This section of the Batman Chronology Project highlights each time Modern Age Batman has time-traveled to the past (from caveman times up to the 1960s). Occasionally, Batman travels to the past during a spacetime anomaly, further changing the timeline or attempting to fix a change in it. If such an instance occurs, where the time-travel trip is invalidated due to the reconstruction or return to status quo—Superman/Batman #14-18 comes to mind as a random example—then obviously it won’t be included on this timeline. Any time-trips that occur after Bruce is born (1963) will be located on later sections of the timeline. Note that Batman goes on some unspecified time-travel jaunts connected to Carter Nichols, but since they are unspecified (and we don’t have any information about them), they won’t be listed below. If you’re looking for a timeline of Gotham City’s early history (and its prior incarnations), look no further than Anthony Fallone’s brilliant work here.
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–Circa 20 billion BCE (The Dawn of Time)
Flashback from the second feature to 52 #5—and referenced in JLA Incarnations #5 Part 2 and Crisis on Infinite Earths #11-12. Originally told in Crisis on Infinite Earths #10. A large group of superheroes—including Batman—travels from 1999 to the Dawn of Time (i.e. 20 billion BCE) to battle the Anti-Monitor in a stark white void (the Overvoid) that exists prior to the creation of the multiverse.
–Late Cretaceous period
DC Comics Presents: Justice League of America #1 Part 2. The 2007 Justice League of America, having time-traveled to 1995 to battle Epoch (aka the Lord of Time), chases the super-villain even further backward to the Late Cretaceous period. In this era of dinosaurs, the 2007 JLA defeats Epoch before briefly returning to 1995 and then eventually back to 2007.
–Circa 38,000 BCE[1]
Final Crisis #6-7 and Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1—and flashback from Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1 and Time Masters: Vanishing Point #6. In 2010, Darkseid strikes Batman with his Omega Sanction beams, blasting him—and a time capsule—into the epoch of Early European Modern Humans, circa 38,000 BCE. Darkseid also activates an Ancestor Box, which unleashes the primordial Hyperfauna creature known as the Hyper-Adapter that attaches itself to Batman. Thus, Batman is effectively mired in a “time trap” he must move through—the Dark Knight’s very actions threatening modern existence should he return to the 21st century. The combined effects of the Omega Sanction and Hyper-Adapter begin to take their toll on Batman, whose memory begins to fade when he reaches 38,000 BCE. In his final moments of clarity, Bruce audio-records the final entry into the Black Casebook and then paints a Bat-symbol, Superman-symbol, and Wonder Woman-symbol onto a cave wall. In 2010, everyone thinks Batman is dead thanks to a charred skeleton corpse—actually a clone planted by Darkseid to fool everyone. Back in 38,000 BCE, an amnesiac Batman bears witness to the death of an elderly Anthro (one of the last of the Bear Tribe) and takes shelter in his cave for an undetermined but short amount of time before finally exiting into the light of day. His memory vanishes; Bruce confusedly examines the time capsule, whose contents have mostly been destroyed. Bruce then immediately gets involved in a tribal war between the Deer People (aka Deer Tribe) and Vandal Savage’s Blood Mob (aka Wolf Tribe, aka Blood Tribe). After being captured by the Blood Mob, Bruce is freed by one of his Deer People allies. Bruce, referred to as “Man of Bats” by his companions, dons the flesh of the defeated Hyper-Adapter in giant bat form as a makeshift cape and cowl. (The bested Hyper-Adapter, in its bat form, has retreated backward to 38,000 BCE from Vanishing Point, aka the End of Time. See The Return of Bruce Wayne #6 for details. Savage has killed the Hyper-Adapter.) A group of Deer People becomes his devoted followers, changing their tribal name to Miagani, meaning “Bat People.” Bruce and the Bat People move into the local caves, and Bruce teaches them how to make various traps and defenses. Bruce and the Bat People then defeat Savage and his allies in combat. After Savage’s defeat, the Omega Effect sends Bruce hurtling eons into the future, where he winds up in the puritanical Gotham of 1640. Meanwhile, the Miagani vow to protect the caves—above which will become the future site of Gotham City—and their most treasured relic: the cape, cowl, and utility belt of Batman. Over the centuries to follow, the Deer People will fracture into weakened subgroups, but the Miagani will remain a strong yet elusive group. Nomadic tribes will see Bruce’s drawings and not only redraw them in Eurasia and the Middle East, but they’ll also form bat-worshiping religions as a result (as referenced in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3).
