SECRET IDENTITIES DON'T WORK

WARNING

I'm going into a very fan boy/nerdy comic tangent right now so if it's not your thing, you have been warned.

The concept of secret identities just doesn't work, if the rational for S.I.D's is to protect the innocent and enable the hero to operate free of legal restraints

then why do so many characters inhabiting the world of said hero, either directly or through association, learn the identity of the hero in question.

I'll give BATMAN as an example since as a character he has various good reasons not to let his identity 

got out. (his ability to function as a hero, the lives of his companions, and the company that he uses for philanthropy and to fund his crusade not to mention the lawsuits, both criminal and civil by most of Gotham City by scaring the shit out of everyone in a batsuit.)

I'll use a list compiled on the CBR site for  this article of everyone that learned that Batman was Bruce Wayne in the comics:

PRE CRISIS ( old school BATMAN for the layman )

THE MASTER LIST OF PEOPLE WHO KNEW, PRE-CRISIS

Alec Wyre (Criminal electronics genius who found the Batcave in “Batman #125,” and possibly figured out whose house it was directly under — I’m not clear on whether that last part was stated, or was only a possibility which Batman and Robin feared — but in any case, Wyre somehow got himself killed in an accident before he could do anything scary with whatever he had learned inside the Batcave. Upon finding Wyre’s fresh corpse down in the Cave, Bruce and Dick worried that someone else had killed the guy and then escaped with juicy information about them, but eventually they managed to reconstruct how the accident had occurred, and quit worrying)

Alfred Pennyworth (Pre-COIE, Alfred never even met Bruce until after Bruce was already Batman and Dick Grayson was already Robin. When Alfred first moved into the Manor to be the new butler, he didn’t know what he was really getting into — but he found out. It is worth mentioning that back in the 1960s there was a mysterious super-powered villain called “The Outsider” who demonstrated his knowledge of the secrets of Batman and Robin, and then turned out to be a temporarily deranged Alfred Pennyworth (previously thought dead and buried) — but that phase of his life didn’t last)

Aqualad (Garth. A founding member of the Teen Titans. Knew Dick’s secret identity; therefore probably knew Batman’s, although he wasn’t a “regular” in the early-1980s Titans, so I’m not sure if his knowledge about Bruce Wayne was ever explicitly declared, then or earlier?)

Aquaman (Arthur Curry. Probably learned right after “Justice League of America #122,” which ended with several members of the JLA resolving it was time for all active members to share secret identities, in preparation for a worst-case scenario)

The Atom II (Ray Palmer. Probably learned right after “Justice League of America #122,” which ended with several members of the JLA resolving it was time for all active members to share secret identities, in preparation for a worst-case scenario)

Batgirl I (Barbara Gordon. In the Pre-Crisis days, she was never known as “Oracle.” She apparently learned who Dick and Bruce were, had the knowledge mindwiped away, and figured it out all over again later.

Bat-Mite (With his magical powers, it would have been just about impossible to keep him from learning)

Black Canary II (Dinah Lance, who – until a JLA/JSA crossover in 1983 retconned her origins – was supposed to be her own mother, the Golden Age Black Canary of Earth-2, who had (supposedly) immigrated to Earth-1 to join the JLA, without ever getting visibly older than she had been when she debuted toward the end of the Golden Age . . . look, just take my word for it, okay? She probably learned right after “Justice League of America #122,” which ended with several members of the JLA resolving it was time for all active members to share secret identities, in preparation for a worst-case scenario)

Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce. Learned in “Batman and the Outsiders #13.” Along with four other founding members of the Outsiders: Geo-Force, Halo, Katana, and Metamorpho, all listed below)

The Blockbuster I (Mark Desmond. Learned the secret in “Batman #194.” However, I’m also told that later on, Blockbuster reached the conclusion that Batman was actually Solomon Grundy, or at least someone who must be a dead ringer for Grundy. Don’t ask me what that’s all about!)

Catwoman (Selina Kyle. Her knowledge was established in “Batman #355” when, for the first time in Earth-1 continuity, she clearly addressed Batman as “Bruce.” Apparently we never found out just when and how she had previously learned the secret.)

Changeling (Garfield Logan. The way Marv Wolfman wrote “The New Teen Titans” in the early-to-mid 80s, it appeared that everyone who was a bona fide member of the team ended up knowing that Robin I (later Nightwing) was Dick Grayson, and that he was the ward and protégé of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman. Thus you will also see listings here for Cyborg, Kid Flash I (Wally), Raven, Starfire II (Koriand’r), Terra I, and Wonder Girl I (Donna). Post-Zero Hour, Denny O’Neil frantically tried to retcon all this six ways from Sunday, but that has nothing to do with how things stood in the early-to-mid 80s in the Pre-Crisis continuity.)

Clayface II (Matt Hagen. Learned in “World’s Finest #140” and then lost the knowledge. He later died during the COIE miniseries, although that didn’t stop him from being dragged back onstage in a Post-COIE story arc)

Composite Superman (Joseph Meach. Knew the secrets of Batman and Superman at the times when he had their special abilities and wore a blend of their costumes; sometimes lost the knowledge when restored to normal again. First appeared in “World’s Finest #142”)

The Crime Doctor (Bradford Thorne. Dead. Learned in his first appearance, in “Detective Comics #494.” One issue later, he went into a coma from mercury poisoning. He had no further appearances in the Pre-Crisis continuity, but in theory, the threat of his a) recovering, and b) still remembering, was constantly hanging over Batman’s head)

Cyborg (Victor Stone. See “Changeling” for the rationale)

Dala (Female vampire who learned the secret, in the Earth-1 continuity, in a story arc in 1982. She and her brother “The Monk” had no further appearances in Pre-Crisis continuity.)

Deathstroke the Terminator (Slade Wilson. This one is a bit iffy, but here’s what I think I know: In the Pre-Crisis era, Dick Grayson’s teammates in the Titans all knew he was the first Robin (later Nightwing). For awhile, newcomer Terra I (Tara Markov) was the exception to the rule, but eventually he decided she’d proved she was trustworthy, and he revealed his real name to her at the same time he announced he was abandoning the “Robin” identity for good. All the other Titans already seemed to know that Dick Grayson’s mentor was Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, with the Batcave being located beneath stately Wayne Manor. Terra was a spy and definitely shared Dick’s secret identity with Deathstroke the Terminator. I don’t remember Deathstroke, in any “Pre-Crisis” story, ever explicitly saying “I know Bruce Wayne is Batman” – Slade and Bruce never met in that era, so the subject simply never came up! — but the assumption Marv Wolfman seemed to be going on in that era was: “ANYBODY who knows Dick Grayson is Robin I/Nightwing also knows Bruce Wayne is Batman,” which makes a lot more sense than Denny O’Neil’s mid-90s retcons to the contrary!)

