Jaunts to the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier Past

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–Cretaceous Period (65 million years ago), unknown location on Earth
Batman: The Brave and the Bold Vol. 2 # 15 Part 2. Booster Gold and Skeets cause the displaced Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman of 2022 to time-travel from the 25th century to the Cretaceous Period. Here, the heroes meet the Jurassic League (Aquanyx, Batsaur, Flashraptor, Green Torch, Supersaur, Wonderdon) just as the planet is being torn asunder thanks to catastrophic asteroid impact. Booster appears and takes the Trinity back to present day just before the Earth gets swallowed up by lava and all the dinosaurs (Jurassic League included) are killed due to the mass extinction event.

–Palaeozoic Era, site of future Happy Harbor, RI
Justice League of America Vol. 5 #27-29. From 2018, time-traveling super-villain Chronos goes through a portal to the Prehistoric Age in an attempt to prevent Ahl (the God of the Superheroes) from imprinting Earth with “the concept of the superheroism.” If Chronos succeeds, all superheroes will cease to exist in the future. The JLA follows Chronos in an attempt to stop his plan, but the master time-manipulator has beat them to the punch. He has recruited an endless army of time-displaced warriors comprised of orcs, ape-men, martial-artists, Mongols, vikings, medieval knights, Ancient Romans, Spartans, gladiators, barbarians, highlanders, samurai, ninja, aliens, Vietnam-era Marines (including Joker from Full Metal Jacket!), American Civil War soldiers, Colonial-era soldiers, pirates, wooly mammoths, dinosaurs, jets, tanks, and spaceships. And at the center of it all is a captive Ahl. A wild battle ensues, in which the Ray (Ray Terrill) creates a hard-light holographic castle to protect his friends. Chronos steals Chemo from out of time and uses him to level the castle. As the war rages on, Chronos reveals that he’s sifted through time and viewed the death of Ahl. Chronos, having dispossessed from time the very murder weapon that Retconn used to kill Ahl, produces it on the battlefield. The time-villain extraordinaire uses Danny the Street (in brick form) to bash Ahl’s brains in. Instantly, the entire history of superheroes is erased in the future. But thanks to the presence of Aztek, whose suit protects them, the JLA remains in existence. Atom cracks Chronos’ hourglass, which imprisons the villain inside and sends his hordes away. Trapped in the Paleozoic Era, the JLA begins to forage and make shelter. Atzek begins trying to tweak the broken hourglass to resurrect Ahl and return home to a fixed world. The JLA lives in this unaffected bubble of the Paleozoic Era for weeks until they—including a bearded Batman—essay their 43rd resurrection trial. The 43rd time is a success and Ahl comes back to life. The God of Superheroes affirmatively addresses the JLA and shakes Batman’s hand. He leaves his imprint and departs into the timestream to replace Danny the Brick and fix the timeline. Using the hourglass, the JLA returns to 2018.

–38,000 BCE, future site of Gotham City
Flashback from Dark Nights: Metal #1—and also referenced in Flash Vol. 5 #21, Dark Days: The Casting #1, Dark Nights: Metal #1, Batman: Lost #1, Justice League Vol. 4 #7, and Batman Vol. 3 #138. Originally told in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1-2. Bruce—along with a rocket ship time capsule—arrives from the 21st century, sent to the past thanks to Darkseid’s Omega Sanction. An amnesiac Bruce bears witness to the death of an elderly Anthro (one of the last members of the Bear Tribe). Bruce then gets involved in a war between two rival Native American tribes, the Deer People and the Wolf Tribe (aka Wolf Clan aka Blood Mob aka Blood Tribe). Bruce dons the flesh of a giant bat as a makeshift cape and cowl and defeats the leader of the Wolf Tribe, the immortal Vandaa aka Vandar Adg, in combat. Vandaa, who will one day call himself Vandal Savage, gained his immortality about 10,000 years ago from an alien parasite-infected meteorite that also spawned the life-giving Lazarus Pits. (The giant bat is the final form of the defeated Hyper-Adapter, which has retreated backward to 38,000 BCE from the End of Time and been slain by Vandaa. Previous continuities conflated the Hyper-Adapter and immortality meteorite as one and the same, but in our current continuity, this is simply not the case. In a bit of celestial synchronicity, the anomalous confluence of bats—a cosmic bat monster being slain and then worn by a bat warrior—draws the attention of the evil immemorial bat-god Barbatos. From his realm in the Dark Multiverse, Barbatos sees Batman for the first time and becomes obsessed, realizing that, despite the fact that Batman won’t exist for 40,000 years, he will one day be able to use the Caped Crusader as a doorway to enter the regular multiverse via an occult ritual known as “The Mantling.” Thus, via actions of the Strigdyae priests of the Judas Tribe, Barbatos initiates his sinister plan, which will last for 40,000 years and involve subtle manipulation of Bruce life, starting from his birth.) After meeting Bruce, the Deer People change their tribal name to Miagani, meaning “Bat People,” and vow to protect the caves—above which will become the future site of Gotham City. Inspired to make bat-themed cave drawings and take on bat-themed customs, the symbolatrous Miagani will do so for thousands of years to come. Nomadic tribes will redraw the bat-pictures in Eurasia and the Middle East, spreading bat-worshiping religions across the globe as a result. Notably, thousands of years later, under the secret influence of Barbatos, a proto-Hath-Set will lead the unified Bat Tribe in a great war against the Bird Tribe (aka Hawk Tribe), led by a proto-Carter Hall and proto-Kendra Saunders. Eventually, the Bat Tribe will become the Judas Tribe, which will become the Parliament/Court of Owls. Back to our immediate story at hand, a solar eclipse, in accordance with the rules of the Omega Sanction, eventually sends Bruce hurtling thousands of years into the future to Puritanical Gotham of 1640.