–Circa 3150 BCE
Flashback from Batman #700. From 1997, Batman’s avatar is projected to Ancient Egypt by Joker, Catwoman, Hatman, and Riddler, who have teamed up and taken over Professor Carter Nichols’ “Maybe Machine.” Nichols’ invention enables its user to send an avatar of themself into the past, similar to astral projection. In Egypt, Batman narrowly avoids being killed by winged warrior bird-men. This is the final instance that Batman uses Nichols’ device. It is implied that Batman and Robin have undergone several other time projections from 1995 to 1997, including their jaunt in Batman #600, but these have not been specifically referenced, so we must imagine their occurrences on this timeline. However, we can assume there aren’t many of these trips because the procedure is relatively dangerous.
–Circa 2580 BCE
Flashback from Stars & STRIPE #9 and reference in Stars & STRIPE #0. In 1998, the JSA and JLA mix lineups and time-travel to rescue the individual members of the 1948 superhero team known as the Seven Soldiers of Victory, who have each been blasted from their correct time to random eras throughout history and the future. Batman teams with Hourman (Rex Mason) and Starman (Ted Knight) to rescue Stripesy (Pat Dugan) from Ancient Egypt—during the reign of Khufu.
–Circa 1130s BCE
Flashback from The Outsiders #21. Batman and the Ousiders are sent from 1998 to Ancient Egypt thanks to the power of the meteor that once granted Metamorpho his powers. In the era of the 20th Dynasty, the devious wizard Ahk-Ton turns a mind-controlled Metamorpho against Batman and the Outsiders. The heroes defeat Ahk-Ton, restoring Metamorpho in the process, before returning to 1998.
–978 BCE
JLA #68-76, Aquaman Vol. 6 #1, and “The Obsidian Age.” Zatanna, in 2007, discovers that when Atlantis was attacked during the Imperiex War (2005), Tempest cast a spell of protection that was supposed to have saved the underwater kingdom by sending Aquaman and his people to a safe alternate dimension. However, something went horribly wrong: Tempest’s spell accidentally sent the entire population of Atlantis 3000 years into the past. Zatanna explains that after being sent back in time, someone must have cast a second spell, a containment spell, which made Atlantis completely invisible and undetectable for the next 3000 years (until 2007). Using Tempest’s magick, the JLA goes back in time to rescue Aquaman and his people. However, Tempest’s magick fails again and sends them to 978 BCE instead of 993 BCE where the sorceress Gamemnae rules Atlantis and has enslaved the modern Atlanteans with the aid of a metahuman super-team, which includes Manitou Raven. Gamemnae and her minions quickly outmatch the JLA and murder the entire team! Raven realizes he’s fighting on the wrong side and concocts a magickal plan to right the wrongs. As Kyle chokes out his final breath, Raven tears out Kyle’s heart and uses his powers to prevent the spirits of the fallen JLAers from passing on to the afterlife—instead, re-routing their spirits into the extracted heart. Raven then traps Gamemnae and, together, they become linked in a spell that puts them to sleep for the next 2985 years (until Gamemnae breaks free). In 2007, Nightwing and company find Raven, still in possession of Kyle’s heart, which still contains the spirits of the dead JLA. Raven releases their spirits and a zombie JLA begins to battle a reawakened Gamemnae. Gamemnae, angry because she can’t kill the JLA since they are already dead, uses her magick to bring the zombie Leaguers back to life! Gamamnae is eventually defeated.
–13th century
Reference in Superman/Batman #26. Superman and Batman travel from 2007 to the 1200s CE to apprehend time-villain extraordinaire Chronos.
–1640
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1-2—and flashback from Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1. The Omega Effect sends 2010 Bruce hurtling from circa 38,000 BCE to the puritanical Gotham (aka “Gothame”) of 1640. The Hyper-Adapter has followed him (this is the Hyper-Adapter that Darkseid attached to Bruce via the Ancestor Box, the being that will conceivably destroy the universe if Bruce ever makes it back to the 21st century AS OPPOSED TO the Hyper-Adapter that retreats backward through time in giant bat form after being defeated at the End of Time—see The Return of Bruce Wayne #6 for details). The Hyper-Adapter traveling with Bruce in 1640 appears in its true form: A vile, tentacled Lovecraftian monster. Bruce temporarily defeats the monster with a sword, driving it deep into the forest. In the process, Bruce loses his utility belt and boots. Bruce is then taken in by a witch named Annie, who becomes his lover. Before his memory fully fades, Bruce begins a journal, writing down as much as he can recall. He also writes specific instructions in the journal to guide him and his compatriots for decades. Bruce takes the name “Mordecai” and quickly becomes a prominent member of the community. As “Mordecai,” Bruce makes a new life in olde Gotham for several months and begins reluctantly working with his distant ancestor Nathaniel Wayne, the bigoted and spiteful witch-hunter extraordinaire. (Nathaniel is the earliest known patriarch of the Wayne family tree.) Bruce, as “Mordecai,” poses for sketches by artist Martin Van Derm, whose future ancestor Catherine will later marry into the Wayne family. Bruce befriends Van Derm and gives explicit instructions to ensure a portrait based on these sketches becomes a hint to his whereabouts for his friends in the future. Bruce also gives his journal to Van Derm to keep safe. (The detailed instructions within the journal will guide the Van Derm family for decades to come.) When the Hyper-Adapter rears its ugly tentacled face once again, Bruce charges into the woods to combat it. Meanwhile, Nathaniel takes this opportunity to arrest and execute a defenseless Annie. Before being burned at the stake as a witch, Annie places a black magick curse on Nathaniel and his kin for all time, unaware that her lover is secretly a Wayne as well. While fighting the Hyper-Adapter, a solar eclipse occurs, hurtling both Bruce and the Hyper-Adapter roughly 75 years into the future to 1718.
