that Dick is the person that inspires him, and how proud he is of everything Dick has done, both as a hero and as a person. Bruce has never been one who could show his love easily, which is what makes his earnest speech hit all the harder. The two bond over how much Alfred meant to both of them, and how much they love each other. It ends with Bruce and Dick hugging, with Dick telling Bruce that he loves him and calling him dad. This is easily one of the most heartwarming Batman moments of all time, and firmly cements that all of Batman’s kids should call him dad because it’s beautiful.

9) Give Cass Her First Birthday Gift

Cassandra Cain never celebrated a birthday before becoming Batgirl, and she didn’t even know what day she was born. In Batgirl volume one #33, Bruce wants to celebrate the one year anniversary of her becoming Batgirl because he wants to give her a day to celebrate. It makes Cass desperate to know her real birthday. Later, when she takes on a fake identity as a reporter to get into prison to confront her birth father, David Cain about the identity of a villain, she asks him, and he eventually tells her that it’s January 26. After leaving, Batman finds her and gives Cass her first ever birthday gift. She insists that it’s not really her birthday, but Batman says she can decide that for herself. In the end, he only wanted to make his daughter happy by giving her something she’s never been able to have before, and that is something only a great dad would do. I love this moment to pieces, and it’s probably my favorite on this list.

10) Fight Darkseid to Bring Damian Back

In Batman Inc. volume two #8, in a fight against Talia al Ghul and the Damian-clone Heretic, Damian was killed. Bruce, who already went through losing a son once, went absolutely ballistic. He became obsessed with finding a way to bring his son back to life, looking for any way he could possibly have a chance. The “Robin Rising” event chronologues Batman’s desperate plan to revive his son the only way he found how: by invading Apokolips and using the Omega Sanction. Batman literally fights the God of Evil in a one on one in order to save his son, and he wins. This is the ultimate statement that Batman will stop at nothing to help the people he cares for, because if he’s willing to fight Darkseid on his own turf then nothing else could possibly stand in his way.

So there we have ten moments where Batman was a great dad. He’s not perfect, and he makes more than his fair share of mistakes along the way, but at the end of the day Bruce loves his kids. He cherishes each and every one of them, and wants nothing more than for them to reach their full potential and be happy. Batman is a good father, and I need to see more content from DC showcasing this. But while these are ten great moments, they are far from the only ones. Let us know what BatDad moment is your favorite in the comments below!