Rebirth Year Six

Rebirth Era (Post-“Superman Reborn”) Chronology

________________________________________________________________________________________

YEAR SIX (2007)
_____________________________________________________________________________

–FLASHBACK: From Gotham Academy: Second Semester #12 and Gotham Academy: First Year #1—and referenced in Gotham Academy: Second Semester #9-12. Batman busts pyrokinetic super-villain Calamity (Sybil Silverlock), who claims that the ghost of Amity Arkham, one of the long deceased matriarchs of the notorious Arkham family, has been possessing her. Batman defeats Calamity and rescues her young daughter, Olive Silverlock. Afterward, the trauma of this event causes all Olive’s memories of her mom as Calamity to become deeply repressed. Bruce puts Olive into an orphanage where he will watch over her for years to come. Batman also does research on Amity Arkham, discovering that the Silverlock family has a long history of mental illness, is related to the Arkhams, and is linked to Penguin’s ancestor Millie Jane Cobblepot. Bruce meets with Penguin, who brings a lockbox that once belonged to Millie Jane, at Wayne Manor. The lockbox contains information and items pertaining to Millie Jane, Amity, Ambroos Lydecker, and the cabalist tome known as “The Old Book of Gotham.” Bruce swipes the lockbox and puts it into a vault in Wayne Manor. Later, he studies the contents of the lockbox and realizes the importance of Gotham Academy to Gotham’s occult history. Bruce buys his way onto the Board of Directors of the prestigious school so he will always be linked-in and able to keep tabs without arising suspicion.

–Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #7 Part 4
Winter. Batman begins tracking violent Irish mobster Finn Molloy, who abuses and murders women and children with regularity. Batman follows Molloy’s trail to a church where he finds several murdered men, including a priest that had been tortured. At Malloy’s hideout, Batman runs into Etrigan for the very first time! (Etrigan’s human host, Jason Blood, trained Bruce many years ago, but Bruce never met the demon himself—not until now.) Etrigan has been summoned by a parent of one of Molloy’s victims and he now seeks demonic retribution on their behalf. Batman makes a wager—whoever nabs Molloy first can punish him as he sees fit. The next day, Batman saves the dead boy’s mother from Molloy, who had been hoping to cancel the hit from Hell by eliminating the source of the order. After some research, Batman determines that Molloy has hidden himself in Corben Park Church, which is Roman Catholic holy ground upon which Etrigan cannot tread. Batman easily nabs Molloy, who boasts that he’ll be back out on the streets in no time flat. Sensing truth in Molloy’s statement, Batman decides on a new plan of inaction. The gangster will never be able to leave the church for the rest of his life, for if he does, Etrigan will immediately kill him. Batman “concedes” to Etrigan and they part ways.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1-2. Batman meets the rookie superhero team known as the Doom Patrol—Professor Niles Caulder, Negative Man (Larry Trainor and symbiote Mercurius), Robotman (Cliff Steele), and Elasti-Girl (Rita Farr).^[1]

–FLASHBACK: From Monkey Prince #11. This item occurs specifically fifteen years prior to Lazarus Planet. Ultra-Humanite, who now inhabits the body of evil scientist Dr. Gerard Shugel and can change between white ape and human form at will, schemes to summon the Chinese demigod Sun Wukong aka Monkey King from the Phantom Zone using a Phantom Zone Projector of his own design. Aided by Dr. Gerard’s daughter and son-in-law (Dr. Laura Shugel-Shen and Dr. Winston Shugel-Shen), Ultra-Humanite opens a pathway to the Phantom Zone. Just as Monkey King is about to free himself, the Justice League arrives and smashes the Phantom Zone Projector in half, foiling Ultra-Humanite’s plot. However, before the portal re-seals, Monkey King’s baby son (Monkey Prince)—comes through. As the JL battles Ultra-Humanite, the Shugel-Shens secretly make off with the baby. After defeating Ultra-Humanite, the JL keeps half of his Phantom Zone Projector as a trophy in the Hall of Justice. Meanwhile, the Shugel-Shens, hoping to save their failed marriage, decide to keep the baby, naming him Marcus Shugel-Shen.^[2]

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Urban Legends #14 Part 1. Batman hangs out with Zatanna.

—^[3]

–Batman: The World Part 13
On Alfred’s recommendation, Bruce vacations in China and dines at a small family-owned hot pot restaurant where he meets the proprietor’s granddaughter, expert martial artist Kiki. Uncharacteristically, Bruce has his Batman costume in a duffel bag, which is partially unzipped, allowing Kiki to sneak a glance at it. Thankfully, she regards it just a fandom or cosplay thing. Bruce tells her that Batman is nothing more than an urban legend, emphasizing a running theme in this story—that certain pockets of provincial China still regard Batman as a myth that isn’t actually real. A day later, Alfred reveals the real reason behind sending Bruce to China. Several corrupt Wayne Enterprises board members have purchased several commercial and residential blocks, including buildings that house the hot pot restaurant, scheduling them for immediate evictions and tear-downs. Sent by the corrupt Wayne Enterprises officials, some goons trash the restaurant. This prompts Kiki to wear her very own Robin costume, becoming “Panda Girl” to challenge the Wayne Enterprises folks at their corporate tower HQ. Batman dons a special Chinese-themed Bat-costume (presumably something that Lucius Fox had been secretly working on with WayneTech’s Chinese affiliates) to provide support to Panda Girl. The next day, Bruce cancels all Wayne Enterprises property purchases and linked gentrification projects in the area. Bruce visits the restaurant and hangs out with Kiki and her grandfather.^[4]

–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #64 and Batman Vol. 3 #65. Batman saves three members of the Clover family (young Hank Clover and his parents) from a mugger.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Kings of Fear #6. Batman busts Riddler and his newest gang, which includes Sammy “Scalpel” Sanchez. Seeing that Sanchez is scared out of his wits, Batman decides not to beat on him like the others. Sanchez immediately turns himself in (and turns his life around).

–REFERENCE: In DC’s Beach Blanket Bad Guys Summer Special #1 Part 9—originally told in the Batman The Animated Series TV show. Gotham socialite Veronica Vreeland begins dating Penguin as part of a publicity stunt. Of course, Penguin, who has been in love with Veronica since they were teens, thinks the relationship is real. Eventually, Penguin discovers the truth, flips-out, and tries to kill Veronica. Batman saves her life.

–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #43-44—originally told in Batman #237. Jewish concentration camp survivor, Dr. Benjamin Gruener, goes on a killing-spree as the grim reaper-themed super-villain known as The Reaper. Batman defeats him. Don’t forget that the Reaper from the League of Assassins still exists as well, but he’s a different person. “The Reaper” is not a very original name, guys.

–REFERENCE: In Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #44. The Justice League defeats the aureate super-villain known as Goldface.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #3 Part 1. Batman shakes down jewel thief Salvatore Greco, who vows to go straight. While unseen on our timeline ahead, Batman will keep tabs on Greco.

–FLASHBACK: From The Infected: The Commissioner #1. From the shadows, Batman stalks some bad guys.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #79. For the second time, Catwoman steals the Coner Diamond from the Gotham Museum, but, as before, Batman steals it right back.

–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.

–FLASHBACK: From Green Arrow Vol. 7 #11—originally told in Justice League of America #94. League of Assassins member (and Green Arrow’s arch rival) Malcom Merlyn attacks the Justice League, taking down Batman, Superman, and the Atom all at once. Eventually, Green Arrow faces his foe one-on-one, fighting him to a stalemate.

