(January to December 2025)
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–REFERENCE: In Superman Unlimited #1 Epilogue. Superman (Clark) comes face-to-face with a giant Kryptonite asteroid, which nearly kills him and puts him into a coma. Superman (Clark) is stabilized aboard the Watchtower, but he will remain in a coma for the next three months. (There’s really no place that makes much sense on our timeline for Superman to be absent for three months, but after much scrutiny, this seems to be the safest place to start his time off.) Batman and the JLU run tests on Superman (Clark), revealing that his DNA structure contains something that protects him against the onslaught of Kryptonite. Martian Manhunter immediately assumes Superman’s identity to mask his absence. Meanwhile, new deposits of Kryptonite are scattered all across the globe, making things instantly difficult for the Superman-Family. Shortly thereafter, a new South Atlantic island nation state called El Caldero is formed at the site of one of the largest Kryptonite chunks. Batman and the JLU will follow the epic economic rise of El Caldero, which will erect an entire city made of Kryptonite, over the course of the next three months.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 4 #4. Currently, Gotham’s organized mobs all work together as part of a clandestine syndicate. The mobs include: The Black Fang (led by Fāng Hēi), Clanuri Interlope (led by the Bezna Mob), La Mano Nera (led by Lupo Capitolina of the Capitolina Mob), La Penitenta Cartel (possibly an offshoot of the Penitente Cartel), The Thieves Guild (led by Penguin), and the Tozuki Mob (led by Dantai Tozuki). Batman familiarizes himself with the new underworld landscape. Unknown to Batman, the syndicate—secretly known as The Torus—is led by a mysterious newcomer called The Minotaur (who is assisted by his right-hand man, the Calculator). (The Mintoaur is sort of a new but much more powerful version of the Underbroker.) The Torus is also secretly backed by Commissioner Vandal Savage.
—[1]
–REFERENCE: In Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #27. Batman works with private investigator Simone Blair on an unspecified case, developing a great trust and respect for her.
–REFERENCE: In DC KO #1 and DC KO #5. For fun, Bruce enters the gaming industry, launching a new venture called M Malone Entertainment. Bruce even has creative input as an executive, getting into production a line of superhero-themed board games where Batman is the best playable character.
–Birds of Prey Vol. 5 #20
When experimental drugs are stolen from a military black site, Oracle mobilizes the Birds of Prey and notifies Batman. Batgirl (Cassie) and Batman both visit the apartment of a supposed suicide victim who had some connection to the theft. At the apartment, Batman and Batgirl note that the suicide was definitely faked. Seeing that the case is in good hands, Batman departs, allowing the Birds of Prey to handle things. He only asks that he’s kept in the loop in real time. Following the clues, Oracle sends Big Barda to Dubai and Black Canary to Tokyo, keeping Batgirl (Cassie) and Sin Lance local. (Notably, Sin is now merged with the spirit of the ancient Amazonian Fury known as Megaera.) In Dubai, Big Barda runs afoul of Inque (a time-traveling super-villain from thirty-ish years in the future) before getting shot into outer space and blown up by the villainess’ boss Daemon Prime, who is leading a villain team called the Shadow Army. Presumably, Oracle fills Batman in on everything that occurs with this case going forward. Here’s what goes down in Birds of Prey Vol. 5 #21-24 (“On the Run”). The Birds of Prey take on other Shadow Army soldiers, including Copperhead, Velvet Tiger (Lani Gilbert), Golden Lion (Laurent Lockhart), and a bunch of robot drones. Feeling out of her depth, Oracle calls for back-up from Onyx Adams, John Constantine, Zealot, Vixen, Harley Quinn, Grace Choi, Cela Lockhart, and Poe. Meanwhile, Inque controls Big Barda like a symbiote, forcing her to attack her friends. With her systems compromised by the Shadow Army, Oracle activates the Clocktower’s self-destruct mechanism, detonating the building. Soon after, the Birds of Prey (joined by all the back-up folks) infiltrate the Shadow Army’s lair and take them head-on. After the Birds of Prey free Big Barda from Inque (and Sin from Golden Lion, who briefly controls Megaera), they send the Shadow Army packing.
–Detective Comics 2025 Annual #1 Part 1
Batman preps the Bat-computer and does background research as part of an investigation into the disappearance of billionaire Silicon Valley mogul Cody Morse, who locked himself in his mansion over a month ago and hasn’t been heard from since. Inside the heavily secured home, Batman finds Morse’s fresh corpse along with several oddities—including a spotless kitchen, a man cave with a floating video game controller, a digital reading room, and deadly floating knives. (Batman makes a note to look into the floating tech for new Batarangs.) Batman then finds five copies of a book on quantum mechanics by author Arthur Milligan. Each book has a specific section of pages that were removed and destroyed. Batman then makes plans to visit Dr. Jenny Sykes at the University of York. After studying up on the rich architectural history of York (and familiarizing himself with the current superhero/super-villain scene in the UK), Batman travels across the Atlantic. Sykes tells Batman that Milligan claimed to have discovered a mathematical equation that could destroy the universe and printed his theories in a book that was printed in only five copies in the 1970s. But before Batman can continue his investigation, he gets sidetracked by the Templar’s rival—super-villain Mr. Mystic, who controls two powerful “angelic apparitions.” After defeating Mr. Mystic and his evil angels, Batman locates a sixth (and final) copy of Milligan’s book. Having killed Morse in a failed attempt to obtain the equation, Morse’s murderer sends Batman a message, saying he has kidnapped Sykes and wants the book. Batman soon confronts the killer/kidnapper, revealed to be Morse’s crooked business partner, Paul Briar. Batman dupes Briar into activating the universal destruction equation, but only in an eight-foot radius around Briar himself (and in a non-fatal way where Briar becomes frozen in time and space). Back in the States, Batman drinks English tea while crunching some numbers about Milligan’s “anti-time stasis field.” Batman says that he’ll remove Briar from stasis so that he can serve prison time, but the Dark Knight is torn about whether to keep Milligan’s equation for the benefit of science or destroy it so it never falls into the hands of evil again. We don’t learn which choice Batman makes, nor do we learn whether he uses Morse’s anti-gravity tech.
–Detective Comics 2025 Annual #1 Part 2
When kids start hallucinating at Gotham Public Middle School 96, Batman is on the case. Testing the kids, Batman finds traces of Fear Gas in their systems. After adding an air quality meter to his utility belt rotation, Batman visits the school to find seventh-grader David Rosales also working on the case. (David has started a one-person Junior Batman Detective Club.) Allowing young David to take the lead, Batman is reminded that Scarecrow once had a lab on the very site of the school. David and Batman discover that old Fear Gas residue has been leaking into the building. Shortly thereafter, Batman installs filters into and begins pumping anti-toxins through the school’s HVAC system. David tells Batman that right-wing and centrist governments have more or less abandoned the public school system, after which the Dark Knight gives him a pep talk and a ride in the Batmobile.
–Detective Comics #1100 Part 1
While busting a random bad guy on the street, Batman sees a deaf-mute boy putting up signs about his lost puppy. Batman later returns to assist the boy, saving him from getting hit by a truck. With Ace the Bat-Hound as a guide, Batman locates the puppy that a gang had stolen. Batman and Ace beat the shit out of the gang, rescue the dog, and reunite it with its owner. Afterward, Batman adds the “lost dog” poster to his wall collection of “lost pet” signs.
–Detective Comics #1100 Part 2
Batman engages with Joker in a high-speed motorcycle chase, during which Gotham Community Center organizer Katie Wang is run off the road. Batman allows Joker to escape so that he can rescue Katie. Shortly thereafter, Bruce realizes he’s been invited to a fundraising gala to celebrate Gotham’s unsung heroes, among whom Katie is an award recipient. Bruce attends the event and cuts a big check for the nonprofit host organization. At the event, Bruce is seated near independent journalist (and city council candidate) Colin McMannor, who grills Bruce and tries to shame him about his vast wealth. Bruce shakes Colin’s hand, wishes him the best of luck, and says that they both serve the city in their own way.
–Detective Comics #1100 Part 3
Batman goes on patrol, sending bad guys to the ER all night long. When Batman himself suffers a nasty wound on his arm and shoulder, he visits the hospital to see his friend Dr. Ava for treatment. But they are interrupted by another doctor, new to Gotham, who worries that Batman’s presence might harm the city. Dr. Ava tells her that, before the arrival of the Dark Knight, the ER was chock-full of murders of innocent people all night long, every night. After Batman debuted, the murders turned into contusions, bruises, and broken bones, now mostly inflicted upon bad guys. After the new doctor departs, Dr. Ava patches up Batman and thanks him for his service.
–Detective Comics #1100 Part 4
A new serial killer has murdered six people in six nights, drawing Batman’s vengeful attention. Batman chases the killer to the top of a skyscraper, where the latter attempts a suicide dive. Batman dives after him, making sure he’s fit to go to prison.
–FLASHBACK: From Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #3. Batman teleports up to the Watchtower to join Mr. Terrific, Black Canary, and Green Arrow (Oliver Queen).
–REFERENCE: In Batgirl Vol. 6 #7. Batgirl (Cassie Cain) departs for a long solo trip to deal with the aftermath of the supposed death of her mother, Lady Shiva. Cassie phones Stephanie Brown, telling her to notify Bruce about her trip and tell him not to worry. Presumably, Stephanie updates Bruce.
–REFERENCE: In Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #26. Batman learns that Two-Face is using two primary hideouts now—one at the abandoned Asher Estate and the other at an unused courthouse. Instead of shutting these lairs down, Batman will monitor them closely, moving forward.
–Superman Unlimited #1 Epilogue
Superman (Clark) finally wakes up from his three-month-long coma. Notably, he’s greeted by several JLU members, including Aquaman (Arthur Curry), whose appearance here is a major continuity error that must be ignored. (And no, this doesn’t mean that Superman’s three-month coma occurs months before now, before Aquaman’s disappearance. There’s really no sound place for Superman’s coma to go before Aquaman’s disappearance.) Superman (Clark) learns the world’s new status quo regarding Kryptonite. Batman shows Superman (Clark) how and why he was able to survive being crushed by a giant mountain of Kryptonite. The Man of Steel has developed a new superpower: he temporarily turns to gold and becomes invulnerable when exposed to high levels of Kryptonite radiation.
–FLASHBACK: From Superman Unlimited #2. Picking up directly from the Superman Unlimited #1 Epilogue, Batman, Superboy (Conner Kent), and Supergirl continue explaining Clark’s new “Superman Gold” powers. When irradiated by high levels of Kryptonite, Superman (Clark) will have a few minutes of invulnerability, but the catch is that he’ll be completely powerless for some time afterward.
–Superman Unlimited #4
Jimmy Olsen accompanies Tee-Nah (Solovar’s goddaughter) to Gotham City, during which an injured man-bat crashes into their car. While Robin (Damian) patrols outside, Jimmy and Tee-Nah take the man-bat to Leslie Thompkins’ clinic for treatment. In Metropolis, Superman (Clark) manages to barely save a Kryptonite jewelry-wearing (and inebriated) Veronica Vreeland, who accidentally falls from a rooftop. Superman (Clark) then joins his pals at Leslie’s place. Robin explains that the man-bat is one of Kirk Langstrom’s former lab assistants, who has invented a new communicable strain of Man-Bat Serum. With exposure to Vreeland’s Kryptonite leaving him vulnerable, Superman (Clark) turns into a man-bat and begins to rage out of control. Using Jimmy’s signal watch, Tee-Nah hacks into Oracle’s network and alerts her to the situation. The Birds of Prey—Batgirl (Cassie Cain), Big Barda, and Black Canary—combat Superman (Clark), but Black Canary also turns into a man-bat. Eventually, Jimmy uses the high-frequency squelch of his signal watch to take down the man-bats. Kirk Langstrom and Leslie then cure all the afflicted. Meanwhile, in El Caldero, Bruce purchases as much Kryptonite as possible (to keep it out of other people’s hands). While being interviewed by Ron Troupe, Bruce drops millions at an auction. Batman also skulks around El Caldero, gathering intel. Later, at one of the many auxiliary Batcaves (undisclosed location), Batman and Robin show Superman (Clark) how much Kryptonite they’ve gathered (inside lead-lined vaults). Unknown to all, just for fun, Robin has been stealing letter Es off the Daily Planet building for weeks. He’s stored them all in his vault. Batman and Superman (Clark) decide on their next plan of action.
–FLASHBACK: From Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #3. The Justice League Unlimited goes into unspecified action.
—[2]
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 4 #1. Jim Gordon rejoins the GCPD, but as a lowly beat cop, partnering with Officer “Ezzy” Espinoza.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 4 #1. Arkham Tower expands with a second building, officially changing its name to Arkham Towers. Shortly thereafter, Killer Croc, feeling off, checks himself into inpatient care. Sure enough, exposure to morphotoxins has caused Killer Croc to regress into a feral but childlike state. He also begins to mutate into a more monstrous form.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 4 #1. Batman encounters (or hears about) a new weird gang of scissor-wielding psychopaths called The Creeps, who declare that Robinson Park is their new “hunting ground.”
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 4 #3. Since Commissioner Vandal Savage obviously won’t allow a Bat-signal to exist, Officer Jim Gordon gets creative. Moving forward, Harvey Bullock will stick a stuffed bat with suction cups onto the window of his private eye office as a means of signaling the Dark Knight. Upon seeing this stuffie, Batman will know to meet atop the roof of Bullock Investigations.
–REFERENCE: In Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #27. Dr. Chase Meridian reports to Batman that the Ventriloquist has had a breakthrough at Arkham Towers. All of his identities have supposedly been erased, and he has no memory of having ever been a super-villain. Given a clean bill of health, Dr. Meridian releases Arnold Wesker into Batman’s custody. Batman places Wesker under the ongoing supervision of private investigator Simone Blair, who will watch over him and report to the Dark Knight. While we won’t see it on our timeline ahead, we must presume that Simone delivers these reports in regular intervals.
–REFERENCE: In Green Lantern Vol. 7 #30. Along with Mr. Terrific and Dr. Mid-Nite, Batman invents a new medical scanner, which he naturally dubs “The Bat-Scanner.”
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1101, Batgirl Vol. 6 #12, and Birds of Prey Vol. 5 #28. Babs’ clocktower HQ is fully repaired.
–REFERENCE: In Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #29. The Ventriloquist and Scarface kill Simone Blair (although the docile Arnold Wesker’s mind blocks the memory of this action). Despite this, Batman will continue checking in with who he thinks is Simone, but, in reality, he will now be speaking with Scarface, who will do his best impression of Simone over the phone. We can imagine these calls occurring at regular intervals in the future, with Batman none the wiser.
–REFERENCE: In DC KO #1-2 and DC KO #5. Lois invites Clark, Diana, and Bruce to have a game night at her and Clark’s apartment in Metropolis. Everyone marks their calendar. Bruce tells Tim about game night, and Tim gives Bruce some “non-cape topics” to discuss.
