Grant Morrison's Batman: Every Member Of The Bat-Family's Age

It doesn't matter how many Crisises or New 52s there are, one consistency in the DC multiverse that you can count on is how inconsistent the ages of individuals. Even in carefully crafted storylines, math and logic are dropped faster than it takes Batman to replace a Robin.

In the context of Grant Morrison's Batman, which encompasses groundbreaking narratives, configuring the ages of the Bat Family is daunting and requires connecting dots and building off of those until an (almost) definitive number is found.

This article was updated on June 28, 2024, by Christopher Raley: Batman remains an iconic superhero, and part of his legend includes the Bat Family and its sometimes dysfunctional history. This article has been updated to include more detail about the background of members of the Bat Fam.

10 Damian Wayne Is 10 Years Old

And He Has An Attitude To Match

In the New 52, Damian won the right to learn of his father's identity when he finally bested his mother in combat on his 10th birthday, and this canon age for him seems to be a holdover from Morrison's introduction of Damian Wayne. In 2010's Batgirl Volume 3 #7, Morrison's Damian fights alongside Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, and he is, of course, being a total brat to her in the field. Batgirl chalks this up to "what happens when you work with a 10-year-old."

• Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, was a love interest of Batman's at one time.
• Damien worked with Grayson when he took up the mantle of Batman for a time, and Morrison's run also predicts a future in which Damien himself becomes Batman.

But Damien's biggest problem is not his age. His temperament seems to be the result of being spoiled by Talia al Ghul, who raised him after being genetically altered and grown in an artificial womb. Damien's involvement at a young age in the League of Assasins only gave his precociousness a violent outlet through his training in how to fight. He prove himself worthy to take on the mantle of Robin, but in some storylines, he only regresses from there.

9 Tim Drake Is 17 Years Old

Drake Has a Complicated History With Batman

From the Modern Age comics, we know that Tim became Robin when he was 13 years old and has been stuck as a teenager ever since. In Robin Volume 2 #116, Tim is celebrating his 16th birthday, which came out three years before Grant Morrison began writing for Batman. Tim could have aged within that time, but in Red Robin #25, which was released just before the launch of the New 52 and also coincides with Morrison's Batman Incorporated, we see that Tim is, in fact, 17 years old.

• Tim Drake was a nominal side-kick to Azrael when Bruce was severely injured, but eventually, he was shut out of the Bat Cave.
• When Bruce returned (with Jack Drake, Tim's father), he and Tim broke into the Bat Cave and Bruce resumed the mantle of Batman.

Tim Drake took over the mantel of Robin from Dick Grayson, who went on to become Nightwing. Drake was a toddler when he met Dick Grayson and saw the murder of Grayson's family at the circus. Later, when Drak was 13, he helped Batman and Robin on his own initiative and with special help from a certain butler named Alfred Pennyworth.

8 Stephanie Brown Is 18-Years-Old

Batgirl Has a Past Of Being Affected By Crime

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After the apparent death of Batman, Cassandra Cain decided to give the mantle of Batgirl to her friend Stephanie Brown, who was back in her Spoiler costume at the time of Morrison's Batman run. Stephanie became Batgirl right when she was attending her freshman year at college, which would put her at about the age of 18. Another clue to her being 18 is that she was able to go undercover at a finishing school in Batman Incorporated, which most likely required real legal documents.

• Stephanie eventually started dating Tim Drake, but she only knew him by his cover identity, Alvin Draper.
• When Stephanie discovered she was pregnant by an ex-boyfriend, Drake helped her through the pregnancy and in giving the child up for adoption.

Stephanie is actually the daughter of one of Gotham's less successful villains, the Cluemaster. Her father was in and out of prison for her childhood, but eventually returned to the family claiming he had been rehabilitated. When Stephanie discovered that he was still pursuing crime, she became the Spoiler and left her own clues that helped Batman track down her father. In her interaction with Batman, she met Tim Drake as Robin and was smitten. She eventually got her shot at the Robin slot as well.

