Rebirth Year Two

Rebirth Era (Post-“Superman Reborn”) Chronology

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YEAR TWO (2003)
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–REFERENCE: In Batman: Three Jokers #1. Batman puts Two-Face’s custom two-sided suit on a mannequin display in the Batcave.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1022 and Detective Comics #1068. Shannon McKillen commits suicide in prison, prompting her sister Erin McKillen to escape from jail and go after Gilda Dent as part of a revenge plot against Two-Face. Gilda is seemingly murdered by Erin, who then returns to prison. In our current continuity, it is unclear whether or not Gilda is actually killed, although Two-Face will believe that she is dead. Nevertheless, there are nods to Gilda’s future return many years down the road—as the leader of a secret society (vaguely referenced in Batman: Urban Legends #21 Part 3) and then as a murderous vigilante (shown clearly in Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #5 Part 3). So, our options here are thus: Gilda indeed dies (and these two items are bogus or non-canon), Gilda’s death is faked, or Gilda gets resurrected later on. Your headcanon call. (Note that, in the original New 52 incarnation of this story, it was the McKillens that turned Harvey Dent into Two-Face, not Sal Maroni. Obviously, that isn’t the case in the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier Era.)

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5 and Batman Vol. 3 #150—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #104 and Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1. Originally told in Two-Face: Year One #2. Batman deals with Two-Face, Two-Face’s henchman Syd, and The Penny Plunderer (Joe Coyne), foiling a scheme that involves a giant penny. Afterward, Batman keeps the giant penny as a trophy, putting it on display in the Batcave. While the Penny Plunderer has always been a one-shot villain in prior continuities, the implication in Batman Vol. 3 #104 is that he will show up randomly in the future (including once more this year). We must imagine these encounters on our timeline.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Off-World #1 and Batman: Off-World #3—and referenced in Batman: Off-World #1. January. It’s been a little less than a year since a bat flew through Bruce’s window, forever sealing the course of his destiny. Batman begins targeting the East End Irish Mob, led by a man named Coonan. Batman comes face-to-face with Coonan’s new hired man, Captain Syyn, a rough-and-tumble alien from the faraway Slag Galaxy. Syyn kicks Batman’s ass before heading back to his home. Despite having been easily defeated, the Dark Knight learned a lot about him during their fight (including where he lives). Determined to get a second shot at Syyn, Bruce orders Wayne Enterprises to purchase a prototype long range space shuttle from STAR Labs. Batman begins training for a one-way jaunt into deep space.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 3. January. For his monthly “birthday” present, Joker orchestrates an arson fire in downtown Gotham.

–FLASHBACK: From The Penguin #6—and referenced in The Penguin #7. January. Oswald Cobblepot tells Batman that Carmine Falcone is at his wit’s end about his crumbling criminal empire. Cobblepot says that Falcone will stop at nothing to kill Batman, to which Batman tells Cobblepot that it’s time to shut down the Falcone Mob for good. Batman promises that, once Falcone goes down, he will arrange for Cobblepot to take over as legitimate owner of the Iceberg Lounge, at which point he will expect Cobblepot to continue acting as his informant. With Cobblepot’s latest intel, Batman busts nearly every remaining active member of the Falcone Mob. At the Iceberg Lounge, Falcone accuses Cobblepot of being a stool pigeon. Batman arrives just in time to bust Falcone. Back home, Cobblepot celebrates his newfound fortune by murdering his foster mother, Fran Georgi. Using a complex series of security measures to mask his involvement, Bruce purchases the Iceberg Lounge and transfers ownership of it to Cobblepot. Moving forward, Cobblepot will continue to snitch to Batman. (We won’t physically see it listed on our timeline ahead, but Batman and Oswald will have a scheduled meet-up once a month, every month.) And Batman will continue surveilling Cobblepot as well.^[1]

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Killing Time #3 and Batman: Killing Time #5. Batman battles Catwoman, who begins employing cat-themed henchmen. During this encounter, Catwoman learns details about the Batmobile, including how it has various trackers and that it can be controlled via remote.