–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #21, The Green Lantern #4-5, and Justice League Dark Vol. 2 #11—originally told in Justice League of America #96-98. The debuting cosmic vampire known as Starbreaker (along with his robotic hench-insects called Mechanix) gets the better of the Justice League. (Starbreaker aka Luciphage is of the alien species known as Sun-Eaters.) Rebounding, the heroes team-up with Sargon the Sorcerer, a veteran magick user and legendary hero of yore. Sargon wields the mystic Ruby of Life to turn the tide against Starbreaker. Green Arrow shoots a silver arrow into Starbreaker’s heart, killing him. Afterward, Sargon retires and gives his costume (which includes the Ruby of Life affixed to a turban and his cloak) to the JL. Sargon’s costume goes on display in the Trophy Room.

–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #35 and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2. Dick, now thirteen-years-old, reveals to Bruce and Alfred that he’s been accepted into an early college acceptance program at Hudson University in New Carthage, NY. Emancipated genius Dick has an early graduation ceremony (mid-semester) and immediately moves to New Carthage to begin preparing for his collegiate studies, which will begin shortly. Moving forward, Dick will travel back and forth from New Carthage to Gotham to perform his Robin duties. (Why is Dick only thirteen when he goes to college? Well, the upcoming stories in the coming years where Dick will be in college are concretely connected to other important canonical arcs. Because Mark Waid, in Batman and Robin: Year One #12, tells us that Dick debuts as Robin at age ten, that means he has to go to college very early.)

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #106 and Batman: Urban Legends #22 Part 4. Batman and Alfred decide to move their operating HQ into the downtown Wayne Tower. There, the Bat-operations occur in a hidden underground “Bat-Bunker” HQ that contains secret exits, secret entrances, secret elevators, and a lot of booby traps and security measures. (The Bat-Bunker is likely constructed with a lot of metahuman assistance.) Meanwhile, civilian residency takes place in the penthouse suite, which is secretly connected to the Bat-Bunker below. This downtown move only lasts for a very short time before Batman and Alfred move back into Wayne Manor.

–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #21, Infinite Frontier #0, Stargirl: Spring Break Special #1, Stargirl: The Lost Children #6, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2—originally told in Justice League of America #100-102. The time-displaced 1940s super-team known as The Seven Soldiers of Victory—Shining Knight (Sir Justin) and his flying horse Victory, The Vigilante (Greg Saunders), Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton), Stripesy (Pat Dugan), Crimson Avenger (with his sidekick Wing How), a Green Arrow duplicate, and Speedy duplicate—team-up with the Justice League and Justice Society of America to defeat The Iron Hand and Nebula Man. (Last year, Clock King I split Green Arrow and Speedy into exact duplicates of themselves and sent said duplicates back to the 1940s where they joined the Seven Soldiers and went on a series of adventures. As revealed in Stargirl: The Lost Children #2, the time-lost Green Arrow duplicate shaved his goatee to better fit in with the era.) During the SSV/JL/JSA conflict, Wing How and Red Tornado are both killed and mourned. Red Tornado is merely inert and will soon return. Wing How sacrifices his life to destroy Nebula Man. Afterward, the JL keeps a Star-Spangled Kid costume in their Trophy Room. Note that Shining Knight (an immortal warrior originally from the Middle Ages), Vigilante, Star-Spangled Kid, Stripesy, and Crimson Avenger all remain stuck in the 21st century where they begin new lives. Presumably, the Green Arrow and Speedy duplicates re-merge with their present day selves for good.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #10, Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #1 Part 2, Detective Comics #1000 Part 11, Robin Vol. 3 #4, Batman Vol. 3 #113, Shadow War: Alpha #1, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #2 Part 4, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5, and New History of the DC Universe #2—and referenced in Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #6-11, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1, Detective Comics #987, Infinite Frontier Secret Files #4 (Infinite Frontier Secret Files Print Edition #1), Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1, Deathstroke Inc #5, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2. Originally told in “THE SAGA OF RA’S AL GHUL.” Batman deals with the threat of the League of Assassins—led by his old teacher Ra’s al Ghul, who still desires to “purge” the planet via a drastic reduction of global population using any means necessary. Batman meets top League of Assassins scientist Dr. Moon and the Ubu Clan, a group of cult-like League of Assassins devotees. (Ra’s al Ghul’s right hand man is the leader of the Ubu Clan, who simply goes by Ubu.) Ever impressed by his adversary, Ra’s al Ghul enacts a plan to partner the Dark Detective with his daughter, Talia. Ra’s al Ghul wants the “perfect detective,” Batman, to bathe in the Lazarus Pits and carry on his legacy. The Caped Crusader becomes infatuated with Talia and they begin a whirlwind affair. Eventually, a shirtless Dark Knight sword-fights both Ra’s al Ghul and Talia in the Sahara Desert. Despite getting stung by a scorpion, stabbed in the chest, and left for dead, Batman defeats Ra’s al Ghul with some help from Talia, who seemingly betrays her father.^[5] Thus begins Batman and Talia’s tumultuous on-and-off-again love affair that will continue into next year. During this period, as referenced in Infinite Frontier Secret Files #4, Batman teaches Talia many things, including a mental defense/detection technique to prevent against telepathic manipulation. Also note that, while not specifically listed ahead on our chronology, Ubu #1 will be at Ra’s al Ghul’s side for pretty much all of his appearances—and Ubu will get his ass kicked by Batman pretty much every time they meet. Notably, Batman keeps the swords used in his desert duel against Ra’s al Ghul, putting them on display as trophies in the Batcave.^[6]

–REFERENCE: In Titans Vol. 3 #20-21 and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2. Green Arrow learns that his sidekick Speedy has become addicted to heroin. The superhero community does its best to support Speedy, who goes into rehab. Batman isn’t directly involved in this item, but he definitely hears all about it.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1105. Bruce is interviewed and poses for a photo for a cover story in a business/science magazine.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #23, Dark Nights: Metal #2, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2. Batman meets and befriends Swamp Thing, a Plant Elemental with the memories and personality of deceased scientist Alec Holland. Batman also meets Swamp Thing’s friends—Interpol agent Matthew Cable and his fiancée Abigail “Abby” Arcane. Swamp Thing is a member of the Parliament of Trees, a group of ancient elder Plant Elementals that keep watch over and control the Green (the mystic force that binds together all vegetal life). The Caped Crusader and several other heroes learn the exact location of the headquarters of the Parliament of Trees deep in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. Around the Parliament of Trees’ HQ, there grows a natural plant-killing exfoliant, which local tribesman destroy in order to protect their “plant gods.” (It is possible that the heroes visit, but this is not confirmed.)

–FLASHBACK: From Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #34. On the planet Altos-9, Batman, Superman, and Robin take down alien emperor Galtar, who has brainwashed hapless victims with his sentient Golden Eye weapon. After freeing those enslaved to Galtar and delivering the villain to the prison planet of Takron-Galtos, the heroes declare the case closed. Unknown to them, a second Golden Eye remains loose in the universe.

–REFERENCE: In Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the DCU #6, Green Arrow Vol. 7 #7, and Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1 Part 4. Originally told in Justice League of America #105. Elongated Man (Ralph Dibny) joins the Justice League. The heroes also meet Elongated Man’s wife Sue Dibny.

–REFERENCE: In Titans Special #1—originally told in Justice League of America #106. Red Tornado officially joins the Justice League.

–FLASHBACK: From The Joker Vol. 2 #15 and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #20 Part 1—originally told in Batman #251. Joker escapes from prison and begins his so-called “Five-Way Revenge” scheme, quickly killing his ex-henchmen Packy White, Philly Jack Barton, Alby, and Bigger Melvin right under Batman’s nose. Joker even kayos Batman, but he let’s him live because he wants him to keep “playing the game.” Batman eventually finds Hooley hanging above a shark tank at the aquarium, but the Dark Knight is able to save Hooley and bust Joker on the beach. Notably, Bat-Mite, Zatanna (sporting her old black-and-red caped costume), and John Constantine secretly watch Batman bust Joker here. Zatanna and Constantine prevent Bat-Mite from interfering in Batman’s business.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 3. Late March. In celebration of Batman’s “birthday,” an escaped Joker gets a buzz cut and tries to set the Dark Knight on fire. Batman busts Joker.

