DC Comics Turns the Iconic Bat-Family Into Gnarly Gotham Villains in New Viral Concept Art

Batman has trained his Bat-Family to be the greatest force for good in Gotham City, but new concept art shows what they could be with some villainous costume choices. The Bat-Family spends every night out on the streets making sure that everyone is safe and sound, but one talented artist has taken to X and shown what the Bat-Family would be like if they had very different mentors.

This fantastic art, courtesy of THoskisson on X, shows the Bat-Family as if they were instead mentored by the various villains of the DC Universe, and the result is utterly jaw-dropping. Almost every Bat-Family member has based their identity on Batman in one way or another, which only makes sense considering that he trained them. But in these alternate universes, they were each taught by different villains - some from Gotham, and some further out.

These reimaginings result in iconic characters like Carrie Kelley, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, and Tim Drake all taking on villainous personas. These designs are fantastic and even more than that, the villain choices for the mentors make perfect sense for a lot of them.

The Extended Bat-Family Makes for Perfect Villains in Their Re-Imagined Contexts

Yes, Tim Drake Does Make the Perfect Darkseid Sidekick

Two interesting choices are Carrie Kelley and an unnamed female Robin - possibly Cassandra Cain - who are the apprentices of the Ventriloquist and the Penguin. Robin's design is fantastic, having her show off a yellow umbrella in place of the iconic yellow cape, as well as wielding a handgun. Considering the Penguin has been Batman's ally in the past, the idea of the Penguin taking on a Robin, a bird-themed sidekick, from Batman is very interesting. Meanwhile, if Batman died in The Dark Knight Returns, Kelley might just take up the Robin role to try and keep him alive as the Necromancer, equipped with a Batman dummy.

Tim Drake always needs to solve problems and mysteries. Tim has almost always viewed Gotham as a mathematical equation that could be solved if the right solution was applied, which is why Batman made him the leader of the Gotham Knights during writer James Tynion IV's run on Detective Comics during Rebirth. Tim tried to construct an entire rapid response system to make fighting crime easier for the Bat-Family. Tim also quickly figured out Batman's secret identity, along with Nightwing's. Tim's insatiable lust for knowledge could have easily been turned towards the Anti-Life Equation, making Tim one of Darkseid's greatest generals.

Barbara Gordon has always been the loving daughter of James Gordon, but her character could have been completely different if James Gordon had been killed. In a few alternate worlds, James Gordon has in fact been murdered. In the main universe, he's gotten plenty close, such as when he was shot several times in the crossover arc Batman: Officer Down from 2001. After seeing her father killed and abandoned by Gotham City, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Barbara would respond by trying to burn the city that failed her father. It would be an incredibly dark turn, but one that isn't completely out of character for her.

Damian Wayne Could Have Been the Son of Bane

From One Villain Family to Another

It's common knowledge that Damian Wayne is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, but that could have easily been changed. Bane was once a potential love interest to Talia al Ghul. If this relationship had gone just a few steps further, Bane could very easily have become the father of Damian, resulting in a significantly darker take on the already-dark character of Damian Wayne.

Under the tutelage of Talia and Ra's, Damian was already a master assassin, having killed over a hundred people by the age of ten. Thankfully, Batman was able to put him on a different path, but without Batman's influence as a father, Damian would have become the most brutal assassin and warlord that ever roamed the Earth - a fate made worse if Bane had been involved in raising him.

Nightwing Has a Disturbing Habit of Becoming a Monster

Dick Grayson Is Prone to Animalistic Transformations

Disturbingly, it's pretty common for Nightwing to transform into a bird-like monster on the rare occasions when he's infected with a monster serum or curse. Nightwing has become a monster numerous times, but the Bat-Family has always managed to change him back to his human form. Hoskisson's art shows the very possible scenario of Nightwing never being cured. Dick Grayson would transform into the monstrous Night Wing and haunt the skyline of Gotham City, much like the Man-Bat before him, as a flying animal-human hybrid.

Related

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Batman's no-guns rule is essential, but when a new hero shows up on the Gotham streets while shooting down criminals, he challenges every Bat-Rule.

The Bat-Family are undeniably the greatest heroes in Gotham City, but that's only because of the influence and mentorship of Batman. If, for whatever reason, Batman had never entered their lives, it's very possible that each one would have found a much darker path to go down. Every single citizen of Gotham should be thankful for Batman's existence, because without him, the Bat-Family would be the biggest villains that Gotham City has ever seen.

Source: THoskisson (1, 2)

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Batman

One of DC's most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world's leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.

Created By Bob Kane , Bill Finger

Alias Bruce Wayne

Alliance Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family

Race Human

FIRST APP Detective Comics #27 (1939)