–REFERENCE: In All-Star Batman #10-12 and Super Sons #5. Worried about Bruce’s well-being, Alfred is still reluctant about his quest to fight crime. In spite of this solicitude, Alfred throws his full support and devotion to his surrogate kin, someone he raised as a boy and truly loves as a father loves a son. Alfred is already aware of Bruce’s intensity and commitment to the cause, a laser focus that occupies nearly every second of both their waking lives. Often, Alfred will be the only confidant in Batman’s world, guiding him through turbulent times and providing a voice of reason. Alfred’s scaffolding will give Batman both encouragement but also help him show necessary restraint when engaging in generally reckless endeavors. Despite this, Batman will often frustratingly ignore Alfred’s advice.

–REFERENCE: In All-Star Batman #13. Alfred is supportive but still extremely wary of Batman’s vigilante mission. (This feeling will never really change.) Hoping to subconsciously give Bruce a glimpse at a better life sans the Bat, Alfred interjects into Bruce’s real estate dealings with WayneTech, suggesting that he purchase properties in beautiful and relaxing vacation locales. Bruce does so and even travels to some of the unspecified sites with Alfred, but he doesn’t take the hint. Alfred will act as a consultant on various WayneTech real estate purchases for the next sixteen years plus, although these purchases won’t be specifically listed on our chronology.

–REFERENCE: In Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen Vol. 3 #5. In a further attempt to distance his Bruce Wayne alter ego from that of Batman, Bruce begins to tell jokes while in social gatherings and at work at Wayne Enterprises. While Bruce knows his playboy schtick is an act, he actually does think he’s got some comedic flair. But he really doesn’t. Alfred sees this right off the bat and knows it means a lot to Bruce, so he begins the practice of paying off people at Wayne Enterprises to laugh at all of Bruce’s jokes. Alfred will pay people off for many years to come.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #999. February—Bruce’s birthday. Batman builds an immersive computer simulation program (“Program 2.1”) and plugs himself into the system. The sim is designed to place him in a virtual world and then challenge him by pushing him to his most extreme limits. Batman decides he will run Program 2.1 on himself on every birthday, moving forward.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 3. February. Joker mails his monthly “birthday” gift to Batman, courtesy of Commissioner Gordon at police HQ. Batman and Gordon puzzle over the inconsequential item, an ashtray.

–Batman: Off-World #1-3
Mid February to Early March—it’s been roughly six weeks since Batman’s fight against Captain Syyn. Batman takes his one-way deep space shuttle twenty-six million miles away into the Slag Galaxy. Stowing away aboard Syyn’s slave ship War Storm, Batman quickly finds himself embroiled with numerous aliens and robots. Syyn embarrasses Batman in front of his menagerie, knocking him out with only three punches. The badly injured Dark Knight awakes in the brig, alongside other enslaved laborers of the Blakksun Mining Company, including the Tamaranean femme fatale Ione, who is scheduled for execution. Upon learning he’s been embedded with a chip that allows him to understand all alien languages, Batman immediately begins learning all he can about his surroundings. Forced into manual labor aboard the War Storm, Batman becomes adept at the usually fatal task of cleaning out the ship’s engines. Meanwhile, Batman secretly spends every free second studying and sparring with both a training robot (Punch Bot) and Ione. After his fifth engine cleaning, Batman picks a fight against three dozen of his captors, holding his own for a while but eventually getting put down. After hearing Ione’s backstory, Batman joins her and Punch Bot in starting a prison riot. While Ione and a bunch of prisoners escape, Syyn tosses Batman through an airlock into outer space. The loyal Punch Bot sends an escape pod to save Batman. The pod takes Batman to the moon of Akkari, the home-world of Syyn. The locals tell Batman that they’ve been plagued by creatures called Barbed Wolves, to which Batman responds by confronting, defeating, and taming the alpha of the pack. Afterward, Batman rejoins Ione, who has come searching for him. Batman, Ione, and his new wolf board a rickety (and slow) spacecraft and head toward the War Storm. During this trip (which takes two weeks), Batman begins a sexual relationship with Ione and builds a new costume and weaponry. Upon arrival at the War Storm, Batman and his wolf take down all of Captain Syyn’s men, usurping them into his fold. Batman then sets his sights on the Blakksun Mining Company’s leadership—the Blakksun Twins (Wrath and Whisper).