–REFERENCE: In Batman vs Robin #1—originally told in Superman #268. Batman and Superman defeat Effron the Sorcerer, after which Superman keeps his magickal Golden Eye artifact as a trophy. Later, Batman, Superman, and Batgirl take down the super-spy organization known as MAZE. Meanwhile, criminal Gunther Jacoby steals the Golden Eye of Effron.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #18 Part 2. Batman assists Jason Blood/Etrigan, Glenda Mark, and Randhir Singh (aka Randu Singh) against the threat of the undead.

–REFERENCE: In The Green Lantern #10, Freedom Fighters Vol. 3 #1, and World’s Finest: Teen Titans #1—originally told in Justice League of America #107-108. The Justice League builds a “Transmatter Cube” that allows them to travel through the Bleed. Using this tech, the JL and JSA travel to Earth-10 (aka Earth-X), a world where Nazis reign supreme. On Earth-10, our heroes help the Earth-10 Freedom Fighters (Uncle Sam, Black Condor, Cache, Doll Woman, Human Bomb, Phantom Lady) fight against Nazis in what becomes a multiversial mini-Crisis. Note that there is an Earth-0 version of the Freedom Fighters, although the JL and JSA have yet to meet them.

–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #4, Detective Comics #1003, and Tales of the Titans #4—originally told in Batman #255. Professor Achilles Milo turns Olympic athlete Anthony Lupus into a werewolf. Batman busts Milo, but Lupus escapes to Alaska. Milo is able to distance himself from Lupus, getting cleared of any wrongdoing.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Giant #5 (Batman: Universe #2), Batman Giant #8 (Batman: Universe #3), and Batman Secret Files #2 Part 1. Batman upgrades his costume. First, he makes his cowl irremovable (so it can only be taken off via special built-in computer code passcode). Second, as new pre-patrol protocol, Batman will stick electrodes onto his skin underneath his gloves, so that, should anyone else try to remove them, they will get a nasty electric shock. Via these electrodes, Batman will now be able to electrocute anyone he touches, if the need arises. And, last but certainly not least, Batman adds a special switch onto his boots that, when flipped, can emit an ear-piercing sonic blast.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #44 and Batman Vol. 3 #85—originally told in Batman #256. Batman and Robin work a murder case at the circus. Coincidentally, an escaped Selina Kyle has been working at the circus under a fake identity in an effort to free the captive tigers. When Batman and Robin dig around, Selina is exposed. Debuting yet another new costume (a red, black, and blue thingy), Catwoman fights Batman, rides one of the Siberian big cats like a pony, prompting Batman to chase after her on horseback. Batman busts Catwoman then returns to flush-out and apprehend the circus murderer with Robin.

–FLASHBACK: From Deathstroke Inc #4—and referenced in Justice League Vol. 4 #1, Doomsday Clock #6, and DC’s I Know What You Did Last Crisis #1 Part 7. Originally told in Justice League of America #111-112. The Justice League defeats The Injustice Gang, a team led by Libra and consisting of Mirror Master, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Chronos, Shadow Thief, and Tattooed Man (Abel Tarrant).

–REFERENCE: In the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #1—originally told in Justice League of America #113. Decades ago, JSA member Sandman’s teenage sidekick Sandy Hawkins was turned into a hulking sandstone/silicon monster. Unable to help him, Sandman simply put him in suspended animation in a secret cell. Now, a still-teenage and still-monster Sandy has finally broken free. The JSA and JLA chase and fight the rampaging Sandy across the country, eventually reverting him back to human form.

–REFERENCE: In Event Leviathan #6 and Black Lightning Vol. 3 #3—originally told in Detective Comics #443. Batman joins forces with Manhunter (Paul Kirk), Asano Nitobe, Interpol agent Christine St. Clair, and Kolu Mbeya to crush an army of Paul Kirk clones linked to The Council, a vast criminal enterprise that has existed clandestinely for hundreds of years. (As revealed in Action Comics #1010, Penguin is the current secret director of the Council.) Manhunter seemingly sacrifices his life to help defeat the Council. However, we’ll see Manhunter again (as per One-Star Squadron #3), so he’s not really dead or he’ll get resurrected—likely the latter as part of the conclusion of Death Metal. Notably, one of the clones survives. He will stay off the grid for years under the name Kirk DePaul, eventually taking up the Manhunter mantle.

–REFERENCE: In Hawkman Vol. 5 #26-29—originally told in Justice League of America #123-124. The JLA and JSA team-up to defeat the JSA’s semi-immortal rivals, the Injustice Society—The Wizard, Icicle, The Shade (Richard Swift), Sportsmaster  (Lawrence Crock), Huntress (Paula Brooks), and The Gambler (Steven Sharpe).

–REFERENCE: In Batgirl & The Birds of Prey #11 and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #10 Part 3—originally told in Detective Comics #468. Batman defeats The Calculator (Noah Kuttler).

–FLASHBACK: From Batman vs Robin #5—and referenced in Batwoman Vol. 3 #17, Green Arrow Vol. 6 #41, and Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3 #19. Originally told in Detective Comics #469. Batman fights the debuting Dr. Phosphorus, a radioactive super-villain that is secretly linked to Gotham City councilman Rupert Thorne. Despite being corrupt to the core and having Batman breathing down his neck, Thorne will avoid jail-time and remain on the City Council for years to come. Note that Rupert Thorne is the brother of the Crime Doctor (Bradford Thorne).

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #13—originally told in DC Special #28 Part 1. Quakemaster (Robert Coleman) challenges Batman by causing massive earthquakes to occur all over Gotham. Batman defeats the newcomer.

–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #5 and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2. Batman becomes aware that The Global Guardians, a previously defunct organization dating back to the 1950s, has now revived itself and become operational once again. (The Global Guardians are a multi-national defense corps that numbers in the dozens and consists of a rotating lineup of non-American superheroes.)

–REFERENCE: In Titans Vol. 3 Annual #1, Nightwing Vol. 4 #21, Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1 Part 1, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #14, and World’s Finest: Teen Titans #2-4. Originally told in Teen Titans #25-33 and Teen Titans #45-50. Bruce befriends fellow philanthropic billionaire Loren Jupiter, introducing him to Dick as well. Some new young superheroes—including Omen (Lilith Clay) and Cave Boy (Gnarrk)—join the ranks of the Teen Titans, which currently already includes Robin, Wonder Girl, Aqualad, Speedy, and Kid Flash. After the Teen Titans fail in a highly-public mission to protect Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Arthur Swenson from an assassin, the Justice League chastises them. Dismayed, Robin quits the team. Loren Jupiter begins bankrolling the Teen Titans for a brief time, helping them get back on track. Eventually, Jupiter steps down from his role and Robin rejoins the team. Soon afterward, new members join the Teen Titans: Hawk (Hank Hall), Dove (Don Hall), Bumblebee (Karen Beecher), Joker’s Daughter (Duela Dent), Golden Eagle (Charley Parker), Beast Boy (Garfield Logan), and Bat-Girl (Bette Kane). These young heroes form an affiliated splinter group known as Teen Titans West. (Teen Titans West doesn’t last for very long, and Bumblebee simply joins the ranks of the main lineup.) Note that, in previous continuity, Mal Duncan was originally a member of the Teen Titans during its Loren Jupiter phase. However, thanks to Mark Waid’s World’s Finest: Teen Titans #2-4, Duncan won’t become a superhero quite yet, so he can’t be a part of this item in current continuity.

–REFERENCE: In DC’s Lex and the City #1 Part 4. The Justice League protects a small fishing village in Maine from a kaiju called Raxodon. Shortly thereafter, the JL tasks the Teen Titans (Robin, Wonder Girl, Aqualad, Speedy, Kid Flash, and Bumblebee) with moving leftover trophies from the abandoned Happy Harbor Sanctuary up to the JL Satellite. (Writer Charles Skaggs implies that this moving job is what made the Teen Titans really bond with one another, but that’s bogus—they’ve been best pals for over a year now.) After all the moving is done, the Teen Titans defeat a resurgent Raxodon on the Happy Harbor shoreline.

