If there's one driving force in Batman's life, it's friendship. Well, that's not completely true. His mission was initially motivated by the tragic death of his parents and has morphed into an obsessive quest for justice that will never end. But as anyone who has read a Batman comic knows, friendship is magic.
For a guy who supposedly prefers to be alone, Batman has sure built up a lot of friendships as well as a vast pseudo-family that have often become his sidekicks. But out of that has come some truly unexpected connections.
Huntress And Catman
Catman is one of those characters in the world of Batman that straddles the line between good guy and bad guy, depending on the situation. That's probably part of the reason why there's a bond between him and Huntress as she lives in that grey area, too.
Huntress is often considered to be the black sheep of the extended Bat-family. Her relationship with Catman has caused some additional stress. It floats between love, hate, and friendship, changing pretty much every time Catman and Huntress meet.
Tim Drake And Damian Wayne
Batman has had a lot of Robins over the years, so many that it's a wonder that people keep g up for the job. For the most part, they have all survived the experience (though it was a pretty close call with Jason Todd).
Tim Drake and Damian Wayne have both played the part of Robin over the years. Their relationship has mostly been filled with animosity and jealousy, though they have at least reached a kind of a point where they are friends.
Batwing And Stephanie Brown
As Cluemaster's daughter, it would have been easy for Stephanie Brown to slip into a life of crime. Instead, she ended up as a hero and a member of the Bat-family, taking on various names and hero identities.
Luke Fox, on the other hand, is the son of the long-time, Bruce Wayne confidant, Lucius Fox. He's also the second person to wear the Batwing costume. While all he and Stephanie initially had in common was fighting crime, there is a real friendship there.
Cassandra Cain And Black Lightning
If fans thought Stephanie Brown had rough parents, Cassandra Cain takes the cake. She is the daughter of two notorious assassins, Lady Shiva and David Cain. She was actually Batgirl before handing the costumed identity over to Stephanie.
Black Lightning has been part of the Bat-family for many years, going all the way back to the original lineup of The Outsiders. While they couldn't be more different as heroes and people, Black Lightning offers a grounded perspective Cain needs.
Azrael And Black Canary
Black Canary comes from a family of heroes and spends most of her time around them. Her Canary Cry, combined with her top-notch, hand-to-hand combat skills makes her one of the most dangerous people in DC.
Jean-Paul Valley, known to most as Azrael, was raised and programmed to be a killer. But connections to other heroes, like Black Canary, helped him find his own identity. Still, it's always a surprise when he's able to make any connections at all.
Batwoman And Question
After being forced to leave the Army behind thanks to DADT, Kate Kane felt like she had lost a bit of herself in a way. Then, an encounter with Batman set her on a new path to becoming a costumed hero.
Batwoman and Question have a friendship that has surprised most over the years. They have had each other's backs on more than one occasion, though a lot of their allies weren't aware of that.
Red Hood And Batgirl
While a few people have used the name Batgirl over the years, there's only one Barbara Gordon. As the daughter of one of Batman's closest allies, she holds a special place in the overall Bat-family and is beloved by all of them.
On the other hand, Jason Todd isn't always the most popular member of the team thanks to his propensity for guns. Yet, he still had a bond with Batgirl, which helped him recover after coming back from the dead.
Nightwing And Shrike
As Batman's first sidekick and the first Robin, Dick Grayson is essentially the Caped Crusader's second in command. On a variety of occasions, it has been hinted that he will eventually take over the role of Batman.
When Nightwing was at the Vengeance Academy, he actually became with an assassin named Shrike. It was quite surprising since the next person to use the name would become Nightwing's enemy.
Catwoman And Alfred
When Bruce Wayne's parents were killed, he had next to no one. While he felt like he was alone, the one person he did have was Alfred Pennyworth, the loyal butler for the Wayne family. He essentially raised Bruce and was there for him through much of his career as Batman.
Since Alfred has long been the cornerstone of the Bat-family, it comes as no surprise that he has close ties to them. But what did was how close he was to Catwoman. It was likely because he knew she made Bruce happy.
Batman And Joker
Throughout his life, Batman has had a lot of strange relationships. They have been primarily based around his life as a masked hero, which makes sense since he spends more time as Batman than he does as Bruce Wayne.
But in the pantheon of strange relationships he has, the weirdest has to be the Joker. They may be mortal enemies, but they still have some kind of toxic friendship. Ultimately, it appears that Batman and Joker are the only people who truly understand each other.