–Batman: Off-World #4-5
Early to late March—picking up directly from Batman: Off-World #3. Batman leaves Captain Synn stranded on a deserted planet and takes control of the War Storm. When Batman tells Ione of his plan to liberate all those enslaved by the Blakksun Mining Company, she scoffs and leaves him. Aided by Punch Bot, his pet wolf, Zeta-Beam technology, and mini-space-jet, Batman spends the next couple weeks taking down Blakksun operations across the Slag Galaxy. Fed up, the Blakksun Twins punish Synn for his failure and then hire the notorious Thanagarian hitman known only as The Thanagarian to apprehend Batman. Batman is no match for the Thanagarian’s cosmic Nth Metal armor and weaponry, getting knocked around badly. Back on Earth, a sad Commissioner Gordon (as he has done in vain for over a month) tries to summon Batman. In the Batcave, Alfred (as he has done in vain for over a month) scans for deep space transmissions from Batman. On the outskirts of the Slag Galaxy, Ione hears that the Thanagarian has been hired to take out Batman. Meanwhile, Batman hulks up and takes the fight to the Thanagarian. Batman has Punch Bot (now calling himself War Bot) activate the War Storm‘s shields, which zaps both Batman and his foe but allows the former to kayo the latter. Batman, War Bot, and the wolf abandon the War Storm for a sleeker, more nondescript shuttle, locking the Thanagarian inside their old craft along with dozens of angry Punch Bots. After scouring the galaxy for information on the Blakksuns, Batman visits the Hudu-Goom system to find the Blakksun Twins have slaughtered thirteen billion enslaved miners. Meanwhile, Ione visits the War Storm and kills the Thanagarian. Ione then captures Batman and delivers him to the Blakksun Twins, claiming the bounty on the vigilante’s head.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Detective #4. Batman continues subterfuge in an effort to distance himself from Bruce Wayne as much as possible. Not only does Batman stage a fake rescue of Bruce, he doctors photos of Batman and Bruce together, leaking them to the press. While not noted on our timeline ahead, Batman will sometimes leak stories of Bruce being saved by Batman.

–REFERENCE: In The Brave and The Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #1. Bruce begins the habit of lifting free-weights while ruminating (or when bored) in the Batcave. He will do this for the rest of his life. I can think of a lot worse habits to have.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #24. Batman first hears what will become Superman’s very public signature catchphrase: “Up, up, and away!”

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #36. Batman, possibly inspired by Superman’s pulpy argot, coins his own catchphrase, “Vengeance is the night!” which he begins growling at criminals while on patrol. Thankfully, Batman won’t say this very often.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #1. Batman and Superman begin a hypothetical debate about superhero ethics and morality, asking each other what would happen if they used the same methods super-villains use, but instead to fight against crime. This complex conversation will happen on-and-off between the super-friends for decades to come.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #7. Superman introduces his puppy Krypto (aka Krypto the Superdog) to Batman.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #90. Spring. An escaped Joker takes over a TV studio, killing multiple people in the process. Presumably, Batman busts him.

–REFERENCE: In Deathstroke Vol. 4 #34-35 and Batman Vol. 3 #136. Bruce and Alfred upgrade Wayne Manor security yet again, adding a special lockdown mode, in which the entire house can be turned into a giant panic room in case of infiltration or extreme emergency. Likewise, the Batcave can be deactivated and sealed-off as well. Batman also adds a special monitoring device connected to Wayne Manor’s security system into his utility belt.

–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #1003. International news-media begins referring to the team-up of Batman and Superman as “The World’s Finest.” This moniker will be used in reference to the duo every now and again, moving forward.

