Underrated Bat-Family Detective? [Poll]

[Godlike13]

this is the biggest cap. Dick at worst just isn't regarded as the literal best detective, not being regarded as the best of the best of the best doesn't make him underrated; it just mean he's not one of the best. but even with that, again, DC consistently is hammering how perfect at everything Dick is, including his detective skills. I get you are a Dick fan, but him and underrated (in terms of what's on the page) have never met; let alone is he more underrated than anyone in this list not name Tim Drake or Bruce Wayne.

Dick isn’t regarded equal to the amount or the performance he does and has done it at. Just in his circle alone, second to Bruce he has most likely done it the most and longest yet is considered 5th tier at best or lower. That’s being underrated. I get your not a Dick fan, but DC doesn’t protect him as you claim they do. Dick’s reputation tends to exists as it does today so he can act as a benchmark. He’s the first one they usually offer up. Save for back flips, if he’s good at something he good at it to help them demonstrate how so and so is better. Even with characters like Duke.

[Tzigone]

He’s the first one they usually offer up. Save for back flips if he’s good at something he good at it to help them demonstrate how so and so is better.

Remind me of the complaint that Superman is too often used to lose to another hero/villain to establish the other character's impressiveness. I don't think it's all that incorrect, at least at times.

[Aahz]

Steph: Same problem with Dick, kinda worse for her since unlike Dick most DC writers only see her as Tim's girlfriend.

Thing is that Steph simply doesn't has (or at least in the comics from the 90s and early 2000s) the kind of detective training the other Robins got.
And I don't think that there are many comics that show her doing detective work.

[MajorHoy]

Thing is that Steph simply doesn't has (or at least in the comics from the 90s and early 2000s) the kind of detective training the other Robins got.
And I don't think that there are many comics that show her doing detective work.

Not even in her pre-New52 Batgirl series?

[Aahz]

Not even in her pre-New52 Batgirl series?

I would have to reread that, but even there she had iirc often either Oracle or Proxy as hacker support.

And this series ran anyway for just 2 years, and the current version of Steph seems closer in age and experience level to her portrait pre Batgirl.

[MajorHoy]

With 53 people having voted so far,

* Nightwing (Dick Grayson) = 18 votes
* Red Hood (Jason Todd) = 10 votes
* Robin (Damian Wayne) = 5 votes
* Spoiler (Stephanie Brown) = 4 votes

All other choices have less than four votes, though there are a few (Red Robin (Tim Drake) / Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) / Signal (Duke Thomas) / Commissioner James Gordon) who currently have three votes each.

[Blue22]

Like others have said, pretty much everyone but Bruce and Tim get overlooked as far as detective skills go. But I think the ones that's happened to the most are definitely Dick, Jason, and Steph. Though I think it's gotten better for Dick. Especially with shows like Young Justice and Titans coming in and highlighting that aspect of him more than even the acrobatics that he's more well known for.

Like...you don't get to be Batman's partner without being smart as ****.

[MajorHoy]

With 56 people having voted,

* Nightwing (Dick Grayson) = 20 votes
* Red Hood (Jason Todd) = 11 votes
* Robin (Damian Wayne) = 5 votes
* Spoiler (Stephanie Brown) = 4 votes

All other choices still have less than four votes for each.

[sunofdarkchild]

Steph has been shown many times to be able to see things that Batman and Robin miss, especially when it comes to her father. In her original origin Batman never would have known there was a crime about to happen without her tipping him off. Later when she was kidnapped Batman assumed it was so the criminals would have leverage over Cluemaster, and she was the one who realized Cluemaster was the one who came up with the idea to kidnap her her to make him look innocent. In Eternal the fact that Batman is so focused on the big rogues that he is missing the small ones is a major plot point and again something that only she is able to figure out. There is a consistent pattern of her being able able to see things the rest of the bat-family is too detached to see.

[Lady Nightwing]

People actually voted for Tim in this poll? Seriously?! If Tim even shows up in a book and does practically nothing, other characters are tripping over themselves to extol his intelligence.

[MajorHoy]

People actually voted for Tim in this poll? Seriously?! If Tim even shows up in a book and does practically nothing, other characters are tripping over themselves to extol his intelligence.

Depends on who's writing Tim.

During the New52, Tim often seemed a bit clueless / useless.

Then when Tynion was using him in Detective Comics at the start of Rebirth, Tim was treated like the smartest, bestest human being in the Multiverse and beyond.

(And how did Dick Grayson get so many votes? Has he been treated as an "underrated detective" since before the start of this century?)

[Lady Nightwing]

I agree that sometimes Tim is just...window dressing but that will seldom stop another character reminding us, the reader, that Tim is a genius.

I personally voted for Dick many moons ago when this poll was first launched and I stand by it. He's gone from a careful planner and tactician, to a sort of himbo who improvises on the fly.

[Daedalus]

Depends on who's writing Tim.

During the New52, Tim often seemed a bit clueless / useless.

Then when Tynion was using him in Detective Comics at the start of Rebirth, Tim was treated like the smartest, bestest human being in the Multiverse and beyond.

(And how did Dick Grayson get so many votes? Has he been treated as an "underrated detective" since before the start of this century?)

I didn't vote for Dick, but I imagine the question being phrased as "Underrated" has something to do with it.

I love Tim, but I recognize that in-universe people are always recognizing his brilliance. He can't really be underrated. Same for Bruce.

I voted for Jim Gordon, who may have figured out the identity of everyone depending on your interpretation of his panels. Your mileage may vary on how impressive a feat that is. Either way, Jim Gordon deserves more love.

[SiegePerilous02]

Dick's taken some hits in detective skills, usually when he's around Bruce, Barbara and Tim. He was never as good as Batman on the detective front, but he was very close because he naturally would be: he was around Bruce and learning from him almost 24/ and was naturally intelligent on his own.

I know some of the fanbase and writers extoll how great he is, but it often comes across as lip service and he is viewed by the fandom as some Manic Pixie Dream Boy jock instead of an intelligent detective.

Steph's intelligence is often downplayed too like some have said. She's not a detective, but she has her clever and scrappy moments.

[MajorHoy]

From the original post:

Screw all those other polls about power levels and crap! Let’s focus on what makes Batman unique: his detective skills. Sure he can jump around rooftops with his billions and punch thugs into crippling debt faster than the candy man can… but so can Green Arrow. What sets Bruce apart his world class detective skills - something that he has passed on to every protege and something that every close ally of his have in common.

This poll asks the question: who is, in your opinion, the most underrated detective in the bat-family?

This poll is not asking who the best detective in the family is - but who in the family is commonly regarded as less skilled then they actually are.

You could make an argument for Dick, who was trained personally by Bruce. You could make an argument for Cassandra, who is able to detect the truth through body reading. You could make an argument for Jean-Paul, as The System implanted within him has incredible knowledge on every subject. Or do you think the Dark Knight himself is downplayed in his own domain?

Vote in the poll, make your case and we’ll see who the dark horse detective truly is.

With 70 people having voted,

* Nightwing (Dick Grayson) = 26 votes
* Red Hood (Jason Todd) = 12 votes
* Red Robin (Tim Drake) = 6 votes
* Spoiler (Stephanie Brown) = 6 votes
* Robin (Damian Wayne) = 5 votes
* Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) = 4 votes
* Commissioner James Gordon = 4 votes

All other choices still have less than four votes each.