The Bat Family has been around since Robin's debut in Detective Comics #38. The pair has teamed up to fight the criminal underbelly of Gotham City and recruited new members along the way. Bruce Wayne wasn't the only person affected so deeply by the crime that riddles the city. People like Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon also responded to the call of justice as well. It meant stepping up to some of the most deranged and terrifying criminals (along with theatrical) that prey on Gotham citizens for selfish and psychotic reasons. Folks like Dick and Babs decided to create their own vigilante identities which came with their own iconic suits.
The Bat Family is huge now! There are members coming and going constantly, with a family that is currently getting a chance to shine especially in Detective Comics under the Rebirth banner. They all have different suits with different capabilities, each of which allows its wearer to have their skills shine through while they battle evil in Gotham and the world. Some of their suits are technological wonders while some started off with extreme vulnerabilities. We looked through their suits and found the best of the best, along with some suits that just don't seem fit to the kind of violence and mysteries they endure.
15 DICK GRAYSON'S FIRST NIGHTWING SUIT
During Tales of the Teen Titans, Dick Grayson was no longer Robin and wanted to reinvent his superhero identity, so he decided to fashion one out of his own legacy and a Kryptonian hero Superman told him about. He became Nightwing. His first suit wasn't at all like the one that's been etched into our minds. Stylistically, it reflected Grayson's history before Batman when he was a circus performer with his family.
While this suit was made of the same fire-resistant and kevlar-lined material as the other suits in the Bat-Family, it had some serious tactical disadvantages. For one, it didn't have the utility belt that Robin's suit had. This gives Grayson a serious lack of room for any gadgets in his arsenal. It also featured a pretty open chest area that could potentially be used to hurt or kill the young hero.
14 BETTE KANE'S BAT-GIRL SUIT
Bette Kane was the original Batgirl (or Bat-Girl during her run) before Barbara Gordon ever made her debut as the vigilante in 1967, only six years after Kane's appearance. While Kane's time as Bat-Girl was erased from the continuity following the events in Crisis On Infinite Earths, she was still a member of the Bat Family a long time ago. However, Kane's costume wasn't the tactical and technological suit that Gordon later used during her time as Batgirl.
Kane's suit was essentially a short-sleeved red dress with a green domino mask to keep her identity safe. She also carried a green purse where she had her crime-fighting gadgets, which were disguised as makeup supplies. This suit also suffered from unfortunately open areas of skin that could be exploited if and when a villain decided to target Bat-Girl.
13 JASON TODD'S FIRST RED HOOD SUIT
Jason Todd is one of the more tragic characters of DC Comics. Joker nearly beat him to death before killing him in an explosion. It was an act of violence that plagued the mind of the Caped Crusader for years to come. Todd was eventually resurrected by using the Lazarus Pit, which restored his health and memories. When he returned to Gotham City in Batman: Under The Hood, he took up the mantle of the Red Hood as an open defiance to the man who killed him (Red Hood was a former alias of the man who would become The Joker).
His suit consisted of cargo pants, a kevlar-lined shirt, a motorcycle jacket, and his famous red helmet. The helmet keeps his head protected more than the domino masks, and is equipped with built-in two-way transmitters. He also carries a blade and two pistols. The suit leaves a lot to be desired still, but that might be the way Todd likes it. He has a propensity for violence that gadgets might inhibit.
12 CASSANDRA CAIN'S ORPHAN SUIT
After Cassandra Cain's father, an assassin with the alias Orphan, sacrificed himself to save others from the tortures of his boss, Mother, she decided to take up her father's mantle. Cain was once Batgirl, but in her role as Orphan she found a way to pay tribute to her father. Her costume has a sleek design that looks like it takes inspiration from her time in the League of Assassins.
While her suit looks to be made of armor, her face mask does not seem to be made out of a particularly strong material. During a simulation training her and Gotham's other vigilantes (in Detective Comics), her mask is torn during an onslaught of Jokers. Her mask is also sewn shut similarly to her Batgirl costume, so her face isn't exposed at all. Like Todd, her suit doesn't have a ton of features as she enjoys hand to hand combat more than a reliance on gadgets.
