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(2013)
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–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #44, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4, and Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #20. Batman retires his yellow oval costume, putting it on display with his other costumes in the Batcave. For the next two years or so, he will only wear his grey-and-black costume (with the black Bat-symbol insignia). (For the past eight years, Batman had been wearing both a yellow oval costume and black insignia costume interchangeably.) It’s possible (and likely) that some modifications are made and new tailoring is done on the latest working model of the Bat-costume, but, for all intents and purposes, it will look virtually the same: gray-and-black with the black Bat-insignia. Note that Batman—who has been randomly opting not to wear trunks on the outside of his tights for the eight years—will continue this trend. (Sometimes he’ll have underwear on the outside; sometimes he won’t.) And he’ll sometimes have a cargo pocket-style utility belt or a sleeker one, depending on his mood (i.e. depending on the artist). This will be Batman’s costume status quo for the next three years—up until the events of “Superheavy” at the tail end of Year Fifteen.
HARLEY LOVES JOKER
———————-––the second feature to Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #18-19
———————-––the second feature to Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #22
January 2-3. Batman examines the scene of a New Year’s Eve department store robbery, finding Harley Quinn’s old coat left behind. Batman shows the coat to live TV news reporter Summer Gleeson. At night, Joker and Harley watch the news and see the glaring evidence of their crime on display to the world. Not only that, but Harley has written their secret lair’s address on the label. Batman smashes through the window to arrest the duo, but they get away by siccing their pet hyenas (Bud and Lou) on Batman and then blowing up the building. The next day, Harley visits her pals, the Carpenter and March Harriet, who are in the middle of a hotel/spa robbery with their Wonderland Gang partners, Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Harley hires the Carpenter to fix up a new hideout for she and Joker. Across town, Commissioner Gordon meets with Bruce to tell him that a new Brazilian villainess called The Grison has stolen WayneTech R&D files. (The Grison is Gabriela Matias, former colleague of Harleen Quinzel and now currently one of Dr. Emile Dorian’s human-animal hybrid “creations.”) Joker, disguised as a cop, listens-in. Later, the Carpenter begins renovating an abandoned joke shop for Harley and Joker.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #19 Part 5. Batman saves a man named Caleb from Victor Zsasz, but not before the villain murders Caleb’s entire family.
–Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #2 Part 2
Winter. Batman chases after Catwoman—who wears one of her classic feline-eared costumes—after she steals a large diamond during a snowstorm. Batman retrieves the diamond, but lets Catwoman go free. Later, Catwoman tailors a camouflage white costume for the snow, steals back the diamond, and lures the Dark Knight into yet another chase. This time, their usual perky coquetry is afoot. A white Catwoman surprises Batman by playfully leaping on top of him.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #44, Batman Vol. 3 #50, Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Batman – Hush #1, Batman: One Bad Day – Two-Face #1, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #2 Part 4, and Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #9—and referenced in All-Star Batman #10, All-Star Batman #13, Batman: Prelude to the Wedding Part 2 – Nightwing vs Hush #1, Detective Comics #990, Detective Comics #1032, Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #2 Part 4, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #4 Part 4, Batman: Hush 20th Anniversary Edition, Batman Vol. 3 #160, Batman Vol. 3 #162, and New History of the DC Universe #3. Originally told in “HUSH.” Batman designs some new hypersonic weapons, adding them to his utility belt rotation. Soon after, one of Bruce’s closest childhood friends, Dr. Tommy Elliot, returns to Gotham and becomes the super-villain known as Hush. Armed with knowledge of Bruce’s identity as Batman, an injured Elliot wraps bandages around his face and, as Hush, strikes at the surprised Caped Crusader from the shadows, first by hiring Poison Ivy to mind-control a wildly mutated Killer Croc and Catwoman. Killer Croc and Catwoman attack Batman, but the Dark Knight is able to take them down with his new hypersonic weaponry, thus freeing them from Poison Ivy’s hold. Hush then cuts Batman’s rope mid-swing, causing him to badly injure his head. Bruce has his old pal Tommy perform emergency brain surgery on him, saving his life. Batman then nurses his wounds and regroups with Catwoman and Alfred in the Batcave. Before heading out, Batman and Catwoman not only share a sexual encounter, but they also reach a newfound level of trust with one another. Despite this, a peculiar distance remains. Catwoman tells Batman that, for a man who doesn’t want strings in his life, he sure has a lot of strings in his life. (Note that Batman Vol. 3 #50 contains two separate “Hush” flashback splash pages, one by Becky Cloonan and the other by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair. Both show Batman and Catwoman kissing.) The Bat and the Cat then successfully take down Poison Ivy, who briefly manages to control Superman’s mind. Soon after, Tommy fakes his own death while Joker, Harley Quinn, and Clayface (Basil Karlo)—all hired by Hush to play along—fight Batman. (Joker and Harley are only working for Hush because he promised them that a returning Jason Todd will shake Batman to his core later this year.) Falsely believing that Joker has killed Tommy, Batman attempts to kill Joker, but Jim Gordon stops him. After his own phony funeral is held, Hush continues playing mind games with Batman, causing the Bat-Family to confront Riddler, Talia, Ra’s al Ghul, Scarecrow, and Clayface. Batman eventually comes face-to-face with a resurrected Jason Todd (as per Hush’s plan), but Batman doesn’t believe it’s really him, thinking that it must be a transformed Clayface instead. Not getting the reaction he was seeking, Jason departs, saving his big return for another day. Soon after, Hush reveals himself to Batman in grandiose fashion, delivering a sobering truth to his old friend. Years ago, a young Tommy cut the brake cables on his parents’ car, resulting in the death of his father. An adult Tommy would later go on to finish off his mother as well. Tommy tells Bruce that he has no regrets about killing his parents, only wishing that he would have done it at their favorite family getaway in the Florida Keys instead of in Gotham. Eventually, with help from a surgically-repaired Harvey Dent (!), Batman successfully defeats Hush. Dent shoots Hush, who falls into the bay and disappears. After this case wraps, Batman tells the Bat-Family all about his tragic relationship with Hush.[1]
–Batman: Hush 20th Anniversary Edition
Immediately following “Hush,” Batman and Superman spend several days scouring the Gotham City Bridge in search of Hush. Eventually, Batman equips himself with brand new gear (a rebreather, special scuba fan boots, and flares), diving to the bottom of the waterway beneath the bridge where he finds evidence that Hush is alive and well. Meanwhile, Hush crawls out of the drink to find Joker and Harley Quinn waiting to ambush him. The dastardly couple wants revenge against Hush because he didn’t deliver on his promise to use Jason Todd to mess with Batman’s head.
–NOTE: In a reference in Young Justice Vol. 3 #5-6, Young Justice Vol. 3 #11, Young Justice Vol. 3 #15, Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1 Part 1, Suicide Squad Vol. 7 #3, Teen Titans Academy #11, Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 Part 6, Deathstroke Inc #1, Dark Crisis: Young Justice #2, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3—originally told in Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1-3, Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #3, and Teen Titans Vol. 3 #1. Young Justice now includes new-ish members Snapper Carr (a team mentor), the Ray (Ray Terrill), Slobo (a clone of Lobo), Super-Cycle (a sentient car from New Genesis), and Traya Sutton-Smith (a team mascot). Spoiler (Cluemaster’s daughter Stephanie Brown) and Lagoon Boy are both close associates/unofficial members of the team. Young Justice successfully handles Indigo (Brainiac 8), but they are unable to prevent the latter from murdering Donna Troy and Omen (Lilith Clay). (It’s highly possible that Indigo had secret assistance from Dark Opal, a resident of Gemworld, which is a kingdom in the realm of Faerie.) Sad dual funerals are held, after which Young Justice permanently disbands. In the aftermath of the breakup, Robin forms a brand new Teen Titans with Cyborg (who is actual age twenty-one going on twenty-two but presents/appears as eighteen going on nineteen), Superboy (Conner Kent), Starfire, Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark), Kid Flash (Bart Allen), and Beast Boy. (Garfield Logan has ditched the name “Changeling” and returned to his original moniker. Likewise, Bart Allen has ditched the name “Impulse” and is now the new Kid Flash.) This version of the Teen Titans will continue with a rotating lineup until the end of the year before disbanding.[2]
–REFERENCE: In Dark Days: The Forge #1, Doomsday Clock #5, and DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1 Part 7. The Outsiders disband and reform, operating under Batman’s same primary mission to explore the “dark metal” mystery. This version of the team includes Nightwing, Arsenal, Indigo (Brainiac 8), Shift, Starfire, Jade, Grace Choi, and Thunder (Black Lightning’s daughter, Anissa Pierce). Arsenal will co-lead this version of the team. Note that Grace Choi and Thunder are currently dating each other.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Urban Legends #11 Part 4—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #23, Batman Vol. 3 #33, and Super Sons Annual #1. Originally told in Batman Vol. 3 Annual #1 Part 1. Joker sics five vicious German Shepherds—each dressed in a playing card costume—on Batman. Joker then flees with his dogs. Batman and Jim Gordon later find the dogs abandoned, but only “Ace” is alive. (Note that, as per reference in The Joker Vol. 2 #1, from this point onward, Gordon will begin randomly dying his hair, so sometimes he’ll be gray, sometimes he’ll be red.) Batman and Nightwing corral the angry pup. Shortly thereafter, Batman and Alfred adopt Ace, re-christening him as the “Bat-Hound II.” (Yes, this is a second Ace. Since we know Batman has a German Shepherd as early as Year 7, yet still has one healthy and well in Year 21, there must be two dogs. Sure, we could apply some sci-fi shenanigans to explain a pup going well beyond its life expectancy, but this Ace debut item seems to fit right here better than earlier. Also, there were two Aces in the Modern Age, so this reflects that.)
–FLASHBACK: From Green Arrow Vol. 7 #7. The Justice League—Batman, Superman, Faith, Major Disaster, Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Hawkgirl, and the Atom—teams up with Starman (Jack Knight) and Nightwing on an unspecified mission.
–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #73 and Action Comics #1082—originally told in JLA #80-82 (“THE WHITE RAGE”). Axis America (a White supremacist super-villain group consisting of Übermensch, Hel, The Mouth, and Mason) tricks the public into believing the Justice League has caused a massacre at their commune. The JL is able to undo this illusion and clear the team’s name. Martian Manhunter also begins dating Scorch, who begins trying to help him deal with his fear of fire.
