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Bruce Wayne has been Batman since 1939. Sure, he's seen a hiatus or two during his tenure as the Caped Crusader, but he always returns to the cape and cowl.
During those times that he is absent (52, Knightfall, Rebirth), somebody typically takes up the role of Gotham's protector. Whether that be a protege or an outside source, somebody always steps in.
He's easily the most popular superhero, with over fifty iterations between the big and small screen. However, Bruce meets his match one way or the other from time to time and needs to pass on the baton.
Five best characters to be Batman who aren't Bruce Wayne
1) Damian Wayne
Raised as an assassin since birth, making him the most lethal Batman to grace the pages of DC Comics, Damian Wayne is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul. This makes him the grandson of Ra's al Ghul.
We first saw Damian filling his father's boots in issue #666 with Gotham City in shambles. Readers get an immediate sense that Damian is a far cry from the protector that his father was.
Unlike his father, Damian didn't restrict himself to the same rules Bruce did. He killed if he found it necessary. It's even heavily implied in the issue that he killed Dick Grayson, which makes sense since he was not much of a fan of Dick in his early years as Robin.
While this is only seen as a possible future, it is one often revisited throughout the comics.
2) Tim Drake
Another Robin-turned-Batman, Tim was the third person to take on the Robin name. He should become the next World's Greatest Detective despite not wanting the title because he rivals Bruce's detective skills.
First, in a story titled Titans of Tomorrow, the Teen Titans meet their adult selves. Tim is taken aback because his future self was Batman, but he never saw himself taking over that role.
Tim also briefly acted as Gotham's guardian during the story arc Battle for the Cowl. Again, he didn't actually want the role. He simply wanted to keep Jason Todd (another former Robin) from stealing the mantle.
In a fight that nearly killed Tim, Dick Grayson intervened and put a stop to Jason's claim to the cowl.
3) Dick Grayson
The third Robin to be on this list (it makes sense that Robins would go on to become Batmen) is the first Boy Wonder. From circus acrobat to Robin to Nightwing and, eventually, into the shoes of the Caped Crusader, Dick Grayson officially took the Bat's mantle in the pages of Batman and Robin by Grant Morrison. His adventures continued in Scott Snyder's run on Detective Comics.
Dick was reluctant to fill Bruce's shoes at first for multiple reasons, but he finally came around when Jason Todd was making a run for the title. He even had his own Robin in Bruce's son, Damian Wayne.
The two did not get along at first and had some growing pains while working together, but they eventually came around. Their dynamic was entertaining and memorable.
4) Jim Gordon
When Bruce seemingly died along with Joker in a cave-in beneath Gotham city, Commissioner Jim Gordon became the new Batman. However, he wasn't a private citizen taking it upon himself to protect Gotham.
This was an initiative put together by Gotham PD and a private tech corporation. This is why his Batsuit was a giant mechanized suit of armor (that honestly looks more like a rabbit than a bat).
Gordon didn't have his own Robin, but he made Bruce proud. His short tenure as Batman was fulfilling for sure, being able to do what Bruce did for Gotham.
He was more than happy to relinquish his role when the time came, though. This, however, wasn't the first time Jim filled in for Bruce. In Detective Comics #225, Gordon and other prominent Gotham citizens filled in for Bruce for a day.
5) Terry McGinnis
Voiced by Will Friedle from 1999 to 2001 in the animated series Batman Beyond, Terry McGinnis was a teenage protege of Bruce's who skipped being Robin. When Bruce was too old to carry on climbing rooftops and fighting assassins, he enlisted the help of Terry.
Gifted with a futuristic batsuit, Terry was provided with all the tools to be the Caped Crusader.
Terry wouldn't find himself as part of DC canon proper until 2014 during The New 52: Futures End. Through this title, there were two spin-offs, one of which saw Tim Drake take over as Batman for Terry and another one where Terry was Batman once again.
Honorable mention to Thomas Wayne, Bruce's dad.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
