Seth A. Romo
The comic book world is no stranger to characters having two sides to their life. Heroes balancing responsibilities and winning against all odds are why fans root for them in the pages and panels of their stories. It’s inspiring and has made some of the best storytelling.
Tucked away in Florida resides a professor who, like Bruce Wayne, has two sides to what they do. On one side she is a Mathematics Professor and on the other, she is the Heiress to The Dark Knight.
Who is the Heiress to The Dark Knight? Her name is Athena Finger, and she is the granddaughter of Bill Finger—the almost forgotten key architect in the mythology of Batman.
Athena Finger, granddaughter to Bill Finger
Many know (or think they know) Bob Kane as the creator of Batman; however, Bill Finger’s heavy influence went unreported for decades despite creating the bat suit, Gotham City, Dick Grayson, a host of villains, and the term, The Dark Knight. This exclusion of Bill Finger sadly meant Bob Kane received the fame and recognition for Batman and Bill Finger was left with nothing.
In 2017, a documentary titled Batman & Bill was released about author Marc Nobleman’s journey to discover more about Bill Finger. Nobleman’s research consisted of twists and turns, leads and dead ends, but ultimately, he connected with Athena Finger, sparking a successful crusade to get justice for Bill Finger and the recognition he deserved—even if it was more than 75 years later.
In 2015, an agreement was made between DC Entertainment and the Finger family to give proper credit to Bill Finger as a co-creator of Batman. This acknowledgement put Bill Finger where he belonged and one of the first properties to highlight him was the film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Now, fans of Batman can open the latest comic book issue of Detective Comics or Batman or watch the recent The Batman (2022) and see “Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger.”
It was a huge win, however, there is still work to be done to get Bill Finger’s story and his involvement out to Batfans and comic book readers. Fortunately for Bill Finger, his granddaughter continues to share his story and bring awareness to the richness he brought to Batman.
Athena Finger was kind enough to talk about the work she does to honor her grandfather’s legacy while managing a busy schedule as a Mathematics Professor–a superhero job on its own.
Bill Finger’s legacy has different meanings for Athena Finger. “It has always been part of me because I’ve always known the connection. It’s an awakening to people when they realize there is a backstory to Batman that is not so pretty,” said Athena Finger. “He’s one of the founding fathers with Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, the Superman boys [Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster] and Bob Kane.”
Bill Finger, Co-Creator of Batman
Athena Finger is one of the few descendants of the Golden Age comic book creators active in the comic book community. She began attending conventions in 2014 for the 75th Anniversary of Batman while she worked with her sister, who handled the legal battle for Bill Finger’s recognition.
“I was intimidated coming into the culture, but the [Batman] fans are so awesome. Without them I wouldn’t have had anything to fight for and I love their appreciation for Bill,” said Athena Finger.
Since the documentary, Athena Finger has continued to attend conventions, host panels, and participated in screenings of the film all around the United States. One of her favorite things to do is see someone in a Batman related shirt or costume and excitedly ask: Do you know who created Batman?
“Who would’ve thought how relevant characters like Superman and Batman would still be popular more than 80 years later. Without Golden Age creators, which Bill was a big part of, we wouldn’t have these mega conventions, movies, and cartoons, and expression of stories. It’d be a missing part of our culture,” said Athena Finger.
Bill Finger’s creative mind extended beyond his work with Batman. He wrote for Superman comics, co-created the Green Lantern, wrote for television, and even wrote for the army.
Having been born two years after Bill Finger’s passing, Athena Finger never met her grandfather, but has had the opportunity to learn more about him through creators who worked with him such as Jerry Robinson, Paul Levitz, and Bill Finger’s best friend, Charles Sinclair.
“When I met Charles, it was amazing because he was Bill’s best friend and he told me more about the personal side of Bill. He was a creator. He enjoyed going to museums, going to the ballet, and culture–he was curious about what was going on around him and I can understand that being an artist myself,” said Athena Finger. “He was a human being; he had his flaws, and he had his greatness. He was like every other person, just trying to make it in the world.”
It’s not often descendants get to learn about their grandparents in the way Athena Finger has. “People have sent me photos of his autograph, in the documentary I got to hear his voice, and I hold these gems near and dear,” said Athena Finger. “I’ve gotten to meet so many amazing people who have either gotten to work with Bill or who knew his story and appreciate his work. Paul Levitz even gifted me one of Bill’s last scripts submitted to DC Comics.”
In addition to Athena Finger’s work and awareness, Bill Finger has an award named after him created by Jerry Robinson (the ghost artist for the early years of Batman). It’s given out at the Eisner Awards (short for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards) in San Diego to two people: one living and one deceased. It’s for creators who were not given enough recognition in the industry, and Athena Finger recently started attending the ceremony and giving the award to recipients. “I’ve met writers and artists who have worked on Batman, and they always tell me they can tell a Bill Finger story when they read it. It gives me a lot of joy, because it was something that wasn’t always joyful,” said Athena Finger.
The celebration of Bill Finger has gone beyond credits and awards. In 2017, a street in the Bronx was named “Bill Finger Way” to commemorate an area where Bill Finger and Bob Kane used to meet to discuss Batman. This celebration included Athena Finger and legendary Batman: The Animated Series voice actor, Kevin Conroy.
Even with a full teaching schedule, Athena Finger still goes to conventions nearly a decade later and is always happy to connect with fans who want to talk about her grandfather’s work. “Bill Finger’s story is a human story. It resonates with people that when there is an injustice righted after so long, it really does show there is some hope for whatever your fight is.”
To learn more about the story of Bill Finger, be sure to check out Batman & Bill on Hulu. For more on Athena Finger, details can be found on her website AthenaFinger.com or be sure to connect with her on Twitter or Instagram.
Bill Finger’s High School Photo