—Wonder Woman Vol. 6 #23 (Wonder Woman #823)
Years ago, following one of the major Crises, a super-villain known as Mouse Man founded a cult—comprising American refugees—on a private island (Moray Island). Cut to today, and not much is known about Moray Island or its customs. Suffice to say, it’s a very bad place. Having personally dealt with Mouse Man decades ago and hoping to rescue some friends in the cult, Wonder Woman asks the JLU to intervene and liberate the isle. While Wonder Woman waits in the Watchtower cafeteria (and briefly chats with Stephanie Brown), Mr. Terrific speaks with his fellow members of the JLU governing council. Ultimately, without a government mandate or any obvious violation of international law (all the cultists, despite being brainwashed, say they want to be there), the council decides to let Mouse Man’s cult go unfettered. Wonder Woman tries to reason with Superman (Clark) and Batman, but they tell her the decision is final and that she shouldn’t go against the council. Decision be damned, Wonder Woman (with baby Lizzie strapped to her back) infiltrates the island, finding an abused child among stormtroopers riding giant mice.
–Supergirl: The World Part 6
In this sequel to Superman: The World Part 5, which is said to have occurred last year, the Justice League Unlimited deals with Brainiac (or at least some of his drones or henchmen; it’s not made clear), forcing Supergirl to travel to Cameroon solo on a tip that Lex Luthor is planning a heist there. (Notably, Luthor, who had previously been amnesiac and a good guy, has recently broken bad again, as seen in the pages of the Batman-less Superman Vol. 6 #25.) Since Batman helped Superman (Clark) on his Cameroonian mission last year, the Dark Knight has decided to remotely monitor Supergirl on her mission. Sure enough, Luthor’s goons attempt to steal a magickal statue, but the goddess Ngonnso helps Supergirl fend them off and protect the leader of the Nso people. Supergirl is then invited to be a guest of honor at the Ngonnso Cultural Festival the next day. (Notably, the Ngonnso Cultural Festival is usually held in November or December. However, the festival’s schedule has frequently been disrupted or postponed due to the ongoing regional conflict, so we must assume this is why it is being held now.
–Supergirl: The World Part 8
Batman and John Constantine fight Joker in Ankara, Turkey. A botched spell bonds Joker with the demon known as Arçura, granting the villain ultimate power. Sensing something sinister in Ankara, Krypto drags Supergirl there, where she comes face to face with the Arçura/Joker mash-up. After an intense and hallucinatory battle, Supergirl severs the bond between Arçura and Joker, saving the city in the process. Batman and Constantine arrive too late to help, but they do extradite Joker back to the States.
–FLASHBACK: From New History of the DC Universe #4—and referenced in Batman Vol. 4 #1-4, Batman Vol. 4 #6, Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #25, Detective Comics #1101, Detective Comics #1103, Aquaman Vol. 9 #14, Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #30, Detective Comics #1107, Superman Unlimited #12, and Nightwing Vol. 4 #137. Bruce and Lucius Fox acquire a cache of Titanographene, which they use to design two brand new Bat-costumes. First, Batman tailors a new primary costume with a dark blue cape-and-cowl, matching dark blue chest insignia (with a unique design), and trunks on the outside. The cape can also function as a new “Bat-Wing” (aka “Batwing”), a low-altitude/low-opening flight suit. In this mode, the cowl activates built-in protective flight goggles. Batman’s new gloves (while still retaining some of the old gloves’ functionality, like turning into electrified gauntlets) can now scan random items and retrieve information about them. His gauntlet arm fins can also turn into razor-sharp BatBlades. Batman’s cowl lenses and cowl radio are also upgraded, although they retain most of the same bells and whistles as before. Batman also invents new programmable Batarangs. Batman begins wearing this costume and utilizing his new toys, effective immediately.[3] For Batman’s second new costume, the Dark Knight and Lucius create an alt-suit known as the Stealth Suit, which allows for near silence and invisibility for its wearer. The Stealth Suit comes with its own unique utility belt (and stock rotation). Likewise, Batman builds a new electric-powered Batmobile, giving it some novel features, such as a voice-activated “protection mode” (in which the car’s AI can use various weapons to defend itself and others around near it) and a thirteen-gear transmission (including three quantum gears for use during spatiotemporal crisis events and one “secret gear” that does god knows what). Batman also stores new highway-use gear in the car, including BatSpikes (a tire deflation strip). He begins primarily using this new car. Batman also upgrades the other Batwing (his Bat-plane). Additionally, Batman sets up a new emergency frequency for all Bat-Family members so that they can reach him at all times. Last but not least, Batman also develops new tech for the Bat-Family, including BatBangs (mini flash grenades), BatBoots (electromagnetic grip footwear), and upgraded medkits.
–REFERENCE: In Jon Kent: This Internship is My Kryptonite #17 andJon Kent: This Internship is My Kryptonite #20. Batman poses for a series of photos with a large group of superheroes.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 4 #5 and Detective Comics #1108. Bruce begins wearing special Layer 0 body armor regularly under his civilian clothing. Also in his civilian life, Bruce begins regularly wearing ultra-insulate (i.e. electric-proof) shoes and special glasses that are constantly recording video. Wanting to hide both his Batman persona and his celebrity Bruce Wayne persona, Batman also builds a new high-tech Batmobile disguised as a cheap hatchback sedan. It has tons of bells and whistles, including the ability to morph into a submarine!
—Wonder Woman Vol. 6 #28 (Wonder Woman #828)
Wonder Woman finishes liberating Moray Island, putting Mouse Man in the hospital, and empowering the islanders to live freely. Superman (Clark) visits Moray Island to make sure everything is okay. Shortly thereafter, on Themyscira, Batman and Superman (Clark) scold Wonder Woman for having disobeyed the JLU governing council. Wonder Woman tells them that she’ll always march to the beat of a different drum, especially now that she has her daughter to raise.
–Aquaman Vol. 9 #9[4]
Having been trapped in the Blue (the water equivalent of the Green) for months, Aquaman (Arthur Curry) finally returns home along with Captain Nemo, Arion, Zan (of the Wonder Twins), Vivienne (the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian England), Lori Lemaris, Titanus, and Crimson Queen (Lolanna Merana Challa) disguised as an adult Andrina Curry. (Arthur had seemingly located the missing Atlanteans inside the Blue, but they had all rapidly aged, leading to the apparent deaths of Mera, Garth, and Jackson Hyde. Of course, they aren’t actually aged-up or dead. However, Arthur mistakenly believes that the adult Andy is his actual aged-up daughter, but she’s really Mera’s evil mother, Crimson Queen.) Endowed with new ocean god powers, Aquaman (Arthur) finds the Justice League Unlimited (Batman, Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, Aztek, Hawkgirl, Ice, Elongated Man, and Jaime Reyes) in combat against a demon-possessed Superman (Clark). Aquaman (Arthur) and his Blue warriors exorcise the demon and save the day. Later, Aquaman (Arthur) debriefs with Superman (Clark), Batman, and Wonder Woman, recounting his harrowing adventure in the Blue. The heroes mourn the loss of Mera, Garth, and Jackson. After shaving his face clean, Aquaman (Arthur) returns to the ruins of Atlantis, packs up his stuff, and departs. After he leaves, Mera, young Andy, Garth, and Jackson appear inside the ruins, seemingly alive and well![5]
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #130. Damian misses Dick. He begins pestering Bruce, asking him when Dick is going to visit Gotham City again.
CIRQUE DU SIN
————————–Nightwing Vol. 4 #130
————————–Nightwing Vol. 4 #135
Bernard Bisogni (a corrupt former ally of Blockbuster) is elected the new mayor of Blüdhaven, defeating Nightwing’s half-sister, Melinda Grayson-Lin, in a special election. After threatening Mayor Bisogni, Nightwing targets Olivia Pearce (the former teen villain Colombina, formerly known as Olivia Hillman). (Olivia is actually undead, having been reanimated by the evil supernatural force called the Zanni, to which she is connected.) Olivia’s company, Spheric Solutions, has taken over all of Blüdhaven’s private defense contracts, creating out-of-control super soldiers pumped full of a hybrid Venom-Man-Bat serum. As Nightwing fights the super soldiers (aka the Clean-Cut Crew) along with some Spheric Solutions Wanderer Robots, he is aided by Nightwing-Prime (Kryptonian mythology-inspired teen Bryce Moran, who Nite-Mite has granted 5th Dimensional powers). With the situation looking intense, the monitoring Justice League Unlimited—Batman, Superman (Clark), Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter—arrive to check in on Nightwing. Nightwing says that he can handle it on his own, so the JLU members kindly stand down. Before departing, Martian Manhunter thinks he sees something in the sky, but shakes it off. Before leaving, Batman has a brief heart-to-heart with Nightwing, who says to tell Damian he’ll visit Gotham soon. (Presumably, Batman relays the message.) Later, Nightwing catches up with Nightwing-Prime at the gravesite of his brother, who was killed by cops about a month ago. Nightwing cheers up Nightwing-Prime by returning to him his pet rabbit named Night-Hare. After considering nullifying Nightwing-Prime’s powers with a cocktail made by Nite-Mite, Nightwing decides that the rookie hero can stay, so long as he trains directly under his tutelage. Just as Martian Manhunter did before, Nightwing-Prime senses something wicked on the periphery. (Both Martian Manhunter and Nightwing-Prime are sensing the lurking Zanni.) On the outskirts of Blüdhaven, the Zanni kidnaps some children (including a girl named Lindsey), taking them into his otherworldly circus lair. Two little kids in particular (Johnny and his sister) fend off the ever-encroaching lure of the Zanni, holding onto their belief that Nightwing will protect them. Eventually, Nightwing travels into the realm of the Zanni to rescue the kids from the Zanni and Olivia. The Zanni causes massive destruction to Blüdhaven (which the city’s residents misattribute to a massive earthquake). After Nightwing rescues the kids, Nightwing-Prime helps him defeat the Zanni. Nightwing-Prime decides to stay in the Zanni’s realm forevermore to keep the Zanni and Olivia permanently at bay. Nightwing, Batman, Superman (Clark), Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Batgirl (Babs), the Teddy Gang, and the Flyboiz gang help with a massive clean-up and rescue mission in the decimated sections of Blüdhaven. After debriefing with Martian Manhunter and Batgirl (Babs), Nightwing visits Claire (the young daughter of Commissioner Maggie Sawyer’s girlfriend Katie). After making sure Claire is okay, Nightwing rehomes Night-Hare with her.
–REFERENCE: In Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #27. Sacred Heart Medical Center’s big fundraiser event is coming up fast. (We are told it’s a Valentine’s Day thing, but there’s absolutely no way we are anywhere near February, so this annoying bit of topicality must unfortunately be ignored.) Bruce asks Clark and Jon if they’d like to be involved. The Kents happily agree. Clark agrees to write a Daily Planet piece about Sacred Heart as well.
–Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #25-27 (“THE QUIET MAN”)
The Tiger Shark versus Penguin mob war, which has now gone on for many months, hits a boiling point. Batman (in his new costume) and Robin (Damian, also debuting a new costume) intervene, busting Tiger Shark. Afterward, Batman tells Robin how proud he is of him as a crimefighter and a son. Later, Bruce and Damian decide to catch a movie at the Monarch Theater. Bruce and Damian attend a screening of the film The Night Watches. Across town, Penguin celebrates his victory in the mob war, giving all of Tiger Shark’s former territory to his new underboss, Paulie Poole. A recently paroled assassin called the Quiet Man (Cy Mercer) interrupts the festivities by gunning his way into the Iceberg Lounge, killing several of Penguin’s men (and putting silver coins on the eyes of the deceased) and setting the casino on fire. The next day, Batman and Robin (Damian) examine the charred remains of the Iceberg Lounge while interrogating Penguin and his men. Penguin gives them an earful but refuses to say who was responsible for the attack. Batman secretly bugs the ruined Iceberg Lounge and takes the silver coins. Later, while Damian trains in the Batcave, Batman studies the silver coins and learns they are valuable treasures. From his bug, Batman learns that Penguin wants to meet with Two-Face to discuss the attacker. Unsure exactly where the meeting will go down, Robin (Damian) goes to the Asher Estate while Batman goes to the old courthouse. At the Asher place, Robin (Damian) finds and hangs out with the Gotham Irregulars. When Penguin and Two-Face show up, so does the Quiet Man, who begins shooting everyone in sight. Batman arrives as well, quickly realizing that the Quiet Man is the father of a boy who was supposedly killed by the Ventriloquist many years ago. A wild bullet-fueled battle-royale ensues, involving all parties (and Riddler’s old giant typewriter, which happens to be stored at the Asher Estate). Before fleeing, the Quiet Man pauses to save Damian’s life. Batman calls Simone Blair to warn her that Arnold Wesker may be in danger. (Spoiler: Simone has been killed by a relapsed Wesker, who is using her body as his new macabre puppet.) Later, Bruce and Damian put the Quiet Man case on hold to focus on the upcoming Sacred Heart Medical Center fundraiser. (Again, ignore the Valentine’s Day specificity.) Joining the Waynes at Pennyworth Manor are the Kents—Clark and Jon. While Jon and Damian excitedly catch up, Bruce tells Clark he’d like him to write a story for the Daily Planet (presumably about the Quiet Man case). In costume, Superman (Jon) and Robin (Damian) have burritos with the Gotham Irregulars in Robinson Park. Meanwhile, Bruce asks Clark for advice on how best to raise Damian. After a heart-to-heart, Bruce and Clark suit up and head into town to watch their sons act as big brothers to the Gotham Irregulars. Superman (Clark) tells Batman he’s the best possible dad for Damian. At the other end of the city, Two-Face, Penguin, Paulie Poole, and another henchman accost the Ventriloquist at his apartment. They tie the Ventriloquist to a chair before departing.
–Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #28-30 (“THE QUIET MAN” Conclusion)
Picking up directly from Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #27, Penguin gives in and tells the Quiet Man (Cy Mercer) the address of the Ventriloquist. Meanwhile, Batman finds a connection between the Quiet Man and a Greek Orthodox Church in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Robin and the Gotham Irregulars discover and break into the Quiet Man’s hotel room, finding only odd handwritten letters written from the Quiet Man to his deceased son, Alvin. Batman shakes down Two-Face, who spills the beans about the warehouse massacre that sent the Quiet Man to jail all those years ago. (The Quiet Man was a mafia driver, who was trying to sell $50 million worth of silver to Carmine Falcone, but Two-Face, Penguin, and the Ventriloquist—with Scarface—all interrupted the sale. This led to multiple deaths, including the Quiet Man’s own son. A Falcone hood named Michael Brazzi disappeared with the silver, never to be seen again.) Upon learning that the Quiet Man knows where the Ventriloquist lives, Batman and Robin rush to the address. Just as the Quiet Man enters, Paulie Poole blows up the building with an RPG. The Dynamic Duo find Simone Blair’s corpse, finding that she’s been dead for a while. The heroes also pull an unconscious Quiet Man out of the rubble. The Ventriloquist runs off, hallucinating that Simone is still with him. Later, the Ventriloquist (now with Scarface again) shoots up Penguin’s crew at Tiger Shark’s old HQ. Paulie Poole is killed. Meanwhile, Batman and Robin, having pieced everything together and re-examined the playing field, interrogate the Quiet Man in Blackgate Penitentiary. Afterward, Batman and Robin argue about the Quiet Man, with Robin claiming that their vigilantism, aside from murder, is not very different than his. At the Sacred Heart Medical Center fundraiser (again, ignore the Valentine’s Day specificity), Batman and Robin scope the scene from above. With Bruce and Damian no-shows, Marla reluctantly appoints Penguin as the new keynote speaker. The usually well-spoken Penguin delivers rather inarticulate oration, complete with a glaring malapropism. (Blame speech writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson.) Concurrently, the Ventriloquist (with Scarface) and the Quiet Man (having escaped from jail) arrive at the fundraiser. (Again, sadly, ignore the bogus topical Valentine’s Day specificity.) Just as the Ventriloquist and Scarface’s men begin their attack, Batman and Robin cut out all the lights and systematically take them all down. Robin convinces the Quiet Man to let the Ventriloquist live, but the Ventriloquist (and Scarface) put two bullets into the Quiet Man for his trouble. Robin saves the Quiet Man’s life. Despite his injuries, the Quiet Man escapes a medical transport and goes on the lam. Later, Robin realizes the truth behind the twenty-year-plus cold case disappearance of Michael Brazzi and Alvin Mercer. Batman, Robin, and the Gotham Irregulars go to their last known location at the Trigate Bridge. Batman and Robin dive deep into the waters below, finding the remains at the bottom (along with the truck and its missing silver). As it turns out, the truck simply accidentally crashed off the bridge the very same night it drove away. Bruce donates the silver to Sacred Heart, allowing the institution to fund a new pediatrics center. With their mission complete, Robin writes about their experience in his journal. Afterward, Bruce and Damian do volunteer work at Sacred Heart. With their father/son bond stronger than ever, Batman and Robin happily patrol the streets of Gotham.
