The concept of legacy is a foundational aspect of DC Comics’ universe, and practically every hero has ed down their mantle at one point or another. From Superman to Batman to Wonder Woman, the stories of DC’s greatest heroes are all generational.

At one point or another, iconic DC heroes have even traded codenames, taking up the mantle on behalf of a close colleague or friend. And whether these identities were ed down to proteges or taken up by the individuals inspired by these icons, each of these successors has upheld a notable DC legacy to the best of their ability.

10 Huntress Became Batgirl

Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83 by Bob Gale, Alex Maleev, & Wayne Faucher

Helena Bertenelli has always operated on the outskirts of the wider Batman Family, but there was a time when Gotham’s most brutal vigilante donned the mantle of the Bat in order to bring a sense of justice to an otherwise lawless Gotham City. After a cataclysmic earthquake decimated the city, which soon declared a No Man’s Land by the federal government, citizens, cops, and criminals alike are left vying for dominance as a much-needed Batman is absent for the disaster’s first hundred days.

Recognizing the power of his symbol, the Huntress dons a dramatic new Batsuit, taking the reins of Barbara Gordon’s legacy and christening herself the new Batgirl. Eventually, she’s forced to give up the uniform and identity – both of which are later ed to Cassandra Cain – but her contribution to Batgirl’s history can’t be ignored.

9 The Teen Titans Became The Justice League

Teen Titans/The Legion Special #1 by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, & Joe Prado

Following in the footsteps of their mentors is the crux of the Teen Titan’s journey through heroism, but the adult versions of DC’s younger generation as seen in the “Titans Tomorrow” story arc take their legacies in a dark and dreary new direction. In this bleak alternate timeline, the Titans become would-be dictators, lording their sense of “justice” over a fearful future.

Not only do Superboy, Robin, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash rise to the identities of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash, Beast Boy even adopts the Animal Man moniker from Buddy Baker. In the years since, these glimpses of their potential destiny have haunted each of the tightens, especially the future Batman, Tim Drake, and each hero is determined not to let this dystopian nightmare come to .

8 Jade Became A Green Lantern

Green Lantern #107 by Ron Marz, Jeff Johnson, & Chris Batista

The Green Lantern mythos at large is infamous for the number of Earth-born Emerald Gladiators, but one of the most underrated of the Corps, Jennie-Lynn Hayden also known as Jade is more intrinsically tied to the Lanterns than practically any other seemingly und hero. Not only is Jade the daughter of the original and Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott, but she was also the longtime lover of the Corps’ Torchbearer, Kyle Rayner.

Thanks to her history as a solo hero as well as her personal ties, Jennie was a natural candidate for Green Lantern Corps hip when Kyle first began rebuilding the intergalactic peacekeeping force. And while her time as an official Green Lantern was short-lived, Jade served with the utmost distinction and continues shining her light to this day.

7 Shazam Became Superman

The New 52: Future’s End #2 by Jeff Lemire, Brian Azzarello, Dan Jurgen, Keith Giffen, & more

It’s no secret that Superman and Shazam have had a long-standing and ofttimes unfriendly rivalry throughout their decades-long publishing histories. But within DC Comics’ continuity, the Last Son of Krypton and the World’s Mightiest Mortal are staunch allies with young Billy Batson even having filled in as a masked Man of Steel in the alternate Future’s End timeline.

After Kal-El of Krypton leaves his identity as the Metropolis Marvel behind, the Wizard’s young champion seeks to keep the Superman legacy alive, donning a modified variation of the Man of Steel’s costume to continue to inspire the people of Earth. Eventually, Shazam is forced to reveal his true identity in combat while his charade is further exposed by Lois Lane. But if anyone has the power necessary to stand in for Superman, it’s undoubtedly Shazam.

6 Batman Became Nightwing

Nightwing #116 by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, & Adriano Lucas

As the prodigal son of the Bat-Family, Nightwing has stepped up to help his mentor and surrogate father more times than either can count. And after a nefarious villain framed Dick Grayson for murder and robbed him of his acrobatic abilities, it was Batman’s turn to return the favor as Bruce Wayne patrolled the streets of Bludhaven as the new Nightwing.

