The original Orpheus was an early 2000s black superhero named Gavis King. He was a vigilante who after traveling the world and seeing poverty, wars, and injustices, decided to train and come back home to fight crime and believed Gotham City needed a black hero. He even fought Batman to prove his heroism and commitment to the city. While inexperienced, his advanced skills in martial arts, stealth, and knowledge of the community of the Hill made him a valuable agent to Batman. Gavis King died during the events of Batman War Games and the Opherus character has faded into obscurity. Disappointing as he is one of the earliest black superheroes established in Gotham.
Jace Fox was introduced in the 2021 event Future State as “the next Batman” who replaces Bruce in the future. He was reintroduced in the current continuity as a troubled man who traveled the world, training with people like Katana, and returned home to seek redemption as a new Batman who operates in New York. Despite his lack of experience, he sincerely believes that he is more than just a symbol of Batman and that he can fight for the common people and make a difference in his new city. However, I fear that he is just a niche following, as Jace has received little fanfare outside of the obvious concept of a black man being Batman.
I recently thought about Orpheus and how to keep his legacy alive in the comics. I realized that Orpheus and Jace are very similar, so I thought of an idea. I thought why not honor this character through another? A great idea! Jace would be a great choice to carry on Orpheus’s legacy. In a future where Jace forgoes Batman and adopts the mantle of Orpheus instead. I think this could work well.
Truthfully, I believe Jace would be a fine, even a great hero if he was representing Orpheus. The original Orpheus much like Jace cared about justice for the common people of Gotham. He never fought for vengeance like Batman but for justice for the oppressed and the unprivileged. Orpheus was critical of him because he believed Batman didn’t do enough to fight for people that look like him. Orpheus believes in a crime fighter who represents.
It all reminded me a lot about Jace’s kind of heroism which he constantly inspires and why he should adopt this mantle rather than Batman. While it does seem defeatest for Jace Fox with a title series of I Am Batman to give up being Batman. I’ll argue it’s appropriate for this particular character whose main goal was finding his own identity and being a symbol of change in the world.
Even in the narrative, Jace avoids being similar to the main Batman out of animosity that he is always being compared to someone else to feel like has to stand out. It’s the reason he left Gotham City in the first place to be seen not as another Batman but as his own hero.
Batman is just a symbol right now, and I don’t think that’s enough. Jace needs a new legacy, and I think that should be someone like Orpheus. Gavis King made Orpheus a symbol of hope for those who needed justice, and he never gave up on proving that to others. Jace could learn a lot from him, and he would be a much better hero if he adopted the legacy of Orpheus.
your outsiders idea was good to