Controversial Batfamily Opinions

[Zaresh]

I'm beginning to fall out of love with the concept of the batfamily myself. It's become increasingly obvious that they aren't a team of equally respected heroes like the JL or Titans, but instead just Batman's cabal of disposable sidekicks, that can be fed to whatever villain of the month for easy drama.

But that's not a problem of the concept. It's a problem of what they do with it in the actual Batman book.

[Tzigone]

That the Batam need to be less characters. It's just they keep growing the characters but sometimes the main cast suffers more.

I'm kinda in the same boat. I don't want lose any of the characters I like, but I don't think they manage/balance the characters well, and don't want any new characters added because TPTB will diminish the ones already there. I haven't read very much New 52, so I'm willing to discard all those characters, as I don't know them, but of course, people who do like them won't feel that way. Huntress and Batwoman are fine to me, but should be outside the Batfam (especially Huntress). Read very little of Jeal Paul and not interested. But at least not creating new characters seems a safe bet - not one will be upset their character is neglected if the character is never created in the first place. Actually, regarding N52 characters, I wouldn't mind keeping Duke, but would prefer him be like I like Huntress and Batwoman and not much work with Batman.

I'm beginning to fall out of love with the concept of the batfamily myself. It's become increasingly obvious that they aren't a team of equally respected heroes like the JL or Titans, but instead just Batman's cabal of disposable sidekicks

Yep. And what makes it so much worse for me is that it's not just DC's attitude, but that Bruce seems to value them so lightly - maybe not their lives/deaths, but in terms of respect and caring about their happiness, etc.

I liked Tim better back when he had a dad and stepmom and civilian friends and so forth.

[Sergard]

For me its Tim Drake. I'm not quite sure why. I just cannot for the life of me find his character interesting like the rest of the Batfamily. [...]

For me it's Dick Grayson. I just can't bring myself to like him.
Although I don't hope that he slips on a banana peel and breaks his neck.
Everyone should be allowed to enjoy their favorite characters.

[johnpeelgothisgun]

Yep. And what makes it so much worse for me is that it's not just DC's attitude, but that Bruce seems to value them so lightly - maybe not their lives/deaths, but in terms of respect and caring about their happiness, etc.

For me, the Batfamily is pretty much what we're shown in the Batcave in "Death of the Family": Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, Barbara, and Alfred. I'd guess that most of the writers and many of the readers feel the same way and this is given expression in the Joker's selection of victims. The Joker has more than once been employed as a Mary Sue-ish mouthpiece.

I liked Tim better back when he had a dad and stepmom and civilian friends and so forth.

Yes. I wish they'd stuck to Wolfman's original idea of Tim.

[AmiMizuno]

I feel like the best way is to keep major character and the rest of the new characters should be expand family. We see them but not has often That maybe some of them are in the TT or other groups and return to the Batfam if they are very serious. I mean Batwing? I feel there really is no reason for them to always appear.

[jetengine]

The issue isnt Batman its comics in general. For the family to work you need growth and only two characters have had any substantial growth.

Dick - Done when you could feasibly make big changes and have them stick.
Jason - Was a footnote for 30 odd years so when he came back he HAD to be different.

[Aahz]

I'm kinda in the same boat. I don't want lose any of the characters I like, but I don't think they manage/balance the characters well, and don't want any new characters added because TPTB will diminish the ones already there. I haven't read very much New 52, so I'm willing to discard all those characters, as I don't know them, but of course, people who do like them won't feel that way. Huntress and Batwoman are fine to me, but should be outside the Batfam (especially Huntress). Read very little of Jeal Paul and not interested. But at least not creating new characters seems a safe bet - not one will be upset their character is neglected if the character is never created in the first place. Actually, regarding N52 characters, I wouldn't mind keeping Duke, but would prefer him be like I like Huntress and Batwoman and not much work with Batman.

I think about 10 the max of what the writers could handle and the franchise can support.

[phantom1592]

I think about 10 the max of what the writers could handle and the franchise can support.

Man... they don't even let the Justice League get past 7 very often.... I really don't like 'Batman' books to be full legitimate 'Team' books. Just not enough spotlight to go around. A partner or two maybe... but either someone's getting too much attention... or someone else is pushed off and forgotten about completely... Not a lot of middle ground here.

[WonderNight]

Man... they don't even let the Justice League get past 7 very often.... I really don't like 'Batman' books to be full legitimate 'Team' books. Just not enough spotlight to go around. A partner or two maybe... but either someone's getting too much attention... or someone else is pushed off and forgotten about completely... Not a lot of middle ground here.

Yeap so please move nightwing to another office please. There's no room in the bat office.

[Agent Z]

Yeap so please move nightwing to another office please. There's no room in the bat office.

What other office would take him?