–NOTE: In Doomsday Clock #5 and Titans Giant #3 (aka Titans: Burning Rage #5)—originally told in Teen Titans Vol. 3 #22-23 (“LIGHTS OUT”). Batman is not in this item, but it bears mentioning because of its link to the Rebirth Era history of the Teen Titans. The Teen Titans lineup now includes Robin, Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, new Speedy (Mia Dearden), Red Star (Leonid Kovar), and Hawk (Holly Granger), and Dove.[3] When Dr. Light swears public vengeance on the Teen Titans, the young heroes—along with Nightwing, Flamebird (former Bat-Girl Bette Kane), Starfire, Arsenal, and Tempest—defeat him in battle.
–FLASHBACK: From Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular Part 8 and Robins #2—and referenced in Young Justice Vol. 3 #18 and Robins #1. Originally told in Robin Vol. 2 #124-126. January 18. Jack Drake finds out that his son is Robin, and he is not pleased. This causes such a kerfuffle that Tim resigns from his superhero post! Batman wastes no time in immediately appointing Stephanie Brown as the new Robin! She dons one of Tim’s spare costumes. On Stephanie’s second night as Robin, she attends a school dance, much to the chagrin of Batman. On day three, Batman and the new Robin train, after which Alfred designs a special Robin costume just for her. The fresh Dynamic Duo brings down an escaped Firefly at an amusement park, but they don’t work very smoothly together. On day four, Batman, dedicated to making it work with his new Girl Wonder, builds a changing station for Stephanie in the Batcave. Soon afterward, when teenage boys mistakenly suspected of being the former Robin begin being murdered in Gotham, Batman tasks Stephanie with her final training “gauntlet” challenge, which is to solve the case. Sure enough, Stephanie proves to be a good detective, pinning the crimes on the assassin Scarab (Maat Shahid). Unfortunately, Scarab bests the Dynamic Duo in battle and escapes. Undeterred, Batman will go on several unspecified (but successful) patrols and missions with his new Robin for the next 44 days (overlapping with some of the next items on our list below).[4]
–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #1004, DC’s Saved By the Belle Reve #1 Part 6, and Batman: Urban Legends #19 Part 1. January 20. Lex Luthor is inaugurated as President of the United States of America. Pete Ross is sworn-in as his Vice President. Jefferson Pierce (Black Lightning), despite a strong distaste for Luthor, becomes the Secretary of Education.
–FLASHBACK: From New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident #1. In Dakota City, Michigan, prominent scientist Edwin Alva is killed, upon which his former partner Hardware (Eric Metcalf) discovers Alva’s link to the Department of Metahuman Affair’s clandestine Superman Project. A couple years ago, Alva used radioactive gas to create nearly all the “Milestone” metahumans of Dakota, including Static Shock, Rocket, and The Blood Syndicate (Fade, Masquerade, Tech-9, DMZ, and Wise Son). Hardware meets with the metahumans of Dakota (including Icon, an alien that had been secretly living in the city since 1839) to tell them about their dark truth as government test subjects. With the secret exposed, President Lex Luthor assembles Amanda Waller (Secretary of Metahuman Affairs), General Joseph Rock (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs), and General Sam Lane (Secretary of Defense), ordering them to arrange the execution of all metahumans in Dakota. Soon after, the Suicide Squad (Bronze Tiger, Captain Boomerang, and Deadshot) battles the Blood Syndicate. Meanwhile, Icon, Rocket, and Static Shock protect Dakota’s citizens from the US military. Seeing that he’s on the wrong side of history, Bronze Tiger switches teams. Acting as the president’s lackey, Captain Atom wars against Icon. By sunrise, the Justice League (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter) arrive to quell the combat. After a ceasefire is ushered-in, Jefferson Pierce (Secretary of Education) chats with Static Shock and Rocket. Meanwhile, Icon and Hardware negotiate with President Luthor, the DEO’s Sarge Steel, Rock, and Waller. Luthor tells the heroes the only way Dakota won’t be wiped off the map is if all its metahumans agree to permanently retire (i.e. never use their powers again). Under this threat, the “Milestone” metahumans reluctantly agree to the terms, going into said forced retirement.
–REFERENCE: In Dark Nights: Metal #1, Action Comics #1004, Justice League Vol. 4 #12, and DC KO: Superman vs Captain Atom #1—originally told in Superman/Batman #1-6 (“WORLD’S FINEST (PUBLIC ENEMIES)”). When a giant Kryptonite asteroid plummets toward Earth, President Luthor takes the opportunity to frame Superman and push him to the top of America’s Most Wanted List. Batman comes to Superman’s aid against hordes of heroes and villains alike—including Mongul, Solomon Grundy, Mr. Freeze, Nightshade, Gorilla Grodd, Lady Shiva, Mr. Polka-Dot, Black Spider, the Cheetah, Black Manta, Captain Atom, Major Force, Katana, John Stewart, Black Lightning, Power Girl, and Starfire. Batman and Superman evade their tormentors and infiltrate the White House to publicly expose President Luthor as a drug-addled super-villain, revealing his addiction to Venom and synthetic Kryptonite to the entire world via live TV broadcast. President Luthor flips-out, dons a large war-mech version of his old green super-suit, and attacks the heroes. Thirteen-year-old super-genius Hiro Okamura (aka the newest and third Toyman) offers his assistance to Batman and Superman, building a cheeky gigantic Composite Superman-Batman robo-spaceship, which Captain Atom rams into the asteroid to save the planet. The explosion exiles Captain Atom to Earth-483 aka Wildstorm Earth. Exposed as a criminal, Luthor goes into hiding. He is immediately impeached and fired from his post, leaving his tenure as POTUS at a mere few months in length. Pete Ross is sworn-in as the new POTUS, making Lana Lang the new First Lady. Superman keeps Luthor’s war-suit as a trophy.
–REFERENCE: In Deathstroke Inc #1-2. Batman begins working with Toyman (Hiro Okamura) to construct a series of new mecha-Bat-suits, costumes, and vehicles, many of which will never see the light of day and remain in beta test mode in Okamura’s lab. Suffice to say, Hiro will provide on-again-off-again tech and R&D support to Batman, moving forward.
–REFERENCE: In Batgirl Vol. 5 Annual #1 and New History of the DC Universe #3—originally told in Superman/Batman #8 and Superman/Batman #10-13 (“SUPERGIRL FROM KRYPTON”). A resurrected Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) re-debuts. (Supergirl was killed during the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, at which time her entire history was erased from collective memory.) Now back with memory and history restored, Supergirl has de-aged a bit, and is now around thirteen-years-old. (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1, which occurs in 2021, shows Kara’s twenty-first birthday, which is how we know her age here.)[5] Upon Supergirl’s return, Darkseid sends an army of mindless cloned Doomsdays to attack Themyscira (where Supergirl is training). Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Harbinger put up a defense, but Harbinger is killed and Supergirl is kidnapped and taken to Apokolips. The Trinity and Big Barda travel to Apokolips where they fight Granny Goodness’ Female Furies (Lashina, Stompa, Gilotina, Mad Harriet, and Bernadeth) and Darkseid’s Dog Cavalry aka Hell-Hound Cavalry. Upon locating Supergirl, Darkseid has transformed her into an evil warrior (in a black costume). Superman takes down Supergirl while Batman fights Darkseid directly. Eventually, the good guys win and revert Supergirl back to status quo. The heroes then lure Darkseid to Smallville, allowing Superman to exile Darkseid across the universe and into the Source Wall.[6]
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #50. Batman lurks outside of Catwoman’s apartment window. (Note that this splash page is drawn in Lee Bermejo’s specific artistic style and does not represent any actual costume that Batman has worn in-continuity. However, both Batman and Catwoman’s costumes seem to be most closely linked to what they’d both be wearing at this point on our timeline, hence placement here.)
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #50. The Neal Adams splash from Batman Vol. 3 #50 could easily occur immediately after Lee Bermejo’s splash (and also make the latter seem way less creepy), which is precisely why I’ve placed it here. Batman and Catwoman pose together atop the latter’s apartment building.
–REFERENCE: In Deathstroke Vol. 4 #19 and Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #5 Part 1. Batman tells his “criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot” mantra to Stephanie.
–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #978, Superman Unlimited #1, and New History of the DC Universe #3. February. Superman goes on unspecified business with Batman before returning home to Lois, who reveals she is pregnant! (Lois is in the middle of her first trimester, just over one month in.)[7][8]
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #22. Batman and Nightwing team-up to bust Penguin’s top enforcer/henchman Stallion.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #999. February—Bruce’s birthday. As he does every year on his birthday, Batman runs Program 2.1, placing himself into a virtual world that challenges him by pushing him to his most extreme limits.
–Harley Loves Joker #2
February. A month has passed since “Harley Loves Joker.” Joker and Harley Quinn are now all set up in their new pad, which has been fully renovated by the Carpenter. Joker, Harley, the Grison, and two henchmen rob a yacht using the Joker-boat. Batman chases the villains in the Batboat, but they escape when the Dark Knight prioritizes saving lives aboard the sinking yacht. After wrapping up with the yacht, Batman does his research on the Grison. Back at Joker and Harley’s hideout, the Grison plays a long con game, getting under Harley’s skin while simultaneously earning the admiration of Joker. Not long after, the Grison tells Joker of a fake WayneTech super-weapon that can manipulate human emotion. She convinces Joker that they should steal the weapon and use it to cause everyone in the city to laugh themselves to death. (Her plan is to double-cross Joker and kill him.) When Harley objects to the Grison’s plan, Joker and the Grison cut her out entirely. Jealous, Harley calls Wayne Manor and tells Alfred what is about to go down. Harley then decides to leave Joker, but changes her mind when she receives a secret message from her Puddin. Joker is sick of the Grison and has been also playing her. He’s going to use the laughing device on the city, but he’ll use it on her too. Harley swoons with joy. Harley then sees a hallucination of her single self in the future, disappointed at how she can never leave her abuser. At a WayneTech lab, the Grison turns on Joker and his henchmen as planned, but Harley, Bud, and Lou arrive just in time to save the Clown Prince of Crime. Everyone scatters as the cops arrive. Batman busts the Grison. Back at their lair, Joker and Harley are hassled by Detective Harvey Bullock. Harley tear-gasses him and takes off with Joker, remembering that the Carpenter said she’d blow up their place after a week if they didn’t pay her. Harley, Joker, and Bullock barely escape with their lives as the place blows up sky high.
–DC’s Zatannic Panic! #1 Part 2
Batman investigates an ouroboros-obsessed cult. Finding and examining relevant ancient illuminated manuscripts, Batman and Alfred learn that the cult first began warring against a rival group of knights during Medieval Times. Coincidentally, one of the manuscripts contains an image of one of the knights that strongly resembles Batman. Shortly thereafter, Batman takes down dozens of cultists and prevents a ritual human sacrifice from occurring. Having shut down the cult, Batman spray paints a bat-symbol over the ouroboros logo on their headquarters.
