What Happened To Everyone Who Joined The Batman Family?
7. Jean-Paul Valley - Azrael/Batman
Jean-Paul was born into a family of assassins dedicated to the Order of Saint Dumas. A minor character when introduced in 1992, Jean-Paul, known as Azrael in his assassin role, would come to be part of one of Batman's most famous arcs, Knightfall.
Bruce encountered Jean-Paul on a mission and took him away from his life as a brainwashed assassin, setting him up with a job at Wayne Enterprises and allowing him to help protect Gotham.
When Bane broke Batman's back, Bruce chose Jean-Paul to take over in his absence, aided by Tim Drake. Jean-Paul soon let his Azrael programming take over. He became a violent killer, merging aspects of his Azrael costume and methods with Batman's.
After recovering, Bruce defeated Jean-Paul and recaptured the cowl. After being defeated, Jean-Paul pledged himself to Gotham, before being killed avenging his father's death.
Jean-Paul has since reappeared in new timelines, never having been Batman but working with the Family.
Before the New 52 a newer Azrael, Michael Lane, had been present in Gotham. Lane, an ex-cop, is the product of a joint military / GCPD experiment to create a new Batman if ever needed. Although prone to fits of rage and violence, the armour and weapons he carries as part of his role of Azrael help keep him mentally balanced. The character was put on ice when the DCU rebooted in 2011.