DC’s Batman quits in shock twist but who is taking over the role?

Is Batman really leaving Gotham City in DC Comics? If so, what does this mean for the world’s worst city and the Bat-Family?

When people think of Gotham City, Batman is the first thing that comes to mind. He’s been the city’s protector for as long as we can remember. He’s left the city to help save the world and the multiverse hundreds of times. Despite that, Gotham City is his home. He’s put in a lot of time, money, and blood into keeping Gotham as safe as possible.

Sometimes, he fails. The Joker War and City of Bane are prime examples of recent failures. Even with those failures, he manages to save Gotham City before things get too bad. Which makes it weird that he may be leaving Gotham City this year.

CBR reports that the DC Comics November Solicitations tease that Batman: Fear State may conclude with the Dark Knight leaving Gotham City. Screen Rant points out that Batman: Fear State: Omega No. 1 will conclude the series and Bruce Wayne will be handing the mantle down. A bold move that will be a good time to get acquainted with a new character.

Who will be the new Batman?

In the past, we’ve seen Dick Grayson as Batman. Jason Todd thought he could do it as well but that didn’t work out (see Batman: Battle for the Cowl for that story). This time around, it’s unlikely that we will see the typical characters wearing the cape and cowl. Dick is more motivated than ever to protect Blüdhaven, Jason Todd isn’t the right fit, and Tim Drake is on his own important journey of self-discovery.

If it isn’t any of the obvious choices, then who’s going to be the Caped Crusader? There are some options but one that this writer believes we could see become the new Dark Knight is Bruce’s rival and friend, Ghost-Maker.

Who is Ghost-Maker and could he become the next Batman?

Ghost-Maker made his first appearance in Batman No. 100 in a quick cameo. His official arrival comes in issue No. 102. In the beginning, Ghost-Maker was in Gotham to show Bruce that Batman doesn’t work anymore. After a brief fight, however, Bruce asked him to be part of his team. Ghost-Maker accepted the offer and, since then, he’s been helping Bruce in Gotham whenever he can. He came in right on time in Batman issue No. 110.

Bruce’s random challenges for Ghost-Maker to not kill people and his relationship with Harley Quinn has been a great introduction to what life is like as one of Gotham’s heroes and it would serve him well if he were to become the next Batman.

It would be great to have someone new doing the job. We’ve seen how all of the Bat-Family handles things. They have a specific way of doing their jobs. A fresh take could get more fans interested in DC Comics, especially since Ghost-Maker is nothing like Bruce Wayne. More than that, it would be interesting to see how the rest of the Bat-Family would receive him as the Dark Knight.

What does that mean for Batman?

Bruce Wayne’s life is in shambles. It started with his fortune being taken from him and that led to him trying new things and separating from Catwoman. Things didn’t get better for him as Batman’s brownstone was blown up, he spent a weekend in jail, and was taken over by Vile.

It doesn’t look to be getting any less stressful for Bruce because, on top of that, Batman has a big event coming up called Shadows of the Bat. It’s a story that will take place in Detective Comics and likely have a huge impact on his life. Who knows, it could even end with Bruce getting his fortune back.

As of now, we don’t know what’s going to happen to the Caped Crusader. This writer hopes that this is where Bruce and Selina Kyle get back together. They promised to try again in a year. It hasn’t been a year in the comic book world, but Bruce needs her. She’s one of the few people who can call him out and he’ll listen. Plus, they’re great in the stories.

Whatever happens, the next part of Batman’s life is going to be a major one. We’ll have more here as things develop.

What do you think? Will Bruce Wayne give up being Batman? Is leaving Gotham in the hands of someone else a good idea? Let us know in the comments below.