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #22 and Nightwing Vol. 4 #27. Batman and Nightwing bust super-villain couple Giz (Brendan Li) and Mouse (Pamela Sweigeld) as they attempt to break Catman out of Arkham Asylum. Giz is an expert computer hacker who owns a pet squirrel named Goober. Mouse is an acrobatic genius thief who has trained under Catwoman. Notbaly, Giz and Mouse (along with Shrike) work for Blockbuster.
–REFERENCE: In Catwoman Vol. 5 #51—originally told in Batman #626-630 (“AS THE CROW FLIES”). Penguin hires Scarecrow and Fright (Linda Friitawa) to spread new hallucinogenics on the streets of Gotham. Feeling the heat of the law, Fright turns Scarecrow into the monstrous “Scarebeast,” siccing him on Batman. The Dark Knight defeats Scarebeast.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #7—originally told in Action Comics #825 and Justice Society of America Vol. 3 #13. Batman supports Superman in a battle against the debuting Gog (William Matthews), who has been gifted powers by the great evil god Gog. Note that the evil god Gog will soon bestow powers unto another villain called Magog (David “Lance” Reid), but Batman won’t be a part of that so it won’t be listed on our timeline. Justice League Incarnate #4 tells us that the Great Darkness will secretly influence Magog (Reid), which further implies that the Great Darkness is pulling (and has been pulling) the evil god Gog’s strings as well.
–REFERENCE: In Batgirl Vol. 6 #5—originally told in Batgirl #25. Batman is not a part of this item, but he would definitely be in the know. As per a promise made last year, Batgirl faces her mother Lady Shiva in one-on-one combat. Batgirl soundly defeats her.
–REFERENCE: In Wonder Woman/Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour #1, Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #56, Superman and The Authority #1-4, and Batgirl Vol. 6 #4—originally told in JLA #100 and Justice League Elite #1-12. An angry Gaea (the Greco-Roman Goddess of Earth) begins to ravage the planet with a series of natural disasters. As part of an elaborate plan, Vera Lynn Black—sister of Superman rival Manchester Black—re-forms her brother’s old super-villain team known as the Elite, but only in order to stage a mock battle against the Justice League. This mock battle fools Gaea into backing down. Afterward, the JL and the UN approve of Vera continuing the Elite as the Justice League Elite. The new team consists of Vera (who goes by “Sister Superior”), Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Manitou Raven, Major Disaster, Coldcast, Menagerie, The Hat, Naif al-Sheikh, and Kasumi (an undercover Cassie Cain, who secretly reports back to Batman). The JLElite fights the evil aliens known as The Aftermath, during which Manitou Raven is killed. Soon after, Manchester Black returns and takes control of his sister’s mind and body. Along with the godlike super-villainess Eve, Manchester Black combats the JLElite, JL, and Dawn, who becomes the shaman Manitou Dawn. The heroes win the day, but the JL decides to permanently disband the JLElite, deeming it a failed experiment.
–REFERENCE: In Catwoman Vol. 5 #41—originally told in Detective Comics #794-796 (“MONSTERS OF ROT”). Batman appoints black rookie superhero Orpheus as the new protector of Gotham’s Hill neighborhood (and new leader of the Hill Gang). After teaming with Tarantula, Kafka, and Orpheus to defeat the sentient plague known as The Mugre, Batman realizes that Orpheus is a bit in over his head. The Dark Knight asks for assistance from Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), who sends former League of Assassins member Onyx Adams his way. Batman appoints Onyx as Orpheus’ partner. After sparring with Onyx, Batman is so impressed that he invites her into the Bat-Family and gives her full freedom to operate independently in Gotham. Shortly thereafter, Batman begins devising a complex (but purely hypothetical) “war games” plan to gain control of all of Gotham’s mob underworld. If done correctly, the plan would ultimately culminate with Matches Malone running the whole shebang. Seeing that it isn’t practical and is actually quite dangerous, Batman files the plan away.
–FLASHBACK: From Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular Part 8 and Robins #2—and referenced in Young Justice Vol. 3 #18 and Robins #1. Originally told in Robin Vol. 2 #127-130. March 8 to 29. On Stephanie’s 48th day as Robin, she botches a return fight against Scarab, which results in Batman getting badly injured. Batman takes three full weeks to recover, during which he suspends Stephanie from action. However, two days after being reinstated, on her 71st day as Robin, Steph disobeys a direct order, which results in her termination. With his dad’s reluctant approval, Tim becomes Robin again.
–REFERENCE: In Catwoman Vol. 5 #41—originally told in “WAR GAMES.” Late March. Stephanie Brown, having returned to her Spoiler persona and desperately hoping to regain favor with Batman, initiates his hypothetical “war games” plan. All of Gotham’s top mobsters gather for a big meet, but since Batman hasn’t been alerted, the failure of Matches Malone to show up leads to a chaotic shootout involving Penguin, Deadshot, Hellhound, the Ventriloquist (with Scarface), Mr. Fun, Philo Zeiss, Silver Monkey, and others. The Bat-Family (Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Orpheus, Onyx Adams, Oracle, and Batgirl), Catwoman, and Tarantula are forced to deal with a huge gang war, during which hundreds die and both Orpheus and Spoiler are captured by Black Mask. Orpheus is killed while Spoiler is tortured. The heroes are able to end the gang war and rescue Spoiler, delivering her into the care of Leslie Thompkins. However, wanting to get Stephanie out of the vigilante life, Leslie fakes Stephanie’s death and ships her overseas where she will remain for a couple years. Even Tim is left in the dark about this, thinking that his girlfriend has been killed. (Thus, we have a sad and abrupt end to Tim and Stephanie’s relationship.) Batman appoints Onyx as the new leader of the Hill Gang, giving her his full blessing to patrol Gotham as she sees fit.
–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #21, Detective Comics #967, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4, Dark Crisis: Young Justice #3, Knight Terrors: Robin #1, Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #7, New History of the DC Universe #3, and the second feature toNew History of the DC Universe #3—originally told in Identity Crisis. Late March. Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4 says that Robin’s dad, Jack Drake, dies specifically on March 30. However, Knight Terrors: Robin #1 says that he dies specifically on December 3. The latter is technically a part of a dream sequence, so it holds less weight than the former, but, either way, any specificity in regard to the date might be best well ignored. Nevertheless, I have placed this item in late March since it fits quite well here. Onto a synopsis. When friends and family of superheroes are aggressively threatened by the super-villain community, the superhero community launches an offensive against all super-villains. During this offensive, Shadow Thief kills Firestorm, upon which his power goes into teenager Jason Rusch, who merges with his friend Mick Wong to become the new Firestorm! (Ronnie Raymond is indeed dead, but Professor Martin Stein becomes an Elemental and travels into deep space.) Soon after, Jack Drake is attacked by Captain Boomerang, resulting in the deaths of both men. Bruce, Dick, Tim, and others attend Jack’s funeral. Just like Batman and Nightwing, Robin is now an orphan. Marked by this tragedy, Tim moves into Teen Titans HQ and will remain distant from Batman for years to come. The rest of the superhero community is rocked to its core as they discover that the previous attacks on friends and family and deaths of Captain Boomerang and Jack Drake were all manipulated by Atom’s ex-wife Jean Loring. Jean then kills Elongated Man’s wife Sue Dibny before being brought to justice. The superhero community is further shocked to learn that the mentally-unwell Jean committed the crimes, misguidedly thinking they would drive Ray back into her arms permanently. Afterward, Owen Mercer (Captain Boomerang’s son) becomes Captain Boomerang Jr and eventually joins the Outsiders.[9]
–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #37, Superman: Lex Luthor Special #1, and DC KO: Superman vs Captain Atom #1—originally told in Superman/Batman #20-25 (“WITH A VENGEANCE”). During a fight against Atomic Skull, Batman and Superman are kidnapped by The Maximums (Bug, Hornet, Monster, Robot, Soldier, and Viking), anti-heroes from an alternate timeline that are secretly working for Lex Luthor. Eventually, thanks to some “help” from Bizarro #1 and Batzarro (both acting as representatives of the Unjustice League of Unamerica), the heroes discover that the entire Maximum timeline (along with the Maximums themselves) have been created by Mr. Mxyzptlk on behalf of Joker. Batman, Superman, Bat-Mite, Bizarro, a returning Captain Atom, and a host of superheroes from multiple alternate timelines gather together to defeat Lex Luthor, Joker, Darkseid, the Maximums, and a host of super-villains from multiple alternate timelines! (Notably, Darkseid has escaped from the confines of the Source Wall, but he has lost his Omega energy, making him completely powerless.) Afterward, Mr. Mxyzptlk erases the Maximum timeline from existence.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #93. Batman fights Joker and Harley Quinn. Joker tells Batman that he (Batman) is the funniest person he knows.
–REFERENCE: In Robin Vol. 3 #1—originally told in “FRESH BLOOD.” Bruce and Alfred monitor Robin and Cassie Cain as they fight Penguin, the Trigger Twins, and Brutale in Blüdhaven.
–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #5-6 and DC/Marvel: Batman/Deadpool #1—originally told in JLA Classified #1-3. In deep space, the Justice League, sans Batman, gets trapped in the tiny pocket universe called Qwewq. In Africa, the International Ultramarine Corps—along with new members The Olympian (Aristides Demetrios), the Tasmanian Devil, Glob, Kid Impala, The Master, and Fleur-de-Lis—fight against Nebula Man, Gorilla Grodd, and an army of Ape-Men. When the IUC goes down hard, Squire (Beryl Hutchinson) phones Batman for help. Together, Batman and Squire rescue the JL and contain the tiny Qwewq. The heroes then boom to Africa to join the battle. Nebula Man reveals that he is the adult form of Qwewq, which is a sentient time-traveling alternate universe from the future. After defeating the villains, the IUC decides to enter the infant Qwewq to become its peacekeepers and ensure that it doesn’t grow up to become the evil Nebula Man.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #4 Part 3—originally told in Robin Vol. 2 #138-140. Tim plays spycraft mind-games with Bruce, hiring an actor named Richard Beren to pretend to be his long lost “Uncle Eddie Drake.” Afterward, in Blüdhaven, the US Army’s very own superhero team (consisting of The Veteran, Johnny Cloud III, Ilsa Von Hammer, and Tommy Tinker) recruits Robin into their fold. Concurrently, Darla Aquista, who was recently shot and killed, returns from the dead as the super-villain Warlock’s Daughter, much to the surprise of both Bernard Dowd and Tim.