–REFERENCE: In Justice League Dark Vol. 2 #8, Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #10, Flashpoint Beyond #0, Superman Vol. 6 #28-30, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #4—originally told in Justice League of America #147-148. A mini-Crisis erupts, forcing the JL to team up with the Legion of Super-Heroes (time-traveling superheroes from the 31st century) against the powerful evil wizard Mordru. Mordru is one the leaders of the Lords of Chaos. The Legionnaires involved in this item are Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy, Princess Projectra, Shadow Lass, Saturn Girl, Sun Boy, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, and Lightning Lad.^[7]

–REFERENCE: In Event Leviathan #1-6 and Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #3—originally told in Justice League of America #140-143 and Justice League of America #149-150. Eons before the institution of the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians of the Universe built their first peacekeeping armies, first the failed reptilian Psions, then the equally failed Manhunter Robots. Guess who’s back and harboring an angry vengeance toward their Green Lantern replacements? The current Manhunter Robots exist as an intergalactic police force with different planetary sectors, each locally run by a Manhunter Grandmaster. The Manhunter Grandmaster of Earth endows superpowers unto attorney Mark Shaw, who takes the apt name of Manhunter and attempts to kidnap Hal Jordon. Shaw soon realizes the error of his ways and helps the JL defeat the Manhunters. Shaw, now schizophrenic because of his new powers, begins moonlighting as both the villain Star-Tsar and the hero Privateer. The JL is forced to jail Shaw. (Note that Doomsday Clock #11 implies that Mark Shaw is a secret agent of the Department of Metahuman Affairs.) The JL keeps an inert Manhunter Robot as a trophy.

–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #30, Trinity Vol. 2 #16, Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #41, Doomsday Clock #5, Detective Comics #992, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2. The Justice League defeats the global terrorist organization/apocalypse cult known as Kobra (aka “The Kobra Cult,” “Kobra Kult,” or “King Kobra”), which has existed since around 3000 BCE. The Kobra Cult is led by Lady Eve and Jeffrey Franklin Burr, who goes by “Lord Nāga-Naga”, “Lord Nāga,” “Lord Nāja-Naja,” “King Kobra,” “Kobra King,” or “Lord Kobra.” Every Kobra leader has used some form of either “Lord” or “Lady” (or “King” or “Queen”) as a title since the time of the Pharaohs. Nearly every international criminal organization on the planet (and the North Korean Government) has ties to the Kobra Cult. The hierarchy of Kobra is fairly complex, but it works as follows. There are multiple subsections or splinter cells i.e. different “Houses.” In each House there are low-level members are called “Lanceheads,” mid-level ninja known as “Black Adders,” and their higher-ups—either “Nāgas” or “High Lords.” The top tier, which rules all Houses (and all of Kobra), is reserved for one dictator-like “chosen” cult leader. Batman will follow Kobra’s movements very closely, moving forward. Also note that Batman will fight against the Kobra Cult way more times than will actually be listed in these annals. Kobra himself will be one of Batman’s top rivals.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #992—originally told in DC Special Series #1. CIA agent Jason Burr fights the Kobra Cult, which is led by his twin brother Jeffrey Franklin Burr aka Lord Nāga-Naga (better known simply as Kobra). At a Lazarus Pit location in the Himalayas, Batman and Jason fight Kobra and his agents, but in the end the vile cult leader orders the execution of his brother. One of Kobra’s followers stabs Jason to death. Batman vows to bring Kobra to justice and solemnly returns to the States with Jason’s body in tow.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #35-36—originally told in Secret Society of Super-Villains #12. Batman helps Captain Comet battle the Secret Society of Super-Villains, featuring a lineup of The Wizard, Floronic Man (Dr. Jason Woodrue), Star Sapphire (Remoni-Notra), Reverse-Flash, and Blockbuster. Batman learns all he can about Floronic Man.

–REFERENCE: In Young Justice Vol. 3 #5—originally told in Justice League of America #152. The Justice League defeats Major Macabre after which, Red Tornado and Kathy Sutton adopt an orphaned Bialyan girl named Traya. Red Tornado and Kathy officially become the legal guardians of Traya Sutton-Smith.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #1 Part 2—and referenced in Batman: Kings of Fear #2, Batman Secret Files #2 Part 1, Punchline #1, Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1, Batman: Urban Legends #17 Part 2, and Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman #2. Originally told in Detective Comics #475-476. Joker finally unveils his “Laughing Fish” gag, putting his signature smile on all the fish in Gotham Bay, and killing many people in the process. (Joker first dabbled with beta-test versions of Joker fish years ago, but this is now the real deal scheme.) Joker’s toxins spread across the entire Eastern seaboard, destroying aquatic life across half the Atlantic. Meanwhile, after being denied copyright on his “Laughing Fish,” Joker murders a couple government copyright officials. Eventually, Batman puts a stop to the chaos. Afterward, Batman keeps and stuffs a Laughing Fish, adding it to his collection of Joker trophies. Batman also orchestrates the start of a major environmental clean-up. Having long had the ability to hack into security cameras via the Bat-computer, Batman sets up the ability to have said surveillance systems detect specific types of activity (in this case toxic fish activity), thus aiding in the clean-up process. While we won’t see it on our timeline ahead, Batman will utilize this tech again whenever necessary.

–Batman: Urban Legends #17 Part 2
Shortly following Joker’s major “Laughing Fish” gag, Aquaman and Mera pay Batman an angry visit, delivering to him a dead Joker Fish with claims that the environmental destruction is still running rampant deep beneath the seas. Batman taps into WayneTech’s Marine Biology Research Division data, which guides the heroes (with Batman taking his Bat-Sub) to a black hole-like source of trouble in the Atlantic Ocean. Upon arrival, Aquaman recognizes the anomaly as the “Sea Beyond the Veil,” a cosmic portal that had been bound by ancient Atlantean magick and guarded by fish creatures known as the Piscine Watch. The Piscine Watch, now killed or corrupted by Joker Venom, has allowed a giant squid monster known as a Creare to emerge. Batman, Aquaman, and Mera battle the Creare and its monstrous minions, but they eventually make peace with the aquatic oddities. Batman asks the Creare for a special organism that can help purge any effects of Joker’s influence upon sea life. The Creare and its brethren then depart, sealing up the portal behind them. With the Bat-Sub damaged, Batman rides a killer whale back home, courtesy of Aquaman. Back on land, Batman uses the Creare’s gifted organism to synthesize a remedy against Joker’s aqua poison. It’s also possible that Batman closes up some underwater gaps in the bowels of the Batcave as well, since he makes mention to Alfred about some problematically accessible entryways into their lair.

–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 2021 Annual—originally told in Detective Comics #477. Batman defeats the debuting Clayface III (Preston Payne). Unlike the other two Clayfaces, Payne must wear a special containment suit at all times.

–REFERENCE: In Flashpoint Beyond #6—originally told in Challengers of the Unknown #87. The Justice League helps the Time Masters (Rip Hunter, Jeff Smith, and Bonnie Baxter) defeat time-traveling interdimensional monsters. (Rip Hunter is Booster Gold’s biological father.) Both Batman and Superman find the Time Masters to be the most annoying and arrogant people they’ve ever met. Having appointed themselves as protectors of time itself, they have knowledge of everything past, present, and future, including the secret IDs of all heroes.

