As one of the greatest and most popular comic book heroes ever, Batman has certainly had a lot on his plate over the years. In fact, there have been several times where Bruce Wayne himself could no longer be Batman, passing the mantle off to someone else in the process.
While fans still have attachments to characters like Jean Paul Valley, Dick Grayson, and Jim Gordon in their time as Batman, there are plenty of other characters within the DC universe who are worthy of being Gotham City’s primary protector. In fact, plenty of women are more than qualified to take on the mantle for themselves, should anything drastic happen to Batman once again. Looking specifically at some of the more qualified candidates, here is our list of the ten most capable women of taking over Batman’s cowl.
10 Talia Al Ghul
Though she has certainly had her differences with the Dark Knight over the years, there’s no denying how close Batman and Talia al Ghul have been over the years. Likewise, while she may be willing to take things to the extreme, Talia does still believe that she is serving the greater good at heart.
Despite her willingness to kill, Talia is still the mother of Damian, Bruce’s only son. Because of this, it is possible that Talia could change her ways if anything were to happen to her beloved Detective. However unlikely it may be, Talia’s martial arts skills are still incredibly deadly, and her training with her father would easily make her an effective Dark Knight. Should she be willing to spare the criminals in her way, Talia would actually make for a good Batwoman.
9 Harper Row
Few characters in Gotham are actually able to match Harper Row’s engineering skills and intelligence. Furthermore, since she has already fought alongside Batman as Bluebird, she already has a great feel for how Bruce operates in the field.
Unfortunately, an ideological difference drove Harper away from the rest of the Bat-Family. With that in mind, however, she certainly has her own ideas on how to clean up the streets of Gotham. While she may do things a bit differently from Bruce, there’s no denying that Harper could still do a great job as a replacement, all while putting her own spin on the character.
8 Bette Kane
As the original Batgirl, Bette Kane would also make a decent replacement for Batman if need be. Granted, the character has certainly had a complicated role in the DC universe ever since Crisis On Infinite Earths, but she has remained a hero throughout all the various changes made to her character.
More recently, the character has been going by Flamebird instead, and has still proven to be quite the fighter. Furthermore, as the cousin of Kate Kane, Batwoman, Bette also has loose ties to Bruce Wayne. Though she is distant family, Bette still isn’t the worst option to replace Batman in a crisis, especially if given a bit more time and experience.
7 Huntress
In recent years, Helena Bertinelli has really grown a lot as a character. Despite her rather dark and tragic background, Huntress has still proven to be an incredibly deadly fighter, and has even worked her way up in terms of status.
Since the launch of the New 52, the character has been depicted as an agent of Spyral, training other young women in various forms of martial arts. While she may be a little more lethal than Batman would prefer, she has certainly proven that she is capable of getting the job done. Likewise, her experience with the Birds of Prey has only made her more deadly. While she may not be his first choice, Huntress is still qualified to replace Batman in a pinch.
6 Renee Montoya
As a seasoned detective on the GCPD, Renee Montoya has shown a lot of promise in several fields. Not only is she a great hand-to-hand fighter, but she also has a brilliant mind, making it easy to see why Vic Sage chose her to replace him as Question.
Granted, Renee’s fighting skills could still use some work, as she is nowhere near the same level as other members of the Bat-Family, but she still shows a lot of promise. Furthermore, there is much more to Batman than simply being able to throw a punch, making Renee’s mind a valuable factor should she replace Batman.
5 Stephanie Brown
Given that she was already Robin, Stephanie Brown is a bit more likely to make a better Batwoman than others on this list. With that in mind, however, the character didn’t last long as the Girl Wonder, and definitely has some different ideas from the Caped Crusader himself.
However, Stephanie has still proven to be a very good hero, and has really grown into her own as Spoiler. Likewise, before the New 52, she also proved to make a great Batgirl. With great fighting skills and the blessing from the two Batgirls before her, Stephanie is easily one of Gotham’s greatest protectors, even if she does things a bit differently.
4 Cassandra Cain
Batman himself has stated that Cassandra Cain would likely surpass him one day in terms of fighting ability. Considering the fact that her parents are two of the deadliest assassins in the entire DC universe, it only makes sense that Cassandra would be a very effective crimefighter.
Throughout her time as Batgirl, and then later Orphan, Cassandra has shown to be one of the most promising hand-to-hand fighters that Batman has ever worked with. Despite the fact that she generally doesn’t speak, Cassandra has arguably made for a more frightening character than Batman himself, making her a great replacement should anything happen to the Dark Knight.
3 Barbara Gordon
It is no secret that Batman is one of the smartest minds in the entire DC universe. However, one of the few characters who may have him beat is none other than Barbara Gordon. Even during the years she was paralyzed, Barbara continued to fight crime as Oracle, providing all sorts of intelligence and information to some of the biggest names in DC Comics.
As of the New 52, the character has regained the ability to use her legs, and has resumed fighting crime as Batgirl once again. Though she is nowhere near as brutal as Batman typically is, Barbara still has a lot of compassion which could certainly come in handy after years of doing things Bruce’s way. With sharp reflexes and an even sharper mind, Barbara would definitely fill in nicely for Bruce.
2 Batwoman
As Bruce’s cousin, Kate Kane has recently seen a surge in popularity thanks to her show on The CW Network. Since she first became Batwoman, the character has actually come a pretty long way in terms of her relationship with Bruce and the rest of Gotham.
Granted, she still doesn’t believe that everything Batman does is the right way to do things, and she is certainly likely to make a few key changes if she were Gotham’s primary defender. However, she has still shown that she cares about people, and is still a very effective crimefighter. Though Bruce may feel like she needs a slight moral adjustment, she would still make for a great substitute in his absence.
1 Catwoman
Given her history as a villain, Catwoman may not seem like the best replacement for Batman initially. Considering her current relationship with the Dark Knight, however, it is hard to imagine anyone else replacing him.
While the two are not officially married, it is clear that Selina will remain a key part in Batman's life for the foreseeable future. Likewise, she has also grown a lot as a character since getting serious with Bruce, and would likely want to honor him by doing things the way he did. Since few other characters actually know Batman better than Selina does, she would likely make the best replacement for Batman.