–REFERENCE: In Adventures of the Super Sons #8, Nightwing Vol. 4 #68, and Nightwing Vol. 4 #80—originally told in Nightwing Vol. 2 #99-100. Tarantula moves to Gotham City and begins using lethal force to bring down criminals. Batman brands Tarantula a villain and tells her to piss-off, which leads to Nightwing busting her when she visits Blüdhaven. Fed up with Blüdhaven and all its complications, Dick resigns from the police force and moves to New York City. Blockbuster heavily factors into Nightwing’s police resignation and subsequent departure from Blüdhaven.
–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #5, Doomsday Clock #8, and Detective Comics #992, Justice League Dark Vol. 2 #8, and Batman: Urban Legends #17 Part 3—originally told in JSA #51-56. The Justice League and Mr. Terrific defeat Kulak the Sorcerer and The Warlock of Ys. Concurrently, Black Adam publicly kills the leader of Kobra, Jeffrey Franklin Burr, by ripping out his heart. Black Adam then ousts the dictatorial leaders of the Middle Eastern nation of Kahndaq. He becomes the country’s new totalitarian ruler.
–REFERENCE: In Shadow War: Alpha #1—originally told in “DEATH AND THE MAIDENS.” Nyssa Raatko al Ghul kills her father Ra’s al Ghul and takes over the League of Assassins alongside her sister Talia.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #34. Batman encounters Talia al Ghul’s elite League of Assassins fighting unit, several dozen warriors collectively known as The Silent Soldiers of the Pit, who have cut out their own tongues and sworn allegiance to Talia and Talia alone.
–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #58. At a water park, Harley Quinn whacks Batman in the face with a large pan of lasagna.
–REFERENCE: In Mera: Queen of Atlantis #1 and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3—originally told in Aquaman Vol. 6 #21-22 (“WITH THE FISHES”). When Gotham gangster Mortimer Coolidge becomes a telekinetic undersea super-villain called The Eel, Batman and Aquaman team up to defeat him in the underwater city of Sub Diego.
–REFERENCE: In The Green Lantern #5—originally told in Green Lantern: Rebirth #1-6. When Spectre (the ghost of Hal Jordan) brutally injures Black Hand, Batman trashes Hal, accusing him of being an out-of-control super-villain. Soon after, Kyle Rayner and Guardian of the Universe Ganthet arrive with Hal’s corpse. They warn the heroes that Parallax is coming back. Sure enough, Parallax soon arrives and overpowers the Spectre, taking control of Hal’s soul. Now with the combined power of the Spectre and Parallax, ghost Hal fights all the heroes. The Spectre is able eject both Parallax and the spirit of Hal out of his body. Hal’s spirit is then forced back into his body by the power of his old ring. Hal is resurrected! Back as a Green Lantern, Hal teams-up with the rest of the heroes to fight Sinestro and a Parallax-infected Ganthet. Batman argues with Hal, which results in a punch to the face. Eventually, the Green Lantern Corps takes over the battle and wins the day.
–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #2. Bruce lies through his annual Wayne Enterprises psych exam in order to pass.
–Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #20 Part 5
This item could go just about anywhere, but no matter where it goes, we must ignore the artistic liberty of drawing Bruce with manga hair. After several nights with very little sleep, Batman begins hallucinating that his body is covered with tattoos, each one representing his toughest rivals. After more tattoos seemingly appear while on patrol, Batman rushes home early in a panic. Alfred gives Bruce a hot beverage and a calming pep talk, making Bruce realize he’s simply having a prolonged anxiety attack. Thanks to Alfred, Bruce is able to come back to his senses.
–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #47—originally told in Batman: Gotham Knights #60-71. Feeling overburdened, Poison Ivy hopes to rid herself of her metapowers. Turning to Batman for help, the Dark Knight obliges and (via the assistance of Wayne Enteeprises scientists) begins working on a serum that will cancel-out her powers. However, their plans are interrupted by Hush and his henchman, new Clayface IX (Jonathan “Johnny” Williams), who has become a Clayface thanks to an explosion at a chemical plant. Clayface IX has a fatal disease related to his powers and is hoping Hush can cure him. Hoping to keep Poison Ivy on the side of super-villainy so he can use her for his own nefarious purposes, Hush kidnaps Alfred in an attempt to stop Wayne Enterprises from continuing its research. After Batman and Poison Ivy rescue Alfred from Hush and Clayface IX, Poison Ivy and Floronic Man both are seemingly made powerless. A melee ensues, leading to the apparent deaths of the non-powered Pamela Isley and Jason Woodrue. In the end, Isley and Woodrue’s powers still remain with them, restoring them both to life and status quo. Soon after, a videographer discovers Batman’s secret identity and tries to blackmail Bruce. On Hush’s orders, Clayface VIII kills the blackmailer and frames Alfred for the murder. In the process, Clayface IX infects Alfred with his disease. Hush takes samples from all the living Clayfaces, hoping to use their power to his advantage. This allows Clayface VIII (Todd Russell) to escape from prison. Meanwhile, Batman synthesizes the DNA of Clayface VI (Cassius Clay) to make a cure for Alfred. Clayface IX succumbs to his condition and dies.
–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #32—originally told in Man-Bat Vol. 3 #1-5 (“THE RETURN”). Hush hires the super-villain Murmur to frame Man-Bat for screwing-up Black Mask’s operations. Batman shuts down the resultant battle-royale involving Hush, Murmur, Black Mask, and Man-Bat.
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 1. Batman fights an escaped Harley Quinn, who tries to flatten him with a giant gavel deathtrap. Note that, prior to retcons, this item originally took place prior to Year Six. However, thanks to changes made by New History of the DC Universe #3 and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3, which place Harley Quinn’s debut more recently, we must ignore Batman’s incorrect costuming.
–FLASHBACK: From Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the DCU #5. A bloody Batman fights a bloody Joker and Harley Quinn. It’s possible that this item is connected to our previous item, which is why I’ve placed it adjacently. Note that, prior to retcons, this item also originally took place prior to Year Six. However, thanks to changes made by New History of the DC Universe #3 and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3, which place Harley Quinn’s debut more recently, we must ignore Batman’s incorrect costuming.
–REFERENCE: In Heroes in Crisis #3—originally told in Green Lantern Vol. 4 #9. Batman and Hal Jordan reluctantly make amends, teaming-up to defeat the debuting Tattooed Man II (Mark Richards) in Gotham City.
–REFERENCE: In Green Lantern Vol. 7 #15. Bruce purchases several tropical islands. On at least one of these islands, he constructs (with metahuman assistance) a hidden Batcave filled with vehicles, materiel, and weaponry. Batman gives all Bat-Family members access to and alert notifications for the new island Batcave. On the isle, along with Hal Jordan (and other metahuman assistance), Batman plans out and begins construction on a new supersonic stealth plane called the BatWolf. While we won’t see it on our timeline ahead, Batman, Hal, Nightwing, and Oracle will sporadically work on the BatWolf prototype together in the months to come. Hal will personally test pilot the BatWolf, which will explode twice. Eventually, Batman will come to consider the BatWolf a failed prototype, keeping the final version of it on ice inside “Hanger X” of his tropical island Batcave.
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1000 Part 2. Batman fights Victor Zsasz as the villain tries to escape from Arkham Asylum.
–REFERENCE: In Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular Part 10. Catwoman, having just gotten intel from her pals Slam Bradley and Holly Robinson, notifies Batman that an escaped Joker is targeting a prominent senator at a Gotham arena. Presumably, Batman busts Joker thanks to the hot tip.
–Batman: Urban Legends #15 Part 2
Batman attempts to protect smalltime crook Brad Sampey from KGBeast, who has been hired by Penguin to kill him. (Sampey has worked for Penguin for the past decade and is set to give evidence to the DA’s office.) Unfortunately for Batman, Sampey is friends with Plastic Man, who comes to Gotham to complicate things. Batman reluctantly teams up with Plastic Man to go after Sampey. KGBeast tries to kill Sampey, but Batman and Plastic Man save the informant and bust the villain.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5. Hayden Sherman’s Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5 is an Easter Egg story about Batman’s Batcave trophies—and, while there are a lot of specific ones peppered throughout our chronology from this item, there are a lot shown that are pretty out of left field that don’t connect to anything historical. Therefore, we must assume that Batman goes on an adventure (or, more likely, series of adventures) netting him the following items as Batcave trophies: a large Art Deco-style robot, a little statuette, a massive Bat-symbol, a shield with letter A on it, a stack of retro TV monitors, some sort of machine with gears (possibly an engine of some sort), and giant crystals. We can imagine these memento-gathering quests happening back-to-back here on our timeline or they could easily be scattered throughout the chronology as well.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: One Dark Night #1-2. Batman deals with new electromagnetic-powered super-villain Edward M Pressler aka EMP, who feeds off of electricity and light and employs a gang of cult-like followers known as the Tazers. Batman bests the Tazers and sends EMP into a special holding cell at Arkham Asylum.
–Batman: Urban Legends #17 Part 3
Batman lets the superhero community know that he plans on freeing the people of Kahndaq from the tyranny of Black Adam. Batman busts some gunrunners, but he gets interrupted by Hawkman, who warns of the danger of going after Black Adam, citing the fact that the JSA has already tried and failed to depose him. Batman digs at Hawkman, asking if he’ll let him remember their conversation after it occurs, specifically referencing the mind-wipe scandal that he’s just recently learned about. Batman tells Hawkman to piss off and enters Kahndaq, quickly rousing up and organizing a large resistance force comprised of remnants of the former government’s military. Batman then challenges Black Adam, who acquiesces by powering down into his mortal form to make the fight even. As they duke it out, Black Adam gains the upper hand with superior fighting technique. Despite having the upper hand, Black Adam pauses the combat. He powers back up and offers Batman a sliver of his magickal power to wield back in Gotham, but the Caped Crusader refuses his dark gift. Meanwhile, the resistance force, having beaten Black Adam’s general Atom Smasher and his Feitheran warriors, blows a hole through the palace wall. An enraged Black Adam spares Batman’s life and orders him to care for his palace staff. Batman takes them to safety and departs the country as Black Adam violently quashes the rebellion.
