What if Batman Didn't Exist?

I don’t think the DC Community would be as fun without you! Anyway, I never thought about it, but without Batman I might never have become a writer. It was Batman '66 that made me want to read comic books and it was comic books that made me want to write… If Batman didn’t exist, it would have far reaching effects even on individuals.

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Well thank you! :grin:

Same!

Going back to that whole thing about how without Batman, you wouldn’t have the Robins.

I started out writing personal self insert fan fiction for my friends and I (which is where most of my Mrs. Todd persona lore comes from). Granted, I never posted it online, but it’s still something I did 2 years ago, and it’s a part of my journey as a writer as well.

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In a mirror universe, on a mirror community there is a TheWifeOfBuckyBarnes.

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Yeah I read Batman: Detective. Good book. Solid story with great art. Nice balance of Bats being detective, but also doing the other Batmany stuff we all like to see.

What would the world be like without Batman? I think it would have less man caves.

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I prefer the term Bat-Man Cave. :wink:

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Batman was created because of previous heroes

Without him

We could have had
Comics about

Zorro
Shadow
Doc Savage

Also if
Bill Finger
Wasn’t involved

Batman would have looked completely different

See

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I have seen this before
But don’t know where

“What if Bob Kane had created Bat-Man Without Bill Finger?” by Ty Templeton
Templeton is the illustrator of the book Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman. From the book’s...

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I am still magnificent

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My immediate thought is since there were many pulp characters and vigilantes in comic strips and books, that something that either previously existed would become bigger in popularity to fill the readership void, or a new character would be created inspired by similar things. Be it within or outside the DCU. Someone else would be inspired to make some kind of cape and tights inspired by things like Zorro and The Shadow. And that would become THE dark vigilante of DC. No telling when that character would arrive. It could be soon after 1939 or many years later. But I think there’d be a desire for it, and it would be filled by someone.

Now how that changes the shape of the DCU, that’s really hard to muse. Would this hypothetical dark vigilante be popular enough to be constantly paired with Superman in stories like World’s Finest? Would they write them to be friends, or even have a relationship at all? Would this same dark vigilante be so skilled that he has contingency plans against the whole league, or would he not really run in the same circles as the League? Maybe he’d be in it, but a lower level. Not a founder.

Maybe this hypothetical dark vigilante would be popular, but not constantly pushed together with Superman or the League. Maybe he’d dwindle in popularity, and eventually become free game to writers in the 80s to radically re-invent him however they like a la Swamp Thing, Animal Man, and The Sandman. Maybe he’d end up editorially controlled by Vertigo, and be a recurring character in Hellblazer, alongside his own multi-volume comic by some award winning novelist.

There’s so many variables at play. So many things that some other character could become in filling the Bat-shaped void. Such that it’s really hard to imagine a world without Batman, though fun to do anyway.

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I’d say that the most important question is this: “Would this hypothetical replacement for Batman get a plucky kid sidekick?” I’d argue that Robin is actually the far more influential character during the Golden Age, not Batman himself.

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Well, Street & Smith did publish comic books featuring The Shadow and Doc Savage! I think they might have been more successful if not for the rise of comic book superheroes like Batman though!

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This is something I have been thinking about today. I think there would have been sidekicks in comic books without Robin because they were established in B Westerns and pulp magazines. I don’t know if there would have been kid sidekicks without Robin though! I think without Robin, the average comic book sidekick would be more like Doiby Dickles than Bucky Barnes.

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A Bat-tastic Happy DCUIversary to @chintzybeatnik and @MatthewHecht!
:batparrot: :partying_face:

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What character does Miller take on at DC after his DD run at Marvel?

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Maybe
1938

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He saw me as a father figure . You do not just replace that.

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Crimson Avenger is cool. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time.

Also, that issue of JLU is definitely a highlight of the series.

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Happy anniversary @chintzybeatnik and @MatthewHecht !

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A DC Universe in which there was never a Batman. That is a very interesting thought. There are three possible reasons. 1, Thomas and Martha Wayne were not killed that fateful night and thus Bruce grew up with two loving parents. 2, Bruce was killed along with his parents and the Wayne Family ceased. 3, Bruce witnessed the death of his parents but instead of driving him to combat crime it turned him into a recluse and possible addict.
In possibility 1, Thomas is alive to use his family wealth and prestige to fight the rising corruption in Gotham and while not succeeding completely might be able to keep it from getting too bad. Bruce is raised to be a proper businessman and CEO and uses Wayne Corp resources to help Gotham. he will not adopt Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Cassandra Caine or Tim Drake. He will not inspire Kate Kane or Barbara Gordon to emulate him. The Joker will not be drawn to Gotham, Dr. Harleen Quinzel will become a well paid and successful therapist. The Falcone and Maroni Crime Families will remain strong and thus Penguin, Black Mask and other wannabe crime lords will remain minor racketeers at best.
In option 2 the Wayne fortune, mansion and control of Wayne Enterprises would probably go to the Kane Family. So if Kate suffers the same loss she does in the regular universe she now has the resources to become what Bruce became. So maybe we see the same outcome only with the Bat being a woman now. Unlike Bruce, Kate has shown her willingness to do what she deems necessary. So in option 2 the Joker, Scarecrow, Zsasz would all probably wind up in the morgue.
In option 3 the Wayne fortune stays with Bruce who does nothing with it. There is no one with money fighting for the city. But we would still have the Huntress, Black Canary, possibly Alan Scott and Wildcat fighting for Gotham. Penguin, Catwoman and Killer Croc would still be around. There would probably be no Robin, Batgirl, Oracle or Birds of Prey.
The fact is we would see whether or not the Gotham villains existed due to Batman or not. It would be a great story arc.

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If Batman didn’t exist, then Alan Scott will still be protecting Gotham.

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