Has there ever been a female character using the Batman name?

Question

This discussion came up at work after a female coworker decided to run a marathon dressed as Batman. Somebody said that she'd be running as Batwoman, to which she replied that, no, she was running as Batman.

This got me wondering - has there ever been a female Batman, in any continuity?

To be more precise (and to borrow some wording from the comments), has a woman put on the Batsuit made by Bruce Wayne and claimed the identity of BATMAN, to whatever purpose? This question is open to alternate continuities, universes, timelines, body/gender-swaps etc.

Just to clarify, I'm specifically talking a female character using the Batman name, or otherwise posing as Batman, rather than the obvious answer of Batwoman or Batgirl.

Answer 1

One of the few examples of parallel universes where Batman has been replaced with a woman who is still "technically" Batman (named Batwoman) is a gender-bent reality (Earth-11) where Bruce Wayne (Batman) meets his gender-swapped counterpart and he believes her to be Helena Bertillini.

• Batwoman was Earth-11's counterpart to Batman. Earth-11's recent history reflects that of New Earth, as both Wonder Man and others note the killing of Maxine Lord for the murder of Booster, and mind controlling of Superwoman.

• Batwoman's history and adventures are unknown, but presumably similar to the exploits of Batman, her New Earth counterpart. She was a hero of long standing, an ally of her world's Superwoman and an inspiration to her world. Recently, she and her fellow heroes fought against an army of Amazonian warriors when they invaded Washington DC.

• The characters appear in Superman/Batman number 24 produced by Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness & Dexter Vines.

• An earlier depiction of Batwoman from Superman #349 in the 1980s, depicts a magically-altered world where the genders of all of Superman's friends have been gender-swapped. This is from the pre-Crisis version of the DC Universe. The perpetrator was the 5th dimensional meddler, Mister Mxyzptlk.

Answer 2

In Batman: The Animated Series (1992), in the episode Shadow of the Bat, Commissioner Gordon was arrested for supposedly taking bribes from Rupert Thorne.

A public rally was organized to support Gordon, and since the real Batman refused to make a public appearance, Barbara posed as Batman.

This led to her becoming Batgirl later, but her original intent was to appear as Batman.

Answer 3

Bryce Wayne, aka The Drowned

Yes, the DC multiverse has featured a female character taking on the mantle of Batman (and not Batwoman). In the Dark Nights: Metal event (2017), one of the primary antagonists was Bryce Wayne, also known as The Drowned. Hailing from Earth-11, she is the twisted counterpart of Bruce Wayne/Batman from Prime Earth.

Bryce was a member of the sinister team known as the Dark Knights, a group of seven corrupted Batmen hailing from the Dark Multiverse. Among these twisted versions of Bruce Wayne, Bryce stood as the sole woman, but make no mistake—she was every bit a "Batman" as her male counterparts.

In the Batman: The Red Death tie-in, The Batman Who Laughs, the leader of this evil ensemble, made it crystal clear that they were all Batmen, Bryce included:

The Batman Who Laughs: And now the seven most dangerous Batmen that never were are here to drag you into the dark.

^{- Batman: The Red Death}

Throughout the Dark Nights: Metal storyline, the Dark Knights were consistently referred to as Batmen, never as Batmen and one Batwoman. Bryce herself was never called "Batwoman" either.

General Sam Lane: Early battlefield reports described the invaders as "Nightmare Batmen."

^{- Batman: The Merciless}

Bryce Wayne's status as a female Bruce Wayne / Batman variant is also made clear in Dark Nights: Metal #2. When Wonder Woman asks where Bruce (Batman) is, Bryce, along with the other Dark Knights, responds, "I'm right here," acknowledging that they are all versions of the same person.

Wonder Woman: Bruce… Where is he?
Barbatos: You want Bruce Wayne?
Barbatos: Look around.
Bryce (along with the other Batmen): I'm right here.

The one-shot issue Batman: The Drowned delves into Bryce's backstory, showcasing how her origin mirrors that of Bruce Wayne's path to becoming Batman in a twisted way. Additionally, the fact that this story is part of the "Batman" line of comics (not “Batwoman”) and that Bryce is grouped with the other Dark Knights (who are all Batmen) reinforces her position as a female embodiment of the Batman identity.

Bryce Wayne undoubtedly qualifies as a woman who donned the Batsuit and claimed the identity of Batman. Her inclusion in Dark Nights: Metal serves as a compelling answer to the OP's question, presenting “a woman [who] put on the Batsuit made by Bruce [or Bryce] Wayne and claimed the identity of BATMAN” and "otherwise posing as Batman, rather than the obvious answer of Batwoman or Batgirl."

Answer 4

Batman has turned into a woman in several stories, JLA ones I think. So yes Batman has been a woman who is still Batman, plus some other stories where he swapped bodies with...........Huntress? I forget who, it was in the Loeb Superman/Batman team up comic.