–Batman: Urban Legends #22 Part 2
Batman discovers that someone has publicly leaked 3D printer blueprints for his Bat-weaponry. In conversation with Alfred, Batman notes that only seven people (besides Alfred) have been trusted with his grappling guns, Batarangs, and smoke pellets. (Plenty of people have technically had access to Bat-tech, but the seven who have actually regularly used the aforementioned specific Bat-tech are Nightwing, Oracle, Red Hood, Robin, Huntress, Azrael, and Batgirl.) Batman also tells Alfred he’s worried about another Red Hood incident. Soon afterward, Anarky reveals that he has hacked into Batman’s system and released the schematics. With unexpected help from some kids that have printed out Bat-weapons, Batman busts Anarky. Later, Batman scrubs the schematics from the internet.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #19 Part 5. Batman saves two unnamed people from Victor Zsasz.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #6, Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #10, Batwoman Vol. 3 #6, Detective Comics #967, Detective Comics #980, Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis #1, Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #6, Wonder Woman Vol. 5 Annual #2, and New History of the DC Universe #3—originally told in DC Countdown #1, The OMAC Project, “SACRIFICE,” and DC Universe Presents #0 Part 1. Batman learns that he was mind-wiped by several of his superhero peers four years ago, thus exposing the “mind-wipe scandal.” As a direct response, a pissed-off Batman and Mr. Terrific secretly begin working on “The Observational Metahuman Activity Construct Project” aka “The OMAC Project.” This scheme, meant to be the ultimate surveillance device/counter-measure against the threat of super-villainy and/or superhero overreach, consists of a super-AI program called Brother I, an orbiting satellite panopticon designed to monitor and police the globe using thousands of remote-controlled OMAC soldiers. Batman and Mr. Terrific don’t get very far in their programming before they run into problems. Despite not even being half-built, Brother I gains sentience and goes rogue (thanks to the secret machinations of a sneaky Max Lord, who has betrayed his fellow Checkmate operatives Sasha Bordeaux and Jessica Midnight). Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) catches wind of Lord’s shenanigans, but gets a bullet in his head courtesy of Lord. Enraged at the murder of her friend and seeing no other option, Wonder Woman snaps Lord’s neck, killing him on live TV! Reacting to Lord’s death, the re-christened “Brother Eye” attempts to go live early with plans to destroy all metahumans. Thankfully, Batman is able to defeat Brother Eye, who retreats from the planet. (Note that, thanks to Detective Comics #967, the narrative pertaining to this Brother Eye debut item is radically different from any prior incarnation, and this includes both the Modern Age and New 52 versions of the story, which were both based off of The OMAC Project.)[10]
–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Urban Legends # 1 Part 1—and referenced in Trinity Vol. 2 Annual #1 Epilogue, Batman Vol. 3 #33, Red Hood & The Outlaws Vol. 2 #16, Red Hood: Outlaw #35, Batman Vol. 3 #160, New History of the DC Universe #3, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3. Originally told in “UNDER THE HOOD” and “FAMILY REUNION.” Jason Todd finally makes his dramatic public return as the super-villain/anti-hero Red Hood. He makes his presence felt in the Gotham underworld by murdering eight top mob lieutenants and delivering their severed heads in a duffel bag to their bosses. Red Hood then plays mind games with both Batman and Nightwing while the heroes deal with Black Mask. Red Hood attacks Batman one-on-one and shockingly unmasks. Stunned at the fact that Jason is alive, Batman and the Bat-Family struggle in battle against him. The fight ends in a stalemate. Batman returns home to talk to Alfred about Jason’s return. A compassionate Alfred tells Batman that they both let down Jason, but Batman is unable to view him as a former pupil and son, now only seeing him as an unstable foe. Deep inside, Batman hopes (and will continue to hope) that Jason’s arrogance and rage will eventually subside.
–REFERENCE: In Teen Titans Academy #11 and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3—originally told in The Return of Donna Troy #1-4. Donna Troy is resurrected from the dead by the returning Greco-Roman gods known as the Titans of Myth (Coeus, Eos, Iapetus, Mnemosyne, Oceanus, Tethys, and Themis). The Titans of Myth are the sons and daughters of the union between the Mother Earth goddess Gaea, and long-banished father of the gods, Uranus. These Titans were the second generation of Greco-Roman gods that were imprisoned when the third and current generation (the generation of Zeus) took over. (The first generation consisted only of Gaia and Uranus.)
–REFERENCE: In Flash #762, Flash #768-769, Flash Forward #6, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3—originally told in Flash Vol. 2 #220-225. Wally West has recently married Linda Park (now Linda Park-West), who now gives birth to twins (Iris “Irey” West and Jai West)!
–FLASHBACK: From Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis #1 and New History of the DC Universe #3—and referenced in Justice League of America Vol. 5 #28, Doomsday Clock #6, Adventures of the Super Sons #1, Blue Beetle Vol. 9 #9-12, Detective Comics #967, Detective Comics #990, Detective Comics #1010, Deathstroke Vol. 4 #38, Flash Vol. 5 #61, and Justice League Vol. 4 #22, Batman Giant #7 (aka Batman: Universe #3), Naomi #4, Nightwing Vol. 4 #68, Dark Nights: Death Metal – Multiverse’s End #1, Dark Nights: Death Metal #4, Justice League Incarnate #4, Infinite Frontier #5, Dark Crisis: Young Justice #1, DC’s I Know What You Did Last Crisis #1 Part 5, Blue Beetle Vol. 10 #7, Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton Part 4, New History of the DC Universe #2-3, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3. Originally told in Batman #645-647, JLA #115-119 (“CRISIS OF CONSCIENCE”), JLA #121-123 (“WORLD WITHOUT A JUSTICE LEAGUE”), Catwoman Vol. 3 #51, Rann-Thanagar War, Nightwing Vol. 2 #116-117, Nightwing Vol. 2 Annual #2, and Infinite Crisis. Ever since the original “Crisis,” four people—Superboy-Prime, Kal-L, an alt-Lois Lane-Kent, and Earth-3’s Alexander Luthor Jr—have lived in exile in a pocket universe. Despite their entire timelines having been destroyed, Superboy-Prime, Kal-L, and alt-Lois have preserved their existence via cosmic magick. A scheming Superboy-Prime and Luthor Jr have concocted a sinister plan. Now unleashed upon Universe-0 (thanks to Superboy-Prime literally shattering reality via a meta-punch), they aim to recreate the multiverse as they see fit (at the expense of the very existence of the current multiverse). (While the alternate Superman Kal-L is reluctantly by their side, Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime are both being secretly influenced by the Great Darkness and Perpetua.)[11] For the first part of the dastardly plan, Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime, with the help of Kanjar Ro, initiate an interplanetary conflict, which devolves into the Rann-Thanagar War. Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime then initiate the next phase of their plan by rallying all the bad guys into a brand new Secret Society of Super-Villains. Black Mask says he will only join the Society if they help him kill Red Hood. In response, the Society sends Captain Nazi, Count Vertigo, and Hyena (Dr. Jivan Shi) after Red Hood. (Unknown to all, Hyena is actually secretly a Department of Metahuman Affairs agent.) Batman reluctantly teams with Red Hood to fend them off. The Secret Society shows its strength by killing several members of the Freedom Fighters—Uncle Sam, Phantom Lady (Delilah “Dee” Tyler), Black Condor (Ryan Kendall), and Human Bomb (Roy Lincoln). Shortly thereafter, the Justice League disbands. Kal-L, Luthor Jr, and Superboy-Prime (with the aid of Psycho-Pirate) then give Power Girl all her missing memories of her true history. Afterward, Luthor Jr and Superboy-Prime initiate the third and final part of their master plan, starting a new “Crisis” by severely damaging the Watchtower, attacking all the heroes, and ordering the Brotherhood of Evil (including Warp, Phobia, Houngan, Plasmus, and Gemini De Mille) to drop a Chemo onto Blüdhaven. Eventually, as per usual during these crises, the sky turns bright red. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman meet aboard the damaged Watchtower, during which Batman and Superman get in a heated argument and nearly come to blows. The crisis continues with a series of huge clashes—including Catwoman taking on Black Mask and Angle Man—and the brief return of an alternate Superman from another erased timeline (Kal-L). Black Adam fights Superboy-Prime and Psycho-Pirate, badly injuring the latter. Additionally, Jason Rusch is injured badly enough that his Firestorm partner Mick Wong dies. Martin Stein returns, merging with Rusch to once again be a part of the Firestorm matrix. Meanwhile, Batman, Mr. Terrific, and teenage Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) deal with a resurgent Brother Eye and his OMAC army. Blue Beetle gets his power from an alien scarab named Khaji Da, who is a member of the species known as The Reach. Unfortunately, Blue Beetle gets trapped in an alternate dimension. (In the Modern Age, Blue Beetle was exiled for a full year, and Blue Beetle Vol. 10 #7 specifically references this. However, there’s just no room for Jaime to be gone that long on our sliding-time-compressed chronology. He’ll be gone for around five months tops.) Batman and Mr. Terrific manage to put Brother Eye on the shelf indefinitely, but, before going down for the count, Brother Eye sends out a sliver of itself via a techno-virus, which winds up merging with flu shots all over America. Teenager Kevin Kho gets injected with the virus, becoming Brother Eye’s destructive lone new OMAC. (This time it stands for “One Machine Attack Construct.” While the magna pars of Brother Eye will remain unfinished and dormant inside the Bat-computer network, the sliver of Brother Eye that escaped will remain active and communicative whenever Kho morphs into OMAC. Thankfully, Kho will be able to resist the tiny bit of Brother Eye connected to his system, allowing him to relatively control it and become a superhero. Presumably, Batman and Mr. Terrific will monitor OMAC’s actions, moving forward. As mentioned above, thanks to Detective Comics #967, contemporary narrative pertaining to Brother Eye is different from any prior incarnation.) In Gotham, Dick proposes to Babs, but tells her not to answer until the crisis is over. Soon after, in what comes to be known as “The Battle of Metropolis,” dozens of villains are defeated. Many are also killed, including Judomaster (killed by Bane) and Luthor Jr (killed by Joker). Superboy-Prime kills Pantha, Bushido, and Wildebeest, after which he takes on the entire Green Lantern Corps—including Apros, Larvox, Penelops, Soranik Natu (Sinestro’s daughter), Green Man, and Salaak (aka Salakk). Nightwing is badly injured and goes into a coma. Eventually, Superboy (Conner Kent) sacrifices his own life to defeat Superboy-Prime. Wally West and his entire family are exiled to an alternate reality, leaving Bart Allen to take up the mantle of Flash. Plus, reality gets temporarily screwed-up and re-written, but the timeline eventually returns back to how it was before. Although, the collective memory blockage in regard to the greater multiverse is lifted, thus returning knowledge of it to everyone.[12] Luthor Jr’s corpse is put into secure storage by the JL, and it will be held in storage by all future incarnations of the JL. Note that the JL trophies are salvaged during this affair (thanks to automatic phase-shift technology), but the actual lunar Watchtower structure remains damaged beyond repair. While still technically standing and inhabitable, the team will not be able to use it, moving forward. Also of note, the Spectre chooses a new host: the ghost of recently murdered GCPD Detective Crispus Allen. Following “Crisis III” (“Crisis II” was the “Crisis in Time”), Dick wakes up from his coma. Babs returns his engagement ring and they decide it’s best to just remain friends. Batman, a temporarily de-powered Superman, and Wonder Woman decide to take a full year off, each going on sabbaticals. (New History of the DC Universe #3 and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3 both confirm that the sabbatical—based on the Modern Age’s 52 series—is a full year in duration.) Batman obtains a prison release for Harvey Dent, briefly trains him, and appoints him as Gotham’s temporary protector. Bruce, Dick, and Tim then travel abroad, where they will remain for the next twelve months or so. (Also of note, Starfire, Animal Man, and Adam Strange will spend the next twelve months exploring the cosmos while Booster Gold will spend the next twelve months fixing time anomalies.)