[Restingvoice]

For me it's Dick Grayson. I just can't bring myself to like him.
Although I don't hope that he slips on a banana peel and breaks his neck.
Everyone should be allowed to enjoy their favorite characters.

It didn't involve a banana but he already broke his neck XD

Wait let me count the Batfam members again, starting with the ones with costume
1. Bruce
2. Dick
3. Selina
4. Jason
5. Tim
6. Steph
7. Cass
8. Helena
9. Duke
10. Luke
11. Jean-Paul
12. Kate
13. Bette
Then the ones not in costume but close enough proximity to be recurring
14. Alfred
15. Gordon
16. Lucius
17. Leslie
Then the ones in or out of costume but inactive
18. Harper
19. Harold Alnut
Then the extended family
20. Cullen Row
21. Tamara Fox
22. Tiffany Fox
23. Lucius' wife
24. Duke's... brother?
25. Duke's parents
Then the ones who died but once has been a supporting cast
26. Tim's parents
More of the forgotten ones
27. Kathy Kane
28. Onyx
29. Sasha Bordeaux (I think she's in Wonder Woman now)
30. Misfit? Or does she count as Birds of Prey supporting cast?
Became Enemy
31. Gotham Girl
32. Holly Robinson
Another one I forgot if you wanna count her
33. Kitrina Falcone (Catgirl)
Might as well since he's in the Batman Family book in the 70s
34. Kirk Langstrom
and his family, a wife and two kids

Accidentally deleted
35. Babs
36. Damian

[RedBird]

It didn't involve a banana but he already broke his neck XD

Wait let me count the Batfam members again, starting with the ones with costume
1. Bruce
2. Dick
3. Selina
4. Jason
5. Tim
6. Steph
7. Cass
8. Helena
9. Duke
10. Luke
11. Jean-Paul
12. Kate
13. Bette
Then the ones not in costume but close enough proximity to be recurring
14. Alfred
15. Gordon
16. Lucius
17. Leslie
Then the ones in or out of costume but inactive
18. Harper
19. Harold Alnut
Then the extended family
20. Cullen Row
21. Tamara Fox
22. Tiffany Fox
23. Lucius' wife
24. Duke's... brother?
25. Duke's parents
Then the ones who died but once has been a supporting cast
26. Tim's parents
More of the forgotten ones
27. Kathy Kane
28. Onyx
29. Sasha Bordeaux (I think she's in Wonder Woman now)
30. Misfit? Or does she count as Birds of Prey supporting cast?
Became Enemy
31. Gotham Girl
32. Holly Robinson
Another one I forgot if you wanna count her
33. Kitrina Falcone (Catgirl)
Might as well since he's in the Batman Family book in the 70s
34. Kirk Langstrom
and his family, a wife and two kids

There's also Babs and Damian.

[Restingvoice]

There's also Babs and Damian.

Oh, I deleted them? That was my second list. My first one includes Babs and Dami but I included everyone so the second one I categorize them better.

[Gotham citizen]

It didn't involve a banana but he already broke his neck XD

Wait let me count the Batfam members again, starting with the ones with costume
1. Bruce
2. Dick
3. Selina
4. Jason
5. Tim
6. Steph
7. Cass
8. Helena
9. Duke
10. Luke
11. Jean-Paul
12. Kate
13. Bette
Then the ones not in costume but close enough proximity to be recurring
14. Alfred
15. Gordon
16. Lucius
17. Leslie
Then the ones in or out of costume but inactive
18. Harper
19. Harold Alnut
Then the extended family
20. Cullen Row
21. Tamara Fox
22. Tiffany Fox
23. Lucius' wife
24. Duke's... brother?
25. Duke's parents
Then the ones who died but once has been a supporting cast
26. Tim's parents
More of the forgotten ones
27. Kathy Kane
28. Onyx
29. Sasha Bordeaux (I think she's in Wonder Woman now)
30. Misfit? Or does she count as Birds of Prey supporting cast?
Became Enemy
31. Gotham Girl
32. Holly Robinson
Another one I forgot if you wanna count her
33. Kitrina Falcone (Catgirl)
Might as well since he's in the Batman Family book in the 70s
34. Kirk Langstrom
and his family, a wife and two kids

Accidentally deleted
35. Babs
36. Damian

And I thought the X-men roster was too large.

[Aahz]

Man... they don't even let the Justice League get past 7 very often.... I really don't like 'Batman' books to be full legitimate 'Team' books. Just not enough spotlight to go around. A partner or two maybe... but either someone's getting too much attention... or someone else is pushed off and forgotten about completely... Not a lot of middle ground here.

In the late 90s early 2000s, they had the following members running around in costume, and back then it worked quite good:
1. Bruce
2. Dick
3. Tim
4. Barbara
5. Cass
6. Steph
7. Selina
8. Helena
9. Jean-Paul

So I think that's about the maximum you could do. Of course it is easier with less, and I'm not sure if the current writers could handle that many characters.