–1650s
Reference in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #5—originally told in Detective Comics #205. From 1993, Batman and Robin time-travel (via the Carter Nichols method) to the 1650s, where they meet colonial frontiersman Jeremy Coe, who uses a section of the modern-day Batcave as his hideout.
–1718
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2-3. 2010 Bruce, with his memory of 1640 fading fast (luckily he has with him a detailed journal-diary that he kept during his time as “Mordecai”), washes up on the shores near Gotham Bay (aka “Gothame Bay”) and Bristol Bay along with Jack Valor aka the Black Pirate. The year is 1718. Valor has been run aground by his rival: Commodore Thatch (aka Blackbeard, aka Vandal Savage)! Blackbeard and his men assume the stronger, tougher Bruce must be the Black Pirate and treat him as such. The villains force Bruce and Valor into the Miagani caves, where rumors say buried treasure lies. The Miagani have laced the caves with numerous deadly booby traps, which Bruce, Valor, Blackbeard, and his men all struggle to avoid. (In a prior time-jump, Bruce taught the Miagani how to make their traps, so he is able to guide everyone through them.) Eventually, Bruce and Valor fight off Blackbeard’s pirates, and the Miagani take them in, showing them the ancient relic: Batman’s tattered cape, cowl, and utility belt. (The Miagani have had the cape and cowl since 38,000 BCE, and have more recently added the boots and utility belt.) Bruce then tells Valor everything he can vaguely remember about his life and his time jumps, and makes him promise to complete some tasks: First, Valor must write down everything Bruce has said. Second, Valor must deliver these papers to the Van Derm family of Gotham after several decades have passed. From 1718, a solar eclipse Omega-leaps Bruce to the 1870s. Notably, in 1750, after a 30-year career as a pirate superhero inspired by Bruce and the Miagani, Valor will deliver his papers to the Van Derms, at which point they will instruct him to add them into a small box/casket with a Bat-symbol on it.[2]
–Circa 1862
Batman #600 Part 2. Bruce and Dick, in 1995, learn about a supposed Civil War hero known as “The Black Bat” whose adventures are vaguely referenced in a 19th-century dime novel. Hoping to learn more about this mystery man, the Dynamic Duo visit their good friend, Professor Carter Nichols, to use his “Maybe Machine.” Using Nichols’ invention, the Dynamic Duo travels back to Virginia in 1862 (from 1995) and saves an African-American soldier from Confederates. After Confederate soldiers catch them, the Black Bat shows up and saves them. Afterward, the Black Bat unmasks, revealing himself to be the soldier our heroes saved earlier. Bruce and Dick return to 1995, but wonder if, by some paradox, there was no Black Bat until they went back in time and inspired the rescued soldier themselves. This trip, made possible by Nichols’ time-travel method, is one of several Batman and Robin take between 1995 and 1997. (Nichols dismantles his machine in 1997.)
–Circa 1870s
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3-4. From 1718, a solar eclipse Omega-leaps 2010 Bruce to the 19th century where he immediately becomes a masked cowboy vigilante on horseback, becoming embroiled in a full-scale war-on-crime against Vandal Savage and his band of outlaws. In response, Savage hires Jonah Hex (!) to take out Batman. Savage also allies himself with Thomas Wayne aka Simon Hurt! Both Savage and Hurt want the secret power that supposedly lies within the Bat-symbol casket, which is in the possession of the Van Derm family. The Van Derms are all slaughtered by Savage, except for Catherine Van Derm, who is kidnapped and tortured by Hurt in an attempt to obtain the secret method of opening the box/casket without destroying the supposed contents within. Meanwhile, Batman, in his dark-rider cowboy garb, battles Savage’s henchmen. Eventually, Savage and Hurt take Catherine and the casket and flee in a covered wagon with Batman chasing them. Hex follows as well, and a huge rumble takes place that results in a wagon crash that startles a suicidal Alan Wayne. In the chaos, Alan shelters Catherine as Bruce watches over them. This scene is, in many ways, a Back to the Future moment where Bruce essentially introduces his great-great-grandparents! Catherine uses the secret Miagani whistle code to open the casket. Bruce takes the Mordecai journal-diary and Jack Valor’s notes but is immediately shot by Hex. (As referenced in The Batman Files, the bullet hits Bruce in the stomach, but it passes through the Mordecai journal-diary, which makes the shot non-fatal.) Bruce then falls into the river just as a solar eclipse sends him to roughly 1971, the time period shortly after the murder of his parents. Shortly after the disappearance of the masked “bat-rider,” Alan will build Wayne Manor in a grand macabre style to honor the dark hero who helped him. This fantastic architectural blueprint will include Bat-symbol-shaped layouts and hidden catacombs that will house and protect the casket for decades to come. Thus, Bruce literally alters (or, rather, influences) Wayne Manor’s architecture from the past!