–REFERENCE: In Dark Days: The Forge #1, Dark Nights: Metal #5, The Terrifics #1, and The Terrifics #5. Mr. Terrific meets with a troubled and completely unstable Plastic Man, who has been having increasingly worse nightmares night by night. Realizing that Plastic Man’s dreams are linked to the ongoing dark metal investigation, Mr. Terrific runs tests on him with Bruce, who pauses his current sabbatical to assist. They learn that Plastic Man is a superconductor for dark cosmic energy—he’s literally been experiencing the nightmares of every living being on multiple universes. Further examination and extraction of molecules reveals that Plastic Man can physically access a twisted mirror realm known as the Dark Multiverse! After Bruce preps him and explains a priori ideas about the Dark Multiverse, Plastic Man agrees to help his friends by acting as a human probe of the Dark Multiverse. However, shortly after he crosses over, Plastic Man quickly returns in a state of utter catatonic shock. His nightmare visions increase tenfold and his impulse to give into pure evil becomes overpowering. Thus, Plastic Man puts himself into an inert (and unconscious) permanent egg shape. Bruce, Mr. Terrific, and select unknown others (likely the Outsiders) discuss the danger Plastic Man poses, even as an egg. They decide to put him into stasis and top secret storage. (Note that The Terrifics #5 specifically tells us that Plastic Man will be stuck in egg form for nearly five years.)
–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #5 and Action Comics #1004—originally told in 52 #3, 52 #5, and 52 #34. Bruce watches these public events unfold from afar while on sabbatical. Kahndaqi ruler Black Adam publicly executes super-villain Terra-Man, who had committed several crimes after violating Kahndaqi airspace. This sets an ominous precedent of extreme violence by Black Adam toward unsanctioned foreigners within Kahndaq’s borders. Meanwhile, in the States, a team of attorneys exonerates Lex Luthor of any illegal activity that he’s partaken of in the past year, basically giving him a fresh start with a clean slate. Luthor is able to pin every bad thing he did this year, including his Presidential criminalities, on his deceased alternate universe counterpart, Alexander Luthor Jr. Regaining control of LexCorp, Lex enacts the “Everyman Project,” which can turn anyone willing into a super-powered metahuman as long as their genetic make-up syncs with the procedure. People begin lining-up around the block to become superheroes. Unknown to the public, Lex has the control to turn the “Everyman” powers on and off. With hundreds given powers, Lex shuts them down without warning. Hundreds of flying “Everymen” plummet to their deaths. Downtown Metropolis is devastated with piles of bodies and a ton of property damage. (Lex will eventually be charged but acquitted of all crimes related to the Everyman Disaster. He will, however, suffer serious financial losses due to various lawsuits.)
–REFERENCE: In Blue Beetle: Graduation Day #4—originally told in Uncle Sam and The Freedom Fighters #1-2. Bruce watches this public event unfold from afar while on sabbatical. A resurrected Uncle Sam recruits a new Freedom Fighters, consisting of himself, new Black Condor (John Trujillo), new Doll Man (Lester Colt), new Firebrand (Andre Twist), new Human Bomb (Andrew Franklin), new Phantom Lady (Stormy Knight), and new Ray (Stanley Silver). This new team defeats Father Time and Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard. Father Time is the leader of the secret government peacekeeping agency known as SHADE (Super-Human Advanced Defense Executive). Father Time, as inquiring minds will want to know, is also a sentient microscopic creature that resides in the brain of its host body, which he replaces every ten years.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #969—originally told in 52 #33. Massive corruption swells within the ranks of the GCPD. Despite having a clean record and being an honorable man, Commissioner Akins is forced to resign. Jim Gordon comes out of retirement and becomes commissioner once again! Again, Bruce is currently on sabbatical abroad, but he would undoubtedly be following Gotham news.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Urban Legends #15 Part 1 and Batman: Urban Legends #16 Part 1—and referenced in Dark Nights: Metal #1-2, and Nightwing Vol. 4 #29. As part of his sabbatical, Bruce is a celebrant in the forty-nine day mystical askesis known as the Thögal (aka Tögal) ritual, during which he travels to North Africa and the Middle East to meditate for long periods of time in complete darkness. (While the flashback from Batman: Urban Legends #15 Part 1 and Batman: Urban Legends #16 Part 1 shows Bruce meditating in a dark cave in a Middle Eastern locale, it doesn’t say specifically that this is Thögal, even implying that the scene could be earlier. However, Bruce meditating in a dark Arabian cave like this can really only be a reference to one thing, right?) While undergoing Thögal, a concerned Zatanna interrupts, telling him it’s time to return to Gotham. She doesn’t say it explicitly, but she likely needs help with their ongoing occult ritual problem that they’ve had for years now. Zatanna even uses their special “reviver” code word in hopes of getting him to leave and reconnect with her, but Bruce ignores it. As the Thögal experience continues, Bruce learns that someone has seriously messed with his head, although he remains unsure of who is responsible (Simon Hurt) and what has been specifically done (the addition of a debilitating post-hypnotic trigger).
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Part 5, Detective Comics #1000 Part 10, and Batman Vol. 3 #159. September 21. Bruce and Dr. Leslie Thompkins visit Crime Alley (as they do every year on the anniversary of the Wayne murders). Bruce also visits the cemetery where his parents are buried.
–REFERENCE: In Batwoman: Rebirth #1, Batwoman Vol. 3 #7-8, Batwoman Vol. 3 #17-18, Lois Lane Vol. 2 #1, Lois Lane Vol. 2 #4, Gotham City Monsters #4, New History of the DC Universe #3, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #4—originally told in 52 #38, 52 #48, Detective Comics #857-860, and flashbacks from Detective Comics #948-949.[13] Batwoman (Kate Kane)—guided by her dad Jake Kane—debuts as a superhero. (Batwoman is Bruce’s cousin, and Jake is his uncle.) Along with Kyle Abbot, the Question (Vic Sage), and her girlfriend Detective Renee Montoya, Batwoman takes on The Religion of Crime and Bruno Mannheim‘s Intergang. Religion of Crime cultists stab Batwoman in the heart, but she survives and makes a miraculous recovery (likely with the aid of magick or a sci-fi cure). Immediately thereafter, the Question (Vic) travels to the Himalayas with Renee in hopes of finding a cure for his terminal cancer, but he dies just outside the mystical hidden city of Nanda Parbat. (Vic will eventually get revived in Nanda Parbat, but will remain off the grid for a while.) Renee returns to the States and debuts as the new Question. Shortly thereafter, with Jake guiding her, Batwoman spies on the Dark Knight, but Batman (taking a brief break from his overseas sabbatical) surprises Kate at home, telling her that he doesn’t approve of her vigilantism but won’t stand in her way. Unknown to Batman and Kate, they are secretly watched via hidden camera that belongs to Jake’s clandestine paramilitary group known as The Colony. (The Colony has been watching Batman ever since his debut.) Jake and his top man Simon Samuels (codenamed “Colony Prime”) view Batman conversing with Batwoman. A couple days later, after lunch with cousin Bruce, Kate realizes that Bruce is Batman and that he is testing her. Shortly thereafter, Batwoman fights her long lost twin sister Beth Kane, who returns to Gotham as Alice, the super-villain leader of the Religion of Crime. Alice attempts to bomb Gotham Harbor, but is stopped by Batwoman, Kyle Abbot, and Jake. Alice seemingly perishes during the chaos after falling into the harbor from a plane. (Spoiler: She’s still alive.) Angry, sad, and confused about all that has occurred, Kate cuts off all communication with her dad.
–FLASHBACK: From Action Comics #978, Superman: Son of Kal-El #1, and New History of the DC Universe #3—and referenced in Action Comics #1051 Part 2, Superman Treasury 2025: Hero For All #1, Superman Unlimited #1, New History of the DC Universe #3, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3. October. When arms dealers attempt to assassinate a nine-month-pregnant Lois, the Trinity break from their respective sabbaticals to take her to the safety of the Fortress of Solitude. Despite even more trouble, as an alien armada attempts to take over the planet, the Trinity allows other heroes to handle the situation in order to focus on Lois’ pregnancy. With Batman standing guard, a still de-powered Superman and Wonder Woman help Lois deliver Jonathan Kent (full name Jonathan Samuel Lane Kent aka “Jon”).[14] Batman immediately runs tests on baby Jon. Soon afterward, Lois and Clark begin maternity/paternity leave from the Daily Planet and move to a California farm to raise their newborn. Clark will spend the rest of his paternity leave and ongoing yearlong sabbatical focusing on baby Jon. However, this is Superman. He can’t help but do superhero things, even when he’s had a baby and is supposed to be on a yearlong break. Sneaky Superman builds a second Fortress of Solitude in the Himalayas and begins secretly fighting crime here and there while wearing an all-black costume. (Note that Action Comics #978 makes it seem like the black-costumed Superman will keep to the shadows while residing in California for years to come, but, thanks to various retcons, this isn’t correct.) For the next three years, Lois and Clark will be bicoastal, splitting residence between California and Metropolis. For this duration (i.e. the next three years), Jon will be raised mostly in secret at the California farm (then briefly at a farm in Hamilton County, NY), after which the family will permanently relocate back to Metropolis.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #140. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh (Batman’s subconscious backup persona), as he every so often does, temporarily takes over Bruce’s mind. During this blackout period, Zur-En-Arrh begins developing a new part of the ever-growing Failsafe program, which he deems the “Terminus Project.” The Terminus Project consists of a radical surgical procedure that will be able to pull the Zur-En-Arrh persona from Batman’s psyche and upload it into the Failsafe robot, to be enacted if Batman ever becomes permanently incapacitated. The idea is that, should the Zur-En-Arrh persona need to surface if Batman’s body isn’t healthy, it’ll have a place to live/something to control. While we won’t see it specifically listed on our chronology ahead, Zur-En-Arrh will sporadically continue secret development of the Terminus Project for many years to come.
