10 Batman Questions That Always Confused You

4. Why Did He Pick Azrael As His Replacement In Knightfall?

The nineties were a tepid time for the comics industry, but one character who managed to weather the storm (mostly) was Batman. Knightfall's Azrael may have boasted all the hallmarks of a rote nineties design, but he ended the decade as an integral and beloved Batman character, thanks largely to the event where he became Batman.

Everyone knows the story by now. Bruce Wayne over-stretches himself trying to quell a breakout from Arkham Asylum, pushes away his allies, and has his back broken in two by Bane. Bruce, now recovering, decides that Gotham still needs a Batman, and instructs Jean Paul Valley to take up the mantle while he recovers.

Valley proceeds to be an even more radical Dark Knight than Bruce could have imagined, outfitting himself in a new outfit and brutalising criminals left and right. It forces Bruce to return to Gotham to fight for the right to be Batman all over again, which he does.

But why Valley? Why, when faced with better options in Dick Grayson and even other DC heroes, did Bruce opt for a character who had only been around for just over a year?

The answer is somewhat tragic. Bruce knew that Dick was desperate to escape his shadow and assumed he'd balk at the prospect of being Batman, while Tim himself was too young. Valley, although a volatile option, was the only one he felt capable of shouldering the burden. A prime example of how Bruce isolating himself is never a good thing.