–DC x AEW #1-2 (“THE FORBIDDEN DOOR SAGA”)
This item must go prior to DC KO. Wrestling Across the Multiverse (WAM) and All-Elite Wrestling (AEW) have a cross-promotional pro wrestling PPV event at Gotham Square Garden. (WAM was created in the 36th century, but thanks to time-travel, they have events in every era, including the present.) With Excalibur and Booster Gold (with Skeets) on commentary, Mercedes Moné defeats Decelia Starshame for the WAM Intergalactic Championship. In a rage, Decelia destroys the belt, which is made of Element X, causing the arena to explode and dangerous cosmic shards to be released across the globe. The Justice League Unlimited decides to team up with the stars of AEW to collect the shards. Guided by Martian Manhunter and Mr. Terrific in the Watchtower, the heroes split into groups to best the villains that protect the shards. In what looks like the Himalayas, Nightwing and Will Ospreay defeat League of Assassins ninjas. In Vanity, OR, Guy Gardner and Jon Moxley defeat Mutant Gang members. In the subterranean Limbo Town (beneath Manhattan), Hawkgirl and “Hangman” Adam Page defeat the Grim Magistrate (current leader of the Croatoan-worshipping witch-men) and his loyal Grundy zombies. On Dinosaur Island, John Stewart and Swerve Strickland defeat Deimos. In Atlantic City, Harley Quinn and Orange Cassidy defeat the Royal Flush Gang. In Staten Island, Zatanna and Toni Storm defeat Johnny Sorrow. In the Greco-Roman Underworld, Wonder Woman and Willow Nightingale defeat Echidna and her skeleton minions. In Gotham, Batman learns all about Darby’s past, including his mentorship by the legendary Sting. In the Tomb of Gotham, Batman, Darby Allin, and Sting defeat Joker. In Metropolis, Bane and Kenny Omega (armed with a Mother Box) defeat Bruno Mannheim and his Intergang stooges, after which Bane turns on Kenny, but Kenny escapes. At the bottom of the ocean, Aquaman and Mercedes defeat a swarm of Trench monsters. In Kahndaq, Mercedes turns heel, joining up with Lex Luthor to wield the power of the collected shards. All the heroes and wrestlers (sans Sting) arrive in Kahndaq, but Mercedes and Luthor sweep them aside. But the shards form a cosmic wrestling championship belt, and with any combat sports title, there are rules. Mercedes must defend her title in a tag match pitting herself and Luthor versus Kenny and Wonder Woman. The faces defeat the heels, with Kenny becoming the new WAM Intergalactic Champion. Despite having ascended to godhood thanks to the combination of holding a Mother Box and the championship, Kenny sees the danger of the belt. Rather than stay a god, he gives up his power and retires the title, sending the belt into the Source itself. The heroes tell Mercedes and Luthor they’ll both face jail time for their actions, but the villains say their lawyers will keep them out of jail. We can presume the latter is the case.
–Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #4-6
This item specifically goes before Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #5-10. Cheetah and Cheshire have assembled a team consisting of Featherweight (Nyssa al Ghul’s trans teenage daughter Alya Raatko), Klarion the Witch Boy, Teekl, Cheshire Cat (Lian Harper), and Hazard (Becky Sharpe). They plan on robbing every single item from the Watchtower’s trophy room.[6] When curious disasters occur across the globe (some natural but some caused by Klarion’s magick), Batman takes the officer position on the deck of the Watchtower. Along with Red Tornado, Batman coordinates and sends out various superheroes to deal with all the emergencies. Hours later, an exhausted Batman goes home to Pennyworth Manor to take a rare nap, after which Wonder Woman takes over deck officer duty. As superheroes gather and let their guard down to watch a meteor shower, Cheetah and Cheshire’s plan continues. First, Lian (a JLU member) boards the Watchtower while holding both her own JLU card and Sideways’ JLU card (which had been stolen earlier). This causes a scanning error that distracts Red Tornado. Second, Cheshire and company send a shipment of live rats (hidden inside a JLU resupply vessel) into one of the Watchtower’s docking bays. The release of the rats not only serves as a distraction for the Challengers, who are working in the docking bay, but it also confuses Red Tornado, who senses a large number of unknown lifeforms scurrying about. Cheetah then sneaks into the docking bay, purposefully allowing herself to get detained by Wonder Woman. (The curious presence of Wonder Woman’s arch rival causes the normally steady hero to be slightly off her game.) In the brig (which holds a still-captive intelligent Parademon), Cheshire Cat nervously watches as Cheetah is interrogated. Meanwhile, the heist continues as Hazard’s actions manipulate the JLU into taking aboard a damaged US spy satellite, inside which the rest of the crew is hiding. When the rats, as per plan, begin exploding, Wonder Woman tells a panicked Red Tornado to reboot himself. Wonder Woman then puts the entire JLU on high alert. In the brig, Cheshire Cat frees Cheetah, and the duo rejoins the Cheshire, Klarion, Teekl, Featherweight, and Hazard. Featherweight then steals a power bank (making it seem to the JLU like it’s their primary target). At Pennyworth Manor, Batman awakes to the alarm of a Watchtower lockdown. He radios Wonder Woman, realizing that the HQ is being robbed. The entirety of the superheroes onboard immediately surround the heist crew, but Klarion uses his magick to teleport them to snowcapped mountains down on Earth. There, a super-villain team consisting of Black Adam, Cuca (Andira), Papa Midnite, and Solomon Grundy is waiting, having been summoned by Klarion, who (as per plan) has pretended to betray his friends. When the full force of the JLU arrives, their focus immediately shifts to Black Adam’s crew. While the JLU retrieves the power bank, the heist crew teleports back home along with nearly every item in the Watchtower trophy room. With their heist successful, the thieves split up the booty and head their separate ways. Cheetah, Cheshire, Cheshire Cat, Klarion, and Teekl travel to the desert, where they use one of the stolen trophies to summon the evil Bwundan plant god Urzkartaga, who has had a partial hold over Cheetah for years. Cheetah fights and defeats Urzkartaga, thus freeing herself from his power and returning to human form. (Cheetah can now transform back and forth between animalistic and human form.)[7]
–Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #5
First, while there is undeniably an extended months-long period of time between Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #4 and Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #5, the gap between these issues must be at least six to eight months long (for the series to connect to upcoming arcs this calendar year seamlessly). Also, since Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #5 serves as the start of an uninterrupted run into DC KO, this means we’ll have a lot of issues (including this one) where Batman is wearing the wrong costume. Just terrible pre-planning in terms of continuity. The JLU—Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Flash (Wally West), Impulse, Thunderlord, Hal Jordan, and Star Sapphire—work security at the G20 Summit in Sydney, Australia. (Notably, this G20 isn’t meant to connect to any real-world G20 in terms of location or calendar placement.) Inferno teleports a bunch of world leaders and the JLU security detail to an alien planet populated by monsters. Meanwhile, Inferno sends robots to attack a nuclear reactor in Japan, prompting Superman (Clark), Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond/Dr. Ramirez), and the Captain to intervene. Simultaneously, Inferno knocks down the Three Gorges Dam in China, prompting Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Dragonson, and Zatanna into rescue action. On the Watchtower, Mr. Terrific posits a theory that the Legion of Doom is actually running Inferno. Still, he can’t prove it, citing that all the Legion of Doom members are currently accounted for elsewhere. Also on the Watchtower, Batman asks the Atom (Ray Palmer) if he can help Martian Manhunter get his powers back. The Atom reveals that Martian Manhunter’s powers are attached to someone who has gone off the grid. Batman realizes that the mystery person in question is not only with Inferno but also responsible for the G20 attack. The exiled heroes, G20 delegates, and an Inferno druid (who has Martian Manhunter’s powers) teleport back to the Watchtower (by way of the Phantom Zone). The mystery druid unmasks, revealing himself to be Gorilla Grodd. Turncoat Air Wave helps Grodd escape to Legion of Doom headquarters. Yes, the Legion of Doom is behind Inferno after all. The Inferno druids are Lex Luthor, Joker, Black Manta, Sinestro, Captain Cold, Bizarro #1, Scarecrow, and Grodd. However, as Mr. Terrific said earlier, all of these folks are currently accounted for elsewhere, meaning this version of the Legion of Doom is time-traveling from the past.
–Justice League: The Atom Project #6
Editorial notation places this item in a thirty-six-hour gap between Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #5 and the Batman-less Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #6. Again, Batman is shown wearing the wrong costume in this issue. Picking up shortly after Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #5, the time-displaced Legion of Doom has nullified Captain Atom’s powers with a special collar and imprisoned him in the mobile Hall of Doom. A shrunken Atom (Ryan Choi) has secretly gone along for the ride. While John Constantine, Superman (Clark Kent), Flash (Wally West), and Batman scour the globe in search of their missing friends, Captain Atom and the Atom (Ryan) fight the LOD and free themselves. In the Atom Project lab aboard the Watchtower, the Atom (Ray Palmer) runs tests on Captain Atom while arguing remotely with the irascible General Wade Eiling. Master Sergeant Garcia of the US Air Force then debriefs the Atom (Ray). (Note that the epilogue of The Atom Project #6, which shows the Ray conversing with Captain Atom about the developing LOD situation, actually takes place in the middle of the upcoming “We are Yesterday” arc, specifically after Batman-less Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #7 Part 1.)
WE ARE YESTERDAY
————————–Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2025 Annual #1
————————–Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39
————————–Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #9
Picking up shortly after the main action of The Atom Project #6 and the Batman-less Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #6, Robin (Dick Grayson) from 2008 appears aboard the Watchtower thanks to the actions of the Legion of Doom back in his past era. Batman (again, shown wearing the wrong costume in this arc) and Nightwing are more than a little surprised to find the time-displaced Robin standing before them. The heroes quickly realize that time has become completely broken. For a brief moment, Batman’s memories also become unstable. As Superman (Clark) ponders aloud about how it’s quite odd that Nightwing has no memory of having time-traveled to now when he was younger, random images from the past begin appearing before the heroes in the present. When past Dick and present-day Dick shake hands, it sends present-day Superman (Clark), Batman, and Nightwing to 2008. Meanwhile, 2008 Superman (Clark), Batman, and Robin are zapped to the top of the Daily Planet building (present day). The time-displaced trio is greeted by Superwoman (a metapowered Lois Lane), who mistakes them for her present-day comrades dressed up in retro gear. Instantly, the time-displaced trio recalls that the Legion of Doom is responsible for their situation. (As seen in the contemporary Batman-less Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #7 Part 1, the LOD—with Air Wave’s help—storms the Watchtower, banishing almost all major JLU members to random points throughout time.) Immediately afterward, the time-displaced Superman, Batman, and Robin fight the time-displaced LOD members Sinestro and Scarecrow at the Superman Museum. Scarecrow is defeated and jailed. Meanwhile, in 2008, our present-day trio briefly greets Black Canary and Alfred before focusing on how to switch places with their counterparts. They hop into a Legion of Super-Heroes time bubble only to crash into a chronal firewall set up by the LOD. Concurrently, 2008 Sinestro exiles the 2008 heroes to the Arabian desert circa 14,000 BCE. (As seen in the contemporary Batman-less Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #7 Part 2 and Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #8, the LOD then takes over the Watchtower by exiling most of the JLU into the timestream, after which Air Wave rallies heroes throughout space and time to defeat an Omega-powered Grodd.) While not shown in the arc itself, our present-day Batman, Superman (Clark), Robin, and Wonder Woman make it back to here and now. However, the present-day Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) and Mr. Terrific are quick to remind them of the “rules of separation”: no one should come into contact with their time-displaced counterpart, or else very bad things could happen. With this in mind, the present-day Trinity exiles itself to parts unknown. Despite this, present-day Mr. Terrific decides to work directly alongside his counterpart from Year Seventeen (2018) at Terrifitech. (There are also still multiple Batmen and Robins aboard the Watchtower, so yeah, whatever.) Meanwhile, the unstable Omega energy also breaks time, causing heroes and villains from throughout time and space to begin appearing and disappearing at random in 2025. Among those who appear are: Harley Quinn from the No Man’s Land period, the composite Fusion Batman-Superman from Year Seven’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #4, Marilyn Moonlight from the Wild West, and Huntress (Helena Wayne) from the 31st century. Many—including Batman from Year Two (2003)—are also zapped back to whence they came. Representing the Quantum Quorum, Time Trapper (Old Doomsday) and the World Forger (Alpheus) arrive on the Watchtower and give a speech to the heroes about what is going on, saying that the only way to save the cosmos is to kill Grodd, who remains chained at their feet. The heroes (joined by present-day Big Barda, who oddly speaks in reverse-English magick-speak, which makes me think she was supposed to be drawn as Zatanna) refuse to allow Grodd’s murder. As the heroes try to fight Alpheus and Old Doomsday, visions of the past (and from alternate Hypertimelines) appear all around them. Batman (Jean-Paul Valley Jr) from Year 10 (2011) and Amazing-Man from the early 1940s briefly appear. In an instant, 2008 Batman, Robin, and Superman (Clark) finally return home to their correct time. Supergirl appears as a rainbow spectrum of many of her past looks from history (and from alternate Hypertimelines). Grodd convinces Old Doomsday and Alpheus not to kill him, but instead join forces with him. Upon agreeing, the trio teleports away. The Atom (Ray Palmer) and the Challengers track and follow them. Meanwhile, Mr. Terrific and Ted Kord summon Air Wave, thus ending the time-quake. Eventually, most of the time-displaced folks are sent back to when they belong. However, Jonah Hex, Amazing-Man, Batman (Terry McGinnis), Huntress (Helena Wayne), and Marilyn Moonlight all remain trapped in 2025. (Unknown to all, the future Ultra the Multi-Alien and a monster version of Superman remain as well.) Soon afterward, deeply concerned with what happened during the incursion by the time-displaced Legion of Doom, Batman and Wonder Woman call an emergency meeting with Superman (Clark) at the old Secret Sanctuary HQ in Happy Harbor, RI. Batman tells Superman (Clark) that they’ve made a terrible mistake in assembling such a large Justice League so quickly.