–Circa 3150 BCE, Ancient Egypt
Reference in Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1—originally told in Batman #700. From the 21st century, Professor Carter Nichols sends Batman and Robin to Ancient Egypt using his patented time traveling method. (This item is conjectural, and it’s possible there are other time jaunts, but we simply don’t know.)

–1000 BCE, Atlantis
Reference in Wonder Woman/Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour #1 and Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #56—originally told in JLA #66-67 (“THE DESTROYERS”) and JLA #68-76 (“THE OBSIDIAN AGE”). The Justice League travels from 2012 to 1000 BCE in an attempt to bring a magickally-time-displaced Atlantis back to the present. In the year 1000 BCE, the JL discovers that the present day Atlanteans (including Aquaman) have been enslaved by their ancient kin, who worship the sorceress Gamemnae. Gamemnae’s warriors—Tezumak, Manitou Raven, and The Anointed One—kill the JL. Kyle Rayner’s power ring fail-safe kicks-in and sends the spirits of the deceased JLers back to 2012. Gamemnae and Manitou Raven then travel to 2012 and fight the serried superhero community, led by Nightwing. The spirits of the JL enter their emaciated corpses, which turn into JL-zombies. After Gamemnae is cozened into resurrecting the entire JL back to life, Manitou Raven betrays Gamemnae and drags her back with him to 1000 BCE. Aquaman and Manitou Raven then defeat Gamemnae. In 2012, Zatanna uses her magick to pull Atlantis (along with all its people, Aquaman, and Manitou Raven) back to where it belongs on the timeline.

–Circa 300 BCE, Ancient Rome
Reference in Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1—originally told in Batman #24 Part 1. From the 21st century, Professor Carter Nichols sends Batman and Robin to Ancient Rome using his patented time traveling method. (This item is conjectural, and it’s possible there are other time jaunts, but we simply don’t know.)

–1640 CE, Gathome/Gatham Settlement (future site of Gotham City)^[1]
Reference in Flash Vol. 5 #21, Dark Days: The Casting #1, and Dark Nights: Metal #1-2—originally told in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1-2. 21st century Bruce travels from 38,000 BCE to 1640 with the Hyper-Adapter following closely behind—(this is the Hyper-Adapter which Darkseid attached to Bruce as a doomsday device when sending him back into time AS OPPOSED TO the deceased Hyper-Adapter that retreats backward through time in giant bat form after being defeated). In 1640, Bruce, still amnesiac due to the Omega Sanction, fights the Hyper-Adapter and then assimilates into society, taking the name “Mordecai.” Bruce, as “Mordecai,” lives in Puritanical proto-Gotham for months, having various interactions with Wayne ancestors and other townsfolk. Eventually, both Bruce and the Hyper-Adapter are hurtled to 1718.

–1718 CE, Gathome Settlement (future site of Gotham City)
Reference in Flash Vol. 5 #21 and Dark Nights: Metal #1-2—originally told in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3. As part of his Omega Sanction, 21st century Bruce travels from 1640 to 1718. Bruce, still going by “Mordecai” but with his memory of the 1640s fading fast, washes up on the shores of proto-Gotham Bay where he is mistaken for a famous pirate. Thus, a corsair adventure ensues. From 1718, another solar eclipse Omega-leaps Bruce to the late 19th century.

