All Of Batman’s Mentors, Ranked

On one fateful night in Crime Alley, the DC Universe changed forever as a random mugger gunned down Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of their son, Bruce. Swearing to avenge their deaths and become the protector Gotham needs, Bruce dedicated his life to transforming his body and mind into a tool of vengeance. With his vast wealth, Bruce traveled the world to learn everything he could about science, criminology, engineering, stealth, investigation, and combat. He trained under experts in each field so that he could become a well-rounded crime-fighter. After over a decade of rigorous training under these mentors, Bruce had achieved near physical and mental perfection, and took on the name Batman. These are the mentors who helped Bruce reach his now legendary status as one of the greatest heroes in comic book history.

From experts in deduction to ninjitsu, these are the mentors who guided Bruce’s journey to become the Caped Crusader.

11) Don Miguel

Even Batman needed a driving instructor. To learn the skills required to drive in high-speed car chases, Bruce travelled to Brazil to be trained by the notorious criminal Don Miguel. Don had Bruce act as his getaway driver, teaching him how to perform fast-paced car tricks and maneuvers. Once Bruce learned everything he needed to know from the career criminal, he purposefully crashed his teacher’s getaway car. Bruce then knocked Don unconscious with a single punch. Thereafter, the police arrested Don for the 23 murders he had committed across 12 countries. Although Don was far from a good person, he helped teach Bruce the skills he needed to become the expert driver of the Batmobile that he is today.

10) Henri Ducard

Batman is a superhero who works outside the law to fight crime. To learn methods of tracking down and apprehending criminals without the aid of law enforcement, Bruce traveled to Paris to work under the tutelage of the detective and manhunter Henri Ducard. Henri educated the young Bruce in various forms of deduction and tracking. However, Bruce resigned from being Henri’s protégé when he realized that the detective worked with criminals as a deadly assassin and mercenary. Despite renouncing Henri’s immoral activities, Bruce still incorporated the assassin’s skills of tracking and police evasion into his vigilante work.

9) Richard Dragon

Richard Dragon is one of the greatest martial artists in DC Comics, having trained numerous superheroes, including the Question, Huntress, and the original Batgirl. Unlike other mentors on this ranked list, Richard didn’t teach Bruce before he became Batman. Instead, Richard became Bruce’s mentor after Bane shattered the Caped Crusader’s back, leaving him paralyzed. Richard taught Bruce various ancient techniques that enabled Bruce to heal in record time, growing even stronger than he had been before. While Batman had been adept in martial arts, Richard brought his skills up to a new level. 

8) David Cain

David Cain, one of the deadliest assassins in the world, is proficient in methods of killing and multiple combat techniques. He took Bruce under his wing to teach the young orphan various deadly skills to dispose of his enemies. However, David didn’t realize that Bruce was only using his training sessions to learn how to combat adversaries, similar to Cain, who were fighting with the intent to kill. Furthermore, Bruce created non-lethal versions of David’s fighting techniques, allowing him to quickly and efficiently incapacitate criminals. Bruce wasn’t the only person David mentored: he also trained the world-famous assassin and supervillain Wade Wilson, aka Deathstroke. In addition, David is also the father of Cassandra Cain, whom he also trained to be a heartless killer. In a welcome turn of events, Cassandra eventually abandoned her father’s lethal methods to become Batman’s sidekick, the second Batgirl. To further distance herself from her father, Cassandra later took on the superhero name “Orphan.”

7) Giovanni “John” Zatara

Throughout Batman’s long history as a superhero, he has been captured and subdued by many supervillains, only to break free and save the day. To become a master escape artist, Bruce trained under the tutelage of the stage magician Giovanni John Zatara. From straightjackets to death traps, Zatara educated Bruce in the art of escapology. The relationship between the two was first introduced in the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series and later adapted into the comics. However, Zatara is far more than just a master of escapism, as he is also a powerful mystical sorcerer and superhero. Bruce never learned magic, but the techniques he did learn from Zatara have proven to be helpful time and again. Zatara is most well-known for his daughter, the dazzling superheroine Zatanna. Because of their shared history under Zatara’s guidance, the Dark Knight and Zatanna have developed a close friendship rooted in their shared teenage years.

