Best Bat-wife

[lilyrose]

This. It depends on which version of Batman you're talking about. IMO, these are the "One True Loves" of the "Canon" Comic Book Batmen:

Golden Age: Catwoman if we take Earth 2 into Account.
Silver Age: Batwoman
Bronze Age: Silver St. Cloud
Post-Crisis: Catwoman & Talia
New 52: I'd say no one
Rebirth: Catwoman

Then you have the iconic media versions:

'66: Crime Fighting
Burton/Schumacher: Ultimately No one
Timm: Andrea Beaumont
Nolan: Catwoman
Arkham Games: Talia

Really? I'd say this was probably Rachel

[marhawkman]

This. It depends on which version of Batman you're talking about. IMO, these are the "One True Loves" of the "Canon" Comic Book Batmen:

Golden Age: Catwoman if we take Earth 2 into Account.
Silver Age: Batwoman
Bronze Age: Silver St. Cloud
Post-Crisis: Catwoman & Talia
New 52: I'd say no one
Rebirth: Catwoman

Then you have the iconic media versions:

'66: Crime Fighting
Burton/Schumacher: Ultimately No one
Timm: Andrea Beaumont
Nolan: Catwoman
Arkham Games: Talia

By "Timm" do you mean DCAU? Hmmm that's an interesting one. As the Phantasm she really didn't do a whole lot of actually romancing him. He certainly cared about her, but after she left Gotham he didn't really have much contact with her. Even after he was reunited years later their relationship had seemingly gone cold.

There's so many different continuities it's difficult to answer.
Earth 2 Batman married Selina Kyle.
Some versions of Batman were sort of married to Talia.
Then you have elseworlds where he marries Kathy Kane or Julie Madison.

Yeah and I'm sure there's a so many throwaway one-off alt-Us that it'd be hard to make a full list. He's one of the most popular comic book characters ever.

[TheBatman]

Really? I'd say this was probably Rachel

Honestly...I pretty much agree, I only put Catwoman because that's who he ended up with and Rachel would've married Harvey had she lived.

By "Timm" do you mean DCAU? Hmmm that's an interesting one. As the Phantasm she really didn't do a whole lot of actually romancing him. He certainly cared about her, but after she left Gotham he didn't really have much contact with her. Even after he was reunited years later their relationship had seemingly gone cold.

While their reunion is initially frosty, they rekindle their relationship at some point in the film.

And regardless of what happens when she's Phantasm, in the flashbacks, its clear that Bruce is in love with her and connected to her in a way that he never allowed himself to be with Selina, Talia, Barbara, or Diana.

[SiegePerilous02]

This. It depends on which version of Batman you're talking about. IMO, these are the "One True Loves" of the "Canon" Comic Book Batmen:

Golden Age: Catwoman if we take Earth 2 into Account.
Silver Age: Batwoman
Bronze Age: Silver St. Cloud
Post-Crisis: Catwoman & Talia
New 52: I'd say no one
Rebirth: Catwoman

Then you have the iconic media versions:

'66: Crime Fighting
Burton/Schumacher: Ultimately No one
Timm: Andrea Beaumont
Nolan: Catwoman
Arkham Games: Talia

With Silver, she was only around for like 8 issues and written by one author in the Bronze Age. I don't know that I'd agree that she stands out as the one true love outside of Englehart, overall Talia and Selina still have an edge on her in that era. Which continued into post-Crisis.

I do agree that it's hard to pin down a love interest for the 90s films, but it Vicki and Selina stand out if only because they were in the most popular and iconic installments. And the latter portrayal was extremely popular on her own seperate from the romance, so that gives her a big edge over the others in those films.

Arkham Games is actually Joker

[Jim Kelly]

Silver is the one who got away. She was the one who got closest to Bruce that she could see he was Batman. She could have been a part of his life, but she chose not to. The fact that her story was short doesn't take away from the power of the telling. That short run made a dent.

[TheBatman]

Silver is the one who got away. She was the one who got closest to Bruce that she could see he was Batman. She could have been a part of his life, but she chose not to. The fact that her story was short doesn't take away from the power of the telling. That short run made a dent.

You hit the nail on the head.

[marhawkman]

While their reunion is initially frosty, they rekindle their relationship at some point in the film.

And regardless of what happens when she's Phantasm, in the flashbacks, its clear that Bruce is in love with her and connected to her in a way that he never allowed himself to be with Selina, Talia, Barbara, or Diana.

That's an odd one, because Bruce seemingly still likes her as Andrea, but not as the Phantasm. Also didn't she basically disappear and leave him alone at the end?

