Who is/was Batman's most vital ally, Part 1?

A couple of years ago Grant Morrison that there was one undeniable truth about Batman. It was that he could not have become or be Batman without help. In fact, Morrison proffered that Bruce had help from the day he first decided to put on his tights and that he would have died the first night he tried if he didn't have help. Anyway, with that said, tonight I pondered, which of the following allies could Batman not do or have done without? Who is his most important ally? Submitted for your consideration are the candidates and why they are on the list:

(1) Alfred: He handles all the things Bruce would not bother to if he weren't around. He cooks, cleans, answers the door, mends his wounds, fixes his suits, and puts Batman in his place when he gets cocky, he walks ace when the Bat-hound so he doesn't poop up the place, and cleans the bat guano off the computers. He's Batman's second opinion and he's also a surrogate father figure. Maybe most importantly, he's the light on the front porch, waiting for Bruce to come home, even after all the kids have grown up and gone off on their own. How many times has Bruce walked in half dead only to have Alfred drag him to a table, and patch him up. Add to that the times he has had to cover for Bruce, pose as Batman, entertain Bruce and Batman's guests, and apologize to the robins and women of Bruce's life every time he acts like a jerk and you have to wonder. Can Bruce Wayne or Batman function without him? After all, Alfred "diapered his bottom".

(2) Nightwing; They say you know who your friends are by whether or not they'd stand by your side and watch your back while fighting against unwinnable odds. Not could they, but would they. Nightwing is that kinda guy. e's the first Robin and outsider who Batman let in on his secret. He's Bruce's son, brother, friend, and partner. The one true heir to his legacy and his kingdom and the guy who knows him inside and out. In one comic Batman's journal entry indicates that Dick Grayson basically has a blank check and access to any info he needs. Bruce acknowledges that he's the only one who could ever take his place. If Bruce trusts him that much, how could he not be his greatest ally.

(3) Oracle: Life was never easier for Batman than when he had oracle running down leads on the world wide web. She was his information hub and had eyes and ears everywhere. Being a detective is great but with the world changing every second and news about said change moving at the speed of thought, Bruce was fortunate to have Oracle on monitor duty. In fact he was so blessed by Oracle's presence that he couldn't keep such a valuable resource to himself. He had to share her with the heroes of Earth so that not only could they aid him in his war against crime in other cities, but also so he could keep an eye on them. Is there a greater ally than having Barbara Gordon ie. Big Sister; Watching?

(4) The Robins: Dick, Jason, Tim, Stephanie, Damian, Carrie, Terry, Barbara Gordon. I know the latter two didn't carry the title or dress in the traditional outfits but lets face it, they were all Robins. The youthful sidekicks who fought by his side or in his stead when he couldn't, watched his back, reminded him of the innocents he was fighting for, filled him with hope, and kept him from being grumpy. Sometimes a hero needs a wildcard to throw the villains for a loop when they've grown use to the heroes usual tricks, and the Robins never failed to be that wild card. Many have even taken a bullet or worse for him. Not only that, they also allowed Bruce to rest well knowing that whether they took over for him as Batman or became their own hero, the world would always have heroes trained by him who they could rely upon. The crap in the utility belt can be handy but its a dues ex machina like a Robin that you don't leave home without.

(5) Commissioner Gordon: What do Dark Knight, Mask of the Phantasm, Batman Year one, Dark Knight Returns have in common? Batman has to fight every cop in the city? Why? Cuz Gordon's not around. The Bat would have to do this every single night if Gordon wasn't his ally. He's the man who protects Batman. He's Batman's inside man. He runs interference and keeps the cops off Bruce's back so that Bruce can protect the city. Without the Commissioner, he'd be Gotham's most wanted. They make even make time to spend a part of the holidays together. Couple that with the fact that he was the one who showed Batman that there were still good cops in Gotham when he comforted Bruce Wayne when his parents were murdered, and again when Bruce first returned with plans to become a symbol, to that fact that (much to Alfred's shagrin) Gordon is also considered a surrogate father figure to Batman, since he and Bruce's Dad would be about the same age, and presto, Bruce has the second bravest man in Gotham as an ally. But one of the Commish's most important jobs is to serve as a reminder that if he ever crosses the line, Gordon will be there to bring him in or die trying and he'll use the entire GCPD to do it. To quote Gordon: "By the book Dammit. I want him by the book!!!"

