Batman's 9 Greatest Failures

Batman has had so many allies, agents and sidekicks over the years that it's easy for readers to forget them if they don't appear in one of the Bat-Family titles for a few months.

For Batman to forget about one of them is understandable from a creative perspective; ignoring them is more straightforward than killing them off if a writer doesn't want to use them. The problem being, can Batman afford to lose track of someone who knows all his secrets, including his true identity?

Jeph Loeb answered that question during the Hush story arc with Harold, Batman's one-time mechanic and gadget engineer. Written initially as a child-like savant who physically resembled Quasimodo, Batman rescued him from a manipulative relationship with the Penguin. Bruce would bring him into the cave and his life, setting him to work on the Batmobile. Despite appearing sporadically over the next few years, readers and characters would soon forget about him.

When Hush and his silent partner, the Riddler, began their campaign of terror, its success was mainly due to the inside information the two gained from Harold in exchange for helping cure his physical deformity. Harold's betrayal would ultimately result in his death.