Boy (And Girl) Wonders: Batman’s 10 Greatest Sidekicks

7) Stephanie Brown

Batman’s sidekicks always go through the wars, but Stephanie Brown has had a tougher time than most in service of saving Gotham City. A teenage mother who put her child up for adoption, she’s also the victim of attempted rape and torture. The fact that she’s always soldiered on to fight the good fight proves just how much of a hero she is.

The daughter of supervillain the Cluemaster, Stephanie defied her father and became a crime-fighting vigilante known as Spoiler. After starting a relationship with Tim Drake, Stephanie’s begrudgingly accepted by Batman into the Batfamily. Despite her testy relationship with Bruce, she later briefly took over as Robin. However, this ended in her apparent death.

Probably motivated by the controversy her violent end caused, this was later retconned away and Stephanie returned, later becoming the fifth Batgirl – making her the only hero to sport the mantle of both Robin and Batgirl. As of The New 52, her journey has come full circle, as she’s returned to being Spoiler.