Filling in only briefly for his first protégé as Grayson, Bruce Wayne performed his role irably until his old partner was recovered – evening acknowledging that he managed to throw out a couple of quips as he was bashing the bad guys. Ultimately, both Batman and Nightwing soon returned to the identities they’d forged for themselves, but Bruce Wayne’s stint as the substitute Nightwing shows just how far Gotham and Bludhaven’s heroes will go for one another.

5 Black Canary Became Green Lantern

DCeased #2 by Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, & Stefano Gaudiano

To become a Green Lantern, fearlessness is a major part of the job description, and there are few DC Comics heroes with more courage and grit than Dinah Lance, the Black Canary. While the Birds of Prey’s iconic field leader has never donned a Green Lantern ring in prime continuity, Lance wields the responsibility with grace as part of DC’s dystopian DCeased series of stories in which a nigh unstoppable plague ravages the world’s greatest heroes and villains.

Unfortunately, Hal Jordan is one such hero who become infected until Dinah is forced to kill her old friend with her signature Canary Cry, only for Hal’s ring to immediately choose Dinah as his replacement. The Black Canary then dons the moniker of Green Canary and has since become the de facto Green Lantern and one of the breakout characters for the DCeased universe.

4 Donna Troy Became Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman #1 by Alan Heinberg, Terry Dodson, & Rachel Dodson

From Wonder Girl to Troia and everything in between, Donna Troy’s own journey of identity has been particularly fraught. But after her sister Diana stepped away from her role as the Amazing Amazon following the events of Infinite Crisis, the iconic Teen Titans founder stepped up as the one and only Wonder Woman.

With a new, more armored outfit that also harkened back to her earlier cosmology-inspired designs, Donna filled her sister’s boots irably. In fact, Troy’s origin at the time was that she was essentially a mystical clone of Diana, so it was only natural for her to step up as the Themysciran ambassador to Man’s World. Diana would soon return to reclaim the Wonder Woman mantle after a contingent of her greatest foes put her allies at risk, but Donna Troy’s time in the role was still every bit as wonderful as it was short-lived.

3 Superboy Became Superman

Superman: Son of Kal-El #1 by Tom Taylor, John Timms, & Gabe Eltaeb

One of DC Comics’ major new characters of the 21st Century, it was only a matter of time before Jon Kent, son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, would step up to fill his father’s cape as the new Man of Steel. And when Superman left the Earth behind to liberate the prison planet of Warworld, it was Jon he left in his stead to pick up the slack.

In his father’s absence, the younger Kent brought a new outlook to the identity of the Man of Tomorrow, setting himself apart from his father while still honoring what Superman stands and fights for. These days, Clark has long since returned to Earth, sharing the Superman moniker with the son he truly believes has earned it. And with as much danger as the DC Universe faces, they need all the Supermen they can get.

2 Nightwing Became Batman

Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3 by Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea, Ian Hannin, & J.D. Smith

Predating even Bruce Wayne’s trusty butler, Alfred, Dick Grayson has been a vital part of the Batman mythos almost from the very start, be it as Robin, Nightwing, and even Batman himself on more than one occasion. First temporarily donning the cape and cowl after Bruce deposes Jean-Paul Valley a.k.a. Azrael as his replacement, Dick would then go on to become Batman full-time following Bruce’s apparent death at the hands of Darkseid in Final Crisis.

Taking on Damian Wayne as his Robin, Dick served as Gotham’s Dark Knight for quite some time even after Bruce Wayne’s return from his long absence. While he’s since resumed his Nightwing identity, Dick has still occasionally filled in for his former mentor as Batman in a pinch and more than proven himself as a bonafide Caped Crusader in any identity.

1 Kid Flash Became The Flash

Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, & Jerry Ordway

When Barry Allen gave his life to save reality during Crisis on Infinite Earths, he left some big gold boots to fill, with his nephew and sidekick Wally West a.k.a. Kid Flash the natural choice to run in his mentor’s stead. While the third Flash initially met more than a few growing pains taking over the family business, West soon became one of the DC Universe’s greatest heroes, and to this day remains many fans’ default Flash when the identity springs to mind.

Following Barry Allen’s rebirth and return to prominence, Wally was put on the backburner for more than a few years before eventually reclaiming his spot as DC’s top Scarlet Speedster. Ultimately, no example of legacy is more prominent in the DC Comics history than Wally West’s ascension to the role of The Flash, and he’s one of the few heroes to take over the mantle of a predecessor and truly make it his own.