–REFERENCE: In the second feature to All-Star Batman #11 and the second feature to All-Star Batman #14. Bruce learns of the horrific mafia-related activities of the richest family on the planet, the Myasnik family of Russia. This family runs the Myasnik Mob, specifically led by its patriarch Papa Myasnik and his daughter Victoria Myasnik (aka “Princess Vik”). Despite being notoriously criminal, the Myasniks control entire countries and are untouchable by the law. Bruce will follow news and rumors about the Myasniks with keen interest, moving forward.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3 #10. Bruce befriends one of the richest power couples in Gotham—Charles Gaynor and Janet Carlisle. While we won’t see it on our timeline ahead, we can imagine Bruce spending time with both Charles and Janet every now and then.
–REFERENCE: In Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen Vol. 3 #6. Bruce sees a stage show written and directed by Jimmy Olsen’s cousin, renowned Gotham playwright Janie Olsen. Bruce becomes an instant fan and will see many of her plays in the future.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1090 and Detective Comics #1092. Bruce properly meets Scarlett Martha Scott (Joe Chill’s daughter). They met briefly one time when they were just little kids. Martha becomes the youngest ever chief geneticist at WayneTech (at age twenty-six). Bruce and Scarlett will remain very close, moving forward. We’ll have to imagine them hanging out every-now-and-again on our timeline ahead, mostly outside of the office (since Bruce will rarely be in the office).
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<<< Rebirth Era Year 11 <<< ||| >>> Rebirth Era Year 13 >>>
- [1]COLLIN COLSHER / TODD CUNNINGHAM: The original Modern Age “Hush” is obviously different than our Rebirth/Infinite Frontier version in many ways. For one thing, the original was quite long in duration, spanning months. This is not the case on our current timeline, where “Hush” is quite compressed, taking up very little time at all. The Modern Age “Hush” also featured Batman revealing his secret identity to Catwoman, but, on our contemporary timeline, she’s already known his secret ID for around a decade. Despite this, Jeph “I don’t read contemporary comics” Loeb includes the following Batman narration (in Batman Vol. 3 #162): “It was when I first encountered Hush—that I decided I could first trust Selina. We both removed our masks. Revealing our true faces. I thought for a moment I—we could open up to each other.” Because the Bat and the Cat already know each other’s secret IDs, this line must be interpreted a certain way. Therefore, our Rebirth/Infinite Frontier version of “Hush” cannot include the Bat and the Cat’s discovery of each other’s secret IDs, but it can feature an attempt at a heightened symbolic level of trust between the two. The masks referenced here aren’t costume cowls, but instead are psychological barriers keeping them apart. Notably, the Modern Age “Hush” also showed interactions between Catwoman and Talia al Ghul, but, as per Tom King’s Batman run (which will show them having a first meeting later on), the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier version of events cannot (and does not) feature any dealings between the two. Harold Allnut was also a major player in the Modern Age “Hush,” but Harold isn’t canon on the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier timeline, so he is not in the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier version. Furthermore, Riddler discovered Batman’s secret ID in the Modern Age “Hush” (only to then lose memory of it later on). It’s unclear whether this occurs on our contemporary timeline, but since it’s a case of discovery then loss of memory, it’s a bit of a moot point.↩
- [2]COLLIN COLSHER: In the second feature to the New History of the DC Universe #3, Dave Weilgosz places the reformation of the Teen Titans (the Teen Titans Vol. 3 #1 epilogue to this item) after the reformation of the Outsiders (the next item on our list). This is an example of an instance where Weilgosz, who has unnecessarily mashed-up many things on his timeline before, opts not to, instead keeping things separate in order to perfectly mirror the Modern Age. But, in this instance, it’s actually way neater/cleaner to keep the reformation of the Teen Titans connected to Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1-3 and then have the Outsiders reformation occur immediately thereafter, which I have done.↩
- [3]COLLIN COLSHER: In Modern Age urtext, the Hawk featured in Teen Titans Vol. 3 #22-23 was not Hank Hall, but instead Dove’s sister Holly Granger. Doomsday Clock #5 implies that the Hawk in the Rebirth Era version of this event is still Hank Hall. However, this is a continuity error by Geoff Johns. Not only did Hank become the villainous Extant two years ago, he also died last year! As such, the new Hawk that joins the Teen Titans here should be Holly. This is also confirmed by Mark Waid’s New History of the DC Universe #4.↩
- [4]COLLIN COLSHER: In the second feature of New History of the DC Universe #3, with Stephanie Brown as Robin, we get yet another example of Dave Wielgosz compressing an item that should instead better mirror the Modern Age with more specificity. (As stated before, Wielgosz is likely just compressing certain items for readability/simplicity purposes, which is fine but technically incorrect.) On Wielgosz’ timeline, his Stephanie as Robin entry is a tiny blip (maybe even only a few days), occurring after Luthor’s ouster as POTUS and Supergirl’s return. However, contemporary canon mirrors the Modern Age by having Stephanie’s tenure as Robin last for 71 days. Therefore, instead of Wielgosz’s take, I also mirror the Modern Age, having Stephanie as Robin for 71 days, starting now. Numerous other stories—including Luthor’s presidential ouster and Supergirl’s debut—will go in the time frame between now and when Stephanie gets fired.↩
- [5]ISRAEL SILVA: The details of how Supergirl gets resurrected are not explained, although Mark Waid and Dave Wielgosz, in New History of the DC Universe #3 and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3, imply that Darkseid is somehow involved. In 2025 interviews, Waid said he had planned to use an element from around the publication time of “Supergirl From Krypton” (i.e. somewhere in the mid to late 2000s) to justify her return. However, he wound up not doing so, instead keeping things vague. In interviews of his own, Tom King has said that Superboy-Prime’s reality punching is a good explanation for Supergirl’s return. Superboy-Prime’s reailty punching would certainly be an “element” from the mid to late 2000s, but we don’t really know.↩
- [6]COLLIN COLSHER: In New History of the DC Universe #3, Mark Waid lists Superman/Batman #1-6 (Lex Luthor’s ouster as POTUS) and Superman/Batman #10-13 (Supergirl’s resurrection) going after Identity Crisis. However, in the very same issue‘s second feature, Dave Wielgosz lists Superman/Batman #1-6 and Superman/Batman #10-13 as going before Identity Crisis! You could go either way here, but I’ve gone with Wielgosz’s order in this particular instance (mainly because it makes placement of Stephanie Brown’s tenure as Robin much smoother).↩
- [7]COLLIN COLSHER: There is a long history of retcons associated with Lois’ pregnancy and Jon Kent’s birth. Here is the sordid background. The initial reference for Lois Lane’s pregnancy and Jon Kent’s birth came from Dan Jurgens’ Action Comics #978 (2017). Jurgens’ timeline from Action Comics #976-978 had Lois’ pregnancy going after Superman’s death/return and the Lois/Clark marriage. This mirrored the Modern Age, but it anachronistically forced Superman’s death/return and the Lois/Clark marriage earlier on the timeline (i.e. way earlier as compared to how it originally went down in the Modern Age) and placed Jon’s birth in Year 6 (2007). Lois Lane Vol. 2 #2 (2019) echoed this by saying that Lois and Clark married and had Jon in Year 6 (2007). Superman: Son of Kal-El #9 (2022) got close to echoing this by telling us that Jon turned eleven-years-old in Year 18 (2019), thus placing his birth in Year 7 (2008). However, Adventures of the Super-Sons #5 (2019)—specifically a summer story occurring in Year 18 (happening in-between school years as part of the continuous narrative of Adventures of the Super-Sons #1-12)—placed Jon at ten-years-old during summertime of Year 18 (2019), which meant that he was born in September of Year 8 (2009). Both Brian Michael Bendis’ original conception of Jon’s age from Superman Vol. 5 #1-15 (“Unity Saga,” 2019) and Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s Action Comics #1038 (“Warworld Saga,” 2022) confirmed Jon being born in Year 8 (2009)—with the latter specifically stating that Jon was nearing twelve-years-old by late Year 20 (2021). Furthermore, Joshua Williamson’s Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1 Part 1 (2022) said that the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier Era versions of Superman’s death/return and marriage to Lois mirrored the chronology of the Modern Age, meaning that Lois’ pregnancy and Jon’s birth, which were not even originally part of the Modern Age, didn’t necessarily bear any ties to her marriage in Rebirth/Infinite Frontier canon. Divorced from the marriage (pun intended), Lois’ pregnancy and Jon’s birth could go earlier—and, yes, out of wedlock. According to this logic, Lois’s pregnancy occurred prior to Superman’s death/return and the Lois/Clark marriage, which wouldn’t happen until a few years later. In any case, by 2022, all these contrasting variances stemmed from multiple writers clashing with one another when it came to Jon’s birthdate. Therefore, Jon’s birth year was a mess—and really was always a personal headcanon choice. Originally, the Batman Chronology Project chose to go with 2009 based upon the combination of Adventures of the Super-Sons #1-12 , “Unity Saga,” “Warworld Saga,” and Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1 Part 1 (trumping the opposition from Action Comics #976-978, Lois Lane Vol. 2 #2, and Superman: Son of Kal-El #9). However, in 2025, Dan Slott silenced all with Superman Unlimited #1, writing the definitive order of things via major retcon (presumably to clean up the mess into which he wandered). Superman Unlimited restored (with emphasis) the Modern Age order of events—Clark proposing to Lois, then Clark’s death/return, then Lois and Clark’s wedding, then Jon’s birth. Also in 2025, Dan Jurgens gave even more specificity/clarity in Superman Treasury 2025: Hero For All #1, which not only reflected the order of Superman Unlimited but also placed Jon’s birth after the “Superman Blue” saga. Furthermore, Superman Treasury 2025: Hero For All #1 showed Lois on her wedding day without even the remotest trace of a baby bump, implying she wasn’t with child on that day (or wasn’t showing yet). Therefore, Jon’s birth actually seemed to slot into Year 11 (2012). However, Mark Waid’s New History of the DC Universe #3 (2025) made yet another retcon, putting Jon’s birth firmly in the sabbatical year of 52 (following Infinite Crisis). Thus, this pushed Lois’s pregnancy and Jon’s birth both definitively into Year 12 (2013).↩