–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #982, Superman Vol. 4 #36-37, Dark Nights: Metal #4, Heroes in Crisis #2, Batman Vol. 3 #68, Superman Vol. 5 #16, Event Leviathan #6, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #7-8. Batman learns about Superman’s major weakness to Kryptonite. He learns and studies the different types of Kryptonite and their various effects on Superman. There are many Kryptonite variations, including Green, Red, Gold, Periwinkle, White, Anti, Yellow, Blue, Black, and others. Batman then builds a data file, detailing how to surmount Superman in the off chance that the Man of Steel turns evil or is mind-controlled by an evil force. Batman will continuously catalog information about Superman, starting now. This information will be stored on the Bat-computer network. Notably, Superman actually gives Batman a Green Kryptonite ring with the expressed idea that he use it against him should he ever get mind-controlled or lose control. Batman also acquires various colored Kryptonite shards, storing them safely in the Batcave. Batman places a tiny sliver of Green Kryptonite (in a lead-lined case that blocks its radioactive emissions) into his utility belt. Batman also gives Superman a private communication device so he can reach him with ease. And last but not least, in the Fortress of Solitude, Batman meets Superman’s robot assistant Kelex. While the Fortress is all about solitude (as the name clearly states), Batman will spend a lot of time there, especially as his relationship with Superman matures over the years. We should imagine Fortress hang-outs sprinkled throughout the chronology. Furthermore, Superman allows Batman to link his Bat-Computer network with the advanced Kryptonian computer network inside the Fortress.

–REFERENCE: In Superman: Man of Tomorrow #19. Batman and Superman discuss who would win in a fight if the latter was de-powered. Batman will often think about this, and it’s a subject the two will chat about every once in a while, moving forward.

–REFERENCE: In Superman Vol. 5 #9. Batman and Superman discuss Superman’s sleeping habits. The Man of Steel doesn’t ever need sleep, but he chooses to sleep like a human anyway.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #130. Batman and Superman discuss their trunks. (They both wear underwear on the outside of their costumes as superheroes are wont to do.) Batman tells Superman that wearing trunks is a good idea that offers many benefits.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #37. Bruce tells Clark about his ginger-ale-swilling drunk act that fools people into thinking he is wasted at parties. Clark begins doing it too.

–REFERENCE: In Suicide Squad Vol. 6 #1—originally told in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #32-34. Batman defeats the debuting Cavalier (Hudson Pyle).

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #25 and Detective Comics #969 Part 2. Batman defeats the hulking semi-zombie Solomon Grundy, who is immortal and mostly speaks in nursery rhymes. Over a hundred years ago, Grundy was once notorious Gotham criminal Cyrus Gold.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #2 Part 4. Batman gets roughed up while on an unspecified case, during which he suffers several permanent scars. This item is a compilation of random flashback panels—specifically two of Batman getting punched in the face, two of Batman painfully reacting to being injured, one of Batman falling, one of Batman getting his head stomped by a combat boot, one of Batman seeing spots (possibly hallucinating from drugs or injury), and one of Batman fighting a totally indecipherable character. Since we are given no additional information about these incredibly vague images, I’ve combined them all here.

–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #22, Batman Vol. 3 #26, Batman Vol. 3 #30-32, and Batman: Killing Time #5. Batman busts Tweedledum and Tweedledee (and their henchmen). Batman Vol. 3 #32 mentions that Tweedledee eats human flesh. This is likely an error and the editorial text was supposed to be linked to Man-Bat or Killer Croc. But, hey, it’s there with Tweedledee, so what are you gonna do? My personal headcanon will forever have Tweedledee as a cannibal now.^[2]

–REFERENCE: In Catwoman Vol. 5 #50. Batman begins what will become a signature practice of telling strangers their entire biographic profile (which he knows from routinely scanning and memorizing the Bat-computer database) upon meeting them. Most responses to Batman doing this will be defensive, especially from criminals.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #20 Part 4. Bruce talks to Alfred about recurring nightmares he used to have as a boy. Alfred tells him they were a manifestation of grief.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #958 and Gotham Academy: Second Semester #10. Due to existing in the same wealthy socialite circles, Bruce (as Bruce Wayne) officially meets Oswald Cobblepot. Their paths will cross many times over the course of the next decade, but Cobblepot will have no idea that Bruce and Batman are one and the same. (He’ll suspect, but he won’t ever know for sure.)

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #999. Batman and Alfred review municipal data that shows the number of murders in Gotham in the previous year. They will use this number as a key metric of their success, with the goal of brining this number down each year, moving forward. The number will indeed go down each year.

