Who has been a better/good mentor to his protege?

[theoneandonly]

I came across a discussion in Wally's appreciation thread comparing the mentors and felt curious about whom do most consider the best/good mentors in the DCU who have taken care of their protégé and been there for them when they needed them. I think the best mentor/student relationship was dick and Damian when they were operating as Batman and Robin together. Jay also was a good father figure for Barry Wally and impulse to follow. Anyway what's your opinion?

[Masterff]

I came across a discussion in Wally's appreciation thread comparing the mentors and felt curious about whom do most consider the best/good mentors in the DCU who have taken care of their protégé and been there for them when they needed them. I think the best mentor/student relationship was dick and Damian when they were operating as Batman and Robin together. Jay also was a good father figure for Barry Wally and impulse to follow. Anyway what's your opinion?

It depends what you count:
-Comics
-Series
-Elseworld Comics
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[DGraysonWorldsGreatestSpy]

Golden Age Batman & Robin/World’s Finest

[byrd156]

Well I already laid my thoughts out in that discussion but it has to be Dick and Bruce. Wally and Barry a close second only because their relationship had to end with Barry's death.

[Spider-Ham]

Pre-Final Crisis, Barry Allen is the best mentor, hands down.

Max Mercury was great with Bart.

Good times ...

[Fuzzy Barbarian]

Barry with Wally. He was the family that Wally needed and gave him everything he needed to become a better hero, yet the two are distinct.

Dick and Damian would be a close second. Once Dick found out that replicating Bruce with the kid didn't work, he went for his own style that fit Damian -- they were brothers and partners, not father and son, and Dick allowed Damian enough freedom to show that he trusted the kid. Bruce and Dick... I always felt like Dick became who he is partly because of Bruce, but partly DESPITE Bruce.

Oh, and I guess Clark and Jon Kent, though it helps that both of them are pretty healthy individuals without too much baggage. That's just a healthy father-son relationship.

[lemonpeace]

Surprisingly, Deathstroke has a more transparent and consistent mentor/mentee relationship Wallace than Barry did; even though it started with Slade stealing his powers and Wallace trying to spy on Slade. However, that may just be a result of the writers behind the respectively relationships. I wouldn't mind being Slade taking Wallace under his wing more

[Frontier]

Barry and Wally

Bruce and Dick

Bruce and Tim

Dick and Damian

Superman and Superboy (Jon)

Max Mercury and Impulse

Jay Garrick to all The Flashes

Surprisingly, Deathstroke has a more transparent and consistent mentor/mentee relationship Wallace than Barry did; even though it started with Slade stealing his powers and Wallace trying to spy on Slade. However, that may just be a result of the writers behind the respectively relationships. I wouldn't mind being Slade taking Wallace under his wing more

I guess "transparent" in that Slade is upfront about how much of a @#$% he is and what he expects from people even if that often ends with him using them to kill someone or get what he wants.

I think Barry tried his best with Wallace but Wallace's own personal issues always gets in the way. Sometimes it doesn't seem like it matters what Barry does, Wallace will latch onto anything to stay angry at him and reset their relationship back to square one.

[MajorHoy]

Ambush Bug with Cheeks the Toy Wonder.

[Dred]

Max and Bart. Nothing ever came along and spoiled it like Barry did with Wally (who would otherwise be #1) and it was perfect from start to finish. Dick and Damian and Clark and Jon are in the running but they didn't last very long so it's hard for me to put them over Max and Bart or Barry and Wally for that reason.

Surprisingly, Deathstroke has a more transparent and consistent mentor/mentee relationship Wallace than Barry did; even though it started with Slade stealing his powers and Wallace trying to spy on Slade. However, that may just be a result of the writers behind the respectively relationships. I wouldn't mind being Slade taking Wallace under his wing more

You can't possibly put Slade in this topic. Dude is a psychopathic, manipulative monster to all those he brings under his wing.

[Ascended]

I think Bruce and Dick would rate pretty high up the rankings if their relationship hadn't fallen apart in the modern era.

