Batman has experienced several romances over the years, but few have been as tragic as his doomed affair with Silver St. Cloud.
Batman is a superhero with a wide variety of love interests. Although The Dark Knight is often drawn to dangerous women like Selina Kyle or Talia al Ghul, Bruce Wayne has pursued more ordinary romantic partners as well.
One of Bruce Wayne’s biggest and most tragic romances was with Silver St. Cloud.
Silver first appeared in Detective Comics #470, by Steve Englehart and Walter Simonson. At the time, Bruce was holding a party on one of his private yachts, hosting Gotham’s elite class. Although this party was just a distraction so Batman could later battle Doctor Phosphorous, Bruce was genuinely pleased to meet Silver. Both Bruce and Silver took an interest in each other, and when Bruce returned from his battle with Phosphorous, he told Silver that he wanted to spend more time with her.
Silver was also quite clever, growing suspicious of Bruce’s mysterious disappearances ever since their first meeting. Silver’s intelligence paid off when Hugo Strange was impersonating Bruce. Realizing that something was wrong, Silver contacted Dick Grayson. The original Robin saved Silver from Strange’s monster men and found Bruce in captivity. If not for Silver, Bruce Wayne might not have been saved. When Silver was recovering in the hospital from Strange’s monster attack, Bruce came to visit her regularly, and the two grew closer than ever.
Of course, like most of Batman’s romances, this was not meant to last. In Detective Comics #474, by Englehart and Marshall Rogers, Silver saw Batman fight Deadshot up close. This battle led Silver to conclude that Bruce was Batman. Silver left town briefly to collect her thoughts, before returning to Gotham. Once there, Silver was horrified to witness one of Batman’s nightmarish battles with The Joker. Revealing to Bruce that she knew his secret, Silver broke up with The Caped Crusader. Silver couldn’t bear the thought of losing Bruce to his dark crusade.
In Batman: Dark Detective #1, by Englehart and Rogers, Silver returned to Gotham, engaged to U.S. senator Evan Gregory, who was running for governor. After an episode with The Scarecrow’s fear gas, Silver realized her feelings for Bruce once more, almost leaving him to be with Batman. Before she could, The Joker kidnapped Silver. The Clown Prince of Crime was also running for governor, kidnapping Silver to get Gregory to drop out of the race. Gregory went after Silver, losing his right arm and leg in the process. After Batman saved them both, he wanted Silver to stay with Gregory while he recovered. Bruce reasoned that the senator needed Silver more than he did. Offended that Bruce would casually “loan” her to another man, Silver left Gotham once more.
In Legends of the Dark Knight #132, by Archie Goodwin and Marshall Rogers, Silver briefly returned to Gotham to organize a mercenaries’ convention. Silver was injured by the mercenaries’ leader, after discovering their plot to attack Gotham. Upset that Bruce wouldn’t visit her in the hospital, Silver left town again before her ultimate return in Batman: The Widening Gyre #2, by Kevin Smith and Walt Flanagan. Silver decided to accept Bruce’s life as Batman, and the two reconciled. Bruce even proposed, to which Silver accepted. Sadly, when Batman introduced Silver to his fellow crime-fighter, Baphomet, she was brutally murdered. As it turned out, Baphomet was the villain Onomatopoeia in disguise.
Although Silver St. Cloud died in the comics, she has lived on through several other forms of Batman media. In the second season of Gotham, a younger version of Silver was introduced, played by Natalie Alyn Lind. Silver was the niece of Theo Galavan, appearing as an innocuous love interest. In truth, Silver was part of Galavan’s plot to steal Wayne Industries and sacrifice Bruce to the Order of St. Dumas. Fortunately, Silver and her uncle were exposed. Afterward, Silver gave Bruce the name of his parents’ killer.
Silver also had a small role in the recent animated film Batman: Soul of the Dragon, voiced by Erica Luttrell. In this film, Silver broke up with Bruce for refusing to share his secrets, much like in the original comics. Even after her death, Silver St. Cloud has left an impact on Batman and his mythos.
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