10 Batmen Who Aren't Bruce Wayne

After Gotham was left without a Dark Knight, DC decided to tweak the villain Azrael and place him on the side of the leatherwinged angels. Azrael is the perfect representation of "edgy" 90's comics, who's batsuit had more actual edges, blades, belts and pouches than could ever be practical.

Jean-Paul Valley is a genetically modified and brainwashed member of the "The Sacred Order of Saint Dumas" a religious cult that utilizes Valley as an assassin, code named "Azrael". After encountering Batman and realizing hes being manipulated by The Order he begins working with the Bat-Family.

Our new Batman hadn't been completely freed from The Orders manipulation and his mental state begins to fracture even further. Hallucinations of his father and St. Dumas urge Azrael to match his enemies viciousness. A parallel could be drawn between these visions and Bruce's haunting memories of his parents that motivate him.

Azrael's grasp on reality loosens as the safety of bystanders becomes less of a priority and he murders villains with abandon. He has difficulty focusing on anything outside of his war on crime, something that could also be attributed to Bruce.

Bruce recovers and must take the Batman persona back from Valley by force. Feeling responsible for Azrael's psychotic break, Bruce does what he can to help Jean-Paul recover.

Azrael serves to show that while anyone could be Batman, not everyone should be. He also helps illustrate the fine line Bruce walks every time he puts on the cowl.