Who will officially replace Bruce as Batman?

[BloodOps]

I don't want to seem rude but topics like these are dumb because like others have said Bruce Wayne will always be Batman, just like how Clark Kent will always be Superman and Diana will always be Wonder Woman. They'll be times when they're out of commission(injury, "death" etc) for a couple of years(our time) but it won't last because they'll always come back. These alternate futures like we see with Connor as Superman(pre-Flashpoint) and Damian as Batman will never fully be seen.

If they feel like these characters are getting old, they'll just relaunch or reboot or find a way to make them younger. With the relaunch last year and now making them so young, they won't have to worry about this for a long time.

Nonetheless only Dick Grayson deserves to hold the mantle after Bruce.

[Maestro Hulk]

Dick Grayson is the only choice for me as to who should replace Bruce Wayne should he fall. Tim Drake, maybe; but I agree with philcho that nobody else should become Nightwing. I really liked the Dick/Damien version of the Dynamic Duo, and would have been happy to see that continue indefinitely.

And this may be an unpopular theory, but I wouldn't want to see Terry McGinnis as canon for future Batman. I'm a big Robin fan, and would much prefer the natural line of succession from Batman to Robin. That's one of they key points about Robin, that Batman doesn't just have a sidekick, he's training his replacement.

In the Batman Beyond future, it's shown that Tim Drake resented crime fighting after being tortured by the Joker. It's implied that both Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson each had a falling out with Bruce. I liked the idea that Bruce would drive all of his sidekicks away and none of them would want to replace him.

The future shown in Batman #666 and Batman #700. Which has Damian replacing Batman, and Terry replacing Damian seems like the most interesting future.

[Mr. Holmes]

I like the idea of Tim retiring, and ends up either working as a PI or for the FBI in a consulting role.

[KingofMadCows]

I do wonder how well Drake, Grayson, and McGinnis would do in the long term if they replace Bruce. They all want some kind of life outside of being Batman/superhero. They don't have the same kind of drive and complete dedication to the cause that Bruce has. I wonder if they'll end up embracing Batman, the mission, and becoming more like Bruce or resenting it for forcing them away from a "real" life.

[Pauly T]

There's only 1 possible answer to this question, and it's "John Blake", and that's only if WB decides to build on their blockbuster trilogy instead of rebooting to chase Marvel's tail.

The whole reason DC continually contorts their continuity is for the sole reason of keeping Bruce Wayne as Batman.

[Nite-Wing]

Batman will be the new Ripley and gets cloned
problem solved

[MajorHoy]

Except that's sort of the point of Batman. It's not the gender that's important but what Batman does and what he stands for. Kind of how a lot of businesses still use the title "chairman" for both men and women or how the military still uses the suffix "man" to describe female soldiers. If someone asked who would be the best chairman for a committee of some kind, no one is going to take that title literally and exclude all women.

Haven't they been using "chairwoman" more for females in that role, or the more generic "chairperson" if a gender isn't being specified?

[Fenaris]

Haven't you read S&B: Generations!? Bruce will outlive all of the Bat-family and continue the role of Batman forever!