Batman The 6 Best NonSuperhero Characters

Batman: The 6 Best Non-Superhero Characters

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Batman is the core pillar of DC’s Gotham City, but his rise in prominence spawned a variety of great non-superhero characters.

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Batman The 6 Best NonSuperhero Characters

DC Comics’ flagship superhero, Batman, spawned a wealth of beloved lore and stories across every medium he’s featured in. Since the comic book medium and superhero genre has long since established the multiverse concept as a form of plot device, various creators have lent their talents to give fans different takes and stories on the hero and his world.

The 80-plus-year-long expanse of the Dark Knight’s corner of the DC universe has given way to a wide cast of compelling, non-superhero characters, as well. Whether they’re Bat-family-adjacent characters or one of Batman’s many supervillains from his vast Rogues Gallery, these characters further enrich the mythos surrounding the Caped Crusader and the city he fights for.

Commissioner James Gordon

Batman The 6 Best NonSuperhero Characters

Some fans may debate whether Commissioner James Gordon is or isn’t a part of the Bat-family, but no one will debate the fact that he’s a crucial cog in Batman and the Bat-family’s line of work. Fans typically say that members of the family are those who know and work with him as Bruce Wayne, but Gordon is one of Batman’s best friends in the comics.

Year One is commonly regarded as the Dark Knight’s definitive origin story, and it also served as a great parallel origin for Jim Gordon. Ultimately, they’re both flawed human beings that are still trying to do the most good they can with the poor hands they were dealt — i.e. Gotham City’s underworld. Their character dynamic makes each of their personal developments all the more satisfying.

Alfred Pennyworth

Batman The 6 Best NonSuperhero Characters

More than just a butler, Alfred Pennyworth is the heart and soul of Batman and the rest of the Bat-family. He’s also one of Batman’s best comic book mentors, having taught Bruce skills in acting and makeup to play up a persona. However, some of the biggest things that Alfred provided Bruce was a surrogate father to an eight-year-old orphan that watched his parents get taken from him.

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One of the biggest running themes of Batman as a character is his complex and traumatized psyche, but Alfred is largely responsible for being his moral and spiritual anchor helping him grow out from the rough, unrefined early years like in Arkham Origins. If it wasn’t for the loving and nurturing Alfred Pennyworth, Batman would have descended into something far darker and jaded akin to the Thomas Wayne version of Batman — or Marvel’s Punisher.

Leslie Thompkins

Batman The 6 Best NonSuperhero Characters

In the Batman corner of the DC worlds, Leslie Thompkins is perhaps one of the most underrated allies and friends of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Dr. Thompkins has long since been a family friend of the Waynes and became a surrogate mother figure for Bruce after Thomas and Martha were murdered. She runs a clinic to help Gotham City’s disenfranchised, with Leslie and Bruce supporting each other’s efforts.

One of the best depictions of this character was in the Batman: The Animated Series episode where the Dark Knight visits Crime Alley on the anniversary of his parents’ deaths. Leslie is a strong-willed, compassionate, and empathetic woman who is one of Gotham — and Batman’s — unsung heroes in the vast cast of characters within the mythos.

Joker

Batman The 6 Best NonSuperhero Characters

The Clown Prince of Crime doesn’t need much of an introduction, as the Joker is one of Batman’s best supervillains. Along with the psychological themes surrounding Batman, specifically, the Joker’s psyche is another one of the most fascinating elements to explore. The psychotic supervillain is constantly out to prove they are destined for one another and are the same, but what they are is two separate sides of the same coin.

Batman took a time of tragedy in his life and forged it into an indomitable force for good, flaws and all. The Joker, meanwhile, took an (alleged) moment of tragedy and used it as an excuse to break and warp into something sinister. The Killing Joke is a great example of this dichotomy, with Batman towards the end exposing Joker as being a coward for desperately trying to justify his heinous nature. They have one of the most compelling dynamics in comics and, in a sense, are a metaphorical representation of a mutually abusive relationship.

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Lucius Fox

Batman The 6 Best NonSuperhero Characters

Though Bruce Wayne has more than enough resources to fashion the Batman mantle together, he started in a place without the connections he needed to do it discreetly. Though Year One is Batman’s best comic origin, he was far from his tactical best, including what was in his arsenal of gadgets at the time. Lucius Fox is a brilliant inventor, businessman, and entrepreneur who eventually comes to handle Bruce’s business dealings to fund Batman’s nocturnal missions.

Vital “gadgets” like the Batwing or Batmobile wouldn’t be sustainable for Bruce if not for Lucius’ expertise in getting the tools necessary for it. Fox is another invaluable friend and ally to Batman and has been across several adaptations — including Morgan Freeman’s charming portrayal in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. Not to mention that he’s the father of Luke and Tim Fox, Bat-family members Batwing, and (in a future timeline) the next Batman.

Oracle

Barbara Gordon as Oracle is a technical non-superhero character within the Bat-family. Before becoming Oracle, Barbara Gordon served as the original Batgirl. However, as the first tragic point of conflict in The Killing Joke comic, the Joker paralyzes her from the waist down. Still hungry to help Batman and Co fight crime in Gotham, she became their “eye in the sky.” While the Bat-family is filled with classified geniuses, Barbara Gordon still ranks among the family’s elite.

In this role, Oracle works in the “Clock Tower,” functioning as the family’s center of command when Batman is in the field. She provides in-the-moment analysis and solutions to whatever Batman might face, specializing in computer science and hacking. Oracle’s run can’t be understated even with such a growing family, as she’s often been a deciding factor in whether a mission succeeded or failed.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/batman-best-non-superhero-characters/

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