Barry and Wally, or Max and Bart.....basically any of the Flash combos except Wally and Bart, probably deserve the #1 spot.

Dick and Damian definitely had a great dynamic.

Diana and Cassie had a pretty good relationship, but I feel like Cass went her own way too soon to really call it a "mentor/mentee" relationship.

Clark and Jon are definitely in the running but Jon has only been around a couple years, not enough time to really judge yet.

[married guy]

The gold goes to: Barry Allen to Wally West - hands down
Silver is awarded to: Dick Grayson to Damian Wayne - I wasn't sure about this at first, but man was I wrong! Brilliantly written.
And taking the bronze: Max Mercury to Bart Allen - In particular the dynamic in the Waid/Ramos issues. A dirty word in DC - FUN!!

[Jim Kelly]

Sadly these relationships are up to the whims of the writers.

In the 1960s, I greatly admired the relationship between Bruce and Dick--especially as written by Gardner Fox. To me this was the model and I wished my father was as supportive of me as Bruce was of Dick. Since then, a lot of writers have tried to retcon the relationship to turn it into abuse.

Likewise, Oliver Queen and Roy Harper were virtually a copy of Bruce and Dick. Yet for the sake of doing his drug story, Denny O'Neil threw that all out the window faster that Daenaerys Targaryen can burn a child to a crisp with dragonfire--to justify Roy turning to H to deal with the pain of rejection.

Barry and Wally seem like the mentor/protégé relationship that has survived the most extreme changes in continuity. However, it should be remembered that the original Wally West had two loving parents and didn't need for another supportive male in his life. This lasted right up until his time with the New Teen Titans in the early 1980s--as proved by his letter to "Dear Mom and Dad" in THE NEW TEEN TITANS 20 (June 1982). That parental bond with his father was sacrificed for the sake of 1987's MILLENNIUM event, in FLASH 8 and 9. So by the time that Mark Waid did "Thunder Struck" in FLASH 62 (Early May 1992), Barry and Iris now had served as surrogate parents, making up for the dysfunctional relationship Wally had with his real parents.

[Frontier]

I think Bruce and Dick would rate pretty high up the rankings if their relationship hadn't fallen apart in the modern era.

I can only think of Bruce and Dick as being really strained at the height of the "Batjerk" era around Murder/Fugitive.

Post-Infinite Crisis and beyond I think they, on average, are portrayed to have a pretty strong and positive relationship. At least when compared to that or Bruce's relati

Diana and Cassie had a pretty good relationship, but I feel like Cass went her own way too soon to really call it a "mentor/mentee" relationship.

At least it's more significant then Diana and Donna...

[lemonpeace]

Max and Bart. Nothing ever came along and spoiled it like Barry did with Wally (who would otherwise be #1) and it was perfect from start to finish. Dick and Damian and Clark and Jon are in the running but they didn't last very long so it's hard for me to put them over Max and Bart or Barry and Wally for that reason.



You can't possibly put Slade in this topic. Dude is a psychopathic, manipulative monster to all those he brings under his wing.

Yet, still a better mentor to Wallace than Barry. I mean, Slade definitely had his own motives and wasn't the most loving/supporting but, as an anti-villain, he was the perfect mentor for someone as lost as Wallace was at the time. He shot straight it with him, gave him somewhere to belong when Damian put him out, and gave him the experience and cynicism needed to be a more competent individual; as opposed to Barry who (despite my love for the character) rarely ever could get it together mentoring Wallace. I mean, it says a lot that Wallace still has yet to NEED Barry since leaving to do his own thing. Imo, in the rankings of Wallace's mentors it's:

1. Meena (far and away his best mentor)
2. Slade
3. Himself (particularly since joining with the Teen Titans)
4. Barry

But as I said earlier, this could very much just be indicative of the competence of the writers when handling the character. Priest tends to write a more compelling Wallace as opposed to Williamson who for whatever reason just doesn't seem to have the voice for Wallace that doesn't come off stereotypical and/or angsty.