–FLASHBACK: From Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #10. Picking up directly from Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #9, Batman, Superman (Clark, and Wonder Woman argue about Air Wave’s betrayal and whether or not it’s been a good idea to invite every single hero into their fold. Batman says they’ve been too trusting. Superman (Clark) agrees that the team should have better vetting protocols moving forward, but he’s insistent that having an open-to-all-heroes roster is the best thing for the Justice League Unlimited. There’s much more to say, but the conversation is tabled as Superman (Clark) has to depart on urgent business in Smallville. (He’s going straight into the pages of Superman Vol. 6 #28.)
–Justice League: Dark Tomorrow Special #1
This item doesn’t feature our present-day Batman, but it does feature a time-displaced future Batman (Terry McGinnis), which is why it’s here. Not only is time still broken ever since the end of “We are Yesterday,” but a mysterious band of Omega Demons has started killing time-travelers throughout time as well. Among the dead are Waverunner, Extant (Hank Hall), and Epoch. In conjunction with the broken timeline, Gold Beetle begins randomly “fritzing” in and out. She visits the Watchtower for help from the Atom (Ray Palmer) and Mr. Terrific. Escaping from the Omega Demons, a mysterious time-traveler called Legend crashes into the Watchtower, bringing more news about the broken timeline. Ultimately, it is decided that Legend (in a “Waverunner time-ship”) will lead Air Wave, Gold Beetle, Plastic Man, and the “time-lost” heroes—Batman (Terry McGinnis), Marilyn Moonlight, Jonah Hex, Amazing-Man, and Huntress (Helena Wayne)—on a quest through time to save lives from the Omega Demons. After saving Cronos from Omega Demons in the present day, the team chases the vile creatures to Stonehenge circa 1600 BCE and then to Vanishing Point (the literal End of Time). At Vanishing Point, our heroes fight the controller of the Omega Demons, Shadow Lass of the Absolute Universe’s evil Legion. After a brief scuffle, Absolute Shadow Lass flees. The heroes attempt to return to the 21st century only to encounter a temporal firewall. (Notably, this item is also shown via generic flashback from Superman Vol. 6 #30.) As referenced in Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #12, Batman (Terry) and his time-lost Waverunner crew remain trapped in this limbo.
–Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #10
Again, note that Batman is shown wearing the wrong costume in this issue. In Hypertime, the Time Trapper (old Doomsday) is badly injured by the Omega Legion aka Absolute Legion (Absolute Colossal Boy, Absolute Lightning Lad, and Absolute Mon-El).[8] The Time Trapper flees to the safety of the Watchtower. While several heroes tend to the Time Trapper, Batman chats with Red Tornado, who reveals that he spied on the Trinity’s recent meeting in Happy Harbor. Meanwhile, Apokolips-like fire pits begin appearing all over the globe. In Greenland, the Captain deals with a pit. In Markovia, Power Girl, Mary Marvel, Impulse, and Cadejos assist Geo-Force with another pit, from which a giant hand emerges and grabs them. Hoping to gain insight into what’s happening, Mr. Terrific visits the captive intelligent Parademon in his Watchtower cell. The Parademon gives birth to dozens of little Parademons. Concurrently, Metamorpho (aided by Martian Manhunter and Dr. Niles Caulder) performs life-saving surgery on the Time Trapper. Unfortunately, the surgery causes the Time Trapper’s body to emit a “decay effect” energy wave that literally begins to eat time and space inside the Watchtower. (Batman isn’t in Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #11, which immediately follows, showing the JLU successfully dealing with the energy wave, Parademons, and Absolute/Omega Legion. Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #11 ends with Clark arriving straight from the pages of the Batman-less Superman Vol. 6 #30, having rescued a captive Booster Gold from the Absolute Universe. Superman calls for an immediate meeting of all superheroes aboard the Watchtower.)
–REFERENCE: In DC KO#1 and Titans Vol. 4 #27. This item picks up directly from Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #10-11 and Superman Vol. 6 #30. As the rest of the superhero community heeds Superman’s call and makes its way to the Watchtower, the Man of Steel and Booster Gold first meet privately with Batman, Wonder Woman, Mr. Terrific, and Flash (Wally West) at a secure, undisclosed location to verify Booster’s story. Also, the heroes run tests on Booster, confirming that he’s brimming with Omega energy.
–Titans Vol. 4 #27
Editorial notation places this item after Justice League Unlimited #11 and Superman Vol. 6 #30. Picking up directly from our previous item, the Titans and Doom Patrol are unavailable for Superman’s Watchtower meeting call because they are busy battling The Zookeeper (Samuel Register), who has lured them to his private island off the coast of Madagascar. Hoping to get his original powers back from Beast Girl (who now has them), the Zookeeper injects himself with a monster serum and battles the heroes. While Elasti-Woman, Beast Boy, and Beast Girl defeat the Zookeeper and his mutated minions, Cyborg and Robotman smash up his mutation transmitter. Later, at Niles Caulder’s mansion in Midway City, Beast Boy debuts a brand new costume before the Titans part ways with the Doom Patrol. At the Titans’ HQ in New York City, Cyborg and Beast Boy find Batman (again, wearing the wrong costume), Superman (Clark), Wonder Woman, Mr. Terrific, Flash (Wally), and Donna Troy in a serious discussion. (Before heading to the big Watchtower meeting, the Trinity likely decided, upon hearing that the Titans and Doom Patrol missed Superman’s assembly call, to make a brief pitstop in NYC.) Batman tells Beast Boy that the “end of the world” is nigh.
–Justice League: The Omega Act Special #1
Picking up directly from Titans Vol. 4 #27, the Justice League Unlimited meets aboard the Watchtower to discuss the ongoing Absolute Legion situation. Booster Gold tries to speak directly to Batman, Superman (Clark), Wonder Woman, and Mr. Terrific, but the Time Trapper (old Doomsday) freezes time, showing Booster Gold and Flash (Wally West) various points in the future where the Absolute Legion has already begun a multi-prong attack. (These attacks all seem to be occurring on the primary timeline, although some of them may be happening on alternate Hypertimelines.) From their frozen chronal perspective, the trio bear witness to the Absolute Legion fighting against the following: the Justice Legion Alpha in the 853rd century, Superman (Clark) in the mid 2050s, Kamandi in the late 21st century, Aquawoman from a few decades into the future, OMAC (Buddy Blank) in the late 21st century, an unnamed blonde Amazon at an undetermined point in the future, and the Batman 666 version of Damian (which could be from the Titans Tomorrow/666 Hypertimeline, but is likely from our primary timeline’s late 2030s). When the Absolute Legion takes notice that they are being spied upon by Booster Gold, Flash, and the Time Trapper, they turn their attention toward them. Booster uses newfound Omega power to blast the Absolute Legion away, allowing for an escape for the trio. Back at the Watchtower, Booster Gold and the Time Trapper address all the gathered heroes. The Time Trapper reveals that his entire reason for existence is to fight (and defeat) a returning Darkseid one-on-one. But, for that to happen, all the heroes will have to work together.
–DC KO #1[9]
Picking up immediately from Justice League: The Omega Act Special #1, the Quantum Quorum—now officially consisting of the Time Trapper (old Doomsday), the World Forger (Alpheus), Gorilla Grodd, and Booster Gold—addresses the Justice League Unlimited aboard the Watchtower. The Quantum Quorum shows everyone a vision of one week into the future, where a towering “King Omega” Darkseid kills everyone and turns Earth into a New Apokolips. The Time Trapper explains that he and the World Forger have only been able to stave off Darkseid’s victory by rewinding time to the present, giving the heroes time to prepare for war. The Time Trapper explains further that Darkseid has already conquered the future. (This part of the Time Trapper’s speech is also shown via flashback from Flash Vol. 6 #26.) As the heroes listen, Batman receives a text from Lois Lane, reminding him that game night is in a week. The Time Trapper suggests that the heroes allow him to reboot the entire multiverse, but the heroes say hell no. The Time Trapper then continues his exposition dump, revealing that, thanks to Darkseid, a sentient fourth-dimensional being known as the Heart of Apokolips is already growing within the Earth’s core. Batman suggests that Booster Gold (who is brimming with Omega energy) wield his power to control the Heart. The World Forger says that’s not a viable option, but, if the heroes refuse to go the reboot route, Booster could use his Omega energy to bring about the Heart’s challenge—a tournament of champions, the winner of which will become the “sole celestial entity” not only strong enough to challenge Darkseid, but also powerful enough to shape the universe as they see fit. Superman (Clark) is unwilling to commit. A flashback from Superman Vol. 6 #32 shows this scene. The Superman Vol. 6 #31 Intro specifically overlaps with DC KO #1, showing this scene as well, but also adds an extra scene in which Superman (Clark) says he needs more to trust the Time Trapper. The Trinity steps aside to privately plan a course of action, during which Wonder Woman mentions the DC All In Special #1 as if it occurred earlier this year instead of last year. (That should probably be ignored.) Eventually, Superman (Clark) is convinced to do the Heart’s tournament, after which the heroes get to work. They have seven days to prepare. (The Quantum Quorum now slows down time, so the next seven days will feel much longer, thus allowing the heroes to get way more accomplished.) On day one, the JLU selects specific super-villains they want in the tournament and sends out invitations via Mr. Terrific’s T-Spheres. Using Brainiac tech, the JLU also sets in motion (with Wayne Enterprises, LexCorp, Queen Industries, and others) the construction of Mega-Arks to preserve the entire planet’s population should things go south. Batman begins building a new Justice Buster 2 mech. As referenced in DC KO: Knightfight #1, Batman also begins building a special Apokoliptian-armored costume outfitted with a special Boom Tube that will teleport him back home if he’s inactive for too long. On day two, the JLU addresses multiple world leaders publicly, letting them know what’s to come and what’s at stake. On day three, Superman (Clark) delivers a public address to the world, sharing the details. By day three, the Mega-Arks and an evacuation plan have been completed. (The Titans will be in charge of global evacuation.) On day four, the heroes spend quality time with their loved ones. The global evacuation begins. On day five, the heroes ready their weapons. Batman activates Justice Buster 2. The global evacuation continues. On day six, Mr. Terrific builds a strike force out of “quantum ghost” versions of several heroes: Owlwoman from the 853rd century, Power Girl from around 2009, electric blue Superman (Clark) from 2011, Aquaman (Arthur Curry) from 2011, Vuldarian warrior Guy Gardner from 2011, Gold Hawk of ancient Andrino, an elderly Alan Ladd-Scott from the 2040s, Dr. Fate (Sofie) from the 31st century, and Batman (alt-Tim Drake) from the early 2050s. Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #12, which overlaps with DC KO #1, reveals that each of these quantum ghosts has been ripped/copied from a single random second of their real selves’ histories. Once the quantum ghosts have helped out in this era, they will cease to exist. Their mission? To go to Hell to: one, detain fugitive villains (including Replicant) that have been powered up by Neron; and two, defeat Neron himself. Just as Mr. Terrific’s team departs, the time-lost Waverunner crew sends a distress signal to the Watchtower (as seen via flashback from Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #15). On day seven, the heroes (along with the safely detained villains, some captured, some invited) travel through the Skartaris Nexus to the center of the Earth. At the planetary core, Booster Gold uses his Omega power to blast the Heart, thus kickstarting the action. After suffering hallucinatory visions, everyone winds up in a vast battlefield. Before the tournament can properly start, a gauntlet/battle-royale occurs, pitting over a hundred combatants against one another in a race toward a distant gateway. Whoever makes it through a small army of giant Omegademons and deathtraps will be allowed to enter the tournament. (This death race is also shown in Superman Vol. 6 #31, which, as mentioned above, completely overlaps with DC KO #1.) Many are “killed,” although they technically wind up morphed into stone statues—their fates undetermined. Near the finish line, the escaped super-villain invitees make their presence known as Joker kills Batman! (Batman’s “death” is also shown via flashback from DC KO: Knightfight #1.) In the end, thirty-one warriors remain. They are entered into the brackets of a single-elimination death match tournament. (The “deceased” Batman is entered as the thirty-second finalist, but it’s implied that Joker will replace him.) Nearby, Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman, and Absolute Superman appear. Meanwhile, the Quantum Quorum observes all. Unknown to all, Darkseid has seemingly possessed Booster Gold.
–DC KO: Knightfight #1-4
Picking up shortly after DC KO #1, Batman’s Apokoliptian-armored Boom Tube suit activates, causing him to break out of his petrified “death” state. However, Batman finds himself on what appears to be an alternate timeline where he is immediately attacked by a bunch of warriors dressed as Robin. Soon, Batman is chased into the angry arms of a middle-aged alt-Batman—a gray-haired Dick Grayson. Alt-Batman monologues, giving us an exposition dump to explain this world. (At some point prior, alt-Bruce had become mentally-compromised, prompting alt-Dick to exile alt-Bruce, take over as Batman, and form the global Robin Incorporated, which has since brought about a planet-wide utopia. Batman fights alt-Batman, who ultimately reveals that alt-Bruce started his descent into the dark side by killing Jason, Tim, and Damian and then bathing in a Lazarus Pit.) Realizing that this entire world is merely a simulation created by the Heart of Apokolips, Batman ends the charade by electrocuting himself. The Heart instantly places Batman in a second simulation where he is imprisoned by yet another alt-Batman, this time an older Jason Todd. (In this phony world, Jason is the final hero of Gotham, the entirety of which has become a giant Arkham Asylum city. Everyone else was killed by Joker.) When alt-Jason accuses Batman of being a disguised Clayface, the Dark Knight takes it as motivation and wields Clayface’s powers against his foe. After Batman talks down Jason, the wrathful Heart whines that the Dark Knight is cheating. The Heart shows Batman images from the tournament and tells him Joker is currently in the lead. The Heart makes Batman a new offer, saying that if he can best a series of new challenges, he will re-enter him into the tournament. In an instant, Batman is thrust into a world where an older Tim is Gotham’s primary defender, solving more crimes with his brain than with his brawn. In this future, Bruce has been killed by an unknown person. Specifically, though, Batman is sent as a sort of ghost trapped within the Batcave’s computer system. After a few days, Batman controls a Bat-robot and then appears as a hologram before Tim. Instead of fighting Tim, Batman has a loving conversation with him. This enrages the Heart, who pulls him out of the simulation immediately. After seeing a carousel of images of each member of the Bat-Family as a potential future Bat-person, Batman is morphed into an old man and teleported into a future where there is no crime in Gotham at all. Old Batman is approached by Damian (aka a semi-retired Batman), who is smart enough to realize that his entire world is nothing more than a simulation. However, Damian tells his dad that the world is real enough to him and his son, Alfred Wayne (Bruce’s grandson). Old Bruce assimilates into the utopian world, getting to know its Bat-Family intimately. He builds a Bat-Box that will allow this universe to continue to exist should the Heart try to end it. As referenced in DC KO #5, the Bat-Box is also a communication device that enables interdimensional communication. Eventually, forced by the Heart, old Batman spars with Damian. Damian defeats his father, at which point little Alfred activates the Bat-Box. We don’t see if it works, but, in defeat, Batman has passed the Heart’s test. Pleased, the Heart returns Batman as a contestant in the tournament.