To be continued

Part 2

(6) Catwoman: Nothing beats the love of a good woman except the love of a bad woman. She is the one he can almost never bring himself to lock up. Why? Because he loves the chase. Its the only fun Batman really has. Its lovers games across Gotham's skyline. She began as a villain, and then became an antiheroine of sorts, helping Batman and the helpless more often than not. since no one can figure out her angle some villains still confide in her, and thus later, after a little cat and mouse , she ultimately tells Batman what the score is. Selina is no stranger to fighting by his side and is rarely if ever the one to play damsel in distress. She's worked with him so often that when she does so in the famous Hush limited series to take down Harley, she gets mad when Harley calls her Robin. In response Harley hysterically says, "If you don't want the job, don't audition for the part". She also truly understands Bruce such as when she tongue in cheekily told Robin that the only reason she saved his life because Bruce would be hell to live with if he (Drake) died. In addition, there is one other thing that she can give Batman, that the other members cannot...and that's sexual healing. If you thought Bats was a mean sunnofagun now, can you imagine if he wasn't getting any. That alone gets her on the list as most valuable ally.

(7) Lucious Fox: Where does Batman get those wonderful toys? Form Lucious, that's who. How do I figure? well first of all if Luscious wasn't doing the boring work of running Wayne Enterprises Bruce would have gone broke years ago. Do you know how much it costs to keep Batman and his sidekicks fully stocked with bat boats, mobiles, bikes, computers, cars, subs, satellites, and shark repellant. Somebody has to pay for all of that and steer the accountants away from places they should not be looking. Then, add the many request Bruce makes to Luscious and by extension the Wayne R & D Department for unique items painted black with strange bat symbols cared onto them. Sure Bruce is clever but he's a jack of all trades and he simply doesn't have the time or expertise to create every single far out item he could possibly need. That's where Luke comes in. He's Q to Bruce's James Bond. Lets face it, if Luscious wasn't there Bruce could not play dress up. He'd have gone broke and been in rehab. What better ally is there then the one who will happily do your boring homework assignments for you and cover for you when you cut class.

(8) Superman: Its nice to have powerful friends, and there is no one more powerful than Superman. Sure, given time, Bruce can find a way to beat anything, but when the threat is powerful and quick, its good to have an ally who can be there in a Flash, and go toe to toe with demi-gods. However, more than that, Clark is genuinely a good person, and although Bruce calls him boy scout and naieve, Bruce admires Clark and needs to see that it is possible for people (even if they are aliens to be good). As Clark Kent, Bruce gets to see what his life might have been like and who he might have become, if his parents hadn't died. As Superman he is a source of inspiration for Bruce and though he'll never admit it even he looks up in the sky with anticipation when superman is needed. Though like firemen and policemen, they have their differences and a bit of a rivalry, they respect and trust each other both professionally and personally.

(9) The Justice League: a friend of mine who I used to play roleplaying games with pointed out that when he played with others he didn't only think about what powers he had, but what powers they had, so he could utilize them to their fullest. I'd imagine this is how Bruce sees the league. As a member, and often the leader of the league, Batman can fly faster than a speeding bullet, he can create marvelous things with his thoughts, he can run at the speed of light, because when Batman gives an order the league usually jumps. If having one powerful friend was of use, imagine having seven. Sure he likes them, but Bruce has plenty of friends. What he needs is to have Earth's Greatest Superheroes on point, because unfortunately, if the fail, there goes the Earth which Gotham much to his shagrin is still a part of.