Denny Kale (Criminal. In “World’s Finest #132,” he and his partner Shorty Biggs impersonated Batman and Robin (Bruce and Dick), captured the real ones, unmasked them, and then conveniently lost their memories of that event thanks to a freak accident in an alchemist’s laboratory (most of this story was happening in Renaissance Italy, thanks to the miracle of time travel))

Douglas Dundee, M.D. (In Pre-Crisis continuity, he was the old doctor who had known Bruce all his life and was well aware of his secret identity. He could be trusted to treat Batman’s occasional bullet wounds and so forth without reporting them to the police)

The Elongated Man (Ralph Dibny. Probably learned right after “Justice League of America #122,” which ended with several members of the JLA resolving it was time for all active members to share secret identities, in preparation for a worst-case scenario)

Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond merged with Martin Stein. Note: Last year, at least one reader cast doubt on whether Firestorm ever actually learned Batman’s secrets, even though he served with the JLA for much of their Satellite Era. I’m working on the theory that all the Satellite Era JLAers were trusted with one another’s secrets at some point, but I may be wrong — anyone care to offer evidence for or against Ronnie (and/or Martin) ever knowing?)

Flash (Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash. He was the “first Flash” of Earth-1 in the Pre-COIE era, until the Post-COIE retcons turned him into “Flash II” of the modern DCU. Probably learned right after “Justice League of America #122,” which ended with several members of the JLA resolving it was time for all active members to share secret identities, in preparation for a worst-case scenario)

Frank Davis (Amateur Batman scholar who deduced the truth before being murdered in “Batman #108”)

Future Man (Rak Durr. A time-travelling criminal from the 21st Century — this was published 45 years ago, when being from the 21st Century still sounded like a big deal! — who learned Batman’s secret during his visit to 1963 in “World’s Finest #135,” but he was deported to his native era before he could cause any real trouble with his recent discovery)

Geo-Force (Brion Markov. Learned in “Batman and the Outsiders #13”)

Green Arrow I (Oliver Queen. Probably learned right after “Justice League of America #122,” which ended with several members of the JLA resolving it was time for all active members to share secret identities, in preparation for a worst-case scenario)

Green Lantern #whatever (Hal Jordan. Probably learned right after “Justice League of America #122,” which ended with several members of the JLA resolving it was time for all active members to share secret identities, in preparation for a worst-case scenario)

Guerney (A criminal who learned Batman’s secret identity during a visit he made inadvertently — along with Batman and Robin (Dick) — to the world of Plaxius in another dimensional reality in “Batman #125.” However, when the three of them returned to Earth-1 via “time warp,” they all lost their knowledge of what had happened during their inter-dimensional jaunt, so no harm was done)

Halo (An energy being called an “Aurakle” which possessed the body of Violet Hunter. Learned in “Batman and the Outsiders #13”)

Harbinger (Lyla, the former assistant to the Monitor. Had access to her boss’s files, which were chock full of information about everyone interesting)

Harvey Harris (Brilliant police detective who taught the juvenile Bruce Wayne (disguised as “Robin”) about investigative techniques. Harris figured out at the time who was behind the mask, but didn’t say so. Likewise, he later deduced the new “Batman” in Gotham must be that masked student from several years earlier, now grown up. Bruce only learned of Harris’s knowledge from a message delivered after the detective died)

Hawkman (Katar Hol of Thanagar, aka Carter Hall. Probably learned right after “Justice League of America #122,” which ended with several members of the JLA resolving it was time for all active members to share secret identities, in preparation for a worst-case scenario)

Hawkgirl (Shiera Hol of Thanagar, aka Shiera Hall. Presumably either learned from her husband after he found out, or possibly learned the secret later on when she was offered JLA membership in her own right)

Hugo Strange (Found out in the Steve Englehart run in the 70s that is collected in the “Batman: Strange Apparitions” TPB. Although I should add that in Hugo’s last “Pre-Crisis” appearance, in “Batman Annual #whatever,” Batman was doing his best to persuade Hugo that his recent memories of the details of his clashes with Bruce Wayne and with Batman might only be hypnotically implanted memories to blur the “true story” of Batman’s secret life. Whether or not this cover story would have kept Hugo fooled in the long run, we’ll never know; because the Post-Crisis Hugo seems to have been Totally Rebooted instead of having his old stories from the 70s and early-to-mid 80s carry over into the modern DCU continuity)

Jason Todd (Robin II. A very different character from the Post-Crisis Jason who was killed in “A Death in the Family” and more recently came back during Judd Winick’s run on the “Batman” title. This version of Jason independently discovered the secret passage behind a grandfather clock, and thus the Batcave and the spare costumes and so forth, in “Detective Comics #526.” By sheer coincidence, his parents (circus aerialists) were getting killed by Killer Croc right about then, so Jason ended up moving into Wayne Manor as Bruce’s new ward and protégé.)

Jimmy Olsen (For some reason, Silver Age Superman didn’t think it proper to trust Jimmy with his own secret identity, but felt it was perfectly all right to trust him with Batman’s secret identity. No, I don’t understand the logic either – but I haven’t actually read the story in question; I just heard about it online!)

Joe Chill (Batman revealed his true identity to Joe Chill to scare him. A few minutes later, Chill got himself killed by some fellow thugs who shot him full of holes after hearing him confess that he had just learned he had essentially “created” Batman, the guy who had made so much trouble for all of them over the last few years. A little bit too late, the thugs realized they should have extracted the name from Chill before gunning him down in their rage. Oops! Still, for about five or ten minutes, Joe Chillnew the secret)

Karko (An alien thief from the 26th Century who knew, as did just about everybody in his native culture, the secret identities of Batman and Robin (Bruce and Dick), according to a story published in “Detective Comics #257″)

Katana (Tatsu Yamashiro. Learned in “Batman and the Outsiders #13”)

Kid Flash (Wally West. See “Changeling” for the rationale)

Killer Moth (It appears that his “real name” in the Silver Age was never revealed, but he sometimes used the alias “Cameron van Cleer.” He kidnapped and impersonated Bruce Wayne in “Detective Comics #173,” and learned the secret during that story. Then he was shot in the head. The wound, and/or the surgery which saved his life, conveniently erased the short-term memories of what he had just learned — although he otherwise recovered well enough to let him to continue to function as a supervillain on several subsequent occasions)

The Legion of Super-Heroes (I’m told that, in at least one team-up in the original “The Brave and the Bold” title, it was made clear that they knew Batman was Bruce Wayne. After a little quick research, I think the person who told me that was probably referring to the team-up in “The Brave and the Bold #179,” but I can’t swear to the details of that story. It certainly makes sense that his identity would be known 1000 years after his heyday, though (see the entry for “Superwoman” for another person from the distant future who apparently knew from history books). At any rate, I figure it’s easier on everybody if I just list the “Legion” as a package deal instead of adding every single member they ever had in the Pre-Crisis era to this list individually. Call me lazy!)

