Cassandra Cain wasn't the only person to replace a member of the Bat-Family, of course. In fact the Caped Crusader himself has had stand-ins on numerous occasions, most notably following his crippling by the hulking villain Bane, where the Bat-Mantle was offered to Christian-themed assassin (don't ask) Jean-Paul Valley. Which was a little odd, because Valley - previously known by his codename Azrael - hadn't been part of the Gotham crime fighting crew for all that long when he was tapped as Bruce Wayne's replacement. We could all but hear Dick Grayson, Bruce's long-time ward and sidekick, sobbing like a runner up in a TV talent contest at the news. Thankfully the original Robin, and now former Nightwing, got his chance to try on the cowl in Grant Morrison's epic run on the Batman title over the past few years. During the bonkers Final Crisis crossover Bruce Wayne was seemingly killed by cosmic bad guy Darkseid, and the responsibility to carry on his work fell to Dick Grayson at last. It's the role Dick had been training for his whole life, although he did have to contend with people wondering why Batman had suddenly got taller and more slender, and the "precociousness" of new Robin Damian, Batman's long-lost son. In Morrison and Frank Quitely's Batman and Robin series, the new Dark Knight and his trusty sidekick flipped the usual dynamic of the brooding, violent Caped Crusader and the lighter, more sympathetic sidekick, as Dick tried his best to be a good example for the insane child who'd been raised by murderers and now wanted to play superhero. It wasn't long until Bruce returned to the role - turns out he wasn't dead, just sent back in time - but young master Grayson certainly made a mark during his time as Batman.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