–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #2-6, Doomsday Clock #9, and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2. (This item supposedly occurs seven years prior to Doomsday Clock, but it actually mirrors the Silver Age, and thus occurs thirteen years prior to Doomsday Clock.) Professor Martin Stein, the secret head of the US government’s Department of Metahuman Affairs, initiates “Project Firestorm,” which is part of their ongoing greater secret “Superman Project.” Professor Stein orchestrates a nuclear “accident” that causes himself to merge with a teenager named Ronnie Raymond to become a single powerful metahuman. Ronnie, now sharing his consciousness with that of Professor Stein’s, debuts as the matter manipulating superhero Firestorm. Unknown to the superhero community, the DMA also creates several new metahuman agents: Captain Atom (Nathaniel Adam), Moonbow, Typhoon, Element Girl aka Element Woman (Urania Blackwell), Lady Clayface aka Lady Clay aka Clayface V (Sondra Fuller), and Killer Frost (Crystal Frost). Killer Frost II (Louise Lincoln), who will debut following the original’s death in a couple years, will also be a secret DMA agent.^[8] Similarly, the DMA begins manipulating Metamorpho, as his arch-rivals Simon Stagg, Doc Dread, The Prosecutor, and Stingaree all become secretly employed as DMA agents. (Doc Dread, the Prosecutor, and Stingaree each have either gotten powers from or had their powers amplified by the DMA.) It’s unclear but likely that Metamorpho doesn’t know that his rivals are being handled by the DMA, thus making Metamorpho an unwilling participant in the DMA’s activity. Last but not least, the Langstroms begin secretly working for the the DMA, which begins funding them in an effort to create man-bat metahuman soldiers. While Kirk has always been on-again-off-again friends/enemies with Batman, his villainous actions, moving forward, will be the direct result of the DMA’s influence.^[9]

–REFERENCE: In Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #7—originally told in Justice League of America #157. The Atom (Ray Palmer) marries Jean Loring. All of their superhero friends attend the wedding. (Sadly, the marriage will be a tumultuous one, and it won’t last more than a year until divorce.)

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #6 Part 2. Kirk Langstrom, as he often does, once again loses control, becoming Man-Bat. Batman fights Man-Bat, crashing together with him through the window of a young boy. Batman then injects Man-Bat with serum that reverts him back to normal.

–FLASHBACK: From Zatanna Vol. 3 #1—and referenced in Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #12. Originally told in Justice League of America #161. Zatanna Zatara joins the Justice League, helping them defeat her rival, The Warlock of Ys.

–DC’s Supergirl Next Door #1 Part 8
In Gateway City, the Justice League battles the Secret Society of Super-Villains, represented by Blockbuster, Star Sapphire (Remoni-Notra), Mirror Master, Matter Master, Captain Cold, Floronic Man, Cavalier (Mortimer Drake), Shadow Thief, and Malcom Merlyn. (Merlyn is Green Arrow’s arch-rival.) Worried about Black Canary’s safety, a headstrong Green Arrow teleports from the JL Satellite to Gateway City to assist. After the JL is victorious, Green Arrow and Black Canary share a smooch.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Urban Legends #14 Part 1. The Justice League (specifically Batman, Superman, Zatanna, and Red Tornado) defeat an unnamed villain. Afterward, Batman and Zatanna spend some quality time together.

–REFERENCE: In Zatanna Vol. 3 #1—originally told in Justice League of America #163-165. John Zatara learns that Sindella Zatara (his wife and Zatanna’s mother), long thought to be dead, is actually alive but trapped in the spirit world. John mind-wipes Zatanna, hoping to keep her (and the Justice League) out of the way while he tries to free Sindella. Meanwhile, the JL defeats super-villain Anton Allegro and soon learns about Sindella anyway. The JL and John use Allegro’s magickal music box to access the mystic Secret City of the Hidden Ones, home to ancient wizard species known as Homo Magus. The heroes then battle high sorcerer Abaddon and his minions. Zatanna restores Sindella, who uses her magick to destroy the villains, but at the cost of her own life. A funeral is held for Sindella.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #22—originally told in Batman #312. Calendar Man dons a brand new calendar-themed costume to challenge Batman, but the villain is easily busted.

–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #27 and Batgirl Vol. 6 #8—originally told in Detective Comics #485. Batman fights Bronze Tiger (Ben Turner), skilled assassin and recent (now ex) partner to famed kung fu master Richard Dragon. (Dragon once trained Batman back in the day.)^[10] Distracted by his fracas with Bronze Tiger (who has been brainwashed into serving the League of Assassins), Batman is unable to save Kathy Kane, who is supposedly killed by Bronze Tiger during a melee between rival factions of the League of Assassins, one of which is led by The Sensei (Ra’s al Ghul’s father). In actuality, Kathy has faked her own death in order to focus on running Spyral, the international spy organization that was once run by her dad Otto Netz. Batman mourns the loss of Kathy.

–Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular Part 4
Wonder Woman, Hal Jordan, and Flash defeat the returning Demons Three. Afterward, Wonder Woman plays therapist to Hal, who talks about all his recent civilian jobs. Later, at the JL Satellite, Wonder Woman then listens to the complaints of Hawkgirl. (Shiera will soon begin interchangeably going by both “Hawkgirl” and “Hawkwoman,” although to keep things simple, we’ll refer to Shiera only as Hawkgirl on the chronology ahead, especially since she’ll return to strictly using only the “Hawkgirl” moniker over a decade from now.) The annoying questions keep coming—Green Arrow asks Wonder Woman what to get Black Canary for her birthday and Robin, while on patrol with Batman, radios Wonder Woman to ask what sports teams to join. (Note that Vladimir Mikoyan’s Rocket Red #7 suit is shown in the JL Satellite trophy room. This is probably a continuity error since Mikoyan has yet to debut. Although, the Russian military’s Rocket Reds do exist at this juncture, so it is possible that someone in the JL might have gotten a suit somehow.) In Washington DC, Wonder Woman helps Flash bust Minister Blizzard, but he keeps bugging his partner for advice on whether or not to reveal his secret ID to his wife Iris Allen (née West) aka Iris West-Allen. Wonder Woman hasn’t even left DC when Superman accosts her, asking for assistance connecting with her military associate General Philip Blankenship. Fed up and frustrated, Wonder Woman goes home for some self-therapy with her magick lasso, which shows her that she should embrace her role as the respected matriarch of the JL. Wonder Woman immediately hops in her invisible jet and flies to Central City to have a coffee with Flash.

–REFERENCE: In Event Leviathan #2. An escaped Joker decides not to commit any crimes for once, instead following Batman around, simply trying to get the grim Dark Knight to laugh.

–Detective Comics #1027 Part 5
Batman, Robin, and Deadman defeat the Specter Collector, a villain that eats ghosts after summoning them via his magickal robot hands.

–REFERENCE: In Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #56. Dr. Kirk Langstrom helps Batman by whipping-up a strong knock-out serum, which the Dark Knight uses to defeat Solomon Grundy.

–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #8. Batman communicates with Superman via high frequency radio signal. With his super-hearing, Superman can “tune-in” to a specific signal to hear a live long-distance communiqué from the Dark Knight. Batman, when necessary, will use this method of contacting the Man of Steel, moving forward.

–REFERENCE: In Trinity Vol. 2 #12 and Batman Vol. 3 #63. Batman meets the cockney chain-smoking British wizard, arcane history buff, and magick expert John Constantine, who also happens to be currently dating Zatanna. Batman teams-up with both Constantine and Zatanna on an unspecified case. Batman also does a ton of research on Constantine’s background and history.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #85. Batman fights the debuting pirate-themed super-villain Captain Stingaree, not to be confused with the scorpion-themed super-villain known as Stingaree.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #6 Part 2. Kirk Langstrom, as he often does, once again loses control, becoming Man-Bat. Batman fights Man-Bat in a very public confrontation.

–REFERENCE: In Justice League Dark Vol. 2 #5. Batman brings down some gangsters with the assistance of Ragman (Rory Regan), the most recent in a long line of Jewish mystic guardians that date back hundreds of years. Ragman’s “Suit of Souls” is powered by thousands of spirits of evil men that have faced the wrath of the vigilante over the centuries.