–REFERENCE: In Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #22 and Action Comics Special #1 Part 2. Bruce meets Superman’s arch-rival Lex Luthor. Luthor, having been bested by Superman on many occasions already. Bruce and Luthor will be business rivals for decades to come. Presumably, Bruce also meets Luthor in his Batman role.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Three Jokers #1. Catwoman scratches Batman’s chest—an attack that leaves permanent scars.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #2 Part 4—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #25, Detective Comics #1000 Part 2, Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #6 Part 1, Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4, and Knight Terrors: Batman #1. The Alice in Wonderland-obsessed Mad Hatter (Jervis Tetch) debuts along with some mind-controlled henchmen. One of his disturbing pedophilic goals is to kidnap his own perfect Alice. Batman and some EMTs learn the hard way that the Mad Hatter’s hat emits an eardrum-shattering noise pulse once removed from his head for longer than forty-two seconds.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #976 and Detective Comics #994-995. Dr. Leslie Thompkins discovers Batman’s secret identity and is not pleased. Despite her initial reservations, she will support Batman and remain one of his closest allies. After all, she’s acted as Bruce’s surrogate mom ever since his real parents died when he was a boy. Batman gives Leslie a special comm-link to contact him with in case of emergency. While we might not see her often on our timeline, Leslie will be a constant presence in Batman’s life, acting as a moral compass for the Dark Knight and his comrades through all their trials and tribulations. She will keep the Caped Crusader grounded, reminding him that there are many ways to help those in need (beyond punching bad guys).

–REFERENCE: In Teen Titans Vol. 6 #20, Man-Bat Vol. 4 #1, Batman: The Detective #2, Batman: Urban Legends #16 Part 1, Nightwing Vol. 4 #97, and Batman vs Robin #3. Batman begins setting up secret safe houses, stash houses, remote facilities, and airplane hangars for himself—not only in and around Gotham, but also in different cities all over the globe. In the chance that he ever is outside of Gotham, the Dark Knight will be ready for solo action. Batman will maintain these remote bases, keeping periodic tabs on all of them while traveling abroad, moving forward. He will also keep them stocked with vehicles. The implication in Batman: Urban Legends #16 Part 1 is that Batman quickly sets up hundreds of safe houses all over the world.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 1 and The  Joker Vol. 2 #15—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #25. Batman busts Deadshot (Floyd Lawton).

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Urban Legends #11 Part 1. Bruce and Zatanna Zatara join together to perform an occult ritual, preventing the dark forces (which they accidentally unleashed as teens) from being released into the world. Bruce wears strange medieval garb and has a short beard, so this is definitely one bizarre magickal adventure (with unspecified details).

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #12 Part 1. Immediately following our previous item, Bruce purchases a dilapidated church near the occult ritual site. He offers to restore it for the benefit of the local community, but no one is interested. Therefore, Bruce turns it into a safe house.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #27 and Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 # 1 Part 3. Joker hires four experts, including aerodynamics whiz Chuck Brown, to help him build the Jokermobile. Joker then kills three of the experts, leaving only Brown alive, before taking his new roadster for a spin. Batman’s Batmobile proves to be the superior vehicle, besting the short-lived Jokermobile, which sends Joker back behind bars. Batman keeps the Jokermobile as a trophy for the Batcave’s garage.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #26, Doomsday Clock #2, Detective Comics #988, and Batman: Killing Time #5. Batman bests the debuting pyromaniac Firefly (Garfield Lynns) and his henchmen, after which he keeps Firefly’s flamethrower gear as a trophy for the Batcave.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #42. Having just fought Firefly for the first time, Batman builds a flame-retardant (and anti-radiation) goop sprayer backpack. This is an upgrade on the flame-retardant foam that he created after fighting Killer Moth for the first time.

–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #39. Batman defeats the debuting Signalman (also commonly written-out in two separate words as “Signal Man”).