–DC KO #4-5
Picking up directly from DC: KO Knightfight #4, the tournament has come close to its end. The final match features a Darkseid-controlled Booster Gold, Absolute Batman, Absolute Superman (Clark), Absolute Wonder Woman (with Pegasus and a hydra), and turncoat Joker versus Superman (Clark), Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor. Batman returns to the tourney just in time to even the odds, spearing Joker through the chest and “killing” him. Batman then joins his friends in fighting the Absolute trio. Darkseid releases control of Booster Gold and the Absolute heroes, finally appearing in person. With a quick Omega blast, Darkseid eliminates Batman, Wonder Woman, Booster Gold, and the Absolute trio. The opportunistic Luthor then eliminates Superman (Clark) to become the “King Omega.” The final match will pit Luthor versus Darkseid! Meanwhile, having been protected by Time Trapper (old Doomsday), Superman (Clark) finally has game night with Lois, Bruce, and Diana, only to realize it’s a false experience tied to a pocket timeline created by Time Trapper himself. While directly referencing the events of Doomsday Clock, Time Trapper explains that, because the entire metaverse bends to Superman’s (Clark) will, he must become the Omega King to save the world. Therefore, Time Trapper sacrifices his life, giving all his power to Superman (Clark) and sending him back onto the battlefield. Upon confronting Darkseid, Superman (Clark) replaces Luthor and wields unfathomable power to begin recreating the universe in his image (i.e. restoring the universe to how it’s supposed to be). Superman (Clark) then slugs it out with Darkseid through a jumbled timestream, eventually restoring all of the combatants (including Batman) to the present-day battlefield. (Aquaman, who had already left the tournament in the Batman-less Aquaman Vol. 9 #14, is nevertheless returned to the present-day battlefield.) Clark’s actions effectively end the tournament, with no one crowned King Omega and Darkseid cast back into his Absolute Universe. After witnessing a vision of the near future (including Jon Kent taking up the mantle of Tomorrow Man), Superman (Clark) tells the superhero community that he has to take care of some important business, but he’ll return as soon as he can. While Superman (Clark) finishes re-creating the universe, Lois, Bruce, and Diana finally have game night. Concurrently, on the Watchtower, Mr. Terrific notes that several people present at the tournament site when it first began have been imbued with alpha and omega energy. Booster Gold, fearing that Superman (Clark) may actually be unable to return home, vows to find him. Superboy-Prime begins patrolling in Metropolis. Several members of the Absolute Legion decide to remain hidden in Earth-0’s 31st century. At Titans HQ, Cyborg activates his Heart of Cyborg protocol, having seemingly incorporated the Heart of Apokolips into his own body. Luthor holds a press conference during which he claims to be one of the primary heroes who saved the world. On the alternate timeline that Bruce visited as an old man (during Knightfight), Batman (Damian) and his son Alfred are unable to contact Earth-0 using their Bat-Box. However, they can communicate with other universes and Hypertimelines. In Central City, Barry Allen looks at a digital copy of his “New History of the DC Universe” book, which he has just recently completed. Oddly, Barry’s history now has a new entry (“Chapter Zero”), which he didn’t write. When Barry begins to read the added text, in which the mystery author complains about being left behind and losing his world, Barry’s laptop explodes, and he witnesses a vision of the planet being held by blue Great Hands.[10] On Earth-Absolute, the Absolute Trinity continues their lives just as they had before the tournament on Earth-0. Elsewhere, Darkseid takes solace in the fact that his tournament has also played out across the multiverse—and he’s apparently fared with much more success on other Earths. In fact, while he wasn’t able to become King Omega on Earth-0, he has on almost every other Earth in the local multiverse. Monologuing to Pandora, Darkseid declares that he’ll soon initiate a “crisis of absolute proportions.”
–Justice League Unlimited Vol. 2 #17-19 (“AFTERMATH”)
Picking up immediately after DC KO #5, each Heart of Apokolips tournament player sees a prophetic vision of their possible personal future. The Challengers begin overseeing the return of all the super-villains in the Phantom Zone back to their correct prisons on Earth. Aboard the Watchtower, Wonder Woman and Batman address the Justice League Unlimited and tournament combatants, telling them that Superman (Clark) has gone off the grid, several new metahumans have been created, and that Darkseid will one day strike again. Red Tornado interrupts to report that Girder and Tar Pit have escaped from prison in Keystone City. Air-Wave, Kid Flash, and Stargirl check out the scene, only to find that Girder and Tar Pit, influenced by the events of DC KO, have become superheroes. Thinking that other villains might want to turn face, Wonder Woman opts to put the idea to a vote, but Batman shuts it down, instead saying that he, she, and the Captain should tour the Phantom Zone and discuss the idea with Mon-El before making a decision. (Batman mentions that Action Comics #1081 concluded “some months ago,” but it’s probably been over a year ago by this point.) After passing by heckling temporary Phantom Zone villains (including Scarecrow, Angle Man, Terra-Man, Dr. Phosphorus, Conduit, and others), the trio confers with Mon-El. Ultimately, the heroes decide to institute a global super-villain amnesty program with a few hand-selected people, but, thanks to special tech (and Mon-El’s help), if any new members so much as try to use lethal force, they will automatically be kicked off the team and teleported to the Phantom Zone instantaneously. Each villain-turned-hero will also be assigned a superhero parole officer. To start, Lex Luthor, Giganta, Lobo, Harley Quinn, a Starro, King Shark, Dr. Polaris, and Weather Wizard join the JLU. (Despite being ostensibly active in the amnesty program from the get-go, Justice League Intergalactic Special #1 mentions that Giganta is merely “considering the offer, ” which must mean that super-villains can try out the program on a trial basis, or something like that.) For now, Batman and company plan on keeping this beta program a secret from the public, but Luthor has other ideas. Soon after, while live-streaming to the world, Luthor joins Captain Atom, Wildcat (Yolanda Montez), Green Arrow (Connor Hawke), Kid Flash, Dr. Occult, Giganta, Weather Wizard, and Starro to resolve a hostage situation in Bialya, involving Dr. TO Morrow. Weather Wizard attempts to kill someone, so his membership is canceled, and he is booted to the Phantom Zone. Meanwhile, in the Watchtower, the methuman heroes all decide to donate some of their powers to a collective power bank. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) chats with Guy Gardner, who will bring the power bank to the Guardians of the Universe for safekeeping. Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, and Gardner depart in a spaceship bound for Oa. Kord then sees off Booster Gold, Martian Manhunter, and Mary Marvel, who depart into the time-stream in search of Superman (Clark). The time-traveling trio quickly runs into the Lord of Time (Epoch), fighting him. With TO Morrow defeated (paid off by Luthor to stand down), Luthor continues his live stream, revealing details of the amnesty program to the world. Following a damage control press conference by the JLU, news outlets across the globe report on the details of the amnesty program. Wonder Woman addresses the UN, while Captain Atom addresses the US Department of Defense. In Gotham, Officer Jim Gordon chews out Batman, telling him the amnesty program is a terrible idea. Jack Ryder and Livewire discuss the amnesty program on their joint podcast. Soon after, with Batman monitoring remotely, the integrated JLU prevents Felix Faust and Neutron from stealing nuclear weaponry in Utah. Across the universe, Mr. Terrific and company accidentally crash into a passing damaged alien spacecraft (from the planet Hykraius), losing the power bank onto a planet filled with dinosaur-like monsters. (The monsters are granted powers by the power bank.) Back on Earth, Faust and Neutron are neutralized. Against Batman’s wishes, Luthor once again addresses the press, including a reporter (who looks just like Mark Waid) and cameraman Dan Mora (who has appeared on our timeline a few times before). Dr. Polaris is praised as a great superhero. Aboard the Watchtower, Brainiac Queen takes over Air Wave’s body.
–Justice League: Dream Girls – A DC Pride Event #1
Having just returned from a Justice League Unlimited mission on the planet Naltor (as seen in the Batman-less Justice League Intergalactic Special #1, which, as per editorial note and in-story references, goes shortly following the public reveal of the JLU amnesty program), Dreamer (Nia Nal) and Galaxy (Taylor Barzelay) mysteriously pass out aboard the Watchtower. Moved to the medical ward and stabilized, both women suffer bizarre hallucinations. Along with several others, including Dr. Victoria October, Batman closely monitors Dreamer and Galaxy.
–Batman Vol. 4 #1-3
A further regressing (and mutating) Killer Croc smashes his way out of Arkham Towers and begins running amok on the streets of Gotham, prompting Batman to visit Arkham and chat with its newest doctor, Dr. Annika Zeller. (This visit is also shown via flashback from Batman Vol. 4 #4.) More than a bit frustrated with Arkham having allowed another escape, Batman lets Dr. Zeller have it, complaining about super-villains while stripping humanity from his perspective entirely. Dr. Zeller is quick to remind Batman that Killer Croc had checked himself in upon feeling ill. The exhausted Batman says that he doesn’t believe bad guys can really change for the better anymore. Nevertheless, he tells Dr. Zeller he’ll bring him back in. Meanwhile, at police HQ, Commissioner Vandal Savage assembles a group of militarized Tactical Urban Combat Officers (TUCOs) and declares that Batman is an illegal vigilante. While driving across town, Batman seemingly hallucinates a full conversation with the dearly departed Alfred. In Robinson Park, Batman rescues some joggers from some Creeps, finding a blue Morpho butterfly in the process. Batman visits the nearby butterfly vivarium, which has been broken into by Killer Croc. As he enters the vivarium, Batman prepares to fight Killer Croc, but another apparent hallucination of Alfred urges him to try a calmer, more humane tactic. Seeing Killer Croc in a truly childlike state, Batman realizes he can take a more progressive approach. Batman unmasks and sits with him. They have a nice chat while seated in front of a large model of a Tyrannosaurus. (Batman says that he “used to have one in his house,” which I guess confirms that he left his T rex in the old Batcave under Wayne Manor.) Dr. Zeller and other Arkham doctors arrive to collect Killer Croc, who lets Batman keep his stuffed T rex. At the Batcave under Pennyworth Manor, Batman puts the tiny T rex on display. Meanwhile, downtown, Robin (Tim) is in the process of busting Anarky and his henchmen when two overzealous cops (Lannie Davis and Eddie Vargas) intervene. Pinned down by the cops in an alley, Robin (Tim) emergency radios Batman for help. The cops then shoot both Tim and one of Anarky’s henchmen, throwing the former into a paddy wagon filled with bad guys. The injured Robin (Tim) fights off the bad guys inside the vehicle until Batman disables it. The cops argue over whether to fight Batman and Robin (Tim), ultimately shooting each other instead. Before dying, Vargas shoots Batman in the back of his armor-plated cowl, giving the Caped Crusader a concussion. Robin (Tim) drives Batman home. Not long afterward, the injured Tim checks into the hospital (with the cover story that he was hurt while on a ski trip with Bruce). Meanwhile, Commissioner Vandal Savage—having planted evidence—blames the Bat-Family for Vargas’ death, ordering his officers to take down Batman using any means necessary. (Unknown to Commissioner Savage, a boy named Huston Gray has secretly filmed him planting said evidence.) At the hospital, Commissioner Savage tries to force the injured Davis to implicate Batman, but the cop refuses. At the other end of the hospital, Bruce tries to visit Tim, but Tim’s boyfriend, Bernard Dowd, cuts him off, scolding him for constantly getting Tim into dangerous situations. (Bernard knows Tim is Robin, but he hasn’t told Tim he knows yet.) On TV, Bruce watches a debate between Dr. Hugo Strange and Dr. Zeller, who has—thanks to a generous grant from the Wayne Family Endowment—developed experimental brain-regulating tech called the “Crown of Storms.” Back home, Damian tells Bruce that—at only fourteen-years-old—he’s been accepted into an early entry college program at Gotham University. To celebrate, father and son practice mixed martial arts in the Batcave. Afterward, Bruce continues to hallucinate conversations with Alfred. The next day, Bruce attends a Wayne Enterprises meeting and meets several members of his current Board of Directors, including a brash man named Blake. Bruce rejects Blake’s push for the company to return to military contracting. Bruce also gets a little more info about Dr. Zeller’s project. After meeting with Officer Gordon and Harvey Bullock, Batman visits the Wayne Experimental Sciences building to check up on the Crown of Storms. Riddler, hoping desperately to stop the never-ending intrusive riddles in his mind, breaks into the building in an effort to use the device on himself. Donning his Stealth Suit, Batman busts Riddler, injecting him with a sedative-antipsychotic combo (from his utility belt med-kit). While driving Riddler back to Arkham Towers, Batman (thanks to another fantasy Alfred conversation) deduces that Dr. Zeller has been experimenting with the “Crown of Storms” on Arkham patients. Across town, Huston takes his video to Jack Dean, a retired journalist who lives in his building.
–Batman Vol. 4 #4-7
This item picks up directly from Batman Vol. 4 #3. When a series of gangland murders leads to Gotham’s mob syndicate falling into civil war, the Minotaur determines that the chaos has been caused by a mole within the ranks of the collective. The Minotaur and the Calculator freeze everyone’s bank accounts and set a meeting with all Torus heads. Meanwhile, red steam begins to emerge from sewer vents all over the city. At the Wayne Experimental Sciences Building, Bruce visits Dr. Annika Zeller, who is busy. Bruce is surprised to find that the scientists there have the same suction cup stuffie that Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock have been using as the new Bat-Signal. Dr. Zeller tells Bruce its nickname is “Dr. Batman.” While turning up the charm and flirtation, Bruce chats with the no-nonsense Dr. Zeller about her work, inviting her on a date the next evening. In Lower Gotham, Jack Dean and Huston Gray take their video to The Gotham Eye, only to get rudely turned away by the newspaper. Later, in the Bowery, Clanuri Interlope goons surround Anarky’s hideout. Noticing this, Batman swings in and busts Anarky, who tells him about the Minotaur. Meanwhile, at Savage Manor (formerly Wayne Manor), Torus leadership meets with the Minotaur, who declares that they will rule Gotham with an iron fist within twenty months (and the entire world within twenty years). Hoping to end the civil war with a show of brutal force, the Minotaur executes abducted family members of each Torus boss. (Penguin’s family member is a penguin named Lola—a nod to his girlfriend Lola Lasagne from Batman ’66.) Soon after, Bruce wraps a small cube of Titanographene as a gift and picks up Dr. Zeller for their date. As they drive through Little Tokyo, dozens of motorbike ninja assassins (from the Tozuki Mob) follow, hoping to collect on a bounty that’s been placed on Dr. Zeller’s head. After fending off the ninjas and crashing the car, Bruce takes Dr. Zeller into an alley only to run into another assassin, The Ōjō. Bruce tosses Dr. Zeller into a dumpster and begins fighting the Ōjō. When more Tozuki biker ninjas arrive, the Ōjō becomes preoccupied with them, allowing Bruce and Dr. Zeller to make a temporary escape. However, the Ōjō catches up with the atop a building. Showing more than usual bravado and capability in his civilian identity, Bruce threatens the Ōjō and squares up for round two. Robin (Damian) interrupts, chasing the attacker away. Unfortunately, Dr. Zeller hears Robin refer to Bruce as “father.” Somehow, Dr. Zeller comes away from this thinking that Bruce and Batman are still two different people (i.e. that Bruce merely works with Batman, having allowed his son to work with the Bat-Family). Later, at Pennyworth Manor, Bruce, while hallucinating Alfred, angrily chews out Damian. Meanwhile, Dantai Tozuki receives a phone call from his partner Professor Hugo Strange, who prepares a bunch of new Monster Men for battle. Across town, Dean and Gray show their video to Bullock, who tells them that Officer Lannie Davis has been murdered at the hospital. At a Tozuki industrial plant, Batman fights the dual threat of Monster Men and Tactical Urban Combat Officers (TUCOs). Later, at Pennyworth Manor, Tim tells Bruce that he’s not only stepping down from his Robin role, but he’s also going on an indefinite hiatus from crimefighting. He just needs a break and wants to focus on other things. Damian overhears and calls Tim a quitter. (Damian’s acceptance letter for Gotham University is in the trash, implying that Damian might not be going to college after all.) At Arkham Towers, Dr. Zeller chats with the paunchy “Patient Ten”—a balding corpse-like Joker (!) submerged in a liquid experimentation vat. (Joker’s metabolism has dramatically slowed, and he has become sane.) As Joker “talks” (via cranial implant) about having spoken to a mystery “best friend” (orderly Josiah Jones, who is loyal to him), Dr. Zeller places the Crown of Storms on his head. Via Jones, Joker sends word to Gordon and Bullock that he wants to speak to Batman. Gordon and Bullock pass along the message, after which Batman visits Dr. Zeller at Arkham. She escorts him to visit “Patient Ten” on the tenth floor in room ten, essentially a highly secure deathtrap designed to ensure Joker doesn’t move (and that no one can touch him either). Joker says his mind has healed and that he no longer has any murderous or criminal ambitions. Batman doesn’t believe him, but Joker assures him that he’s changed. Acknowledging his horrible past, Joker says that he should never (and will never) leave the float tank in room ten ever again. Joker also says he wants to be Batman’s friend. After telling Dr. Zeller (who has been monitoring from a separate room) to turn off her audio, Joker addresses Batman as Bruce, saying that an unknown evil is targeting the Dark Knight. (It’s unclear whether or not Dr. Zeller was secretly listening in, but she may have been.)
