DC recently announced that in the landmark issue, Justice League #75, the iconic team would be killed off. This will obviously affect the Justice League book but what about the other titles? As the team being made up of the most iconic heroes in the DC Universe, many of DC's main books will be left without their main characters. Although one member is set to survive, there's still no clue as to who it will be and the likelihood that the Dark Knight will walk away from this event is slim. So, who could replace the title character in the mainline Batman series?
The obvious answer might be Jace Fox, the new Batman that was introduced in Future State. After all, he is Batman now. He even has his own series where he's establishing his own version of the Caped Crusader, I Am Batman. However, that's exactly why he can't take over the Batman series. In Jace's own series, he has moved to New York City. That way he can make his own Batman legacy, out of the shadow of Bruce Wayne. Therefore, having him return to Gotham just as he's forging his own path would be a total step back for the character.
Since the new Batman is New York's hero and not Gotham's, it's logical to conclude that a current Gotham hero will take up the cape and cowl. Detective Comics is already dealing with how the Bat-Family can protect the city without the Dark Knight. Batwoman, Huntress, Nightwing, Oracle, and the Batgirls are all investigating Arkham Tower in the weekly event. Whilst he has been Batman twice before, Nightwing has his own series. Besides, Dick Grayson has never wanted to take over from his mentor, even when he has filled in for him in the past. Oracle and the Batgirls also have their own series. Barbara couldn't become the new Batman even if she wanted to either, due to the issues with her spinal implant.
It would make more sense for Batwoman to have her own series, especially with the Batwoman TV series on the CW. So, then, what about Huntress? It's a lot more likely than it seems. Back during "No Man's Land," she filled in for the Dark Knight when he left Gotham. She made her own Bat-suit, which looked a lot like Batman's costume at the time. Many criminals even believed she was the Caped Crusader. Although she was eventually referred to as Batgirl during that time, there is a precedent for Huntress becoming and being referred to as Batman. In Earth-2: Society #22 (by Dan Abnett and Vicente Cifuentes), Helena Wayne gave up the Huntress persona and operated as Batman, telling Val-Zod's Superman that Batman was a symbol more than anything else.
Helena's new traumatic abilities could make for an interesting version of the Caped Crusader. However, they could drive her away from hero work forever. With that in mind, what other likely candidates are there. There are the other Robins. Jason Todd and Damian Wayne are both on their own missions and they either don't believe in Batman's cause anymore and/or his methods. This leaves only Tim Drake. For a while now he's been unsure of his identity, having stayed as Robin whilst Damian is away. However, he can't stay that way forever.
Batman might not be a good fit for him either. In the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline, he met a future version of himself who became Batman. He was horrified to find he was a ruthless murderer. New characters like Ghost Maker, Clownhunter, and Miracle Molly all have that same darker streak to them. They may not be candidates for the next Batman but they could make excellent supporting characters for a Tim Drake Batman trying to avoid his darkest future.
The two best candidates for the next Batman seem to be either Huntress or Tim Drake. Either could make for interesting new versions of the Dark Knight but can they live up to Bruce's legacy?