–REFERENCE: In DC’s Crimes of Passion #1 Part 7. Batman helps Gotham’s best detective Slam Bradley take on Nightjar (Colleen Cavill), a burglar that has been challenging (and sleeping with) Bradley since the early 1980s. Nightjar escapes cleanly.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #52—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #25, Batman Vol. 3 #52, Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #1 Part 3, Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #6 Part 5, Batman: Killing Time #5, Batman: Urban Legends #22 Part 4, and Catwoman Vol. 5 #58. Dr. Victor Fries (Mr. Zero) escapes from custody, makes himself a new costume, and changes his name to Mr. Freeze. Despite the new look and new attitude (and new henchmen), the same result occurs—Batman busts Mr. Freeze. Batman: Urban Legends #22 Part 4 shows us a newspaper headline that reads “Crime Stopped Cold,” which would very well be associated with this case. Afterward, the Caped Crusader keeps Mr. Freeze’s costume and freeze-gun/ice-gun, putting them on display in the Batcave. In Batman Vol. 3 #52, which occurs in 2018, Bruce says that Mr. Freeze has had “dozens and dozens and dozens of plans and plots in Gotham. And all of them ended the same way.” They all ended with Batman besting him. This tells us that, while not specifically logged into our chronology, we must imagine Batman challenging an escaped Mr. Freeze quite frequently on the timeline, moving forward. The insinuation here is that Batman, in the future, will encounter Mr. Freeze more than his other rivals, aside from Joker, of course.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 3. Late August. As he does every month, Joker sends Batman a “birthday” gift. This time, he mails a package to GCPD HQ, addressed to the Dark Knight. Batman dons his special Bomb-Handling Suit and gingerly deals with the package.

–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #38, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4, and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5. Batman tailors and dons a zebra-striped costume in order to defeat the debuting Zebra Man (also known as “Vortex”). Afterward, Batman keeps his zebra costume on display in the Batcave.

–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 2021 Annual. Batman defeats the debuting Clayface II (Matt Hagen).

–REFERENCE: In The Penguin #7. Bruce comes across a very valuable Rabat silk handkerchief that, as he is likely told by Alfred, was once a Hanukkah gift from his father to his mother. Bruce actions off the handkerchief for charity. It is purchased by Franco Bertinelli Jr, the co-leader of the Bertinelli Mob, which has risen to some prominence in the wake of last year’s defeat of the Falcone Mob. The Bertinelli Mob is also run by Alfredo Bertinelli and Maria Panessa-Bertinelli.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Part 5 and Detective Comics #1000 Part 10. September 21. Batman continues the annual tradition of visiting both Crime Alley (where his parents were killed) and the cemetery where his parents are buried on the anniversary of their murders.

–Wonder Woman Vol. 5 Annual #1 Part 1
Batman goes on patrol, which ultimately ends in stitches from doctor Alfred. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman (Diana of Themyscira) makes her re-debut at a mall outside of San Diego. Diana is one of the race of semi-immortal warrior women known as Amazons, who are linked to the Greco-Roman pantheon of gods. Diana’s father is none other than Zeus himself. (Note, thanks to Doomsday Clock retcons, Diana actually debuted in the early 1940s as a founding member of the Justice Society of America! So, this is her big return after decades away from the world of man. Writer Greg Rucka doesn’t expressly write it that way, so you unfortunately have to squint your eyes while reading to make this retcon stick its landing. Batman and Superman would likely recognize Diana as a famous hero of yesteryear, although they still might be confused about who she is, thinking she’s a copycat or something.) With the help of her friends Steve Trevor, Etta Candy, and Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, the powerful Amazonian foils a terror plot by The Sear Group (aka The Ares Group, human soldiers loyal to the Greco-Roman God of War, Ares). As referenced in Justice League Incarnate #5, Ares is also connected to the primordial evil known as The Great Darkness aka The Hand of the Great Darkness, who is one of the original super-celestial beings part of a race called Great Hands. We’ll hear more about them a bit later. (Note that Diana’s debut versus the Sear Group happens in Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #10—”Wonder Woman: Year One.”) When video of Diana hits the mainstream media, Lois, Clark, and Jimmy Olsen hightail it to California. As Batman returns home from the next day’s patrol, once again requiring stitches, Alfred directs his attention to the big Diana news on TV. Superman learns that Diana is testing her powers on behalf of the US Army in a Nevada desert, so he goes there. Batman, having acquired the same intel, goes there as well. Wonder Woman gets the jump on the boys, sneaking up on them from behind. The first meeting of DC’s Big Three occurs! Diana offers effusive greetings and tells the male heroes to take ahold of her magick lasso, which they do. Forced to tell their true names, Batman says his is “Batman,” showing that he identifies with that name just as much (if not more) than “Bruce Wayne.” Seeing into Diana’s soul via the lasso, the boys learn that she is pure of heart and has good intentions. Diana will be praised by international press a couple days later, after she defeats Ares in battle—as seen in the conclusion of “Wonder Woman: Year One” (Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #14). (Note that a visual reference in Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1 also nods to this first meeting of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.)

