Let’s be honest; we do not need another Caped Crusader. The solution: Why doesn’t James Gunn introduce Azrael as the DCU’s Batman instead?

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Essentially every DC fan agrees: Batman is the cornerstone of the DC Comics universe. The success of every new iteration of DC’s cinematic universe seems to depend on how much fan support there is for the new version of the Dark Knight. That said, there’s also a certain fatigue that comes with the Character and how frequently he’s appeared on the silver screen.

There’s a reason why Spider-Man Homecoming skipped Peter Parker’s entire origin story: audiences have seen this countless times before. The same applies to Batman: we all know why the Caped Crusader does what he does and why he’s constantly duking it out with the Joker. The only issue is that we rarely get to see a proper “conclusion” to Batman’s story.

The closest we ever got to a live-action Batman story with a satisfying ending was Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Still, even though Nolan’s ideas worked for his unique take on Gotham City, we have to keep in mind that the next Batman will probably have to share the screen with other DC characters. What I mean with all this is that it might be time for the Dark Knight to pass the torch — at least momentarily.

A Worthy Successor

The idea that “Batman” is a symbol rather than an individual has been the core theme of multiple Detective Comics stories over the years. That’s the whole reason why Batman has had so many protegées: every one of them underwent rigorous training with the sole objective of eventually becoming the new Dark Knight.

One of the most well-known candidates to become the next Batman has always been Dick Grayson, better known as Robin to film fans and as Nightwing to comic book enthusiasts. Grayson does don the Batsuit on more than one occasion in the comics, especially whenever Bruce Wayne is physically incapable of fulfilling his obligations as Gotham’s protector.

Having Grayson as Batman’s replacement in the upcoming wave of DC films sounds like a great choice: most people are familiar enough with the character for the change to go over a bit more smoothly, even if it means that we’d also need to establish Nightwing as a character in the new DC cinematic universe.

On the other hand, picking Grayson would also be too much of a safe choice for the more die-hard fans of the DC mythos. After all, Grayson is far from being the only person who’s ever replaced Batman. There’s also another character — a bit of a more controversial one — that video game fans might be familiar with. We’re talking about Jean-Paul Valley, also known as Azrael — the edgier, more murderous version of the Dark Knight that could only have been created in the 90s.

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The Sacred Order of Saint Dumas

Just as it happens with Batman, the name “Azrael” is also a moniker that has passed from character to character in the comics. Depending on who is behind Azrael’s cowl, the character’s attitude toward the Dark Knight varies wildly.

Fans who know Azrael from the Arkham game series might remember him better not as Jean-Paul Valley, but as Michael Lane. While Valley is a more straightforward character, I believe Lane would make much more sense in the upcoming films. The reason for this is that one of the best Batman storylines features Lane as Azrael, and it’s all about finding a worthy successor for the Dark Knight.

Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises briefly touches upon the “Bane breaking Batman’s back” storyline from the comics. This is the moment when the original Azrael first appeared, acting as a more murder-friendly version of the Caped Crusader.

That said, since movie audiences already saw Batman with a broken back, it might be time to introduce a new storyline from the comics into the mix. Enter Batman: Battle for the Cowl. Honestly, at this point, Battle for the Cowl seems like the most obvious choice for a new live-action adaptation.

As someone who grew up reading Batman comics, I can tell you without any doubt whatsoever that the character deserves some kind of well-deserved conclusion on film. Even though Bruce Wayne has made some memorable appearances in recent movies, he still hasn’t fully transitioned to retirement, even if the DCEU toyed with the idea for a bit.

Battle for the Cowl would be the sort of climactic event Batman needs right now. In fact, I think that the events depicted in Batman: Battle for the Cowl could actually serve as a fitting epilogue for both Bruce Wayne and Ben Affleck’s role in the DCEU.

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A Drifting Universe

Just as Bane breaking Batman’s back was the catalyst for the events of Knightfall — and the eventual introduction of Azrael — Final Crisis is the reason why the entire Batman Family had to come together to pick a successor to Batman’s legacy.

Why bring up Final Crisis right now? Because that’s pretty much the state of the DC cinematic universe at the moment. With the Flash movie moving forward and seemingly heralding a new era for the franchise, it might be time to introduce some extreme changes to some of the core characters seen in the mainline DC universe. After all, we already have Matt Reeves’ fantastic take on Batman, so why have another actor playing the same character in the mainline universe?

Seeing as how The Flash is rumoured to be the first chapter into a new age for DC’s cinematic franchise, this would be the best time to introduce a new character under the cowl of Gotham’s Dark Knight. I mean, how cool would it be if there was a perfectly valid, lore-friendly way to introduce Michael B. Jordan or Idris Elba as the new Batman? Azrael is the chance that fans have been waiting for since Batman kept announcing his retirement plans in the last few live-action DC films.

Azrael, as a replacement for Batman, would also allow the new DC cinematic universe to follow a darker path. While some fans had their issues with the older, more “murdery” version of Batman seen in Batman v Superman, Azrael has no problem with killing if it means achieving his goal of creating a safer Gotham. Is that a bit too dark for a superhero film? Maybe. Does it sound amazing for a cinematic universe helmed by James Gunn? Absolutely.

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Tell us, would you like to see Azrael in the DCU instead of another Batman?

The DCU Should Have Azrael, Not Batman Written by Staff Writer for Fortress of Solitude