Martian Manhunter (J’onn J’onnz. I think he knew — he occasionally popped up during the Satellite Era — however, he was not active as a member through most of the 1970s, when “Justice League of America” made it clear the active members had decided to share identities as a general policy, so I’m not absolutely certain whether or not anyone was ever explicitly stated or heavily implied to have brought him up to speed on all the secrets they’d been sharing with each other during his long absences)

Metamorpho (Rex Mason. Learned in “Batman and the Outsiders #13”)

Mirror Man (Floyd Ventris. A supervillain who was able to use special technology to penetrate Batman’s cowl in “Detective Comics #217” and see Bruce’s face. Batman was later able to pull a tricky stunt in “Batman #157” to persuade Mirror Man he must have made a mistake the first time around, but I’m told that, during the gap between those two stories, the guy “really knew” the secret; not that it did him much good)

The Monitor (In anticipation of what became “the Crisis on Infinite Earths,” he had already compiled detailed dossiers on every costumed character who might possibly be useful to him when the time came)

The Monk (Vampire villain who learned the secrets of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson during a story arc in 1982. Then he and his sister Dala were taken into custody by a mysterious priest — and the Earth-1, Pre-Crisis versions of those characters have never been heard from since!)

Mrs. Chilton (first name unknown) (The housekeeper in the mansion of Philip Wayne, who was Bruce’s uncle and became his legal guardian after he was orphaned. In “Batman #208” it was revealed that she was the mother of Joe Chill, and furthermore that somewhere along the line she had figured out that Bruce became Batman after he grew up. She never shared any of that with Bruce, however. There is some evidence that she might have talked it over with Alfred Pennyworth at some point – in the miniseries “Untold Legend of the Batman” Alfred thinks about how Master Bruce must never know she was Joe Chill’s mother, but I’m told that if Mrs. Chilton and Alfred previously had a heart-to-heart talk on the subject, then it apparently happened “behind the scenes”)

Nightwing I (Dick Grayson, formerly Robin I. I’m not going to bother citing an issue in which he “first learned” — just take my word for it that he found out, okay? )

Nocturna (Doug Moench’s scripts in the mid-80s sometimes called her “Natasha Knight” and sometimes called her “Natalia Knight” – apparently he lost track of what her first name was, even though he’d created her himself? But she definitely knew for awhile before the transition to Post-Crisis continuity. Near as I can recall, she simply figured it out on her own, offstage, at some point, and then alluded to it the next time she conversed with Bruce Wayne)

The Phantom Stranger (He seems virtually omniscient. In “Detective Comics #500” he gave the Earth-1 Batman and Robin a chance to visit a previously unknown parallel world where the local versions of Thomas and Martha Wayne were almost due to be murdered by a crook in front of the horrified eyes of their little boy, Bruce, unless somebody intervened to prevent this tragedy – obviously he knew this opportunity would have special meaning for Batman)

The Plaxians (The inhabitants of Plaxius, a world in another dimensional reality. Batman’s identity was publicly revealed to them when it looked as if he were their new rightful king after he triumphed in a series of contests. However, that didn’t work out — Batman and Robin (along with the criminal Guerney, listed above) returned to Earth-1 and forgot the whole thing. As far as I know, the Plaxians and their world of Plaxius have never been seen or heard from in any other story since their debut in “Batman #125,” so their knowledge of Batman’s secrets never became a major security threat for him)

Ra’s al Ghul (Already knew the secret, from behind-the-scenes detective work, when he made his debut in “Batman #232.” He’d made up a hypothetical shopping list of every special piece of equipment Batman might need in order to operate as independently as he did, and then he had people do research to find out who in the Gotham City area had bought most or all of the things on that possible list, and the name “Bruce Wayne” kept popping up, in one category after another. At least some of Ra’s underlings (such as the occasional Ubu) have also known)

Raven (In the early 1980s, Dick Grayson was not uptight about letting his fellow Titans know that his mentor was Batman, aka Bruce Wayne. Besides, Raven had already used her mystic powers to find out Dick’s own secret ID before he ever met her face-to-face . . . it’s a pretty safe guess that she could have done the same thing to learn Batman’s secrets, if she cared to take the trouble)

Red Tornado II (”John Smith.” Probably learned right after “Justice League of America #122,” which ended with several members of the JLA resolving it was time for all active members to share secret identities, in preparation for a worst-case scenario)

The Shadow (Sometimes known by such names as “Kent Allard” and “Lamont Cranston.” His knowledge was established in “Batman #259.”)

Shorty Biggs (Criminal. In “World’s Finest #132,” he and his partner Denny Kale impersonated Batman and Robin (Bruce and Dick), captured the real ones, unmasked them, and then conveniently lost their memories of that event thanks to a freak accident in an alchemist’s laboratory (most of this story was happening in Renaissance Italy, thanks to the miracle of time travel))

Silas Wayne (An obscure great-uncle who believed the “millionaire playboy” act and thought Bruce was a disgrace to the family traditions of the Waynes. When Silas was on his deathbed in “Batman #120,” Bruce finally revealed the secret to him so he’d know the modern generation of the family wasn’t completely useless after all)

Silver St. Cloud (Learned during the Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers run on “Detective Comics” that is reprinted in the TPB “Batman: Strange Apparitions.” Nobody told her; she had just gotten so well-acquainted with Bruce when they were dating that the next time she saw “Batman” in action she recognized his mouth and jaw at a glance)

Speedy (Roy Harper. A member of the first incarnation of the Teen Titans. Knew Dick’s secret identity; therefore probably knew Batman’s, although he wasn’t a “regular” in the early-1980s Titans, so I’m not sure if his knowledge about Bruce Wayne was ever explicitly declared, then or earlier?)

Starfire II (Koriand’r of Tamaran. See “Changeling” for the rationale)

Superboy-Prime (Clark Kent of Earth-Prime, which was supposed to be “our Earth.” Presumably he knew from a very early age, thanks to comic books, TV shows, etc. Just as he definitely knew that the Superman of Earth-1 also used the name “Clark Kent”)

Supergirl (Kara Zor-El, aka Linda Lee Danvers. As I recall: Earth-1 Superman maintained, in his Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic, a display of life-size replicas of many of his superhero buddies, each costumed figure standing alongside a replica of the matching secret identity. That included figures for “Bruce Wayne” and “Batman.” Since Kal-El completely trusted his cousin Kara (and she was worthy of it, too – ah, those were the good old days!), she had the full run of his Fortress and basically knew everything Superman knew about other heroes)

Superman (Clark Kent, Kal-El. The first “first meeting” of Batman and Superman was published in “Superman #76″ in 1952. By sheer coincidence, Clark and Bruce ended up as roommates on a cruise ship, and caught on to each other’s secret identities pretty darn quick. I’m not clear on whether that story was ever explicitly referred to again as a well-established part of the Earth-1, Silver Age continuity after the concepts of Earth-1 and Earth-2 were established almost a decade later, but at any rate, all through the Silver and Bronze Ages it was repeatedly made clear that Clark and Bruce knew each other’s secrets . . . presumably because of the groundwork laid in this story?)