- [8]COLLIN COLSHER: New History of the DC Universe‘s failures are well documented and highly apparent (both generally speaking and on this website), and Mark Waid et al retconning Jon Kent’s birthday into the sabbatical year of 52 (following Infinite Crisis) is undoubtedly one of its more egregious narrative choices, a blunder that flies in the face of all reason (and all other stories). Moving Jon’s birthday into the 52 year was probably appealing to Waid and company because there (theoretically) was “a full year” for an off-panel pregnancy. However, it makes Jon far too young to be plausible—and, down the line, it’ll require a nasty cosmic aging event to push him to his “correct” older age. This is very bad, since we already have a separate Brian Michael Bendis age-jump in the mix, making Waid’s age-jump the second one required for this all to work. (We’ll address these age-jumps in greater detail when we get to them, don’t worry.) In any case, adding-in a nonsensical age-jump to fix Waid’s nonsensical birth placement seems like choosing one poison over another. There’s no lesser of two evils here unfortunately. If a fanwank is in order, we could headcanon that Barry Allen (New History‘s narrator) is simply wrong about Jon’s birthdate (off by years). However, I don’t want to disregard Waid’s intent—placing Jon’s birth in the sabbatical year is regrettably very deliberate on his part. I’ve tried to take Waid’s New History timeline as close to gospel as humanly possible (which has been no small feat, mind you). Believe me when I say, I’d happily ignore Waid’s take on Jon’s birth by using a fanwank (i.e. Barry is wrong), but that’s a slippery slope. If we start ignoring Barry on this topic, why not regard the entirety of New History as non-canon, fanwanking that Barry was tripping on mushrooms while drafting his chronicle? Honestly, I’d love to regard all of New History as non-canon, but the series is meant to be a source of canonical truth, warts and all.↩
- [9]COLLIN COLSHER / ISRAEL SILVA: Originally, in the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier continuity, thanks to Rob Williams’ Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #47 (2018), Owen Mercer never gets into the costumed vigilante game at all, instead becoming a wealthy inventor, tech industrialist, and arms dealer. In William’s version of things, Mercer never knew his dad growing up and doesn’t even meet him until Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #47 (i.e. at some point in Year Seventeen). Alex Paknadel’s Absolute Power: Task Force VII #5 (2024) confirms that Mercer does become Captain Boomerang Jr at some point, but without any specificity as to when. (Absolute Power: Task Force VII #5 , which occurs in Year Twenty-Three, conveys this by showing Mercer’s Captain Boomerang Jr costume on display in the Flash Museum.) However, despite not necessarily containing enough meat to definitively disavow Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #47, Paknadel’s inclusion of Captain Boomerang Jr certainly felt like an attempt to replace William’s history with the character’s Modern Age history. In any case, any lack of clarity was rendered moot with the release of New History of the DC Universe #3 (2025). In the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #3, Dave Wielgosz stated unequivocally that Mercer’s Modern Age history was indeed canon, thus confirming Paknadel’s prior move as a legitimate retcon erasure of Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #47.↩
- [10]COLLIN COLSHER: In the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2, here is yet another curious instance where Dave Wielgosz unnecessarily splits up stories that were previously intrinsically linked. In the Modern Age, Max Lord kills Ted Kord in DC Countdown #1, which leads directly into The OMAC Project (in which Max unleashes the OMACs), after which The OMAC Project fully overlaps with “Sacrifice” (in which Wonder Woman kills Max). Not only does Wielgosz split this all up, but he interjects a dozen or so items—including Red Hood’s public return, Donna Troy’s resurrection, and the birth of the West twins—in-between Ted’s death and Max’s death. It’s possible this is an attempted retcon, but I’m not sure. Usually, Wielgosz strays from mirroing the Modern Age when he wants to conflate certain stories into a more easily digestible/accessible narrative. However, this appears to be the opposite tactic. In this particular case, I’m not sure why he initiates this severance. Nevertheless, I’ve instead opted to reflect the Modern Age more closely here.↩
- [11]COLLIN COLSHER: As brought up earlier, for the intents and purposes of contemporary Rebirth/Infinite Frontier Era canon, Kal-L and Superboy-Prime are not from the original Golden/Silver/Bronze Age universes. Instead, they are from alternate timelines that merely resemble the old ones. Despite this, seemingly unable to articulate the details of Infinite Crisis without doing so, Mark Waid—in New History of the DC Universe #3—refers to Kal-L as “Earth-2 Superman” and Superboy-Prime as the “Superboy of Earth-Prime.” These Earth designations are technically invalid references to old canon. Although, as per Waid, it’s also clear that—in-story—Kal-L and Superboy-Prime themselves used these designations to describe their home worlds. As mentioned earlier, due to the strange physics of Universe-3 (the Antimatter Universe), it’s possible that Luthor Jr is from the contemporary canon version of Earth-3, thus not requiring the same caveat as the others. This is the direction I’ve taken. It’s a personal headcanon call, so if you feel that he’s not from the Earth-3, then he’d simply have to be from another unnamed alt-Earth that resembles the old Earth-3.↩
- [12]COLLIN COLSHER: New History of the DC Universe #3 describes this re-writing of reality and restoration of collective memory of the multiverse in the following way, with Barry Allen summarizing, “Luthor’s actions partially restored the multiverse to 52 distinct parallel Earths, with some lasting reverberations that made subtle changes to our own history.” Naturally, any changes to history are reflected in the very chronology you are reading here.↩
- [13]COLLIN COLSHER: Notably, Dave Wielgosz (with Mark Waid), in the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #4, places Batwoman’s debut next year, after “Battle for the Cowl.” However, this doesn’t jibe with prior Modern Age order, so it must be ignored. Nor does it jibe with the placement of Batwoman’s debut in Waid’s own New History of the DC Universe #3. Also, as mentioned previously, New History of the DC Universe‘s restoration of Bruce’s early years by moving his birthday from the early 1980s to the mid 1970s subsequently impacts Kate’s timeline as well. As such, instead of debuting at age twenty-seven, like Batwoman: Rebirth #1 says, Kate actually debuts at around age thirty.↩
- [14]COLLIN COLSHER: Mark Waid’s New History of the DC Universe #3 places Jon’s birth during 52 but shows the Trinity in their superhero costumes during Jon’s birth. This could imply that Jon is born just after the Trinity’s joint-sabbatical ends. However, Dave Wielgosz (with Waid) clearly places Jon’s birth directly in the middle of the sabbatical year (while still associating it with Superman in costume). As such, it’s best to place Jon’s birth within the sabbatical year as opposed to after it. We must assume the Trinity dons their costumes because this is an important event.↩
> “Mariko Tamki’s 2019 Wonder Woman run plays it vague whether or not Lord is killed by Wonder Woman (as he was in the original Infinite Crisis)”
In regards to Maxwell Lord in the Infinite Crisis saga, in Wonder Woman Vol. 5 Annual 2 there is a flashback to Blackest Night with a zombie Max Lord in the crowd (black shirt and noose on the neck), alluding to his death. There is a possibility that, similar to many things during the Rebirth Era around 2017 to 2020, Max death could be another case of memory blockage, one only undone after his revelation of the multiverse, but that’s more especulation on my part
Hey Israel! I didn’t even recognize that was Max Lord in that issue, thought it was just a random zombie. But yes, it’s definitely Max Lord, which means that he definitely did die! (And just like in the Modern Age, he returns at the end of Blackest Night.) I’ll make this correction. Thanks!
At the end of your Identity Crisis entry, you’ve got… “The New 52’s DC Universe: Rebirth #1 hints at canonicity, telling us that Atom and Jean are divorced, a split that happened after she became a murderer in the Modern Age version. But again, nothing concrete has been made explicit.”
However, in the Modern Age, Ray and Jean divorced LONG before then, sometime after the “Satellite Era” of the League, and well before he was stuck miniaturized in Sword of the Atom. His whole thing going into Sword of the Atom was how much his life sucked, and how he and Jean had never had a happy marriage because of all his time spent away from her with the League. In the Modern Age, during Identity Crisis, they were still divorced but kind of seeing each other off and on out of loneliness, and Jean’s whole motivation for murdering Sue and causing the whole thing was to drive Ray back into her arms permanently.
Hey Tim! Yes, that’s true, so I’ll correct this. Also, I think there’s enough evidence in current canon to show that Jean definitely was the serial killer. So I’ll update that as well. Thanks!
>”Note that, while Lord definitely shoots Kord in the head here to successfully silence him, Kord does not die.”
While rereading Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Infinite Crisis, the text on the beginning confirms that Ted Kord was indeed murdured by Max Lord.
Yes, you are correct. I’ll make this change. How Ted Kord is resurrected remains an unexplained mystery though.
It is, but It is not the first time someone originally died on a modern age-based story and later came back with very little explanation. Commander Steel and (kinda) the Question comes to mind. A possible explanation is that he was one of the ressurected in Blackest Night, or maybe he returned around the time of Flashpoint, coinciding with his apparences during the New 52/Rebirth based stories. (also, if Death Metal caused some people to came back from the dead, who’s to say the other crises didn’t too? But that’s just expeculation on my part)
I’d say that it likely has to do with Dr. Manhattan, especially since he returns in DCU Rebirth.
Point of notice about Owen Mercer. As far back as Task Force VII #5 we already knew he was Captain Boomerang at some point and had a statue of him put on the Flash Museum. Is not a New History retcon.
Oh thanks for that, didn’t see that tidbit in that issue. So, while the Task Force VII #5 image definitely confirms that he became Captain Boomerang Jr, it doesn’t necessarily contain enough meat to canonize his entire history. Personally, I think that it strongly hints at it, but we can take New History #3 as fully confirming it. So, you are correct, not quite a retcon, more of a full confirmation of a prior retcon. Thanks, again!
Just curious… any particular reason why Supergirl’s debut is placed before Public Enemies, rather than after as in the Modern Age? The Kryptonite asteroid they destroy in Public Enemies directly led into finding her ship after the asteroid breaks up and a chunk of it lands in the bay… Do Rebirth/current references show her appearing before Luthor’s presidency ends or something?
This is a bit of a mess as I was trying to best compromise between Waid’s New History of the DC Universe #3 and Weilgosz’s New History of the DC Universe #3, which, despite being the same title and despite these guys literally working together to write it, have conflicting timelines. I was also adhering to a true POTUS inauguration schedule for Luthor, which I’ll still do, but, you are correct, Superman/Batman #1-6 should rightfully go prior to Superman/Batman #10-13. I’ll fix this up. Thanks!