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1048. Bruce is interviewed by Teen Life & News Magazine, which is a division of Gotham Magazine.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1027 Part 10. Batman and Commissioner Gordon begin referring to really wild criminal cases, especially ones that cause the public to panic, as “Black Roosters.” The terminology stems from the Chicken Little fable.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #995. Bruce, as a gift to Dr. Leslie Thompkins, purchases land and funds the construction of the Thompkins Court Apartments, an eco-friendly affordable housing complex in Gotham. At a public Wayne Enterprises function, Bruce and Leslie ceremonially break ground on-site and construction begins.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #6 Part 5. Batman fights an unnamed super-villain that wears a strange hood. The fight is photographed by “Shutterbat” Dan Mora.

–REFERENCE: In Let Them Live! Unpublished Tales From the DC Vault #3. Bruce creates a special foundation to financially support one of his favorite Gotham institutions—the Willoughby Z Tchalgadjieff Antiquarian Library. The foundation will donate $250,000 per annum, moving forward. Already deeply familiar with the library from his many days and nights hanging out there as a child, Bruce will become further intimately acquainted with the place, visiting often, moving forward.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Giant #2. Batman fights a group of bad guys on a rooftop, getting beaten pretty badly by them. Later, Alfred patches-up Batman, who immediately works out in the gym.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Giant #2. Batman fights an escaped Clayface.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Giant #2 and Detective Comics #1000 Part 11. Batman fights an escaped Joker, brutally thrashing him and his clown-henchmen. I’ve taken the liberty of combining these rather generic Joker flashbacks.

–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Detective Comics #1045. Someone hangs a sign above the Arkham Asylum reception desk that says “You don’t have to be crazy to work here, but it helps!” Batman will often think about this sign, moving forward.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Giant Vol. 2 #3 Part 1 (Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3 #4). Bruce meets and befriends the scummy billionaire businessman Hiram Bosch. While completely unsavory, Bruce will remain acquaintances with him in order to keep up his own socialite appearances, moving forward.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Giant Vol. 2 #5 Part 1 (Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3 #7). Batman discovers the location of Killer Moth’s secret lair and starts a fire to “lure the moth to the flame.” They battle in the woods, but Killer Moth unleashes three trained grizzly bears upon the Dark Knight, allowing room for his escape. Killer Moth sets up a swanky new hideout.

–REFERENCE: In Strange Love Adventures #1 Part 8. Batman collates all of Riddler’s riddles, clues, gimmicks, and tricks, logging them into the Bat-Computer to search for patterns. Moving forward, Batman will continue to add all new Riddler data into this program.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #1 Part 2 and Detective Comics 2022 Annual, and Batman: Three Jokers #1. Batman fights an escaped Scarecrow, who stabs him in the back with a pitchfork. Batman recovers and punches Scarecrow in the face. I’ve combined these three flashbacks since they are fairly generic images of Batman engaging with Scarecrow in his early days. Since Batman still won’t discover Scarecrow’s secret ID yet, we must assume that Scarecrow evades capture.

–REFERENCE: In Deathstroke Vol. 4 #32 and Batman: One Bad Day – Mr. Freeze #1. Batman begins going undercover as mobster “Matches Malone.” Bear in mind, Matches Malone was an actual smalltime gangster, who has recently died. As such, there’s probably a surfeit of undercover work done by Batman to bolster the underworld reputation of “Matches.” We will simply have to imagine this cachet-building randomly throughout the timeline. Notably, Alfred will help Batman develop some of the finer details of the “Matches” character.