–1941
DC 2000 #1-2. From 2004, T.O. Morrow travels back to 1941 to spread modern technology across the globe way before its time. The JLA travels back to 1941 and teams up with the Golden Age JSA to stop Morrow. When the JLA returns to 2004 after a successful mission, the JSA in 1941 will have no memory of it. (Notably, this story is called DC 2000 only because it was published in 2000; thanks to compression and sliding-time, it takes place in 1941 and 2004. Therefore, this story could easily be called DC 2004.)
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- [1]COLLIN COLSHER: Why do we have the era of Anthro in 38,000 BCE? In Seven Soldiers of Victory #1, Grant Morrison shows the New Gods first visiting prehistoric man in 40,000 BCE. Many readers assumed that Metron giving fire to Anthro (in Final Crisis #1) was therefore connected to the New Gods visiting prehistoric man (in Seven Soldiers of Victory #1). However, Morrison’s Final Crisis Director’s Cut gives us the very specific 38,000 BCE date for Metron giving the gift of fire to Anthro. Therefore, I’ve made the assumption that Metron’s meeting with Anthro is two thousand years separated from the New Gods’ first meeting with prehistoric man. The always-reliable Unofficial Guide to the DCU also separates these events, placing the New God visit to prehistoric man (from Seven Soldiers of Victory #1) in 40,000 BCE while placing Metron’s visit to Anthro (from Final Crisis #1) in 38,000 BCE. It’s also worth mentioning that Anthro was Cro-Magnon (or at least part Cro-Magnon), and Cro-Magnons didn’t really migrate to the Americas in real life. Of course, DC operates with an alternate timeline of prehistory anyway, but, interestingly, if you look at Wikipedia’s entry for Prehistory (in the section for Upper Paleolithic, you get this: “c. 40,000 BP / 38,000 BCE – First human settlement in the southern half of the Australian mainland.” BP stands for Before Present (meaning before 1950), whereas BCE stands for Before Common Era (meaning before the year 0)—hence the roughly 2,000-year difference. Maybe Morrison cribbed from this and accidentally referenced both dating types? If so, then 38,000 BCE would be the right choice. Or maybe Morrison’s Final Crisis #1 and Seven Soldiers of Victory #1 sequences are indeed meant to be one and the same? We’ll never truly know, but the Batman Chronology Project has kept them separated (with Anthro in 38,000 BCE). Curiously, the usually-less-reliable DC Database fandom wikia site does its own thing entirely, placing Anthro in 30,000 BCE.↩
- [2]COLLIN COLSHER: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3 shows Jack Valor visiting the Van Derms in 1750, upon which he sees the Bat-casket for the first time and puts his notes into it. The casket, which can only be opened by a Miagani whistling sound, already contains the Mordecai journal and something unknown but mysterious. (The latter is either the special note intended as a fuck-you to those who oppose Bruce, or the batarang, or both.) Upon its release, The Return of Bruce Wayne #6 confounded readers by showing a flashback to what appears to be a young Valor sometime after 1718, creating and assembling the casket with the Miagani. How could Valor be seeing the casket for the first time in 1750 if he’d helped make it decades prior? Is this a continuity error? The answer: No, because the white man shown assembling the casket with the Miagani in The Return of Bruce Wayne #6 isn’t Valor. While the artist may have made an error and drawn him to look too much like Valor, he is meant to be a random member of the Van Derm family. After all, The Return of Bruce Wayne #4 tells us that, at some point in the 17th century, a Van Derm coupled with a Miagani, creating a link between the Miagani and the Van Derms and giving the Van Derms access to the Miagani’s secrets. (This also notably creates an ancestral connection between the Miagani and the Wayne family as well.) We also know Bruce lost his boots and utility belt in the 1640s. So, the image from The Return of Bruce Wayne #6 likely depicts the blonde Van Derm man and his Miagani wife (pictured wearing a white necklace) offering the utility belt and boots to the relic, finally combining all the Bat-items, while also removing a batarang to put into the casket. Anyway, mystery/continuity problem solved!↩