–REFERENCE: In Challengers of the Unknown Vol. 5 #4 and the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2. Batman isn’t involved in this item, but he definitely hears about it. Black Manta murders Arthur Curry Jr, the one-year-old son of Aquaman and Mera.

–REFERENCE: In the quasi-canonical Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1—originally told in the Batman ’66 TV show. Batman and Robin bust piano-playing gangster Fingers (Chandell).

–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #41. Batman fights the debuting Colonel Blimp.

–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #39. Batman defeats the debuting Ten-Eyed Man (Philip Reardon).

–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #36. Batman busts the debuting Black Spider.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1 and Detective Comics #985. Batman fights Ra’s al Ghul again, learning in more detail about his thousand-year-old immortal history. Ra’s al Ghul tells the Dark Knight that he manages his a thousand years’ worth of memories by treating them like a compartmentalized “museum,” through which he can wander and recall things. The rivals wind up fighting at several Lazarus Pit sites, and the Dark Knight destroys several of the life-enhancing pools. Batman vows to destroy all Lazarus Pits in the world. (It is unknown how many there are in total.) While we won’t see this quest on our timeline, we must imagine that, every once in a while, Batman finds a Lazarus Pit and destroys it.

–FLASHBACK: From Catwoman Vol. 5 #17. Catwoman—having returned to her purple-and-green dress outfit—matches wits with Batman, who captures and cuffs her. Of course, there’s no way he doesn’t let the flirty feline villainess go.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Part 5, Detective Comics #1000 Part 10, and Batman Vol. 3 #159. September 21. Batman and Dr. Leslie Thompkins visit Crime Alley (as they do every year on the anniversary of the Wayne murders). Batman also visits the cemetery where his parents are buried.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 1. Batman battles a yet-again-escaped Joker, who captures him and puts him into a giant chattering teeth deathtrap. Presumably, Batman escapes and busts Joker. I’m sure this flashback is a reference to a Silver or Bronze Age story, but I’m not sure which exactly.

–FLASHBACK: From Superman: Son of Kal-El 2021 Annual. The Justice League takes on Lex Luthor and Metallo (John Corben), who threatens Superman with his Kryptonite heart. Wonder Woman takes down Metallo, allowing Martian Manhunter to secretly take the villain’s place as part of a ruse to defeat Luthor. Despite being behind bars, Luthor is able to arrange for an important witness to his crimes to be kidnapped. While Superman chats with Luthor in prison, Batman finds and rescues the witness.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1007 and Batman Vol. 3 #122. Batman designs a highly-advanced data-investigation device that can scan a holographic image of a crime scene, store the image into a zipped file, and run detailed analysis on everything within the image. Via a holographic augmented reality emulator interface, Batman can also engage with and manipulate the digitized crime scene. This Peter Tomasi-created super-tech, which is also linked-into the Bat-suit, is very similar to (and likely influenced by) the “Bat-Ops” system from the non-canon Batman/Shadow series by Scott Snyder. This type of tech can also be seen in Tom Taylor’s Batman: The Detective and Warren Ellis’ tragically-non-canon The Batman’s Grave.

–REFERENCE: In DC Holiday Special 2017 #1 Part 2. Bruce meets and befriends Edward Brandon and his wife Mrs. Brandon. They will hang out from time to time, although we won’t see these hangouts on our timeline below.

–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Mother Panic #11-12. Batman saves the life of late night radio talk show host Danny Ruby. Unknown to Batman, Danny Ruby is a teacher at Gather House, an experimental boarding school in Gotham that turns its students into obedient cybernetic assassins. (This item goes here because we know Gather House burns down ten years prior to Mother Panic/Batman Special #1.)

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #15. Batman and Robin connect their vital signs to special remote-monitoring devices (bat-shaped, of course) that they begin carrying in their utility belts. This way, should they be separated, they can always check to see the status of each other’s health.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1 and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #8. Superman introduces his fifteen-year-old cousin Supergirl (Kara Zor-El aka Linda Lee) to Batman and Robin. Supergirl was born in Argo City, a metropolis that survived the destruction of Krypton as a chunk of the planet that was blown into space as a floating asteroid. When a meteor shower destroyed the Argo City asteroid, Supergirl—the last survivor of Argo City—was rocketed to Earth just like her cousin did before. And just like Batman’s Bat-Family, Superman now has a Superman-Family aka Super-Family.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #14. Bruce asks Oliver Queen to partner Queen Industries with WayneTech on very expensive street military R&D projects. Ollie scoffs at the proposals and blocks the deal, calling the project ideas fascist. Despite also being a fellow billionaire, Ollie’s sociopolitical and economic views skew much farther to the left than Bruce’s. Compared to Bruce, Ollie is also a bit of a luddite, and he lets Bruce know that he’s not interested in Silicon Valley projects either. Even without Ollie’s additional financial support, Bruce will continue working hands on with WayneTech R&D projects in both the military and artificial intelligence fields.

–REFERENCE: In Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #1. Batman meets, befriends, and begins training rookie superhero Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce). Batman will train Black Lightning on-and-off for months to come.

–Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #12
Robin, Supergirl, and Black Lightning deal with a swarm of Man-Bats in Boston, after which Supergirl asks Robin out on a date. Soon after, Supergirl and Robin go on their date—in-costume at a fancy restaurant. Unfortunately, they don’t have any chemistry and things don’t go well. The date is interrupted when a truck full of bowling balls crashes on the street outside the restaurant, prompting them to briefly go into action. Supergirl and Robin finish out their date, but it still doesn’t go well. The next day, a dejected Robin mopes in the Batcave. Feeling like he’s having an identity crisis following the bad date, Robin designs a modified (blue-and-yellow) version of his dad’s Flying Grayson outfit—a proto-version of what will eventually become his Nightwing costume! Robin shows Batman the new design, telling him he’s thinking of changing his name, possibly to “Dark Eagle.” Batman tells Robin to buck up and shake it off, after which they go on patrol.

–World’s Finest: Teen Titans #1
Charley Parker (formerly Golden Eagle) retires from crimefighting and becomes the Teen Titans’ social media manager. In Maine, the Teen Titans take down a Satanic cult. (Notably, Robin debuts a new pair of pants that he’ll wear with regularity, moving forward.) Back at HQ, Robin chews out his teammates for having live-streamed the action online.^[11] Meanwhile, Robin still hasn’t told his teammates his secret identity. (There’s certainly a lot of public disinformation out there that makes the connection between the Dynamic Duo and Bruce/Dick seem less clear, but Robin’s teammates are aware he used to be a famous circus star and they’ve been to Wayne Manor, so either they know but aren’t letting on or they are the worst detectives ever.) Of course, they almost definitely know, but they want Robin to open up and tell them, as it would be a big step in his development and connection with the team. In any case, Robin is aware of this, and he asks Batman for his blessing to reveal the truth to his friends. But angry-ass Batman tells him he cannot. At Teen Titans HQ, Charley jokes with Bumblebee, using the phrase “Crisis on Infinite Hashtags” to describe their social media presence before he took the job. Of course, the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” hasn’t occurred yet, but our heroes would obviously be aware of the greater multiverse and its myriad alternate Earths. This is not only a nod to that knowledge, but also likely a wink at a few of the mini-Crises (i.e. Silver/Bronze Age Crises that were pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths) having occurred.^[12] Each Teen Titan hangs out with their mentor. Notably, Aquaman and Aqualad are shown riding their giant seahorses Storm and Imp. Later, in Pensacola, Florida, the Teen Titans defeat the Separated Man. Afterward, Robin once again argues with his teammates about them having photographed and live-streamed the action for public consumption. Meanwhile, in Metropolis, Haywire begins recruiting for what he calls a “better Teen Titans”—the Terror Titans.