(10) The Joker: He's the other side of the coin, a look into a twisted mirror at what Bruce could have become and must never become. Other than being a great read to most (not me) he also keeps Batman from killing his foes. As Bruce once explained to Jason, if he ever killed the Joker, the one creature who deserved to die more than any of his rogues he would not only be no better than the Joker, but have n reason not to kill his other foes. But even more than that, Morrison, put it best in Batman R.I.P. when he had Joker explain to Dr. hurt, that every time Joker tries to think outside of Batman's box, Batman puts another box around him. In short joker makes Batman better, because if Batman can outthink chaos and total insanity, then a Riddler riddle or a Holiday murder mystery has no chance of stumping him.

(11) Bat-Mite: WTF? Yes, I said Batmite. Once again lets look to Batman in R.I.P., the only Morrison story I adore. Bruce, while training to be Batman and attempting to prepare for everything, wanted to create a defense for any type of psychic attack he may encounter unbeknownst to him. This included amnesia, insanity, dellusions, etc..To do this he trained his mind to always create a Batman persona no matter how bad his mind had been assaulted, to run on automatic pilot, as the Batman of Zur en Rah. His body would create a mask and suit, and a utility belt out of whatever was available, and then while running on autopilot track down the perpetrator. the catch was he had to thwart the assault within a certain time frame or he'd revert back to mindless Bruce Wayne. Who was helping mind Bruce's body and sanity while he was on his quest you ask? Who was guiding him on the path back to sanity while his normal persona was bye bye. None other than Batmite, a creature that was created and exists only in Bruce's mind and as a figment of Bruce's imagination. a hypnotic suggestion in his subconscious designed to be triggered in just such an emergency. Note: it is surmised that Batmite may truly exist since Myxlplitk is some times alleged to come from a dimension where the imaginations of all sentient beings actually exist, but be that as it may, he is the guardian of Batman's most priceless and valuable weapon, his mind. If that's not an ally I don't know what is.

So there you have it? Who deserves the crown for most valuable ally in Batman's War on crime? We'd like to know.

Joker ... because he's the Joker.

The death of his parents gives him motivation, if they were alive there'd be no Batman. Is it too morbid to consider them the most vital? They'd get my vote.

his checkbook

Lucius doesn't make his toys. He made his toys and occasionally borrows ideas from Wayne R&D. He's an inventor. Nolan's idea of having him inept aside from fighting has ruined the public's image of what the Batman is and can do.

Alfred gets my vote.

Gordon cuz old guy cop with awesome mustache

In all honesty, he probably could've done without all of them, he would just be a completely different Batman to the one we know.

Each and everyone of them helped him become a better Batman in one way or another.

Exactly, for a character renowned for being a loner, he's got a pretty big ensemble.

I recently re-read through the Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive story, and I'm pretty sure his 'ensemble' even makes a comment about that early on, lol.

Yep

Can I vote for the bat that startled him when he was young?

After all, without that flying rat, he would never have become Batman.

Alfred...Without him he'd be more like the Thomas Wayne Batman.

Lucius makes Batman's equipment to Bruce's specifications. Nolan's Bruce Wayne was far from inept, he just wasn't the super genius detective that's portrayed in the comics. Bruce Wayne was the one who fixed the Bat's automatic piloting system when WayneTech's R&D couldn't.

I think op is missing one of Batman's greatest but overlooked ally... Gotham City. A place so desperate and lawless that it breeds murderers of it's best citizens without justice served. A police force so rampant with corruption that costumed vigilantes are a welcomed sight.

Batman loses alot of clout without his gizmos and gadgets, so I will go with lucious fox.

Alfred. Alfred provides medical care and day to day care that keeps Bruce sane. But the more important part of Alfred is that he keeps Bruce from totally losing the rest of his ensemble. Just finished reading the Fugitive storyline again myself. Alfred is the only person he takes advice from at all. None of the others would probably be in his life without him.

I have to disagree with this. I think the gadgets and inventions were created by lazy storytelling. Rather than the world's greatest detective figuring it out, the writers started creating outlandish tools for him to use. Same thing on Star Trek TNG, the ship gets caught in some sort of peril, only to whip out some device or weapon we've never heard of before.

none and all of them for he is at his best when no allies around but he learns from them all

1406

The correct answer is that Batman is Bruce Wayne's biggest ally .