Superwoman (Kristin Wells. Second character in Silver Age/Bronze Age continuity to use that alias, to the best of my knowledge. She was a history professor in the 29th Century who took a strong interest in those old-time superheroes. In “DC Comics Presents Annual #2” she traveled back to the 1980s to learn the “last secret identity” of that era . . . therefore she already knew from textbooks that Bruce Wayne had been Batman, right?)

Talia (Definitely knew; probably learned from her father – Ra’s al Ghul — after he had researched the point)

Terry Long (Married Donna Troy; basically learned everything she knew about the other Titans and their mentors and so forth. I’m not sure on the timing, but well before the wedding, Terry already knew “Dick” was “Robin” – I’m not sure if he ever met Batman face-to-face or ever explicitly said he knew who Batman was (although Bruce was in the large crowd at the wedding), but as I said in an earlier entry, Marv Wolfman in those days seemed to work on the theory that anyone who knew Dick Grayson’s secret could and probably did easily figure out Bruce Wayne’s secret as well even if Dick didn’t spell it out for them right away — which makes a lot more sense to me than Denny O’Neil’s frantic attempt in the mid-90s to retcon it to say: “Anyone in Titans continuity who knows Dick Grayson’s secret is far too clueless to ever figure out who Batman really is”)

The Venusians (A civilized species living on the planet Venus; I’m guessing they were called “Venusians.” In “Detective Comics #260,” it was revealed that they knew all about Batman’s adventures and secrets, thanks to avidly watching him on some sort of “TV space scanners”)

Wonder Girl I (Donna Troy. See “Changeling” for the rationale)

Wonder Woman (Diana of Paradise Island. Probably learned right after “Justice League of America #122,” which ended with several members of the JLA resolving it was time for all active members to share secret identities, in preparation for a worst-case scenario)

Zatanna (Zatanna Zatara. Probably knew from her lengthy tenure as Batman’s teammate during the JLA’s Satellite Era, although — like Firestorm — she only became a member in good standing of the League well after the story (”Justice League of America #122″) which had ended with several members deciding it was time for everyone to share information about their secret identities in preparation for worst-case scenarios. If anyone can remember any evidence from a Pre-Crisis story which made it clear that Zatanna, after working with the JLA for awhile, definitely did or definitely didn’t know who Batman was, please say so!)

Doubtful Cases and Near-Misses

Kathy Kane, the Pre-COIE Batwoman, definitely had suspicions regarding Bruce Wayne at various times during her Silver Age career, but apparently never “knew” anything for sure. I’m not clear on whether or not she ever mentioned those suspicions to her niece, Betty Kane (Bat-Girl).

On a similar note: When I started buying the “Batman” and “Detective Comics” titles in 1982, I arrived just in time to see Vicki Vale showing Alfred Pennyworth a collection of photos she had taken of Bruce Wayne and of Batman. She had measured their chins and things from various angles and thought their jaws, the shapes and sizes of their skulls, etc., were incredibly similar. She was almost certain they were the same man. But she didn’t “know” in the sense of having fingerprints or DNA evidence. She didn’t “know” in the sense that she had ever seen Batman removing his mask to reveal the face of Bruce Wayne. She didn’t “know” in the sense that Batman (or anyone else who knew or claimed to know) had ever told her the secret. And she didn’t seem 100% sure of her own conclusions, since she was voluntarily offering Alfred the chance to disprove her hypothesis, if he could. (As indeed he did – with the help of Christopher Chance, the Human Target, who didn’t know what the real purpose of impersonating Bruce Wayne was supposed to be, however — he was led to believe that someone might be planning to assassinate Bruce in the near future — hence, Mr. Chance has no entry on this list.)

This carries over to Boss Thorne (Rupert Thorne, previously introduced in Englehart’s run that’s now collected as “Strange Apparitions”) and to Deadshot. After Thorne became aware of Vicki’s work, he hired Deadshot to kill Bruce Wayne, and evidently told him exactly why this seemed desirable, although Deadshot found it hard to believe the spoiled playboy could be the same tough guy who had beaten him fair and square in the past. Deadshot was about to shoot “Wayne” (Christopher Chance) when Batman hit him from behind, ruining his shot. As a result: Both Deadshot and Thorne evidently ended up deciding the whole “Bruce Wayne could be Batman” theory had just stemmed from one of those wild coincidental resemblances that didn’t mean a thing. So I don’t list them above as people who ever definitely “knew” the secret . . . I think of them more as people who tested Vicki’s theory and decided it didn’t hold up under scrutiny.

A few years later, there was a story in Doug Moench’s run in the mid-80s in which Anton Knight (variously called The Thief of Night, Night-Thief, The Slayer of Night, and Night-Slayer) found himself standing over the dazed body of Batman after the latter had suffered a scalp injury from a gunshot. Anton had a cute idea and removed and exchanged their costumes, posing as Batman for several issues thereafter and leaving Bruce (who seemed to be in such a bad state that he didn’t know who he was for awhile) as The Night-Slayer. In the process of switching costumes, Anton naturally got a good look at Bruce’s face, and reflected that it seemed somehow familiar – but as near as we could tell, in his other appearances over the next couple of years, he never did figure out just where he had seen that face before.

I would call this a borderline case. If Anton Knight ever again came face-to-face with Bruce Wayne, and heard someone say, “That’s Bruce Wayne,” then he would instantly know who Batman was. Or he could have seen the face in a TV broadcast or a newspaper photograph or whatever, at any time. So I’d say he was “teetering on the brink” of knowing, and could fall over the brink at the slightest push.

Beyond that, some other doubtful cases where I’m not sure what anyone knew or was implied to know:

Owlman of Earth-3. Did we ever learn if he was a member of the Wayne family of his native world, or was he just some random guy who happened to wear a costume very similar to the Earth-1 Batman’s?

I strongly suspect The Spectre (Jim Corrigan) knew, but I’ve never been an expert on his continuity. I don’t know if any story ever made it clear that he knew in the Pre-Crisis days.

During the Mid 80's DC decided to undo many of the things in their universe that made it difficult for someone who hadn't read DC comics in a long time to follow. this event was called CRISIS ( they did it again in the 90's with ZERO HOUR) after which they reset all the characters, in the case of Batman, no one other than Alfred , Robin II , Nightwing and Barbara Gordon knew that he was Bruce Wayne. Now after doing all of this to Give the Batman a fresh lease on life, here's a new list of everyone who's Learned on way or another that he's Bruce Wayne:

Aaron Langstrom (Son of Man-Bat. His knowledge of the secret was established in “Gotham Knights #45”)

Alexander Luthor (Dead. Apparently learned during the long period when he had nothing better to do in the “paradise dimension” than play peeping tom, watching events in the Post-Crisis DCU)

Alfred Pennyworth (Different versions have been told of how he learned, but either he was already working for Bruce when the Batman identity was created, or else he was hired later and quickly found out. Post-COIE references to the subject have generally — but not invariably — favored the idea that Alfred was already at Wayne Manor before Bruce’s parents died.)