11 TIM DRAKE'S ROBIN SUIT
Tim Drake became Robin following Dick Grayson's time as Batman's sidekick. His suit still had the same bullet-proof lined kevlar as well as the fire-resistant material of the original suit, but with some new additions. His suit had more defense features incorporated into it than Grayson's. The neck attachment of his cape was fortified with kevlar to protect it.
His suit also changed up the torso of the suit, which was now a reinforced vest with the signature Robin "R" redesigned and placed in the same area, but that could also serve as a shuriken. This suit also covered more of Drake's body than the previous suit did for Jason Todd or Dick Grayson. In addition to the batarangs and other weapons that have become a staple of the Bat Family, this suit was also given Drake's signature collapsable bo staff.
10 BATGIRL OF BURNSIDE SUIT
In the Post-Flashpoint continuity, Barbara Gordon was once again Batgirl. Her suit during this time had changed from the skin-tight suit that Batgirl wore to a tactical two-piece set made of the same materials necessary for crime fighting the insane degenerates of Gotham. This change was made because she needed an upgraded suit after her old one was seemingly destroyed in a fire.
This suit gave her a greater capacity to carry a ton of equipment for when she went out to fight crime. It also had a purple leather jacket, leather pants, a cape (attached to the jacket), and yellow gloves and boots. She also had batarangs and a utility belt with equipment that seems to be pretty standard for all the Bat Family suits.
9 DUKE THOMAS' FIRST SIGNAL SUIT
Duke Thomas was Robin for a hot second, but he was quickly given a different alias as his collaboration and training with Batman led to a new approach to vigilantism in Gotham. Batman wanted Duke to work outside of the parameters that the rest of the Bat Family worked. Specifically, Duke Thomas would take care of crime in Gotham City during the day.
His first suit looks more tactical than others in the Bat Family. He doesn't have a cape, but in its place he has two Eskrima Sticks that come together to look like a bat. He also wears a helmet similar to Red Hood, but instead he has a visor in the shape of a bat. In comparison to the other Bat-Family suits, his suit is a blend of Todd's Red Hood and Wayne's own Batsuit.
8 TIM DRAKE'S RED ROBIN SUIT
Tim Drake's Red Robin suit Pre-New 52 resembled the Dark Knight's own costume a lot more than his previous Robin suit. He let go of the domino mask that Nightwing and Robin were so famous for wearing and replaced it with a full cowl (minus the bat ears). It was the first time the suit looked like an actual robin as it also stuck to a stricter color scheme of mostly red and black with minimal yellow.
After a fight with Ra's al Ghul in Red Robin #12, he decided to add some more readily available weapons when it came to hand to hand combat. He added spiked gauntlets to inflict more damage if he ever lost possession of his bo staff during combat and carried throwing disc similar to batarangs. His cowl also provided more protection than the domino mask he wore during his time as Robin.
7 STEPHANIE BROWN'S SPOILER SUIT
Stephanie Brown is the only character in DC Comics' mainstream continuity to have been Robin and Batgirl for a time. After her "death," fan outcry had Brown return to life and the crime-fighting lifestyle. When she returned, it was under her first alias, Spoiler, and her costume is a purple cloak over some black tactical armor. Her name comes from her wanting to spoil the plans of her father, criminal The Cluemaster.
Spoiler also has Eskrima Sticks similar to Duke Thomas and Nightwing's weapons. Her suit even had the ability to go invisible if she needed at one point before the New 52 rebooted the continuity. She had stolen some tech that enabled her to do that at the time. It's unclear if she can still do so considering she hasn't used it during her Detective Comics run. However, she can shut-down Bat Family suits, like Batwoman and Batwing's, as she did during The Victim Syndicate finale.
6 JEAN PAUL VALLEY'S AZRAEL SUIT
Jean Paul Valley's Azrael suit looks the armor of a knight rather than the sophisticated technology it is. It has a cloak covering the armor along with his easily recognizable gauntlets. The Azrael suit is anything but a primitive piece of armor; in fact, it is actually an extremely complex and highly dangerous weapon in comparison to the suits of the Bat Family.