–Detective Comics #1101-1103 (“THE COURAGE THAT KILLS”)
Oracle reports an adrift shipping vessel crashing into a smaller party boat in the harbor, sending Batman on the case. After saving a woman from the drink, Batman has the autopilot on the Batwing plane tow the stranded part boat to safety. Upon examining the other ship, Batman finds dozens of virus-infected corpses, some of whom clearly died very violently. With Oracle remotely guiding him, Batman finds evidence showing that the victims were likely lab experiments. In the hold, Batman finds a blister-covered child, who passes out in his arms. Batman administers electrolytes (from his utility belt med-kit) to the emaciated child. On the wall is scratched a strange message, signed by someone called “The Lion.” Batman deduces further that the victims were infected with something that damaged their amygdalae, causing them to become uninhibited before their deaths. Oracle warns the incoming authorities of a possible viral terrorist attack, prompting disease control to arrive for containment and clean-up. Batman assists disease control for a bit, but then departs with a body in tow. He tells them he’ll send them a report on his findings in a little bit. Batman then travels to Mr. Terrific’s lab in Central City to fill him in on the situation. Mr. Terrific quarantines Batman and runs tests on both the Dark Knight and the corpse. Mr. Terrific confirms that the corpse had an amygdala-impacting virus in its system. He also reveals that Batman has tested positive. Presumably, the autopsy results are sent to Gotham’s CDC, as promised. Mr. Terrific tells Batman that he’ll become contagious in 34 hours and succumb to the virus in 46 hours. Oracle connects poker shark Louis King (who owns a herbicide company and a casino in Kasnia) to the virus, prompting Bruce to visit his friend Princess Caroline. With paparazzi swarming around them, Bruce and Caroline check into King’s casino. There, Bruce bets with King, losing big money in a bizarre private game of blackjack that breaks all real-world gambling conventions. King tells Bruce that he, too, lost his father in Gotham long ago. Meanwhile, in Gotham, the Lion’s hired goons (including Adrian Bates) break into Arkham Towers, kill a guard, and kidnap Scarecrow. With less than 27 hours to go until quarantine, Batman—remotely guided by Oracle—tails King to a hidden chemical plant. Oracle tells Batman that King’s entire online profile is fabricated, meaning he has no true history. At the plant, Batman finds STAR Labs paperwork. Seeing Batman enter, King activates a partial self-destruct sequence that destroys most of the facility, killing all his men and badly injuring the Dark Knight in the process. King then dons a mask and introduces himself as the Lion, claiming full responsibility for the virus. Batman and the Lion briefly fight, but the Caped Crusader, having suffered multiple broken bones and a concussion, is forced to flee in the Batwing plane. Aboard the autopiloted jet, Batman slips into unconsciousness. Oracle calls Superman (Clark), who quickly dispatches the Intergang thieves and then immediately pulls Batman to safety. Batman then teams up with Lois Lane, who tries to provide insight into STAR Labs’ connection to the Lion. Forcing scary Batman to wait in the wings, Lois interrogates a STAR Labs scientist, Kathryn Lee, learning about Project Courage, an experimental behavioral-alteration program that led to the adventure-seeking deaths of three participants. Batman suspects that the virus is an offshoot of Project Courage’s experimentation. Batman and Lois then head toward the apartment of STAR Labs researcher Daniel Toomey. Along the way, Lois chastises Batman and Oracle for their invasive and unethical use of the Bat-computer database. Upon arrival at their destination, Batman and Lois find Toomey working with Intergang. After taking down the Intergang troops, Batman and Lois question Toomey, who reveals that a private investor funded Project Courage to create the anti-fear virus known as Fortis. After discovering that Fortis is basically the reverse chemical makeup of Fear Gas, Batman radios Batgirl (Babs), who tells him that Scarecrow has been kidnapped. Lois warns Batman that the Lion is baiting him, but Batman heads out anyway.
–Detective Comics #1104-1106 (“THE COURAGE THAT KILLS” Conclusion)
Picking up directly from Detective Comics #1103, Batman tracks and shakes down Adrian Gregg, confirming that Scarecrow is being held Upstate by the Lion. With only three hours left before the virus overtakes him, Bruce makes plans for the worst. First, Batman devises three surefire ways to bring him down should he lose control. He puts the anti-Batman plans on a flash drive. After phoning Selina, Bruce gives the flash drive to Superman (Clark). Then, likely with Clark’s (Superman) assistance, Bruce fashions a new armored quarantine costume. As Bruce finishes the costume, Damian brings in an expensive bottle of liquor that has been mailed to Pennyworth Manor from “L”. Worried about his dad, Damian gives him a big hug. With very little time left on the clock, Batman dons his new suit and—backed by Robin (Damian), Nightwing, and Batgirl (Babs)—charges into battle against the Lion and forty henchmen. As Batman trades punches with the Lion, he recognizes similarities between the Lion’s fighting style and Wildcat’s and Black Canary’s. After the bad guys run away, the Bat-Family assists a freed Scarecrow, who tells them that the Lion’s real name is Leo Kingsford. The Lion was once Jonathan Crane’s apprentice, but the Lion has a deeper connection to Batman, too. With Oracle jogging his memory, Batman recalls having busted Leo’s dad long ago, which has made Leo hate Batman forever. However, Batman also recalls having a positive relationship with the young Leo as Bruce. (Ironically, Leo loved Bruce but hated Batman.) When the Lion’s virus begins spreading throughout Gotham, Batgirl (Babs) deals with crowd control. Meanwhile, Batman gets more intel about the Lion from Black Canary, who reveals that he trained with her and Wildcat years ago. Afterward, at Gotham Infectious Diseases Center, Batman checks in on the child he saved from the ship, who is now in quarantine with Mr. Terrific. Batman also meets Mr. Terrific’s antivirus response team, which includes Scarecrow, Steel (Natasha Irons), the Atom (Ray Palmer), Dr. Mid-Mite (Beth Chapel), Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), Shay Veritas, Will Magnus, and Lana Lang. Batman agrees to be a guinea pig for a potentially dangerous test treatment. When infected people try to break into Pennyworth Manor, Batman takes them down. Meanwhile, Robin (Damian) travels to the Gotham Water Treatment Center, worried that the Lion might spread more of his virus there. But the Water Treatment Center is a trap—Robin (Damian) gets caught in an explosion. Outside of Pennyworth Manor, the Lion mocks Batman, telling him that he unleashed his virus days ago, and it has now fully permeated the entire city. Rather than succumb to the virus, Batman doses himself with Fear Gas and kicks the Lion’s ass. After making sure Batgirl (Babs) and Robin (Damian) are okay, Batman tells Mr. Terrific to release Fear Gas over the city, which he does via a fleet of crop dusters. Batman then hacks into the screens in Gotham’s main square (presumably using the classic Human Kinematic Program), after which he delivers a speech to the masses, who are in the middle of a battle royale with Commissioner Vandal Savage’s police. Batman convinces everyone to calm down, but he is unable to force an antidote out of the stubborn Lion. Batman realizes that the bottle of liquor from “L” (which was sent to Pennyworth Manor earlier) contains the antidote. Twenty-four hours later, everyone in the city is cured. Bruce pays the Lion an empathetic visit at Arkham Towers.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1107. Batman catches up with a federal court case against Klep Corp (a shady generative AI company run by Richard Klep, who has put in a bid to take over Queen Industries). During the recent chaos of the Lion’s strike against Gotham, two anti-Klep whistleblowers dropped dead. Everyone suspected foul play, but both were found to have died of natural causes. Finding the same curious conclusions, Batman begins his own investigation, which will continue on and off for the next few days. (Writer Tom Taylor places this item less than a week before the main action of Detective Comics #1107.)
–REFERENCE: In Batgirl Vol. 6 #17. Having finally completed her adventuring abroad, Cassie is invited to a homecoming party by the Bat-Family (Bruce, Damian, Babs, Dick, Stephanie, and Duke). (Obviously, like the rest of the planet, Cassie must have gotten wrapped up in the chaos of DC KO, but this is the first time she’s been back in Gotham proper since having undertaken her solo trip. There’s also an editorial note that points to the party as occurring during Batman Vol. 4 #7, but this must be an error since there’s no party or Bat-Family shown in that issue. Nevertheless, we can presumably use this to place this item in proximity to that issue.) Cassie gets caught up in a family civil war centered on The Blood (a ninja clan run by her mother’s cousins, including current “Bloodmaster” Wu Lin), causing her to miss her own party.
–Batgirl Vol. 6 #18-19
An editorial note places this item prior to Batman Vol. 4 #9. Picking up directly from our previous reference note, the Blood civil war (i.e. Wu family civil war) continues. Batgirl—along with Jade Tiger (her half-brother Tenji Turner, son of Lady Shiva and Bronze Tiger), Jaya Jayesh, and an astral projection of an injured Wu Lin—travels into the Spirit World. Blood member Wu Zhi (leader of the family’s public front, WuCorp) monitors the situation closely. In the Spirit World, the foursome fights demons and ghost ninjas before coming face-to-face with the evil spirit of Wu Bing, sent by the deceased Wu Feng (Wu Bing’s cousin and Wu Lin’s father) to kill them. Meanwhile, at Pennyworth Manor, the Bat-Family impatiently waits for Cassie. In the Spirit World, Batgirl’s crew defeats the spirit of Wu Bing and dozens of demons. Batgirl then summons Midnight Eye (aka God of the Blood). (Midnight Eye is one of eight demigods, collectively known as the Jade Court, who rule the Spirit World.) Midnight Eye reveals that Batgirl had been cursed by Wu Feng, who had taken advantage of the surge of alpha energy during the recent Darkseid crisis (DC KO). Midnight Eye also explains the centuries-old conflict between the Wu and Wa families that has led to Batgirl’s current predicament. Batgirl’s uncle Wu Lin seemingly betrays her, serving her, Jade Tiger, and Jaya up on a platter to Midnight Eye. He also agrees to be Midnight Eye’s servant in exchange for ultimate power. Wu Lin instantly ousts Wu Zhi to become the new leader of WuCorp. After Batgirl delivers a stirring monologue about the nature of family, Wu Lin (as per his secret plan) does a double turn, using his new power to take down Wu Bing and her ninjas. Thanks to a demon-law loophole, Wu Lin forces Midnight Eye to release the captives and cure Batgirl of her curse. Afterward, Batgirl hangs out with her biological family members—Wu Lin, Jade Tiger, and Jaya. The worried Bat-Family—Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl (Babs), Batgirl (Stephanie), and Signal—arrives to join them.
–Detective Comics #1107-1109 (“FLIGHT”)
This item is said to specifically occur a little less than a week after the end of Detective Comics #1106. Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance move to Gotham City (!), where they set up a new office at the former location of Theromise Health. Meanwhile, Batman continues his Klep Corp investigation by disguising himself as a drug addict to get close to corrupt GCPD Lieutenant Davis, who happens to be tasked with protecting the third and final anti-Klep Corp whistleblower, Nico Muniz. (Bad cop Lieutenant Davis is not to be confused with the recently deceased good cop Lannie Davis.) After Batman plants a tracker on bad cop Davis, a patrolling Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) busts the guy. Batman reveals himself and orders Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) to release his captive so as not to interfere with his ongoing operation. Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) complies with Batman’s request, and they then discuss Klep Corp’s crimes. Later, Dinah, who now owns the deceased Wildcat’s former Gotham boxing gym, invites her friends to hang out. In attendance are Bruce, Dick, Tim, Damian, Cassie, Steph, Babs, Connor Hawke, and Roy Harper. Bruce and Dinah spar while everyone watches. The next day, Bruce, Oliver, and Dinah visit the grave of their former Flight Squadron Delta teammate, Prion (who died ten years ago today, and whose identity remains a secret). A little girl and her grandmother (and their two beefy bodyguards) briefly interrupt the cemetery’s quiet, saying they have a connection to Prion. Bruce, having made sure the intruders didn’t see him, tells Oliver and Dinah that someone has finally come to claim Prion. In the hatchback Batmobile, which Oracle nicknames “The HatchBat,” Batman (with assistance from Oracle) learns that the grandma is Rita Reynoso, a wealthy recluse who hasn’t been seen in ten years. Curiously, the young girl has no information on any databases. When an attack upon Muniz occurs, Batman, Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), and Black Canary save his life and take him into their protective custody. After getting him checked out by Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Muniz is moved to Black Canary’s gym for safekeeping. The next day, at the new Queen Industries office, Oliver meets with Klep Corp representatives to personally say he won’t sell to them. After Oliver gives the Klep guys the boot, the young girl from the cemetery mysteriously appears. She attacks Ollie, pushing him out of an open window. Batman arrives just in time to watch Ollie save himself. Batman and Ollie confront the girl, and Batman chases her, discovering she fights just like Prion. The girl uses metapowers on Batman, but is soon attacked by Green Arrow. After being radioed by her point person, who calls her “Prion,” the girl flees directly to the location of Black Canary and Muniz. (NOTE: The only info that Tom Taylor has provided about Flight Squadron Delta so far is that the foursome was active prior to Oliver Queen sporting his signature goatee, which would place the team’s flashbacks from Detective Comics #1108-1109 to roughly 19 years ago. Of course, Taylor tells us that Prion died ten years ago. This could still jibe, but we definitely need more information before we attempt to add details into earlier sections of our timeline.)