6) Harvey Harris

To become the World’s Greatest Detective, a young Bruce trained under one of the best detectives in Gotham City: Harvey Harris. Harris agreed to mentor the young Brice as a show of gratitude after he saved Harris’ life from a murder attempt. Not wanting to reveal his identity, Bruce donned a bright, colorful costume. Of course, with his brilliant observational skills, Harvey quickly figured out that the masked hero was none other than the young billionaire orphan Bruce Wayne. However, undeterred by this fact, Harvey still decided to teach Bruce the art of deduction and investigation. The Gotham detective even gave Bruce the idea of the name “Robin,” inspired by the colorful disguise Bruce had worn – a costume that later became Dick Grayson’s first costume as the Caped Crusader’s sidekick.

5) Wildcat

Ted Grant, aka Wildcat, is a Golden Age superhero and world-famous boxer with a long history of training some of the best fighters in DC Comics. Framed for murder, Ted became a crime-fighter to clear his name.After he found the real culprit and proved his innocence, Ted joined the Justice Society, where he has served as an active member for decades. Along with Black Canary and Catwoman, Ted acted as a fighting instructor for Bruce. A heavyweight boxing champion proficient in four martial arts styles, Ted showed Bruce how to absorb and dish out severe damage. Wildcat showed Bruce that you don’t always need gadgets or ninja techniques to fight crime. Sometimes, you just need a mean right hook.

4) Kirigi

Bruce travelled to North Korea to train under Kirigi, one of the greatest martial fighting instructors in the world. A master of ninjutsu, Kirigi instructed Bruce in the stealthy arts of the ninja. In addition to Bruce, Kirigi also trained some other of DC Comics’ greatest fighters, including Bronze Tiger, Kyodai Ken, Lady Shiva, and Ra’s al Ghul’s League of Assassins. Kirigi’s most powerful move is the vibrating palm technique, which can easily kill a person in a single strike if performed correctly. Although Bruce never used Kirigi’s deadliest technique, he still implemented all the skills he learned from Kirigi to become a master of stealth in the alleys of Gotham.

3) Sergei Alexandrov

As evidenced by all the tools within his utility belt, Batman is a master of gadgets. Bruce went to train underSergei Alexandrov, a Russian mechanical engineer and inventor. Sergei taught Bruce everything he knew about engineering so that he could design and create his own gadgets. Everything from grappling guns to explosive batarangs can be traced back to the lessons given by Sergi. The Russian scientist also helped Bruce think more creatively when solving problems. Given that villains like the Riddler consistently try to outsmart Batman, this lesson became especially important in helping Batman to frame his strategies and survive. Under Sergei’s tutelage, Batman became one of the greatest gadgeteers in the DC Universe.

2) Shihan Matsuda

An old master of ninjitsu, Shihan Matsuda’s impact on Bruce’s crusade runs deeper than any technique he ever taught the young man. A Buddhist monk in Japan, Matsuda helped hone Bruce’s skills as a ninja to near perfection. Under Matsuda’s tutelage, Bruce learned to manipulate his body temperature at will and mastered the art of sword fighting. Despite all the good Matsuda did for him, Bruce’s time with his mentor ended up reinforcing one of Bruce’s most significant psychological traits, his distrust of other people and their motives.During his time at Matsuda’s dojo, Bruce fell in love with a woman named Mio. Sadly, it turned out that Mio was an assassin hired to kill Matsuda, a mission which she accomplished. With his dying breath, Matsuda told Bruce to never trust anyone. The final words of his master stayed with Bruce, as even today, he has a hard time opening himself up to other people, out of fear of being betrayed.   

1) Alfred Pennyworth

After the deaths of his parents, no one had a bigger impact on Bruce’s life than his butler/surrogate father, Alfred Pennyworth. As a former British secret agent, Alfred had many skills that Bruce incorporated into his life both as a vigilante and a public figure. Bruce learned to treat his own wounds thanks to Alfred, who educated him in combat medicine. Alfred also trained Bruce in the arts of voice mimicry, disguises, and acting, all of which helped Bruce to go undercover in Gotham’s seedy underbelly and to keep up appearances as a fun-loving billionaire playboy. Moreover, these skills help Bruce deflect any potential suspicion of his double life as the Dark Knight. Alfred’s most important contribution, however, is that for Bruce’s entire life, he has been there to be a source of wisdom and guidance. He keeps Bruce grounded, helping to ensure that the boy he raised doesn’t let anger and vengeance take over his life. Without Alfred, neither the generous Bruce Wayne nor the heroic Batman would exist.

10 Batmen From Around the World