The Appelaxians (Were able to find and invade the Batcave and capture Batman in “JLA: Year One” based on information gleaned from the Martian Manhunter’s secret files. Of course, I don’t know if the general plot of “JLA: Year One” is still in continuity in the Post-IC DCU. The roster of founding members of the JLA has retroactively been changed again, after all)

Aquaman I (Orin. He was present when the JLAers were sharing identities in “JLA #50” but I think he already knew Bruce’s secret.)

The Atom II (Ray Palmer. His ex-wife Jean Loring definitely knew in “Identity Crisis #7” that Bruce is Batman; presumably she heard it from him.)

Azrael (Jean Paul Valley. Dead. Learned during the “Sword of Azrael” miniseries)

Bane (Figured it out very quickly in “Knightfall” after looking at Bruce Wayne’s body language)

Batgirl III (Cassandra Cain. Learned when, for the first time, she saw Batman in his role as Bruce Wayne during the “Bruce Wayne: Murderer?” event. She recognized his body language instantly)

Benedict Asp (Learned in “Legends of the Dark Knight #61.” Then he died)

Bird (Now believed dead. Bane told him in “Knightfall”)

Black Canary II (Dinah Lance. Her current knowledge was recently confirmed in the “JLA: Crisis of Conscience” story arc, although a few years earlier, in “Bruce Wayne: Murderer?” she clearly didn’t know Bruce was Batman)

Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce. Learned in “Batman and the Outsiders #13.” Still knew in a comic published in 1996, which means it was Post-Zero Hour. He had originally learned in a Pre-COIE story, along with the other original members of the Outsiders, so I’m figuring that they all know too, in Post-COIE, Post-Zero Hour continuity, unless someone can show me evidence that ome of them don’t)

Blue Beetle II (Ted Kord. Dead. I think he learned in “Countdown to Infinite Crisis” – at any rate, he promptly got himself killed)

Booster Gold I (Michael Carter. Called himself “Supernova” for awhile during “52.” I’m not clear on just when he learned, although I suppose coming from several hundred years in the future might give him an advantage in knowing things that will have become “matters of public record” by then?)

Cain (David Cain. I don’t remember just when he realized, but I believe it was clear that he knew by the time of “Bruce Wayne: Fugitive.”)

Carleton LeHah (Learned during the “Sword of Azrael” miniseries)

Catwoman I (Selina Kyle. Bruce voluntarily told her during “Hush” – we don’t know for sure if she already knew or suspected; we can fill in the blanks any way we please!)

Changeling (Garfield Logan. As a member of the Teen Titans in the early 80s, he learned the secrets of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. However, the part about his knowing Batman’s secret ID was reportedly erased by a retcon from Denny O’Neil at the time of Zero Hour. I don’t know if he’s learned all over again since then)

Chronos I (David Clinton. Found out the secret IDs of Batman and several other JLAers a long time ago, according to an “Identity Crisis” retcon. Then he got mindwiped by Zatanna. Then Despero recently helped him rediscover those memories in “JLA: Crisis of Conscience.” Then they got wiped out (or suppressed, or whatever) by Zatanna all over again . . . until further notice?)

The Crime Doctor (Bradford Thorne. Dead. Learned in his first appearance, in “Detective Comics #494” – a Pre-Crisis story, incidentally. One issue later, he went into a coma from mercury poisoning. Years later, he recovered. Since that time, I gather that no Post-Crisis story has ever clearly told us that he does – or didn’t – remember Batman’s identity after he awoke.)

Cyborg (Vic Stone. As a member of the Teen Titans in the early 80s, he learned the secrets of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. However, the part about his knowing Batman’s secret ID was reportedly erased by a retcon from Denny O’Neil at the time of Zero Hour. I don’t know if he’s learned all over again since then)

Damian (Batman’s newly-introduced long-lost son. Presumably he has known all his life, thanks to his mommy, Talia.)

Deadman (Boston Brand. Since he is normally an invisible and intangible ghost who can go anywhere and spy on anyone, it would be very easy for him to learn any secret identity if he got interested enough to bother, and he demonstrated his knowledge of where to find the Batcave (right under Wayne Manor, natch!) in “Batman #530”)

Deathstroke the Terminator (Slade Wilson. He probably knew Pre-COIE because of the things he learned by having Terra infiltrate the Titans in preparation for “The Judas Contract.” He definitely learned Dick Grayson’s secrets at that time. Several years after COIE, in “Deathstroke the Terminator #8,” Slade entered Wayne Manor to ask Bruce Wayne for help. Bruce and Slade were both wearing tuxedoes instead of masks at the time Slade approached him, but in context, it was quite clear that Slade wanted — and eventually got –Batman’s help. However, that story was published in the early 90s, Pre-Zero Hour, and I’m not sure if there’s ever been a Post-Zero Hour story in which it was made clear to us that Slade still knows. [See the note at the end of this list about the Zero Hour Retcons.])

Deathwing (Comes from an alternate future timeline, now defunct, in which he had been brainwashed by the Time Trapper so he could pass himself off as Dick Grayson, the Nightwing of “ten years from now.” We were eventually told he wasn’t really a Dick Grayson from the future, but in that case he still must have been very well-briefed on all Titans lore and Dick Grayson’s biography in particular, including the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in his life, in order to carry the role with conviction)

Despero (Restored various suppressed memories to the Secret Society of Super-Villains in the “JLA: Crisis of Conscience” story arc . . . and as it turned out, those memories included the knowledge that Batman is Bruce Wayne (not to mention several other JLA secret IDs). In the process, Despero apparently learned this secret himself (if he didn’t already know? He is a telepath, after all). At the end of the arc, Despero was subdued by Zatanna’s magic and allegedly was going to be taken off to Oa for containment, but – as far as I can tell – he still had all that knowledge of secret IDs inside his head. The other villains whom he had helped to regain these memories included: Chronos, Felix Faust, Floronic Man, Matter Master, Star Sapphire, The Wizard)

Doc Creasey (Dead. Bought the secret of Batman’s identity from “The Nobody” in “Shadow of the Bat #13.” One of Joker’s henchmen killed Creasey before he could make any use of his new knowledge)

Donna Troy (Sometimes known as Wonder Girl I, Wonder Woman IV (I think she’d be the fourth user of the name), Troia, etc. I’ve completely lost track of what alias she might be using today, if any? As a founding member of the Teen Titans, she learned the secrets of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. However, the part about her knowing Batman’s secret ID was reportedly erased by a retcon from Denny O’Neil at the time of Zero Hour. I don’t know if she’s learned all over again since then)

The Elongated Man (Ralph Dibny. His knowledge was recently confirmed in the “JLA: Crisis of Conscience” arc)

Faith (She refers to Batman as “Bruce” during the “JLA Classified: Sacred Trust” story arc)

Felix Faust (Found out the secret IDs of Batman and several other JLAers a long time ago, according to an “Identity Crisis” retcon. Then he got mindwiped by Zatanna. Then Despero recently helped him rediscover those memories in “JLA: Crisis of Conscience.” Then they got wiped out (or suppressed, or whatever) by Zatanna all over again . . . until further notice?)