7 Jason Todd Is 19-Years-Old

Todd Is Probably the Most Troubled of the Bat Family

Jason Todd was killed at the age of 15 and was resurrected 6 months later, which didn't seem to change his physical age. From Jason's death in Batman #427 to Tim Drake meeting Alfred in Batman #441, we see that there's an age difference of 2 years between the two boys, which means that at the time his journey of being resurrected, becoming Red Hood, and then taking the mantle of Wingman in Batman Incorporated, Jason is Tim's age plus 2 years, making him 19 years old.

• Wingman was initially a man named Benedict Rundstrom who had been a vigilante in Sweden and eventually became jealous of Batman.
• Rundstrom hunted down members of an international criminal gang but was eventually murdered by his accomplice.

After emerging from the Lazarus Pit (which Talia used to restore his health and memory), Todd began a murderous run as Red Hood in which he was bitter and angry at Batman for not avenging his death. Eventually, though, Todd reformed (for the most part) and took up the mantle of Wingman, after Rundstrom's death with Damien as his sidekick.

6 Cassandra Cain Is 19 Years Old

The Former Batgirl Becomes the Black Bat

When Cassandra Cain was fighting crime under the tutelage of Oracle and Batman as Batgirl, Barbara mentions that she's only 18 years old in Batgirl #39. Later on, in 2005's Batgirl #65, Batman mentions that Cassandra's mother, Lady Shiva, was like a mother to Jason Todd, but not his actual mother, as Cassandra and Jason are "roughly the same age." Since this is the case, it shows that Cassandra, who takes on the mantle of the Black Bat of Hong Kong in Batman Incorporated, is also 19 years old.

• Casandra Cain had assassins for her parents, including Lady Shiva and David Cain.
• David trained Cassandra to be a warrior, going to such lengths as depriving her of speech so that movement and body mechanics would be her first language.

Cassandra helps Batman in Hong Kong by tracking down a heroin smuggling operation that leads her to Paris to fight Red Robin in an assassin's tournament. She stabs Drake in the chest, claiming the victory in the tournament, a rare honor. When she was about to be killed by a laser to immortalize her victory, Drake saved her, revealing that he had faked his death using a combination of theatrics in the form of blood packets, and dangerous chemicals to stop his for a time. This convinced the temple sensors that he had died. He went on to help Cassandra, but the coalition was short-lived.

5 Dick Grayson Is 24 Years Old

Drayson Is One Of Batman's Long-Standing Associates

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In Batman #436, Dick says that it had been two years since he had left Batman's side to become Nightwing, which was when he was about 18 years old, making him about 20 when he meets Tim Drake for the second time (turns out that he had met Tim the day that his parents had died 10 years earlier). Since Tim was 13 at that time, there is an age difference of roughly 7 years between the two former Robins. So when Drake turns 17, it follows that Grayson is about 24.

• Famously, Dick Grayson was the first Robin, becoming Bruce Wayne's ward after his parents were murdered and being trained to fight crime.
• While Grayson's relationship with Bruce Wayne wasn't exactly smooth, Grayson didn't tread the line of violence like some of Batman's associates.

When Grayson left Batman, he took up the mantle of Nightwing. He was in and out of Gotham for a time until Batman's apparent death. Then Grayson took up the role of The Dark Knight and Batman's son, Damien, was his sidekick. Grayson and Damien ended up forming a tight bond. After Bruce Wayne returned, Grayson became Nightwing again, sometimes taking on jobs for Batman and sometimes pursuing his own goals. But he remains one of the best fighters in the family.

4 Barbara Gordon Is About 24 Years Old

The Daughter Of Commissioner Gordon Fights Crime Her Way

Barbara, Barbara, Barbara, what are we going to do with you? Will we ever know your true pre-52 age exactly? When she was first introduced, she was an adult with a doctorate and then there was suddenly a six-year age difference between her and Dick Grayson. On and on it went, until Detective Comics #871 essentially put her around the same age as Dick, since the two apparently went to prom together. Based on this, the only answer for Barbara's age is that she is about 24 years old.

• Barbara is the daughter of James and Barbara Gordon, but she eventually becomes a vigilante in the form of Batgirl and also the computer-wiz, the Oracle.
• Batgirl's New 52 return to Gotham saw her confronting a criminal called the Mirror who wanted to kill all those who had had a near-death experience.