–World’s Finest: Teen Titans #3
World’s Finest: Teen Titans #3 is said to occur on July 4, seemingly placing World’s Finest: Teen Titans #1 in late June. However, we are not there on our timeline, so the seasonal specificity must be ignored. The Teen Titans are the guests of honor at TitansCon—a Metropolis gathering of Teen Titans fans. Of course, Batman won’t allow Robin to go, so the Boy Wonder stays behind, moping around the Batcave with his mentor. At the convention center, shenanigans ensue, culminating with an attack by rookie magick villain Toyboy, who takes his unhealthy obsession with Bumblebee to the next level. Thankfully, Robin disobeys Batman’s orders and shows up at TitansCon to help bust Toyboy. Later, at Titans HQ, Charley Parker closes up shop for the night, noticing that Robin has remained in the building, obviously scared to return home to face Batman’s wrath. Meanwhile, Haywire rescues Toyboy from a prison transport, recruiting him onto the Terror Titans.

–FLASHBACK: From World’s Finest: Teen Titans #5. Several times, Batman angrily tells Robin he should quit the Teen Titans.

–World’s Finest: Teen Titans #6
In Star City, the Teen Titans (Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, Speedy, Aqualad, and Bumblebee) defeat the Terror Titans (Haywire, Toyboy, The Ant, and Tigress) with a little assistance from Oliver Queen. Via drone, Robin records the entire fight, which Charley Parker livestreams online. The celebration is cut short, though, as Robin says this could be his last time with the Teen Titans. He’s decided to tell Batman that he revealed his secret identity to his friends (which he did just prior to the battle against the Terror Titans). Robin expects Batman to fire him. Later, in Atlantis, Aqualad and Wonder Girl end a romantic connection but affirm friendship for one another. In Washington DC, Karen Beecher and Mal Duncan (now part-time Teen Titan member Guardian) do the opposite, officially becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Mal reveals that he’ll continue to be a superhero. In the Batcave, Robin tells all to Batman, who tells him he is suspended from costumed crimefighting for one month. Batman also tells Robin that he’s proud of his actions and that he’s a better leader than he could ever hope to be.

–NOTE: In Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1 Part 1. The Guardian (newest Teen Titan member Mal Duncan) officially changes his superhero name to Herald.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #8. Batman builds a heavily-armored high-tech combat mech, which he stores in the Batcave. This is the Scott Snyder-designed “Thrasher” mech-suit. Notably, this mech should have a black Bat-insignia on its chest, but it has been mistakenly colored red in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #8. It’s also possible this is a prototype version.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #8. Batman meets the scientific superhero Blue Beetle (Ted Kord).

–FLASHBACK: From Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #2. Superman saves Batman, who is trapped inside a giant green blob, possibly the living chemical bomb known as Chemo.

–REFERENCE: In Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #18, Action Comics #980, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41. Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman fight the Kryptonian super-villains General Zod (Dru-Zod), Ursa, and Non, who escape the Phantom Zone to attack Earth and team-up with Ra’s al Ghul. Superman painfully collects Kryptonite from deep space in order to best the Kryptonian villains. Once Ra’s al Ghul is bested as well, the heroes send the Kryptonian villains back to the Phantom Zone using a Phantom Zone Projector.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #4. The Green Lantern Central Power Battery on the planet Oa is repaired and upgraded, thus eliminating the power ring’s vulnerability to the color yellow. Hal Jordan lets his fellow Justice Leaguers know.

–REFERENCE: In Titans Vol. 3 #21-22 and Justice League of America Vol. 5 #27. The Doom Patrol rivals known collectively as the Brotherhood of Evil (Monsieur Mallah, The Brain, Garguax, and Madame Rouge) try to battle the Justice League, but the latter can’t be bothered by what they deem as a mere annoyance rather than a legitimate threat. Thus, the snubbed Brotherhood instead gets its collective ass handed to it by the Teen Titans and the Doom Patrol. Note that the Doom Patrol makes the now-unused Happy Harbor Sanctuary its headquarters, but only for a brief stint.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1105. WayneTech hosts a teenage science fair, which is won remotely by agoraphobic seventeen-year-old Leo Kingsford. (Ever since his dad was busted by Batman a few years ago, Leo has suffered sever trauma and has barely been able to leave home.) Bruce visits Leo at the apartment he shares with his foster mom Tracey. Ironically, Leo’s hero is Bruce Wayne but he hates Batman. Bruce gives Leo a trophy, a cash prize, and a pep talk before posing for a smiling photo with the boy.

–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #39. December. Having completed his first college semester at Hudson University, Dick decides to enter Hudson’s undergraduate law program, which requires him to move to Blüdhaven to attend Hudson’s branch campus located there. Note that, in Nightwing Vol. 4 #43, Dick says he has an “advanced degree in forensics.” However, this is bad throwaway line from writer Michael Moreci. Furthermore, in Tom Taylor’s Nightwing Vol. 4 #80, Dick says he has a “law degree.” This is another bad throwaway line. Dick is definitely a law student, but he will drop out before receiving any degree. Now, it’s possible that Dick, as a law student, is focusing on forensics (although “advanced forensics” doesn’t really sound like an undergraduate degree). In any case, he could simply be referencing his time spent studying with Batman—the highest “degree” one could get anyway. Or maybe he gets an honorary degree at some point? He is rich and somewhat famous, after all.

–REFERENCE: In Mother Panic #4, Mother Panic #8, and Detective Comics #969 Part 2. Batman fights the debuting Ratcatcher (Otis Flannegan), and knocks him unconscious before sending him off to prison. Ratcatcher will cross paths with the Bat-Family every once in a blue moon, and when he does, he will usually team with other villains. However, these super-villain team-ups won’t physically appear on our timeline below, so we’ll have to just imagine them sprinkled throughout the chronology.

–FLASHBACK: From Batwoman: Rebirth #1 and Batwoman Vol. 3 #6. Twenty-four-year-old Kate Kane (Bruce’s cousin) fights off a mugger and meets Batman. The encounter with the Caped Crusader inspires Kate to become a masked vigilante for the next few months. After that, Kate will go on a years-long training adventure all over the globe, after which she will eventually become the new Batwoman.^[13]

–FLASHBACK: From Batman/Spawn. Batman beats up Joker.