–1776 CE, Gathome Settlement (future site of Gotham City)
Flashback from Detective Comics 2022 Annual. As part of his Omega Sanction, 21st century Bruce travels from 1718 to 1776. (Note that there was no 1776 stop in the original Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne, but writer Ram V inserts this stop.) From the shadows, Bruce (still going by “Mordecai”) silently observes the goings-on in Gathome Settlement. The immortal werewolf Gael Tenclaw (aka The Wolf of Bezadjehanne), servant to the Orgham family, conspires with the sinister forces of Gathome, including Ethaniel Orgham, Mr. Pebblecroft, Ichabod Kraine, and Joe Proctor. Their plan is to commit a series of horrible acts and complex manipulations that will not only ensure they remain in power, but also forever define the future of the settlement for eternity. Once the horrible acts are committed, Orgham’s magick “reality engine” (which will be buried under the church), will cause certain related patterns to occur over and over. The cabal’s villainy begins with Gael Tenclaw slaughtering the Wainwright family, orphaning their young boy, who goes into the care of benevolent drifter Aldridge Pearce. Kraine then stirs up town anger toward altruistic town leader Garrett Jardin and good witch Aiyanna, who is said to be a member of the Ojibwa tribe but is clearly mixed, having fair skin and red hair. Note that Kraine says, “The war is over,” but he’s dead wrong. The Revolutionary War is just beginning and won’t end for another six years. However, maybe he’s referring to the fighting being out of Gathome, which likely won’t see much direct combat in the years to come. The cabal’s plan includes manipulating a group of raiders led by the notorious Darcey Hunt (a man with half his face permanently scarred from battle) in an attack on the settlement, during which Jardin and Aiyanna will be killed. However, before they can get rid of Jardin and Aiyanna and fully take over the town, the Omega Sanctioned 21st century Bruce meets with Pearce. After introducing himself as Mordecai, Bruce convinces Pearce to become the masked bat-vigilante known as the Dark Knight. The costumed Pearce prevents Kraine and Proctor from killing Aiyanna, who believes she has successfully summoned the demon Barbatos for her protection. Pearce then rescues Jardin from Hunt and the raiders, taking them all down and driving them from the settlement. Despite their plan having failed, Orgham and Gael Tenclaw bury the “reality engine” anyway. This magickal item will still work as planned, causing a ripple of future patterns that will copy what has occurred here in old Gathome. The Waynes will be slaughtered just like the Wainwrights; Jim Gordon will play the role of Jardin; Poison Ivy will be a version of Aiyanna; Two-Face will be a version of Hunt; Scarecrow will be a version of Kraine; Penguin will be a version of Pebblecroft; Gotham will always be victim to villainous schemes of evil forces; and Pearce’s Dark Knight will mirror a combination of Bruce’s Batman and Alfred Pennyworth. Notably, as also seen via flashback in Detective Comics 2022 Annual, the Dark Knight (Pearce) will do battle with Hunt and his raiders several more times over the course of the year (or possibly several years to come). In conjunction with a solar eclipse, the Omega Sanction takes Bruce, with his memories of this era quickly fading, from 1776 to the mid 1880s.

–Mid 1860s CE, Southwestern United States
Batman Giant #8-10 (aka Batman: Universe #3-4). While tracking Vandal Savage in 2018, Batman and Hal Jordan are time-transported (via a cosmic egg) to the Wild West of the mid 1860s, coming face-to-face with ace gunslinger Jonah Hex. Batman tells Jonah Hex that they are from the future and searching for Vandal Savage. After swapping out their costumes for cowboy duds, Batman and Hal travel with Hex to Vandal Savage’s mining camp. There, Hal vanishes without a trace. Vandal Savage arrives with a horde of Black Order ninja warriors and a brouhaha erupts. During the chaos, the egg navigates itself into Bruce’s hands, sending him back to 2018 Gotham.

–Early 1880s CE, Gotham City
Reference in Flash Vol. 5 #21 and Dark Nights: Metal #1-2—originally told in Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #4. Having just arrived in the early 1880s from 1776 (via solar eclipse Omega-leap), the Omega Sanctioned 21st century Bruce quickly settles-in and becomes a masked cowboy vigilante, starting a full-scale war-on-crime against outlaws. After meeting his own grandparents, Bruce time-jumps to a period just after the death of his parents.

–1892 CE, Corto Maltese
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #6. With Robin missing in time, Batman and Superman depart from 2008, following the Boy Wonder’s tachyon trail to 1892. On the isle of Corto Maltese, Batman and Superman find and join Robin at Stratford’s World-Famous American Circus, helping him solve a murder mystery. While Robin busts the perps, Batman and Superman rescue folks from a burning circus tent. Afterward, the trio returns to 2008.

1. ^[1]COLLIN COLSHER: As referenced in Detective Comics 2022 Annual and Arkham City: The Order of the World #3, prior to becoming Gotham City in the early 19th century, our primary story setting was known as the Gathome Settlement. As revealed in Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #4 Part 1, Gathome was originally spelled “Gatham.”↩