Batgirl works closely with Batman but often conducts her own investigations, uncovering crime and bringing criminals to justice. She often teams up with Batman or helps other members of the Bat Family. Nearly fell victim to the Joker's plot to kill all of Batman's allies because they were making him weak (as far as the Joker was concerned). But she survived only to have to confront her brother James Jr. and his plot to kill her because she was so perfect.

3 Future Damian As Batman Will Be 25 Years Old

Future Damien's Approach to Crime Fighting Goes To Satanic Extremes

As shown in the aptly numbered Batman #666, Damian is the new Batman, and he has sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for immortality so that he can save Gotham. This version of Batman is set fifteen years in the future, making the future Damian 25 years old as he takes on an apocalyptic, dystopian world. His father is dead, but at least his cat Alfred is still around. Batman tries to stop this doomed future from happening, which is an enormous part of Morrison's Batman run.

• Gotham of the future is set in a world on the brink of destruction as plagues, extreme weather events, and hardened supercriminals wreak havoc.
• With 24 hours left before Armageddon begins, Damien sells his soul to the devil for the power to protect Gotham.

He soon gets his chance when another Batman arrives on the scene claiming to be the Anti-Christ and crashes a climate summit holding everyone hostage in the hopes of drawing Damien out. It works and Damien leaves carnage in his wake as he comes to fight this new Batman. In an ironic twist, Damien uses the power granted him by the devil to fight the Anti-Christ (who is traditionally thought of as one of the devil's minions) and win, killing him grotesquely.

2 Kate Kane Is 32 Years Old

She Fights Crime With Inspiration From The Bat

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As of 2009's Detective Comics #858, it's revealed in a flashback that present-day Kate, aka Batwoman, is 32 years old. As Kate shows up in 52 #8 or #11 depending on how you read it, it can be assumed that she hadn't aged much by the time she showed up in Morrison's title – the frustrating beauty of comic books. While many female characters are in their early 20s (like the New 52's Selina Kyle), it's refreshing to see a character like Kate be written a little older.

• Kate Kane is a wealthy heiress, much like Bruce Wayne, who uses her money to fight crime.
• Batman inspired her to become Batwoman, and she began fighting crime after Batman's apparent death.

In Batman Incorporated, Batwoman tracks a murderer of three marines to a circus once owned by Kathy Kane, and Kate, the current Batwoman, is attacked by Kathy's ghost. Defeating her, Kate realizes that the ghost is actually an assassin dressed up to look like Kathy Kane. After discovering the identity of the assassin, she goes to South America to track down the criminal gang to which the assassin belongs.

1 Bruce Wayne Is 41 Years Old

He Keeps His Age As Secret As His Identity

Now, finding Batman's exact age is a real doozy as there are many inconsistencies, even in Morrison's run. So let's start somewhere tangible. According to Batman: Year One, one of the best graphic novels of all time, Bruce became Batman when he was 26. The "Year Three" storyline showed Bruce meeting Grayson, making him 29 at the time. From here we see that, since Dick left at 18 after six years of Robin, Bruce was 35. There were then about six more years of Robins, which puts him at 41 when Bruce met Damian.

• Bruce Wayne remains one of the popular characters with an alter ego, due, in no small part, to the lengths that he has gone to craft his alter ego and protect his identity.
• Batman was created a year after Superman, and the two remain in a link of duality and means, though they share the same goals. Usually.

After being perceived as dead (when he was actually seriously injured and incapacitated), Bruce was revived by means of the Lazarus Pit and returns to take up the mantle of Batman. Sometimes it seems as though Batman gets as much grief from his family as he does from his criminals. But with all its dysfunction, the Bat Family remains one of the most committed crime-fighting organizations in the DC universe.

Batman

Created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane First Film Batman: The Movie Latest Film The Batman Upcoming Films The Batman – Part II First TV Show Batman Latest TV Show Batman: Caped Crusader

Batman is one of the oldest comic superheroes, with nearly a century of comics, TV-shows, films, and video games. The mild-mannered Bruce Wayne becomes Gotham City's caped crusader, protecting it from villains like The Joker, Killer Croc, The Penguin, and more. Batman is also one of DC comics' "Big Three" alongside Superman and Wonder Woman, and together the three help keep the earth safe as founding members of the Justice League.

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