Bruce Wayne's Batman casts a long shadow in the world of DC Comics, having trained and equipped a veritable army of crime-fighting allies. However, while some of the Bat-Family's heroes are still seen as mere sidekicks to the Dark Knight, others have emerged as solo heroes who command immense respect from DC's costumed community.

Here are all 16 of Batman's current (and recent) Bat-Family, ranked by the respect they get from DC's other heroes. Does anyone top the Dark Knight, and why are some of Bruce Wayne's closest allies seen as little more than villains? We're about to answer those questions and more.

16 Azrael, aka Jean-Paul Valley

Azrael Has Crossed the Line Too Many Times

This one-time replacement Batman was trained by the villainous Order of St. Dumas, who tried to brainwash him into becoming their holy assassin. Jean-Paul Valley has fought against his programming again and again, but frequently falls back into antihero or outright villainous behavior, including beheading Gotham's criminals. His instability and violent past make him the last Gotham vigilante any hero wants to end up working with, as one wrong move could lead to a flaming sword in the back.

15 Harley Quinn, aka Doctor Harleen Quinzel

The Former Villains' Love of Chaos Makes Her Hard to Trust

The former girlfriend and henchwoman of the Joker, Harley Quinn has had a long road to walk to earn the respect and trust of DC's heroes. While Batman has welcomed Harley into the Bat-Family (with the gift of a bat-themed toaster), most other DC heroes are well aware of her dark past and chaotic nature. While the fact that Harley is no longer a villain is well-known and accepted, she's still far from a trustworthy hero.

However, while most DC heroes may not trust Harley, they do respect her abilities. A trained acrobat and fighter, Harley even managed to outfox the Justice League Trinity in Tom King and Clay Mann's Heroes in Crisis, prompting Superman to claim that she has skills on par with Batman himself.

14 Ghost-Maker, aka Minhkhoa Khan

The Leader of Batman Inc. Is a Literal Psychopath

A lethal vigilante who trained alongside a young Bruce Wayne, Ghost-Maker prefers lethal tactics and working in secret. A self-confessed psychopath, Ghost-Maker only recently started working with Batman, being asked to run the Dark Knight's international team, Batman Inc. Ghost-Maker keeps such a low profile that even the D-list heroes of Batman Inc. didn't understand why they should follow his leadership, although his undeniable abilities slowly brought them around.

13 Red Hood, aka Jason Todd

The Bat-Family Black Sheep Can't Keep His Allies' Trust

The second Robin was always more rebellious than the original, and after his death and resurrection, he earned the black sheep label by going on a lethal crusade. Red Hood has killed many criminals and fought most of the Bat-Family, with Batman banning him from Gotham many times. While the Bat-Family may love Jason, they're also suspicious of him, and Red Hood has broken into the Batcave and stolen from Batman multiple times because he didn't believe his mentor trusted him enough to share resources in an emergency.

As much as the Bat-Family and Jason Todd keep working to find common ground, it's constantly clear that everyone is worried about Red Hood slipping back into his lethal ways - and they should be. Red Hood has made the vow to give up killing countless times, but always seems to find a reason to put another criminal in his crosshairs.

12 Robin, aka Damian Wayne

Batman's Son Is Seen as a Lethal Brat

The son of Batman and the villainous Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne is one of the Bat-Family's most disrespected heroes despite being one of the most capable. This is mostly due to his long history of incredible arrogance, as well as his background as an assassin. Damian has killed villains, locked them up in a private prison, and even brutally attacked the other Robins to prove he was the most deserving of his father's legacy.

While everyone knows Damian Wayne is skilled, few are happy to work with him, since he constantly critiques pretty much everyone he meets. The first person to thaw to Damian was Nightwing, who has acted as a mentor to the fifth Robin and was the one to actually give him that title.

11 Catwoman, aka Selina Kyle

Batman Loves Her, But She's Still a Crook

Catwoman is a cat burglar and technically a villain, despite most of her crimes helping to protect the residents of Gotham's rundown Alleytown neighborhood. Because of this, most DC heroes don't see her as an ally, and even some of the Bat-Family aren't thrilled to find themselves working alongside her. Despite this, Catwoman gets more trust and respect from DC heroes since she strives to only commit non-violent crimes which target the uber-wealthy. And when a hero needs to pull off a heist, there's one name at the top of every list.

10 Batgirl, aka Spoiler, aka Stephanie Brown

The Fourth Robin Has Made Some Disastrous Mistakes

The daughter of the villainous Cluemaster, Stephanie Brown became a vigilante to stop her father as the 'Spoiler' to his plans. Despite dating Tim Drake's Robin, Spoiler was kept on the outside of the Bat-Family for a surprisingly long time, despite briefly becoming the fourth Robin (partly as part of Batman's plan to tempt Tim back into the role.) Spoiler messed up big when she enacted one of Batman's hypothetical scenarios to control organized crime in the sprawling War Games crossover, causing a gang war and almost dying at the hands of Black Mask.

Since then, Stephanie has recommitted to the hero life as Batgirl, training under Barbara Gordon. Stephanie has helped save the city multiple times, but she's still seen as a junior hero by the wider world, and even struggles with feeling like an impostor within the Bat-Family.

9 Batwoman, aka Katherine 'Kate' Kane

The Militaristic Hero Is a Batman-Level Crime-Fighter

Katherine Kane is only a member of the Bat-Family in the loosest sense, working far more often as a solo hero. Kate's military experience makes her one of DC's most disciplined and effective heroes, and she has trained many of the Bat-Family, including Cassandra Cain and Azrael. The one negative in Batwoman's column is that she's seen as less idealistic than the average superhero, with some vigilantes hesitating to work with someone whose attitude can verge on callousness - such as when she attempted to assassinate Clayface when his powers ran out of control.

8 Batwing, aka Lucas 'Luke' Fox

The Genius Inventor Is Heroic but Reckless

A genius inventor and crime-fighter, Luke Fox is the son of Batman's longtime ally Lucius Fox and uses a high-tech suit to fight crime. While Luke has achieved a lot as a hero, he's prone to leaping before he looks and dislikes playing by anyone's rules but his own. Batwing has been a trustworthy ally to DC's heroes, but he isn't much of a team player. Indeed, Batwing recently launched his own team in Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly's Outsiders, selling the group to Batwoman as deliberately disconnected from DC's larger superhero community, and especially the Bat-Family.

7 The Signal, aka Duke Thomas

The Metahuman Hero Is a Born Leader

One of Gotham's few metahuman heroes, Duke Thomas is a skilled crime-fighter who can create and manipulate light. Duke is a trusted ally and a respected member of the Outsiders, but hasn't been around long enough to win the trust and respect of many other heroes outside Gotham. Duke has a major independent streak that can cause issues with other heroes, initially giving Black Lightning a poor impression in Batman and the Outsiders #1, from Bryan Hill and Dexter Soy. However, he's also on track to be Batman's most effective protégé, having been trained via a system derived from the skills of all previous Robins and Batgirls.