[Will Evans]

Sasha Bordeaux

[TheBatman]

That's an odd one, because Bruce seemingly still likes her as Andrea, but not as the Phantasm. Also didn't she basically disappear and leave him alone at the end?

...Let's just agree to disagree.

[Mia]

Until King's run I would have answered Selina but Nope.
Call me a crackpot but I think that King rather than being a shipper was anti Bat cat because he highlighted all the ways that Selina is a bad match up for bruce.

Anyone but Selina. That relationship is toxic as heck.

That Bruce after all these years needs Selina to teaching him how to throw his Batarangs.

Yes that's a thing that happened.

I think he knew exactly what he was doing. The dude had batman have sex on a pile of stolen diamonds.
I've seen married Batman and no thank you it was boring. I've also seen Bruce and Selina and no thank's.

Anyone but Selina. Preferably someone who can take a back seat and leave sidekick to Robin.

Also someone who isn't so keen on sex atop rat infested rooftops would be ideal.

Well said sir! King's whipped Batman....I don't know where to start.

Talia in character. Otherwise I am all for Wonder Woman from Joe Kelly JLA era.

[SiegePerilous02]

Well said sir! King's whipped Batman....I don't know where to start.

Talia in character. Otherwise I am all for Wonder Woman from Joe Kelly JLA era.

Talia's default setting in character is still to be at least passively on board with her father's plans of wiping out most of the human race.

It's never really been believable what they saw in each other beyond the obvious (they're both hot).

[Tzigone]

Talia's default setting in character is still to be at least passively on board with her father's plans of wiping out most of the human race.

It's never really been believable what they saw in each other beyond the obvious (they're both hot).

I rather agree. But then, I've never been a fan of Talia or R'as. I mean, I don't hate them - but they're just oridinary villains to me. She was more often grayer than he, but that's not saying much. She did a have a brief time of good guyness, and that's worth meriting. She was created as at best "grey" and "dangerous" - she amnesia drugged that person, and she was onboard with Robin's kidnapping and Batman forced into marriage with her. She also saved a kid and saved Bruce, too. Then, when redeemed (or at least free of her father, don't recall specifics) decided to go her own way. I'd say as introduced, she had some potential to go either way (I'm not sure a son would have been regarded as generously). Then her storyline finished. Then post-COIE rolled around. In the earliest stuff I've seen with her there (which isn't very earliest), she was definitely not on the side of the angels. Then more good, then more bad, now I've heard back the other way. Not interested enough to red books she's in just because she's in them, so only see her if she happens to be in something else I'm reading.

I can see what Talia and Bruce see beyond hotness in that I can see her being very much raised to value...eliteness, I guess? Exceptionalism? And Batman is absolutely that. For him, well Bruce has an attraction to bad girls, and there have been several to pique his interest. Obviously, part of that is just plots revolving around villains in some cases, nonetheless, it's happened often enough to be a trend (and I think he's ever been called on it back in the bronze age Nocturna era, though I already read about it, rather than reading actual stories). They are always hot villainesses, though.

[Vishop]

Talia's default setting in character is still to be at least passively on board with her father's plans of wiping out most of the human race.

It's never really been believable what they saw in each other beyond the obvious (they're both hot).

I think Talia's first and foremost recognition was that she was bound to his father or LOA. Her character hasn't been fallen to some antithesis after Morrison. These two have their own different agenda which clashed.
And somehow the line between love and hate made them attracted to each other and top of that this narrative had good storylines which most people underappreciate.

[SiegePerilous02]

I think Talia's first and foremost recognition was that she was bound to his father or LOA. Her character hasn't been fallen to some antithesis after Morrison. These two have their own different agenda which clashed.
And somehow the line between love and hate made them attracted to each other and top of that this narrative had good storylines which most people underappreciate.

I'm not sure what this means?

They have an attraction, but it's never been more than superficial for me. Bruce likes the bad girls he can try to reform, Talia I think loves the idea of him and the potential freedom he represents from her father, but they don't have much in common. And I think his blind spot means he lets her off the hook more than he should, whereas someone like Gail Simone's Black Canary has a much less favorable view of her after she attempted to emotionally manipulate Black Alice in a pretty cruel way.

But I'm pretty biased, I've never cared for the Al Ghuls all that much period.

[marhawkman]

In TAS Talia seemed to have a sort of puppy love style admiration from a distance as the basis of her feelings for Bruce. But why? Well he was one of the few people who had shown the ability to give her father problems. So it's the whole "attracted to strong men" thing.