Flash III (Wally West)

The Floronic Man (Jason Woodrue. Found out the secret IDs of Batman and several other JLAers a long time ago, according to an “Identity Crisis” retcon. Then he got mindwiped by Zatanna. Then Despero recently helped him rediscover those memories in “JLA: Crisis of Conscience.” Then they got wiped out (or suppressed, or whatever) by Zatanna all over again . . . until further notice?)

Fritz (A thug who worked for Benedict Asp. Learned in “Legends of the Dark Knight #61.” Then he died)

Geo-Force (Brion Markov. Learned in “Batman and the Outsiders #13.” See “Black Lightning” entry for my reasons for listing him as knowing “in modern continuity”)

Green Arrow I (Oliver Queen. Already knew by the time of a conversation with Batman in “Green Arrow #5” (the third series of that name). I’m told that it is far from clear just when and how he found out in the modern continuity, however)

Green Lantern #whatever (Hal Jordan, formerly known as Parallax, and later as The Spectre II, before reverting back to “Green Lantern.” His knowledge was confirmed during the recent “JLA: Crisis of Conscience” story arc. I say “#whatever” because, strictly speaking, I think millions of other people across the universe must have been “Green Lanterns” in the eons before Hal Jordan ever met Abin Sur)

Halo (Violet Hunter. Learned in “Batman and the Outsiders #13.” See “Black Lightning” entry for my reasons for listing her as knowing “in modern continuity”)

Harbinger (Lyla, the former assistant to the Monitor. Had access to information about everyone interesting)

Harold Allnut (Dead. Presumably found out shortly after Batman met him and took him home to the Batcave in “Batman #458.”)

Hawkman (Carter Hall. His knowledge was recently confirmed in the “JLA: Crisis of Conscience” arc)

Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders. In “Hawkgirl #51,” an OYL issue, she thinks of “Batman” as also being “Bruce” who can drive around in limos all the time)

Henri Ducard (One of Bruce’s old teachers; he deduced the secret in the “Blind Justice” story arc, which has allegedly been erased from continuity, which would certainly explain why I don’t remember ever seeing Ducard make any use of this knowledge in any subsequent appearances in other comics)

Hourman III, from the 853rd Century (Tyler. Dead. The secret was also known to a bunch of his friends from the Justice Legion who appeared in the “DC One Million” event, because the identities of modern-era heroes are all available in public records in the 853rd century)

Hugo Strange (A borderline case. Hugo kinda-sorta-sometimes thinks he knows, but – as far as I can tell in the modern continuity — has never actually proven it for sure. For instance, he’s never captured Batman and then ripped off his cowl to reveal the face of Bruce Wayne underneath. That exact scenario actually happened in Pre-COIE continuity, but that story seems to have been erased from history, many years ago. I have on my hard drive a rough draft of a post that examines the Weird Retcons of Hugo Strange’s Continuity in more detail; I’ll polish it up and post it someday)

Hush (Thomas “Tommy” Elliot. We learned at the end of “Hush” that he had learned it from Riddler in a conversation we never saw, before that story arc even started. I’m told that we have heard nothing of him thus far in any story following the OYL leap forward in DC’s titles; apparently it is not even known if he is currently alive or dead?)

Ion (Kyle Rayner, formerly a Green Lantern. Learned in “JLA #50.”)

Jack Drake (Dead)

Jason Todd (Formerly Robin II, later The Red Hood II. More recently a “Nightwing” — I’m not sure if he still uses that name today, and I’ve lost track of what the numbering would be, given that Power Girl and Cheyenne Freemont have also been using that name in OYL stories)

Jean Loring (Refers to Batman as “Bruce” in “Identity Crisis #7”)

Jeannie Bowen (In the “Blind Justice” story arc, which has allegedly been erased from continuity)

Katana (Tatsu Yamashiro. Learned in “Batman and the Outsiders #13.” See “Black Lightning” entry for my reasons for listing her as knowing “in modern

continuity”)

Kathy Sutton (Wife of Red Tornado II. Demonstrates her knowledge that Batman is also Bruce Wayne in “Justice League of America #1” (the newest series)

Lady Shiva (Nightwing commented that she was on the list of enemies who definitely knew, in a conversation he had with Robin III (Tim Drake) in “Gotham Knights #8.” I don’t think we know just when or how she supposedly found out)

Leslie Thompkins (In the current continuity, she was an old friend of the Wayne family who found out soon after Bruce invented his new identity.)

Lois Lane (Probably learned from her husband Clark – she obviously knew at the time of her appearance in “Hush,” although a few years earlier, when she teamed up with Batman to steal the Green Kryptonite Ring from President Lex Luthor in the White House, she definitely didn’t know. Which surprised Batman, because he’d assumed her loving husband must have told her by then!)

Man-Bat (Kirk Langstrom. His knowledge was established in “Gotham Knights #45”)

Martian Manhunter (J’onn J’onnz. May have learned by telepathic prying in “JLA: Year One” if that is still in continuity)

Matches Malone (Dead. But he had somehow figured it out before he died, according to a letter column in “Detective Comics #765”)

Matter Master (Mark Mandrill. Found out the secret IDs of Batman and several other JLAers a long time ago, according to an “Identity Crisis” retcon. Then he got mindwiped by Zatanna. Then Despero recently helped him rediscover those memories in “JLA: Crisis of Conscience.” Then they got wiped out (or suppressed, or whatever) by Zatanna all over again . . . until further notice?)

Maxwell Lord (Dead. Apparently learned the secret from Brother Eye, or perhaps by telepathic prying?)

Metamorpho (Rex Mason. Learned in “Batman and the Outsiders #13.” See “Black Lightning” entry for my reasons for listing him as knowing “in modern continuity”)

Neron (Can see anywhere. Visited the Batcave in “Underworld Unleashed

#2”)

Nightwing I (Dick Grayson, formerly Robin I and Batman III)

“The Nobody” (Dead. A convenient label for a homeless man, real name unknown, who learned Batman’s identity and then was killed by the man he sold it to (Doc Creasey), in Shadow of the Bat #13”)

Nomoz (Learned during the “Sword of Azrael” miniseries)

Nyssa Raatko (AKA Ra’s al Ghul II. Dead. Demonstrated her knowledge of Bruce’s secret in the “Death and the Maidens” miniseries. I don’t recall that we ever learned how she knew – she had been estranged from her father, the original Ra’s al Ghul, for decades before Ra’s (or anybody else) ever heard of “Batman,” so I doubt she heard it from her daddy)

Oracle (Barbara Gordon, formerly the first Batgirl. She’s known for a long, long time. Over the years, there’s been more than one explanation of just how and when she found out the secrets of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. The “Batgirl: Year One” mini showed one version of how she found out; as far as I know; it’s probably still the “official” version in modern continuity.)

