When Bruce Wayne started his war on crime in Gotham, he never imagined that he'd have partners. He spent years preparing his mind and body to create Batman – a force designed to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. It wasn't long until Batman met others like him: young people just as driven as him and with personal reasons to fight crime.
Batman has more sidekicks than any other hero in the DC Universe. Being trained by him results in a formidable vigilante. Batman learned things the hard way and passed down all his knowledge to his proteges. However, despite his superior experience, there have been many times when Batman was unable to keep up with his sidekick.
10 Red Hood's Debut Had Him Constantly One Step Ahead Of Batman
After returning from the dead, Jason Todd became the Red Hood and hit Gotham's criminal underworld by making a deal with some and eliminating the ones who wouldn't work with him. Batman hunted him down but couldn't catch up to him for several issues.
When Batman finally fought Red Hood, he noted that Red Hood's training and weapons were just as good as his. Jason was waiting for Batman to put two and two together, and when Batman tried to shut Red Hood's operations down, he escaped again.
9 Cassandra Cain's Fighting Skills Surpass Batman's
Batman has mastered many forms of martial arts, and while he's one of the greatest hand-to-hand fighters, he isn't the best. There are trained assassins that outclass him, including Lady Shiva and her daughter Cassandra Cain. Never taught to speak, Cassandra was trained to read body language.
When Batman took Cassandra on as the latest Batgirl, he tested her skills, only to find that Cassandra was better than him. She proves her skills even further when she fights and eventually defeats Lady Shiva in a straight-up fight.
8 The Signal's Metahuman Abilities Let Him Do Things Batman Can't
Batman is a mentor to many heroes, and the number of proteges he acquired was never larger after the "We Are Robin" event. Duke Thomas, a young metahuman with light-based powers, became Batman's new sidekick, Signal. Batman gave Duke the customary training, but Signal had to figure out his powers on his own.
Batman stuck to operating at night while Signal became Gotham's daytime hero. Signal proved himself when villain Gnomon plunged Gotham into chaos. Signal was able to figure out where Gnomon was and defeated him before Batman could.
7 Oracle Is More Efficient At Monitoring Gotham Than Batman
Batman prides himself on his detective skills. He uses his mind first and foremost, while the Batcomputer and other technology he uses is supplemental. As Oracle, Barbara Gordon became a greater master of information than Batman and was able to cast a wider net than him.
Beginning with forming the Birds of Prey and continuing with a team of Batgirls, Oracle began gathering operates and monitored them through her base in the Gotham Clock Tower. She became so efficient that Batman ended up relying on her to help coordinate his team.
6 Huntress Surprises Batman With Intel On Gotham's Crime Families
Raised by a mafia crime family, Helena Bertinelli had a personal vendetta against organized crime ever since it targeted and killed her family. She became the Huntress to avenge them, but her lethal methods were too extreme for Batman, who never made her a formal partner.
Without Batman's approval, she became one of Oracle's operatives and went deep undercover to infiltrate a crime family. Batman was worried about her motivations, but Huntress ended up creating an atlas of organized crime in Gotham that included information Batman never learned.
5 Tim Drake Reaches Bane Before Batman
Soon after losing the second Robin, Batman took on Tim Drake and gave him extensive training to become the third Robin. Batman was protective of Tim and made sure he only operated as Robin under certain circumstances.
Batman's plans for Tim didn't hold up during Knightfall. Bane's plan to take down Batman involved breaking inmates out of Arkham, and thus, wearing down Batman as he recaptured them. Batman ended up pushing himself harder than ever, and while Robin was working surveillance, he ended up meeting Bane face to face without Batman.
4 Stephanie Brown Activated Batman's Contingency Plan Without Him Knowing
In between being Spoiler and Batgirl, Stephanie Brown had a short career as Robin. Stephanie was eager to please, so much so that she disobeyed an order from Batman to assist him. As a result, he had no choice but to fire her.
To get back into Batman's good graces, Stephanie enacted one of Batman's plans to unite Gotham's mobs. The mobs turned on each other and a gang war broke out in Gotham. Stephanie's mistake was not telling Batman, as his plan involved him leading the mobs as Matches Malone.
3 Batman Can't Run A Team As Well As Dick Grayson
Despite his reputation as a loner, not only has Batman been a member of various superhero teams, but he actually led the Outsiders. Batman has a naturally commanding presence, but he's not the leader Dick Grayson is.
When the Teen Titans and the Outsiders teamed up to find the Fearsome Five, Batman's leadership clashed with Robin's. Batman assumes command of both teams until Robin calls out Batman, insisting he knows his team better than Batman does. Ultimately, it was Robin calling the shots that led to both teams taking down the Fearsome Five.
2 Jason Todd Finds His Birth Mother And The Joker
Jason Todd's Robin was brash, and when Batman benched him, ended up on a quest to find his birth mother. As Batman hunted down the Joker, Jason traveled to the Middle East without telling Batman.
Both missions ended up crossing paths, as the Joker blackmailed Jason's mother into giving him medical supplies. Jason ends up finding more about the Joker's scheme than Batman does, and when Batman goes to chase after the Joker alone, Jason's desire to protect his mother leads him straight to the Joker and his own death.
1 Batman Is Unable To Stop Damian Wayne From Killing Morgan Ducard
It wasn't long until Bruce discovered he had a son and Damian Wayne became the new Robin. Trained by the League of Assassins, Damian was unused to restraint, and Batman struggled to keep him in line.
When Morgan Ducard, son of Bruce's former teacher Henri Ducard, came to Gotham, he attempted to recruit Damian. Morgan encouraged Damian's more violent behavior and Batman was unable to keep Damian at home. Although Damian was leading Morgan on until Batman could show up, Robin ultimately killed Morgan before Batman could stop him.