________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

<<< Rebirth Era Years 2-5 <<< ||| >>> Rebirth Era Year 7 >>>

1. ^[1]COLLIN COLSHER: An interesting note about Elasti-Girl aka actress Rita Farr. Doomsday Clock #3 tells us she was born in 1954 to Rachel Drake and Frank Farr, who was cheating on wife Barbara Stanwyck at the time. This makes Elasti-Girl fifty-three-years-old. Despite her age, we can assume her elastic powers allow her to look way younger than she actually is. And an interesting note about Robotman, as learned in Gerard Way’s Doom Patrol series, is that he is a fictional character that has come to life.↩
2. ^[2]COLLIN COLSHER: The introduction of Monkey King and Monkey Prince is writer Gene Luen Yang’s attempt to bring the 16th century Chinese mythology of Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West into DC lore. Aside from the Monkey Prince himself, we’ll later see Zhu Bajie, King Fire Bull (aka Bull Demon King), Golden Horn King, Silver Horn King, the Ruler of Flame Planet (aka Taishang Laojun), Devil Nezha, and other yaoguai demons. Interestingly, since Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball was initially based on/inspired by Journey to the West, Yang is more-or-less introducing into canon contemporary versions of Son Goku/Son Gohan (Monkey King/Monkey Prince), Oolong (Zhu Bajie), Ox King (King Fire Bull), Kinkaku (Golden Horn King), Ginkaku (Silver Horn King), Annin (Taishang Laojun), and Chiaotzu (Devil Nezha)!↩
3. ^[3]COLLIN COLSHER: Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 contains a one page splash entitled “Ollie’s Stupendous Chili Recipe (Just Like Mom Used to Make)”, which features an actual chili recipe and this era’s Justice League sampling the dish, with varied funny meta-responses. While this page is amazing, it isn’t meant to be canon (and isn’t listed in the table of contents)—it’s just meant to be a bit of meta fun.↩
4. ^[4]COLLIN COLSHER: Batman: The World Part 14 follows this item as the final entry in the Batman: The World title. However, it is non-canon, featuring a samurai Batman that lives in the Feudal Era of Japan.↩
5. ^[5]COLLIN COLSHER: The flashback from Robin Vol. 3 #4 that depicts this famous shirtless desert duel from “Saga of Ra’s al Ghul” shows Batman down-and-out with a sword impaled in his chest. This iconic image is actually only from Neal Adams’ cover to Batman #244. Nowhere in the original narrative does Batman actually get stabbed like that. But it’s now been canonized thanks to this flashback.↩
6. ^[6]COLLIN COLSHER: In the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2, Dave Wielgosz (backed by Mark Waid’s research) says that the “Saga of Ra’s al Ghul” features Batman’s first meeting with Ra’s al Ghul and Talia. Don’t forget, as per Chip Zdarsky’s Batman: The Knight, Bruce first met them years ago when he was training abroad. Of course, what Wielgosz means, quite literally, is that this is Bruce’s first meeting with them as Batman. Unfortunately, Wielgosz has overlooked Tom King’s Batman: Killing Time, which occurred a few years ago and actually shows Batman’s first in-costume encounter with Ra’s al Ghul. Wielgosz is correct, though, that this is indeed Batman’s first in-costume encounter with Talia.↩
7. ^[7]ISRAEL SILVA / COLLIN COLSHER: In the Modern Age, there were three versions of the Legion of Super-Heroes: the Earth-0 Legion aka the original pre-Zero Hour Legion, the Earth-247 Legion aka the post-Zero Hour Legion aka the “Reboot Legion,” and the Earth-Prime Legion aka the “Threeboot Legion.” In the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #4 (2025), Dave Wielgosz fully restores this concept, which had already been hinted at previously by Geoff Johns in Flashpoint Beyond #0 (2022) and Joshua Williamson in Superman Vol. 6 #28-30 (2025). However, Wielgosz, describes the Legion as “a massive group of super-powered alien teenagers from across the multiverse comprising various alternate-Earth teams who move through [Universe-0] as needed.” Notably, Wielgosz doesn’t label the Legions with their prior designations (instead merely calling each a variant version), which implies that any version of the Legion could come from any Earth or Hypertimeline. However, Wielgosz does specifically reference the comic book debuts associated with each version, and those are consistent with Earth-0, Earth-247, and Earth-Prime, respectively. In any case, the most straightforward way to deal with all these Legions is to handle it the same way it was handled in the Modern Age, by using the Earth-0, Earth-247, and Earth-Prime nomenclature. Moving forward, that is what we’ll be doing. There’s also a fourth Legion (Brian Michael Bendis’ version) and a fifth Legion (the Absolute Universe Legion), but we’ll address those when we get to them.↩
8. ^[8]COLLIN COLSHER: Twelve years from now, Firestorm arch-rival Killer Frost II will admit to being a government-created operative working for the DMA (also revealing that her predecessor Crystal Frost was a DMA operative as well). She will also accuse Firestorm, Firehawk, Captain Atom, and Firestorm’s other rivals Moonbow and Typhoon of being government-created DMA agents too. Firestorm will vehemently deny the charges (having no idea that his symbiotic partner, Professor Stein, is actually the secret head of the DMA.)↩
9. ^[9]COLLIN COLSHER: Dave Wielgosz’s second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2, while using specifically vague language, seems to imply that Kirk Langstrom becomes Man-Bat here-and-now thanks to the backing of the DMA. Mark Waid echoes this in the main body of New History of the DC Universe #2. This would line up publication-wise with where Kirk’s debut would go in relation to other Bronze Age releases (which is definitely Waid and Wielgosz’s intent), but having him debut here would ignore Tom King’s “War of Jokes and Riddles,” which places Man-Bat’s debut a couple years earlier. Thus, we must do what I’ve done here and regarded Man-Bat as having debuted years ago, but only now has he become linked with the DMA. Again, Waid and Wielgosz’s own language is vague enough that this isn’t even really a stretch and makes quite a bit of sense. Again, this is yet another case of Waid and Wielgosz ignoring the works of King.↩
10. ^[10]COLLIN COLSHER: Dave Wielgosz, in the second feature to New History of the DC Universe #2, claims that Richard Drakunovski debuts as Richard Dragon this year. However, this contradicts Tom King’s Batman: Killing Time, which tells us that Drakunovski already took the Dragon surname at least a few years ago. As mentioned earlier, Mark Waid and Wielgosz—in New History of the DC Universe #2—downplay Bruce’s training with Richard Drakunovski, essentially implying that it didn’t happen. Generally speaking, Waid and Wielgosz tend to ignore almost all of King’s works in New History of the DC Universe #2. So, it’s up to you to decide whether or not Drakunovski trained Bruce or not. Maybe Barry Allen, in-story chronicler of Waid and Wielgosz’s history, is simply unaware of the fact that Drakunovski trained Bruce?↩
11. ^[11]COLLIN COLSHER: Interestingly, posted on the wall at Teen Titans HQ, there is a “Birds of Prey” poster that shows an image of the guitar-playing Huntress of Earth-24 aka “Bombshells Earth,” a world perpetually stuck in World War II. This means that the Teen Titans must have had a crossover adventure with the heroes of Earth-24 at some point, taking this poster as a trophy afterward.↩
12. ^[12]COLLIN COLSHER: What are the mini-Crises that come prior to the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” on our current timeline? First, the original meeting of the JL and JSA versus the Crime Champions (originally “Crisis on Earth-1 and 2” aka “Crisis on Multiple Earths”). Second, “Crisis on Earth-3.” Third, “Crisis on Earth-x.” And fourth, the JL’s first team up with the 31st century Legion of Super-Heroes versus Mordru (originally “Crisis in the 30th century”). There’s also no reference to “Crisis from Yesterday and Tomorrow” or “Crisis Above Earth-1,” so they have both been left off our timeline. “Crisis on New Genesis and Apokolips” wouldn’t have happened yet by this point on our timeline, but it’s a moot point since it is non-canon on the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier timeline.↩
13. ^[13]COLLIN COLSHER: 2017’s Batwoman: Rebirth #1 gives us the official Rebirth/Infinite Frontier era version of Batwoman’s past. However, there are some errors (thanks to both Detective Comics #975 and New History of the DC Universe) and there’s absolutely no way to reconcile them. Here is Kate’s timeline of key events from Batwoman: Rebirth #1:

    Age 12 – Kate’s mom is murdered.
    Age 20 – Kate is kicked out of West Point for being gay.
    Age 21-22 – Kate becomes a wild party girl abroad.
    Age 23 – Kate’s alcoholic “lost year.” She returns to Gotham.
    Age 24 – As shown in this very item, Kate meets Batman. (From this point onward, Kate will sober up, dip her toes into vigilantism, and then begin training.)
    Age 30 – Kate will debut as Batwoman. (Batwoman: Rebirth #1 shows Kate becoming Batwoman at age 27, but, thanks to New History of the DC Universe retcons and in order for a flashback in Detective Comics #975 showing Kate’s mom’s funeral to make any sense whatsoever, she has to be older at the time of her costumed debut. This means Kate will have a significantly longer training period then originally intended.)

    Again, there’s no way to really make any of this work out perfectly. Certain items could be moved (the age 24 sequence could, for example, slide), but giving Kate a longer training period actually makes sense in some regard. It mirrors Bruce’s path, after all. It’s quite a mess, but we’ve done the best we could. For additional details, see a footnote in the Rebirth Early Days section.↩