Owlman (Thomas Wayne, member of the Crime Syndicate of America, on the Earth in the Antimatter Universe. Introduced in Grant Morrison’s “JLA: Earth-2.” Once he visited the regular DCU Earth, it was a foregone conclusion that he’d figure it out. In fact, he located and visited the graves of Bruce’s parents (analogs of his own parents in the other universe). I consider that adequate proof that he figured out that Batman is the sole survivor of the filthy rich Wayne family of Gotham in the “regular DCU” timeline)

The Phantom Stranger (He seems virtually omniscient. In “Batman/Phantom Stranger” he dropped in on Bruce Wayne and his conversation made it clear he knew)

Plastic Man (Eel O’Brian. Learned in “JLA #50”)

Ra’s al Ghul I, and various henchmen (Already knew the secret, from behind-the-scenes detective work, when he made his debut way back when in “Batman #232.” That carried over to Post-COIE continuity, unlike many other Pre-COIE stories wherein people learned Batman’s secret ID. At least some of Ra’s hirelings have also known, when it suited his purpose to let them know, but I don’t have an exact count of just how many have heard the secret from him)

Raven (Also calls herself “Rachel Roth,” although I believe that’s just an alias. As a member of the Teen Titans in the early 80s, she learned the secrets of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. However, the part about her knowing Batman’s secret ID was reportedly erased by a retcon from Denny O’Neil at the time of Zero Hour. I don’t know if she’s learned all over again since then)

Red Arrow (Roy Harper, previously Speedy I and Arsenal. As a founding member of the Teen Titans, he learned the secrets of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. However, the part about his knowing Batman’s secret ID was reportedly erased by a retcon from Denny O’Neil at the time of Zero Hour. I don’t know if he’s learned all over again since then)

Red Tornado II (Not sure when he learned in the latest version of modern continuity, but probably before “JLA: Crisis of Conscience” when Batman is working to repair him in the Batcave)

Riddler (Edward Nigma. At the very end of “Hush,”he revealed that he had already figured it all out, behind the scenes, before that 12-part story arc even started. Now, however, he appears to have totally forgotten during his long spell in a coma, as indicated (after he finally recovered) – in his appearances in Dini’s run on “Detective Comics.”)

Robin III (Tim Drake. Revealed that he had already known the secrets of Batman and the original Robin for several years before he ever got around to mentioning his knowledge to Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne in face-to-face conversations during the story arc “A Lonely Place of Dying” in 1989)

Roy Kane (Dead. Learned and died in the “Blind Justice” story arc, which has allegedly been erased from continuity)

Ruby (Apparently her real first name. Dead. A female criminal who broke into the Batcave in “Batman #577” and learned Batman’s secret identity and then conveniently died by the end of the issue, as did her accomplices, “Ruby’s Brother” and “Sneaky Pete.”)

Ruby’s Brother (Dead. We never knew his real name. See entry for “Ruby”)

Sasha Bordeaux (Learned in “Detective Comics #756” when she found some of Bruce’s Bat-equipment – we later were told he’d planned it that way)

Sentinel (Alan Scott, formerly the Golden Age Green Lantern. Showed that he knew in “Detective Comics #784”)

Sherlock Holmes (Showed that he had deduced it independently in “Detective Comics #572,” before he and Batman met face-to-face. As far as I know, there’s no reason to think that’s been retconned)

Shondra Kinsolving (Learned in “Legends of the Dark Knight #61.” Then she promptly regressed to early childhood, mentally, and was placed in a sanitarium. In “Hush” there was a very brief, very vague reference to the idea that eventually “she got better.” She may or may not remember anything about Batman’s secrets now; who knows?)

Silver St. Cloud (Learned during the Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers run on “Detective Comics” that is reprinted in the TPB “Batman: Strange Apparitions.” Batman didn’t tell her; but after she’d been seriously dating Bruce Wayne for awhile, and then got a good look at Batman with the lower part of his face unprotected by his mask, she recognized his jaw in a heartbeat. That was a Pre-COIE story arc, but she’s had some more recent appearances that have established that in “modern” continuity she still knows the secret which she learned during their love affair, way back when)

Sneaky Pete (Dead. See entry for “Ruby”)

The Spectre I (Jim Corrigan. Dead and gone, now. Visited the Batcave in “Batman #541.”)

The Spectre III (Crispus Allen. Apparently learned in #1 of his own series)

Star Sapphire IV (Deborah Camille Darnell. Dead. Found out the secret IDs of Batman and several other JLAers a long time ago, according to an “Identity Crisis” retcon. Then she got mindwiped by Zatanna. Then Despero recently helped her rediscover those memories in “JLA: Crisis of Conscience.” Then they got wiped out (or suppressed, or whatever) by Zatanna all over again . . . until further notice?)

Starfire (Koriand’r. As a member of the Teen Titans in the early 80s, she learned the secrets of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. However, the part about her knowing Batman’s secret ID was reportedly erased by a retcon from Denny O’Neil at the time of Zero Hour. I don’t know if she’s learned all over again since then)

Sue Dibny (One fan claims that she knew in the old “Justice League International” series. If so, that knowledge may have been erased in a retcon after Zero Hour. And I’m pretty sure her husband knew more recently, in “Identity Crisis,” and it seems likely that she knew anything Ralph knew)

Superboy-Prime (Clark Kent of the Pre-COIE Earth-Prime. Presumably he knew “Batman = Bruce Wayne” from a very early age, thanks to comic books, TV shows, etc.)

Supergirl #whatever (Kara Zor-El, the Rebooted Version)

Superman (Clark Kent, Kal-El)

The Synaptic Kid (Only appeared in “Detective Comics #633.” Learned Batman’s identity telepathically, then – after a very confusing story – ended up in a comatose condition with a mental breakdown, as a result of the shocking experience of messing around inside the complexities of Batman’s head without an invitation to be there. Let this be a lesson to us all . . .)

Talia (In her first appearance, she saw the face under Batman’s mask when she was administering first aid after he’d been battered into unconsciousness, but she didn’t instantly recognize him. Or at least she said she didn’t! However, even if we take that claim at face value, it seems clear that her daddy, Ra’s al Ghul (who debuted in a later story) must have brought her up to speed on Batman’s secret ID soon after he discovered it, and so she’s consistently known Bruce’s secret since the early 1970s, in both Pre-COIE and Post-COIE material)

Terra I (Tara Markov. Dead. During her membership in the Titans in the early 1980s, she learned all their secret identities. At the time, and for many years thereafter, it appeared that this meant she (and her partner in crime, Deathstroke the Terminator) had thereby learned Batman’s secret identity as well. This was probably retconned after Zero Hour — see a note at the bottom of this post)

Trogg (Bane told him in “Knightfall”)

Tsunetomo (Dead. One of Bruce Wayne’s martial arts teachers. Recognized Batman’s fighting style in “Detective Comics Annual #3”)

Waverider (Learned all sorts of secrets, including Batman’s identity, when he was examining the possible futures of different heroes during the “Armageddon 2001” event published in 1991)

White Martians (According to a statement made in the “JLA: New World Order” story arc, there were 78 of them. In the “JLA: Terror Incognita” story arc, it became clear that with their telepathy and all that, they definitely knew Batman’s secret identity, among others. However, in the later “JLA: Trial by Fire” arc, they all got skragged, as far as I can tell. At least, the 78 evil ones who’d tried to conquer the Earth got skragged. I am told that the character “Miss Martian” is allegedly a long-lost 79th White Martian with a much better moral code; if that’s true, then as far as I know, she is not aware of Batman’s secret identity, but I’ve been wrong before.)

