A defining characteristic that inspires many comic book superheroes to do what they do is a moment of tragedy in their past that shapes them to help others with their extraordinary gifts, and DC created the mold with characters like Batman, who survived his own defining tragedy to become one of the world's greatest heroes.
Batman has saved the world countless times both by himself and as a member of the Justice League, highlighting the delicate balancing act of a hero like Batman, who continues to prevent other's tragedies while still suffering his own in his never-ending battle against a cowardly and superstitious lot.
10 Suffered: Broken By Bane
Batman dealt with a great personal tragedy when the powerful and brilliant Bane arrived in Gotham City prior to the Knightfall event. He quickly set his sights on Batman, deduced his identity, and released the inmates at Arkham Asylum to tire out his chosen nemesis.
Bane then attacked Batman at Wayne Manor and brutally beat the weakened and exhausted Batman. He broke Batman's back and threw him into the streets of Gotham City for everyone to see, nearly breaking Bruce Wayne's spirit as well as his body.
9 Prevented: Contagion
When a mysterious and deadly infectious plague known as The Clench found its way to Gotham City in the "Contagion" storyline, Batman wasted no time and organized the Bat-Family together to track the source of the infection and find a cure before it spread.
The Apocalypse Virus, as it was also known, returned to threaten the entire world during the follow-up "Legacy" storyline, which revealed that Ra's al Ghul had allied with Bane and planned to use the virus to first decimate Earth's population before taking control. Batman was able to distribute a cure and stop Bane's nuclear meltdown in Gotham City.
8 Suffered: No Man's Land
Following the devastating earthquake in the "Cataclysm" event that nearly destroyed Gotham City and severed it from the rest of the U.S., it became a No Man's Land that was soon taken over and divided by supervillains while the police struggled to maintain order.
Batman was suspiciously absent for the early days of the event as he came to terms with his failure to protect his city from a series of disastrous attacks. Batman also spent his time away preparing himself to take back his lost city and restore it to the Gotham City he swore to protect once again.
7 Prevented: Stopped A White Martian Invasion
When the greatest DC heroes finally joined together again as the JLA in the 90s, they were almost immediately upstaged by a new superhero group known as the Hyperclan, who won the planet's trust before secretly attacking and capturing the League.
Thankfully Batman avoided capture, and he quickly deduced that the powerful members of the Hypeclan were actually dangerous White Martians. He quickly exploited their weakness to fire and managed to free the rest of the League, stopping the ongoing invasion of Earth.
6 Suffered: Death Of Alfred
Bane's first few attacks on Batman may have managed to break him physically, but it was only recently during the "City of Bane" storyline that fans saw the depths the villain was willing to go to strike a blow at the heart of the Bat-family.
Gotham City was taken over by Bane and his powerful team of villains who managed to capture Alfred, the man who helped raise Bruce Wayne and use him to keep the Bat-family out of the city. However, when Damian Wayne/Robin broke the mandate he was captured, Bane broke Alfred's neck right in front of him, leaving Batman and his family to recover from the tragedy.
5 Prevented: Flashpoint
When Barry Allen/The Flash rewrote the DC timeline and created the Flashpoint universe, he drastically altered the course of events for a number of heroes. Bruce Wayne was killed as a child during the iconic mugging instead of his parents.
Thomas Wayne became a darker, more violent version of Batman while Martha Wayne went insane and became the Flashpoint's Joker. Thomas Wayne helped Barry get his speed, fought in a world-threatening war, and even killed Reverse-Flash, freeing Barry to run back in time and fix reality before it was too late.
4 Suffered: Lost His Robins
Batman doesn't work alone in his fight to keep Gotham City safe and he has assembled a well-trained team that has become his extended family, though he has lost more than a few soldiers in his ongoing war on crime.
Jason Todd was the first Robin to fall at The Joker's hands (though he later returned as Red Hood), and Stephanie Brown/Spoiler ended her short-lived career as Robin with her presumed death during the "War Games" storyline. He also lost his son Damian after an encounter with the Heretic, though he was able to fight through the hell pits of Apokolips to bring Robin back.
3 Prevented: Killed Darkseid
While Superman was ultimately the hero who managed to save the dying universe during the Final Crisis event, it was Batman who managed to take Darkseid out of the fight after he had initially been taken and imprisoned by the New God's forces.
Darkseid's plans to unleash the Anti-Life Equation on Earth were stopped when Batman shot Darkseid with a radion bullet, fatally wounding the powerful villain. Unfortunately, Batman was killed moments after by Darkseid's deadly Omega Effect, though it was later revealed he was only sent back in time.
2 Suffered: Death Of His Parents
Young Bruce Wayne's life was put on a dark but heroic path when he suffered the biggest tragedy of his life that forever shaped him after his parents were murdered in front of him as they took a shortcut through Crime Alley after a late movie.
A mugger named Joe Chill (hired by enemies of Thomas Wayne in some continuities) shot and killed Thomas and Martha Wayne, leaving Bruce behind with their bodies. This singular tragedy was Bruce's defining moment that forever altered his life and gave the DC universe one of its greatest heroes, in most realities.
1 Prevented: Dark Nights: Metal
While the Justice League and the rest of the DC Universe were involved in the multiverse-threatening Dark Nights: Metal event that introduced readers to the Dark Multiverse, Batman was essential in powering up the League with Tenth Metal armor.
He was also responsible for stopping The Batman Who Laughs' final plans which forced him to side with his greatest enemy Joker. He was also the one who saved the Monitor who revealed how to save Earth from falling into the Dark Multiverse, saving the day until Heavy Metal again put the universe in jeopardy.