7. Azrael Batman

See that monstrosity of spikes and ‘90s-ness? Would you believe it’s from a storyline that’s actually good?  “Knightfall”, a storyline that ran through the Batman books in the mid-nineties, started with a bang. In the opening act, a brand new villain calling himself Bane took Bruce Wayne and shattered his spine, leaving him unable to continue Batman-ing. While he recovered, Bruce left the mantle of Batman to Jean-Paul Valley, AKA Azrael. Valley was a cult-indoctrinated vigilante who Bruce had mentored and help along the path to recovery.

Azrael became the Batman the ‘90s thought they wanted: Spikey, armored, and not afraid to kill bad guys. But as he descended into madness, Bruce returned to reclaim his mantle. What ensued was a fantastic battle of classic vs. new-school as Bruce staunchly refused to cross the line in the sand while Valley happily skipped rope over it. The reason I love Valley’s tenure as the Dark Knight is because it perfectly illustrates why Bruce Wayne still works. Batman doesn’t need to be “edgy”, he’s the goshdarn Batman. And while Valley was a fun change of pace, it’s always nice to get back to basics.