William Randolph Wintergreen (Dead. Used to be Deathstroke the Terminator’s butler and friend. Wintergreen’s knowledge of Bruce Wayne’s double life was demonstrated in “Deathstroke the Terminator #9” in the early 90s – but he and Deathstroke were very tight, so it’s logical to assume that he first found out at the same time his employer did, back in the Titans continuity of the early 1980s. As with Deathstroke, I don’t know of any story that’s clearly established that Wintergreen still knew Batman’s secrets in the Post-Zero Hour continuity (before he died, which made it something of a moot point))

The Wizard (William I. Zard. Found out the secret IDs of Batman and several other JLAers a long time ago, according to an “Identity Crisis” retcon. Then he got indwiped by Zatanna. Then Despero recently helped him rediscover those memories in “JLA: Crisis of Conscience.” Then they got wiped out (or suppressed, or whatever) by Zatanna all over again . . . until further notice?)

Wonder Woman I (Diana. Apparently it is not crystal-clear just when she learned, but these days she definitely knows)

Zatanna (Zatanna Zatara. Her knowledge of his identity was recently confirmed during the “JLA: Crisis of Conscience” story arc when she visited the Batcave and called him “Bruce” while trying to apologize for mindwiping him many years ago (as previously revealed in a retcon flashback in “Identity Crisis”). She offered to do anything she possibly could to make it up to him, and Batman listened to her speech and then simply told her to leave. (Considering that he didn’t hit her, file criminal charges or a civil lawsuit against her, scream obscenities at her, or suggest she go mindwipe herself and her former co-conspirators to balance the scales by removing their memories of his secrets this time around, I thought he handled it rather well.))

Zombie (Bane told him in “Knightfall”)

As always, I welcome constructive criticism – such as suggestions regarding people I’ve completely omitted from the list, or comments on what I got wrong in my brief summaries of who certain people are and why they know (or used to know) the secret. Before you start offering that criticism, however, you might want to read the rest of this post, where I explain a few of the decisions I made on what to leave off the list.

Stray Notes on Doubtful Cases

In the early 1980s, when I was buying monthly issues of the first Marv Wolfman/George Perez run on “The New Teen Titans,” it was clear that everybody in the group knew that Robin (later Nightwing) was Dick Grayson, and that Bruce Wayne was his mentor, Batman. I have heard that later, probably around the time of Zero Hour, Denny O’Neil retconned that to say that NONE of the other Titans had ever known who Batman was, even though they knew who his first Robin was. Period! 

So I’m not clear on how many current or former Titans are supposed to know who Batman is, right now, in modern continuity; but they definitely knew for awhile (the late 80s and early 90s) after COIE had come and gone. Something similar seems to have happened to some of the JLAers who knew Batman’s secrets in Pre-COIE and Post-COIE-but-Pre-Zero-Hour era, although some of those characters now seem to have had their knowledge of his real name retconned right back in again. (It’s hard to keep up. I suspect this is one area where this Draft could definitely stand some improvement, if anyone wants to cite specific stories in which one former JLAer or another seems to know all about Batman’s secrets, before or after Zero Hour.)

Likewise, when Tim Drake was with Young Justice, he was under strict orders not to reveal any of Batman’s secrets to his new teammates. A year ago, someone tried to tell me that Superboy (Kon-El) definitely knew Batman’s secret identity way back in the 1990s, but the story he cited was one I later bought and read, without finding any evidence of Kon-El’s knowledge in it. If anyone knows of any evidence that any former member of Young Justice (besides Tim) was ever brought up to speed on Batman’s secret identity, please tell me where that evidence may be found!

It has never been firmly established that Jim Gordon knows the secret. It’s been hinted — a few dozen times — that he may think he knows more about Batman than Batman has ever explicitly told him, and that he may think he knows more about Bruce Wayne than Bruce has ever explicitly told him, but I’ve never yet read a scene in “regular continuity” in which Gordon says: “There goes Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne!”

I didn’t bother listing all the people from Pre-COIE Earth-2 who would know (including the Golden Age versions of Lois and Clark, who both died in IC). It’s been pointed out to me that some of those characters appeared to be getting some of their memories of their “native” Pre-COIE Earth-2 suddenly restored to them near the end of the Infinite Crisis; I don’t know offhand if it’s ever been firmly nailed down that any of them now remember that there was an Earth-2 Batman whose real name was “Bruce Wayne.”

I listed Owlman from Grant Morrison’s “Earth-2″ — but I don’t know how many of his buddies in the Crime Syndicate of America know his secret identity. Any of them who did know could use that to deduce that Bruce Wayne is Batman in the main Earth of the DCU. (I think someone once told me — I believe it was in a post that’s no longer available online when I looked — that the Superwoman and Ultraman of that universe also know Owlman’s secret identity, but — as the fan pointed out at the time — Ultraman is far from being the sharpest knife in the drawer, so it might be a real stretch to assume that he could figure out who “Batman” was on that basis.)

I had Spoiler on the previous drafts of this list, because I remembered (vaguely) that in the stories collected in the “War Drums” TPB she knew how to get in and out of the Batcave on her own, at the time she became a Robin. I believe I had the impression that this meant she had to know that the Batcave was located squarely underneath Wayne Manor, which would imply that she knew Batman and Bruce Wayne were the same guy.

When I’m wrong, I’m wrong! I’ve removed her from the list this time around because I got enough criticism on that point, a year ago, that I finally went back and reread “War Drums” and came to agree with my critics. As near as I can tell: in the last months of her life, Stephanie Brown knew Tim’s secret identity, and knew Tim and Alfred Pennyworth were close, and knew Batman and Alfred Pennyworth were close, and knew how to find and enter the Batcave any time she wanted to visit, and knew how to log in to the computers in the Batcave and secretly study Batman’s contingency plans for worst-case scenarios . . . but she evidently did not know that “Bruce Wayne” is Batman’s real name, and implicitly did not know that the Batcave was located directly below Wayne Manor!

I don’t say that this makes any sense! I only say that this is, in fact, how she was being written, regarding what she knew and what she didn’t, during the stories reprinted in the “War Drums” and “War Games” TPBs!

(Although frankly, given that she knew about Alfred Pennyworth’s connection to Batman, it staggers my imagination to think that she never pursued that lead to find out where and for whom he normally worked as a butler.)