–Poison Ivy #37
In Seattle, Poison Ivy, Peter Undine, and Sprout watch over Janet Mitchell, who is suffering from a potentially fatal mucormycosis infection (contracted from overexposure to Ophiocordyceps Lamia). Despite being on the most wanted list (for having taken over leadership of the Order of the Green Knight and warred against the GCPD), Poison Ivy sneaks into Gotham City and accosts Dr. Leslie Thompkins, hoping to get her to help Janet. Of course, Leslie is under the Bat-Family’s constant protection. Thus, Poison Ivy immediately finds herself face-to-face with an angry Batman. She explains that she had no choice but to take over the Order of the Green Knight when the Green was threatened. Batman says she has lost his trust. Leslie interrupts the argument and agrees to go with Poison Ivy to help Janet. In Seattle, Leslie examines Janet and concludes she needs to go to the hospital right away. Before any action can be taken, Wendy Richardson reveals that Janet—having made a deal with the Parliament of Trees’ Bog Venus—betrayed the Order of the Green Knight by finking on them to the cops. Janet says she can explain, but Poison Ivy goes into a rage. She sends Leslie back to Gotham and drags Janet into the Green.
–REFERENCE: In Poison Ivy #42. Pamela Isley is elected mayor of Gotham!
–Green Lantern Vol. 7 #30 (Green Lantern #597)
In Gotham, Batman busts some would-be muggers, after which he is visited by Hal Jordan, who has been suffering intense fainting spells and hallucinations ever since being recently exposed to the cosmic Book of Oa. In the Batcave, Batman uses the Bat-Scanner to run a medical examination on Hal, finding traces of tachyon particles in his system. Afterward, Hal rides in the Batmobile for the first time, accompanying (and annoying) the Dark Knight as he busts bad guys at Timms Wharf. When a metahuman child named Samuel accidentally begins creating mentally projected constructs of the Joker, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, and others, Hal helps Batman deal with the situation. Hal then teaches Samuel to control his powers, after which Hal, Batman, and Samuel ride a Green Lantern ring-created rollercoaster for fun. Batman promises to send some folks from a Wayne Enterprises-owned hospital to check on Samuel. Later, Batman commends Hal for a job well done. The Caped Crusader tells Hal that, despite having never really liked him, he’s always respected him. Batman leaves Hal with a word of advice, telling him to willingly accept whatever messages the Book of Oa is trying to send him. Hal leaves Gotham to meet with Barry Allen. Presumably, as promised, Bruce helps out Samuel.
—[11]
—[12]
–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 6 #31. Batman roughs up a random ne’er-do-well.
–DC/Marvel: Batman/Deadpool #1
While tracking a reality-altering device called the Cosmic Keyboard (which was once used by a mysterious super-villain known as The Writer), Amanda Waller and her Checkmate agents shake down Sportsmaster II (Victor Gover), who was, years ago, present during a fateful Suicide Squad mission that saw the Writer get killed. In Greece, Checkmate agents bear down upon Gover, which results in the accidental shooting death of his fiancée. When Batman hears about this, he checks in with Gover before heading—along with Robin (Damian)—to Greece. At the ruins of Circe’s fortress on the isle of Aeaea, Batman finds the long-dead corpse of the Writer, dead Checkmate soldiers, dead Bestiamorphs (aka Beastiamorphs), and, curiously, a Batarang that is not his own. (Unknown to the Dynamic Duo, they’ve been zapped to Earth-7642 by an as-of-yet-to-be-revealed force. The Batarang belongs to the Earth-7642 Batman.) All of a sudden, Earth-616’s Cassandra Nova (an evil telepathic mutant who also seeks the Cosmic Keyboard) uses her powers to thrust Batman into a psychological fantasy world resembling a supervillain’s underground bunker (but also a Floridian hotel). (Cassandra had already taken down Earth-7642 Batman.) Teaming up with Earth-616’s Deadpool, who had also been seeking the Cosmic Keyboard only to get ambushed by Cassandra, Batman trudges onward, finding bizarre clues about “keys” as he goes. (This is Batman’s second meeting with Deadpool, so any contradictory-seeming dialogue must be read with that context in mind. For example, Batman egging on Deadpool about possibly being an alternate Deathstroke is simply the Caped Crusader egging him on. Same thing about Batman ostensibly noticing Deadpool’s healing factor for the first time—Batman already knows about the healing factor; he’s merely addressing Deadpool’s high tolerance for pain.) Realizing that they are trapped in a telepathic fantasy world, Batman allows himself to be “killed” by cartoon ninjas. This shock to the system reveals Cassandra’s existence, but Batman and Deadpool remain trapped in her telepathic grip. Inside the mind-prison, Deadpool dunks Batman into a Lazarus Pit, which turns him into Dark Claw (from the old Amalgam Universe).[13] As Deadpool calms the raging Dark Claw atop a giant typewriter, Robin (Damian) takes out Cassandra, thus freeing Dark Claw (now Batman again) and Deadpool from her control. Batman and Deadpool are then confronted by the Earth-9 Writer, who wields the Cosmic Keyboard to write the very narrative that is presently occurring! (The Writer of Earth-9 looks a lot like Grant Morrison, but—in their Substack annotations—Morrison says that it’s not literally meant to be them. Specifically, this Writer is none other than the one who appeared in HBO Max’s live-action Titans series, who Morrison coincidentally played.) Cassandra tries to wrest control of the Cosmic Keyboard from Morrison, but they overpower her. The Earth-9 Writer temporarily mashes up Batman and Deadpool into “Deadbat,” who chops off Cassandra’s head. (Don’t worry, Cassandra, despite being decapitated, stays alive due to her vast powers.) Deadpool then says goodbye and, with Cassandra’s head in tow, heads back to Earth-616. Robin (Damian) addresses his father by saying “father,” to which both Batman and the Earth-9 Writer respond simultaneously. Amazing. The Earth-9 Writer says that it’s impossible to rewrite canon, but Batman asks for a happy ending for this tale. Somewhere in the basking glow of abstract hyper-entity Anthropomorpho, Universe-0’s Kismet and Universe-616’s Eternity share an awkward post-coital moment. (They only get to see each other during these crossovers, after all.) Next to their bed, we can see the armor of the cosmic siblings from the “DC vs Marvel” arc. The Dynamic Duo leave Earth-7642 and return to Earth-0 to find that the Earth-9 Writer has brought Gover’s fiancée back to life. In Gotham, Batman reunites an overjoyed Gover with his fiancée, wishing them both happy holidays as fireworks light up the night sky. (Since this issue was released in November and has a January cover date, Morrison—as stated on their Substack annotations—went with a generic “holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas” feel. However, for our timeline, it can be whatever holiday makes the most sense calendar-wise.)
—[14]
–Batman Vol. 4 #8
Jack Dean and Huston Gray hang out, with Jack giving Huston some sage words. (They still haven’t been able to convince anyone that their incriminating video of Commissioner Vandal Savage is legit.) At City Hall, Savage meets with Poison Ivy, trying to sell her on keeping his warrant against the Bat-Family open. In exchange for keeping the Bat-Family banned, Savage offers to fully support Poison Ivy’s authority, no matter how radical her platforms may be. Poison Ivy reluctantly agrees to kowtow to Savage’s demands, upon which Savage signs an official pledge to back her policies. In an instant, the Bat-Family’s situation has worsened. Meanwhile, with the Commissioner Savage situation in mind, Batman digs into the immortal villain’s history. Bruce reads about work that Alan Scott and a team of scientists are doing with quantum superconductors, after which he invites Alan for coffee in Gotham’s Beauvaux neighborhood. From a distance, Batman watches as Alan takes down some Axe Gang members (whom the Caped Crusader knows about from his crime database). At a diner, Batman asks Alan for advice on how to deal with Savage. Alan hypothesizes that Savage must be staying in Gotham because he needs to, guessing that ever since the meteor crash a couple of years ago, the key to his immortality has remained hidden in the city.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 4 #9 and Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1. Commissioner Vandal Savage’s “Operation Peregrine” (the backroom deal he recently signed with Mayor Pamela Isley) goes public and into hyperdrive. Not only does the Bat-Family ban continue to be enforced even more aggressively, but if the Bat-Family were to use metapowers or receive metapowered assistance, it would bring brutal federal intervention onto the streets of Gotham. Additionally, Commissioner Savage immediately turns a Gotham Harbor island tower into a new supermax prison. Inmates from other penitentiaries begin to be transferred there. Savage vows to jail the Bat-Family in this new jail. As a show of his power, Savage arrests cops and district attorneys who aren’t loyal to him, running them through fast-tracked show trials and incarcerating them in the supermax. The Bat-Family investigates the supermax, but details are top-secret and hard to come by.
–Superman Unlimited #12
With Superman (Clark) still missing, Batman uses every tool at his disposal (in the Batcave and the Watchtower) to try to locate him. Batman even reaches out to his magick contacts, but no one can discover the Man of Steel’s location. In El Caldero, with Vicki Vale reporting live, ruler Eduardo Castilho unveils his new metahuman group called the Krypto-Knights. Meanwhile, in Smallville, by some strange time anomaly, Jon Kent (who has now become the masked Tomorrow Man) has plucked an eleven-year-old version of himself from months into the Mr. Oz exile that caused him to age up. (It’s unclear if young Superboy is actually from the past or an alternate reality—or something else entirely.) In Metropolis, a super-powered monkey escapes from a lab and is taken in by Bibbo Bibbowski. Misreading the monkey’s number tag bracelet, Bibbo names him Beppo. Across town, Batman and Robin visit Lois Lane, who mentions that Jon has gone off the grid, leaving Superboy-Prime as Metropolis’ primary defender. Tomorrow Man (masking his identity from Batman, Robin, and Lois by claiming to be from the distant future) delivers young Superboy to the stunned group. Krypto growls, smelling something off about Superboy. Robin doesn’t trust him either. At an auxiliary Batcave in Gotham, Batman watches as Robin makes several Kryptonite Batarangs.
–REFERENCE: In Batwoman Vol. 4 #1-3. After Beth Kane relapses and becomes the evil Alice yet again, a distraught Batwoman reluctantly fights her. Alice falls off a cliff, and she is presumed dead. Troubled by what has occurred, Kate Kane has a complete mental breakdown. Worried about his daughter, Jake Kane turns to Bruce, who arranges a private hospital stay for Kate in Petalon, Greece, under the care of Dr. Zena Sidaris and Dr. Nicholas Agelastos. Bruce gives Jake the means to communicate with him in case of an emergency.
–Poison Ivy #44
Representing the Parliament of Trees, the living hill, aptly known as The Hill, meets with Mayor Pamela Isley, telling her she’s in big trouble for having killed Bog Venus. (She killed her in the Batman-less Poison Ivy #38.) All she has to do to square things is apologize and beg for mercy, but despite Peter Undine’s pleading, Mayor Isley refuses. Returning to work, Mayor Isley begins restoring municipal funding cut by her predecessor, starting with the parks department. This puts her at odds with the city council. The next day, Mayor Isley speaks with staffers Juhi Prakash and Janet Mitchell to discuss a new anti-mayoral hit piece published in The Den. Switching to vigilante mode, Mayor Isley visits The Den‘s offices, learning that the publication’s corrupt owner, Ned Crannack, is friends with Marie Henley, a corrupt billionaire tech mogul whom Poison Ivy recently killed. When the author of the disparaging article says that more hit pieces are to come, Poison Ivy kills Crannack, feeding his corpse to the Hill. A strange ethereal being reports the news of Crannack’s murder to Prakash. Meanwhile, Batman visits Janet, urging her to convince Poison Ivy to resign as mayor.
–Batwoman Vol. 4 #3
In Petalon, Greece, Batwoman publicly fights against the partnered organized crime groups, The Stone (led by Mr. Gores and his top man Slay) and The Daughters of the Lilith (led by Despina Angelos and her daughter Pagona Angelos). With a dumbfounded Jake Kane on hand, Batwoman seemingly loses her cool and shoots three of Slay’s henchmen dead. Video of the incident quickly goes viral. The next morning, with mixed feelings, Despina sends her mole, Dr. Nicholas Agelastos, to confirm whether it was indeed Batwoman in the video. Dr. Agelastos isn’t 100% sure, but he believes it was she. Meanwhile, a frazzled and injured Jake meets with Dr. Zena Sidaris. Worried, Dr. Sidaris speaks with Kate. Seeing no other option, Jake contacts Batman, who has seen Batwoman’s shocking video. Batman says he’ll see what he can do. At Petalon Police Department headquarters, Mr. Gores and Slay pay off the cops to cease any investigation into the Batwoman case. Later, Batwoman storms Escahton Tower (the Daughters of Lilith’s HQ) and fights Pagona. A concerned Question (Renee Montoya) arrives and chases away Pagona. With tears in her eyes, Batwoman kisses Renee and stabs her in the stomach before running away.
–Batgirl Vol. 6 #20
Officer Gordon finds a murdered child with a handwritten letter to Batgirl (Cassie) attached to her body. Gordon passes the letter to Batman, who passes it to Batgirl (Cassie), telling her to crack the case. Batgirl (Cassie), Jade Tiger, Jaya Jayesh, and Gordon work the crime scene. Batgirl (Cassie) is shocked to find the victim wearing a dress that she once wore while committing assassinations as a brainwashed child soldier for her father, David Cain. Upon examining the body more closely, Batgirl comes into contact with forget-me-not flower petals and has a seizure. Panicked, Jade Tiger phones his dad, Bronze Tiger. Upon even hearing the word “forget-me-not,” Bronze Tiger has a seizure, too. Meanwhile, Batgirl (Cassie) has a hallucinatory memory of the person responsible, the mysterious Dr. Forget-Me-Not.
–FLASHBACK: From Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1 and Batman Vol. 4 #9-10. Commissioner Vandal Savage’s “Operation Peregrine” goes into hyperdrive, making things extra difficult for the Bat-Family. Batman meets with Nightwing, Batgirl (Babs), and Batgirl (Cassie) to discuss a plan of action. Batgirl (Babs) suggests their best bet is to infiltrate Savage’s new supermax prison, especially since there have been numerous reports that political prisoners have been mysteriously dying on the inside. Thus, a scheme is formulated in which Babs will out herself as Oracle and get arrested so she can be sent to the supermax. Reluctantly, Batman agrees to the plan, and they work out the nitty-gritty details.
