10) Ace The Bat-Hound
Ah, the Silver Age and its obsession with super-pets. Just as Superman had Krypto the Superdog and Supergirl had Streaky the Supercat, Batman and Robin were joined in their adventures by Ace the Bat-Hound. He even had his own cowl – to cover up the distinctive star-like mark on his forehead, lest anyone recognize him as Bruce Wayne’s dog.
Back in the day, Ace was an indispensable ally in Batman’s quest to clean up Gotham as the canine crusader was adept at sniffing out clues, helping his master out of danger and giving criminals a hard time. He hasn’t been a proper sidekick for decades, but Ace will always have a special place in the Batfamily.
He holds such a fondness in the hearts of Bat-fans, in fact, that he’s been brought back in various less campy versions over the years. Elderly Bruce’s pooch in Batman Beyond was named Ace and Damian’s pet dog in current comics, Titus, is a clear homage to the original Bat-Hound.
9) Batman Incorporated
OK, so we’re kind of stretching the definition of sidekick by including the global network of Batman wannabes that is Batman Incorporated. However, they’re distinctly part of the Bat-brand and default to Bruce Wayne as their ringleader. So, they do technically operate at his side… Just on a global scale.
After returning from the dead, Bruce Wayne decided that he needed to take his work as Batman to the next level and so created a worldwide unit of Bat-related vigilantes under his command. Batman’s multinational recruits include Black Bat (Congo), Dark Ranger (Australia), Nightrunner (France) and Knight (England).
Batman Inc. was a fresh approach to the Dark Knight’s tendency to recruit soldiers in his endless war against crime, as this time he’d actually formed an entire global army. The individual members of the worldwide network aren’t usually particular standouts, but the idea of there being a Batman for every country is too awesome to discount.