The suit known as The Suit Of Sorrows has an AI that pinpoints the weaknesses of an enemy. His suit also has gauntlets with blades attached and an AI system that anticipates an enemy's next move. Its AI system is so powerful it's driven some who wore the suit crazy because of too much input. Valley also always carries his flaming sword, aka the Sword of Sin, which can conjure up all the sins its victims are guilty of or haven't resolved.
5 DAMIAN WAYNE'S ROBIN SUIT
The son of Batman had to don the world famous sidekick Robin suit; it only makes sense, after all. His suit is less showy than Nightwing's and he actually has a heftier utility belt to ensure he has just what he needs to hand, just like his dad. This might be why Damian is so arrogant when he goes into battle, because he knows he has whatever tech necessary to find a solution (along with the fact he thinks he's the smartest person ever).
As Bruce Wayne's son, he shares a lot of qualities with the Caped Crusader as well as his mother Talia al Ghul. His intelligence coupled with his suit's resources gives him an insane advantage when he's in the field. His suit also has a para-cape similar to his father's (and other bat-suits) and a jetpack, as well as a tactical hood. Overall, his suit just outshines the capabilities of the Robin suits that came before it.
4 KATHERINE KANE'S BATWOMAN SUIT
Katherine Kane's Batwoman suit might be able to stand up to Bruce Wayne's own Batman suit. She is Bruce's cousin, of course, but she also has the same drive and skills to clean up the streets of Gotham of any crime. She has a complicated relationship with her father because of his overconfidence in the military's capabilities to do a better job at justice and control, but that just makes her even stronger in terms of standing out on her own.
Of course, her suit also has some serious tech in it. Before Rebirth, she had fear toxin sprayers in her gauntlets as well as other technology that most Bat Family suits have. During her time with the D.E.O. (Department of Extranormal Operations), she had these things called python coils which tightened on a criminal who struggled to take it off. During Rebirth, she had flamethrowers in her gauntlets. Her suit is also solar powered, as illustrated in her Fear and Loathing arc.
3 TERRY MCGINNIS' BATMAN BEYOND SUIT
Terry McGinnis was first introduced into the Batman mythos during his animated show Batman Beyond. This suit is one of the most technologically advanced Batsuits ever made, as Bruce Wayne built it well into his twilight years. It can adjust its size to the person who wears, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
It is strong enough to withstand attacks from Superman, whether it's his punches or otherwise. It's also resistant to bullets and even low levels of radiation. Terry's suit can also become invisible in cases where he needs to be extremely inconspicuous and there are directional mics in the fingers of the suit that can be pointed in the direction of people he's investigating. It also has a two-way audio-visual link with the Batcomputer, so that Terry and Bruce can strategize how to best approach a situation.
2 LUCAS FOX'S BATWING 2.0 SUIT
Lucas Fox, Lucius Fox's son, wore the second iteration of the Batwing suit. It has a lot of technological similarities to Batman Beyond's suit, but with some extra tricks up its sleeve. It can project holograms to show others outside the suit some information or anything he needs. It can also blind anyone near the suit with a light inside its bat symbol.
The suit also has the ability to administer medical attention to the person who is wearing it. Much like the Batman Beyond suit, the wearer's vital signs can be monitored remotely as well as on site, and his or her strength can be augmented. It also has the ability to fix a broken bone in place during combat and give the person wearing the suit pain medication if it's too great an injury.
1 BRUCE WAYNE'S BATMAN SUIT
It's a safe bet that if any of the other Bat-Family suits have it then it's probably also featured in Bruce Wayne's Batman suit. He has the electrical system throughout it that could incapacitate someone who gets too close, it has kevlar and carbon-nanotube fibers that make it difficult to tear, as well as a cape that shares a similar fortitude and functionality. The bodysuit had armor put into it that absorbs the impact of getting hit after his back was broken by Bane, as well as other anti-weapon fortifications, such as kevlar and stab-proof materials.
The cowl has been given so many features it's insane to think about. It has night vision and infrared in its lenses, as well as stun gas canisters that could go off should someone try to remove it. In All-Star Batman, he even pulls out the Bat-ears to reveal daggers. His utility belt has limitless potential as he's pulled out anything from batarangs to a Kryptonite ring. Overall, while he may not have superpowers... well, he actually kind of has a lot, thanks to this suit.