–Batman Vol. 4 #9-10
Picking up directly from our prior entry, Commissioner Vandal Savage’s Tactical Urban Combat Officers (TUCOs) somehow discover the location of most of the Bat-Family’s bunkers, caches, and safe houses across the city. Batman talks to Oracle, and they determine that Commissioner Savage’s all-out blitz against them has proven successful. Essentially, Commissioner Savage is going to win, so the new goal is to mitigate loss. As such, Batman orders Signal and Batgirl (Stephanie) to clean out their Bat-Bunkers, caches, and safe houses, arranging for Azrael (Michael Lane) to temporarily hold some of the materiel in the Order of St. Dumas’ catacombs in Gotham’s Harborview neighborhood. After having another hallucinatory conversation with Alfred, Batman swaps his planned mission with Robin’s. Batman will now run interference, while Robin will prepare Savage Manor (formerly Wayne Manor and the original Batcave) for total demolition. In preparation, Batman creates and installs subterranean vehicle deterrents (aka Bat-bollards) at key locations across the city. On the big night, as each Bat-Family member completes their mission, Robin tells Batgirl (Stephanie), via radio, that Tim has quit being Robin in order to focus on his relationship with Bernard. Given her rocky history with Tim, Stephanie doesn’t take the news very well. Oracle reminds Signal not to use his metapowers. Batman, Signal, and Batgirl (Stephanie) take down TUCOs, allowing for the final part of their plan to be enacted: Oracle allows herself to be arrested by the GCPD! Just as Batman and Robin blow up Savage Manor (and the old Batcave below), Babs’ perp-walk is broadcast on TV. The next day, as the Bat-Family processes all that has occurred, Commissioner Savage announces a public snitch-reward program called “Rat Out the Bat.” At Tozuki Tower, Dantai Tozuki argues with an unmasked Minotaur, who reveals that his organization has assassinated Hugo Strange! At Wayne Enterprises, Bruce (flanked by company-appointed bodyguards) argues with his Board of Directors, who tell him that Dr. Zeller has officially ended her Crown of Storms program. Blake reminds Bruce that Wayne Enterprises is a publicly held company with shareholders, urging Bruce to approve the use of Titanographene for lucrative military projects. Bruce says no. Later, after another hallucinatory conversation with Alfred, Batman goes on patrol, saving lives and busting crooks all night long, pausing only to have a brief staredown with Catwoman. As Batman makes his presence felt, Commissioner Savage does the rounds of prime-time talk shows, claiming victory over the Bat-Family. In a pre-recorded message to Stephanie, Damian, and Duke (who is with his still-bedridden mom, Elaine), Babs says that everything is going according to plan, and Savage will eventually be defeated. As per plan, Batman installs Bat-Signal 2.0 atop Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge. This device activates 3,000 autonomous drones covered in LED lights, creating a giant Bat-symbol in the night sky.
–Nightwing Vol. 4 #137
Thanks to the actions of a supposedly three-hundred-year-old unnamed witch, Nightwing is blamed for causing a multi-car pile-up (with several fatalities) on Blüdhaven Bridge. The pile-up leads to the discovery of skeletal remains, which had been hidden inside the bridge for hundreds of years. Worried about Nightwing, Batman travels to Blüdhaven to check on him. When Blüdhaven Bridge comes under siege by snipers, Batman and Nightwing are on the case. After six more deaths, Nightwing confronts one of the snipers, Ioana, who reveals that she and her partners are all descendants of Raul Ruscova, the original architect of Blüdhaven Bridge in the 19th century. Nightwing learns that the skeleton found inside the bridge was a human sacrifice, killed by a superstitious Raul, who thought the body would protect the bridge as long as it remained hidden within. The Ruscova family had been killing to keep their great-great-grandfather’s ritual going. Nightwing talks Ioana down, leading to the Ruscovas’ arrest. Batman doesn’t believe in the protective power of the death ritual, but Nightwing isn’t so sure. He explains that the Ruscovas’ actions exposed a hairline fracture in the bridge, which, left undiscovered, could have led to structural collapse within a year. A frazzled Nightwing briefs Batman about the strange witch that kicked off all the chaos, during which he says that Batman’s lack of empathy is a weakness. Batman retorts that Nightwing has the curse of having too much empathy. When reports of an explosion in Gotham hit the airwaves, Batman heads back home, where he presumably handles the situation.
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #138. Bruce has a conversation with Babs in prison, telling him about the recent car crash situation in Blüdhaven. Bruce also tells Babs that Dick is blaming himself for what happened. Since jailhouse phone calls and in-person visits are monitored, Bruce and Babs must speak about things without exposing Dick’s secret ID. Of course, Babs calls Dick from prison, too, and she doesn’t seem to mask much. Oh well.
_________________________________________________________________
- [1]COLLIN COLSHER: Taste of Justice is a fun cooking-themed online only (webcomic) series that began publication in 2025 (exclusively on the DC Universe Infinite service). Each issue features a standalone story set in a random era. Some issues don’t ostensibly violate any canon, while others definitely do. For that reason, it’s safe to say that the entire series is likely non-canon.↩
- [2]COLLIN COLSHER: DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #1-5 (2025) is incredibly hard to place error-free. If you do a Google search or go on Reddit, there is much heated debate as to whether this series is canon, either concerning Sonic’s IDW Earth, DC’s Earth-0, or both. After much internal debate of my own, ultimately, I went in the direction of non-canon, at least concerning our DC Earth-0 timeline. Here are the facts. First, Batman’s costume has a simple black chest insignia but no trunks—seemingly giving pre-Year 15 i.e. New 52 era, just before “Superheavy.” Mr. Terrific is called a “Justice League coordinator,” which feels very JLU current. Beast Boy is said to be a member of the Teen Titans—and the last time he was a Teen Titan was around Year 16 or 17. Both the orbital Watchtower and Hall of Justice are operational, giving before Year 14 or after Year 17. John Stewart is a main player in the JL, suggesting a post-Year 17 placement. I’m not sure Cyborg’s costume (is it New 52-ish or not?) can be reconciled with much of the aforementioned facts. The whole vibe of the series, in general, feels pre-Dark Crisis (i.e. before or in Year 21). The version of Darkseid that appears seems to give pre-Year Fourteen, again, New 52 era. We also have a unique heavyset design for Lex Luthor. The DC Fandom Wikia is also more than convinced we are fully in non-canon territory. Suffice it to say, it’s just never going to fit. Sorry, Sonic fans! Notably, DC x Sonic the Hedgehog has a sequel series, DC x Sonic the Hedgehog: Metal Legion (2026), also non-canon.↩
- [3]COLLIN COLSHER: Despite a definitive costume switch for Batman (to the Matt Fraction/Jorge Jiménez redesign that is blue and has a very specific pointed Bat-symbol), the late 2025 to early 2026 era is replete with artists delivering various costume colorations and a plethora of varying Bat-symbols, some of which kinda sorta resemble the Fraction/Jiménez redesign, others which really don’t (yet are maybe supposed to). Suffice to say, Batman has now switched to his Fraction/Jiménez costume. If anything before this looks a bit like the Fraction/Jiménez redesign, that is an error. And, if anything ahead doesn’t look like the Fraction/Jiménez redesign, that is also an error.↩
- [4]COLLIN COLSHER: Aquaman Vol. 9 #9 occurs after Batman has switched to his new costume but before Justice League: The Omega Act Special #1. Also, the Batman-less follow-up Aquaman Vol. 9 #10, which occurs at an unspecified time after Aquaman Vol. 9 #10, is specifically a Halloween issue, so keep that in mind (or ignore it) as you delicately place items on the calendar.↩
- [5]COLLIN COLSHER: As before, creators Jeremy Adams and John Timms show Andy looking to be around one to two-years-old at the most, when she actually should now be around five-years-old. In fact, beyond this issue, Adams and Timms will continue to show Andy as a wee tot in Aquaman Vol. 9 #10-17, through 2025 and into 2026. Clearly, there’s a lot of general strangeness in their overall narrative, but it seems that Adams and Timms really don’t want Andy to age. Maybe half-Xebelians age more slowly in contemporary canon?↩
- [6]COLLIN COLSHER: The Watchtower Trophy Room has long been filled with items that have nothing to do with Batman’s past or his personal history with the Justice League. Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #3 and Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #6 show us a lot of items we’ve seen before, but they also show a lot we haven’t seen before, including: the Chronicle of Ibn-Shahid, the Eye of Yrek, a summoning idol for Urzkartaga, Beowulf’s helmet, a golden helmet with horns (possibly Stalker’s helm from JSA Returns: All-Star Comics), the Mobius Chair, a golden power gauntlet, a golden sword (possible the All-Blade or Sun Sword), a circular golden shield, a random staff weapon, a random android body shell, a large sci-fi machine, a random costume consisting of a robe and hat, a golden tiara/helmet, several ancient books, two scrolls, a bronze helmet with a rhino horn, a golden helmet with a hole in its face, a medieval knight’s helmet, chests of gold and jewels, and various pieces of jewelry.↩
- [7]COLLIN COLSHER: As we’ll see in the upcoming DC KO: The Kids are All Fight #1, some trophies will be left behind in the Justice League Unlimited’s trophy room. Among them are Dr. Alchemy’s hood, Eclipso’s hood, a high-tech rifle, a large axe, a long hooded robe, Paradise Lost’s upper body, Orion’s astro-harness, at least one mini-Starro, and at least one item (too unclear to make out). There could be more items that didn’t get stolen as well.↩
- [8]COLLIN COLSHER: Through the walls of Hypertime, we can see Immortal Legend Batman, Earth-11’s Justice Guild (Batwoman, Wonder Woman, and Wonder Man aka Wondrous Man), Earth-12 Batman (DCAU Bruce Wayne), Earth-12 Flash (Danica Williams), Earth-19 Batman, Earth-27’s Batsaur, Earth-30’s Soviet Superman, Earth-37 Robin (Thrillkiller Robin), Earth-38’s Knight-Wing, and Earth-43 Batman.↩
- [9]COLLIN COLSHER: DC KO #1 was actually first published in limited release as DC KO Ashcan LCSD 2025 Special Edition #1 for Local Comic Shop Day 2025.↩
- [10]COLLIN COLSHER: In Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson’s DC KO #5, Superman (Clark) seemingly reboots the universe/multiverse and we also see Barry Allen’s completed “New History of the DC Universe,” which—as established in Mark Waid and Dave Wielgosz’s real-world New History of the DC Universe #4—was finished by Barry right around the same time of DC KO‘s King Omega tournament. The end of New History of the DC Universe #4, which shows Barry’s final entry in his “New History,” seems to reference the heroes’ vision of Darkseid prior to Earth’s evacuation in DC KO #1. (Since New History of the DC Universe #4 shows King Omega Darkseid but Barry says they haven’t faced him yet, it’s safe to assume Barry finishes his book sometime during DC KO #1.) It’s plausible that Barry, as a Flash, could have researched and written the entire work at super-speed, but, more logically, Barry must have spent a good deal of time researching and carefully drafting such an extensive historical account. Either way, when Barry’s “New History” is considered alongside Clark’s multiversal reboot/reset at the end of DC KO #5, many of the oddities and apparent discontinuities in New History of the DC Universe no longer necessarily look like mistakes. Instead, they could be interpreted as the natural byproduct of a freshly rebooted continuity. From that perspective, one could reasonably view DC KO #5 as a full line-wide reboot by DC, establishing a new continuity from now on, with New History of the DC Universe serving as the backbone of this novel timeline. I’m not claiming that this interpretation is correct—only that it’s plausible. If it were the case, then the inconsistencies in New History of the DC Universe wouldn’t truly be errors at all. Waid and Wielgosz would effectively have been working from a clean slate, which would mean that much of the work I’ve done reconciling the book with contradictory pre-existing canon would ultimately be for naught. There is, however, a complicating factor: the final issue of New History of the DC Universe was released in October 2025 (cover-dated December 2025), five months before DC KO #5, which came out in March 2026 (cover-dated May 2026). While the former series arguably functions more smoothly (i.e. with fewer contradictions) if it’s read as the foundational chronicle of a newly rebooted timeline after DC KO, it would be somewhat strange for DC to publish that history so many months before the supposed reboot. On the other hand, if the series is meant to chronicle the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier era, it’s arguably just as unusual to release a series with the word “New” in its title so deep into that same era. Ultimately, I regard the curious connection between the New History of the DC Universe and DC KO as only a cute nod from one set of authors to another. There is some evidence that DC KO, taken together with New History of the DC Universe, could be read as implying a full reboot, but there’s enough speculation involved that nothing is for certain. Additionally, in interviews leading up to DC KO, Snyder even seemed to poke fun at the very concept of reboots. For these reasons, I’ve chosen not to interpret DC KO #5 as a full continuity reboot. Still, it’s interesting food for thought.↩
- [11]COLLIN COLSHER: Kid Flash: Going Rogue is a graphic novel with a 2025 date attached to it (released in February 2026). Batman appears, but this item—aimed at young adult readers—is non-canon.↩
- [12]COLLIN COLSHER: Mad About DC #1, a 2026 Mad Magazine/DC crossover, is non-canon.↩
- [13]COLLIN COLSHER: In Cassandra Nova’s hallucinatory Lazarus Pit room, there are pictures of the following on the wall: Death of the Endless, Black Racer, Black Flash, Azrael (The Angel of Death), Hela (the Norse Goddess of Death in Universe-616), Lady Death (the Grim Reaper in Universe-616).↩
- [14]COLLIN COLSHER: Marvel/DC: Spider-Man/Superman #1 Part 7 (2026) features Batman, but it takes place on a Marvel/DC mash-up world, possibly Earth-7642.↩
Hi there, due to Superman’s appearance in The Courage That Kills, and the ending of K.O., I think this whole story must take place before K.O. ever starts. I can’t speak for The Quiet Man, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that took place before as well. So the only things after K.O. would be Fraction’s Batman run and the Batman/Deadpool crossover.
Hmmm good point, Tom. I’m not sure what’s in store for Superman (when will he return? how long will he be gone for? will he be noticeably different upon his return?). Either way, I think you are probably right that Courage That Kills, Quiet Man, and Cirque du Sin should all go prior to DC KO. I’ll move for now, thanks!
At the end of both Justice League Unlimited #11 and Superman #30, Superman calls to all available members of the Justice League to an emergency meeting. Is this not the meeting we see in The Omega Act Special? I thought that directly followed from those two. (However this would make it funny as Batman changes his suit between JLU #10 and the Omega Act).
Also, the meeting we see in DC K.O. #1 doesn’t have many of the people we see in the Omega Act Special and contextually doesn’t really match up either to be the same meeting.
Hi Glowlend, upon second glance, yes it does appear that JLU #11 and Superman #30 go directly into Omega Act (with a brief Titans interlude)… so this will require a significant bit of alteration (and maybe a few caveats). I’ll make this change, thanks for pointing it out to me!
Is it possible that the three month coma from Superman Unlimited #1 takes place before Aquaman leaves in The Rising Tide (Aquaman #1 to 3) or does the timeline given in the Justice League Unlimited books make that impossible?
Hey Glowlend, the placement of Superman’s three month coma is next to impossible to place on the timeline without creating issues anywhere… I’m honestly, even with re-reading it, unsure of where it’s supposed to go. Go on Reddit and you’ll find that folks are pretty confused as well. By Superman Unlimited #11-12, we are caught up with DC KO and beyond, but as to when the three months can be squeezed in, it’s not so clear. Simply placing it prior to Aquaman #1 is hard because Aquaman #1 is tied to JLU and Challengers and other related titles. Right now, having done a bit of deep dive yet again, I just don’t see it going anywhere after Aquaman #1, so his appearance must be an error.
Hello, Out of curiosity where would you place Nightwing 119-129 in relationship to the timeline?
Hi Arrow, Nightwing #119 is the character’s All-In initiative start, so it starts somewhere after the formation of the Justice League Unlimited. I suspect this Nightwing run either begins in very late Y23 or in early Y24, eventually culminating in “Cirque Du Sin.”