–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Detective Comics #1052. As Matches Malone, Batman begins frequenting Oswald Cobblepot’s Iceberg Lounge. While we won’t see most of these visits, Matches will be a regular for years to come.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #20 Part 4. Keeping up playboy appearances, Bruce goes on a cruise to Belize with his friend Colin Fitzroy.

–REFERENCE: In Adventures of the Super Sons #8. Batman defeats the debuting Catman.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics Annual #2 (2019)—and referenced in Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #43-44. Originally told in “BATMAN: YEAR TWO.” Bruce recovers the gun that Joe Chill used to kill his parents from a police evidence locker. Shortly thereafter, Judson Caspian and his daughter Rachel return to Gotham after having been living in Europe for nearly two decades. Bruce reunites with and becomes enamored with Rachel. They begin a passionate affair. When Bruce learns that Judson was the murderous vigilante known as the Reaper, Judson becomes the Reaper once again and kicks Batman ass in battle. (Note that there is currently a new Reaper that works for the League of Assassins. Different guy.) A distraught and battered Bruce builds an armored costume and takes the gun that was used to murder his parents, contemplating breaking his vow to never use firearms. Instead, cooler heads prevail and Batman defeats the Reaper using non-lethal means. However, the Reaper kills himself rather than go to jail. A devastated Rachel ends things with Bruce and leaves town for good. Note that, as per reference in Detective Comics #1000 Part 2, Bruce either gets rid of or loses the gun that killed his parents—either during this episode or shortly thereafter.

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<<< Rebirth Era Year 1 <<< ||| >>> Rebirth Era Year 3 >>>

1. ^[1]TODD CUNNINGHAM / COLLIN COLSHER: Now that Oswald Cobblepot is a big shot and running the Iceberg Lounge, a lot will happen in his life this calendar year. Cobblepot will meet, marry, and divorce Lisa St. Claire. He will have twins—Addison and Aiden—with another woman. And he will have another child, Ethan, with an Iceberg Lounge waitress. (Clearly, Cobblepot won’t be using condoms.) Notably, in the coming few years, Penguin will have nine other children with various other women. We also must mention that King’s Penguin origin (from The Penguin) takes a radical departure from all previous canon. This has serious effect upon other characters, including Ethan. Instead of Cobblepot having been a fixture of Gotham City’s criminal underworld for a long while prior to Batman’s debut, King has Cobblepot claw and scratch his way to get there only after Batman has already debuted. In the New 52, Ethan had been born well before Batman’s debut and was roughly the same age as Babs Gordon, but thanks to King’s new Penguin timeline, Ethan must be much younger than Babs. This means that Hope Larsen’s “Son of Penguin” (2017)—a New 52 story that originally introduced Ethan and saw him as a romantic partner for Babs—has to be a drastically altered version for the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier Era. Ethan can only be a teenager when he eventually comes to Gotham, and an adult Babs definitely will have no romantic connection with him. King shaking up Penguin’s origin really didn’t take into account that certain pre-existing things would be altered. (Although, we should mention that it was actually Chip Zdarsky that included Ethan into King’s The Penguin narrative in the first place—in the second features to Batman Vol 3 #125-127 aka The Penguin #0.)↩
2. ^[2]COLLIN COLSHER: In the Modern Age, Tweedledum and Tweedledee were cousins Dumfree (also spelled Dumfrey) Tweed and Deever Tweed, respectively. When Dumfree died, Deever’s twin brother Dumson took over as the new Tweedledum. In the New 52, that was altered and reversed by writer Scott Snyder so that the original Tweedledum and Tweedledee were Dumson and Deever. Dumson was later replaced by Deever’s twin brother Dumfree as the new Tweedledum. It’s confusing, I know. Basically, based upon this history, we can’t be certain of which pair of Tweeds we are dealing with here in the Rebirth Era. It could be Dumfree and Deever or Dumson and Deever. All we know is that, by the time Deathstroke Vol. 4 #36 comes around in about fourteen years, the duo is definitely the twins—Dumfree and Deever. Although, Batman: Urban Legends #9 Part 2 confirms that they are Dumfree and Deever, but it makes them cousins! I guess we’ll never know their true familial relationship. Twin cousins? I guess that’s pretty apropos of Lewis Carroll. Sheesh.↩