The Joker is a supervillain and the archenemy of Batman. First introduced in Batman #1 (Spring 1940), he was originally a criminal mastermind with a devious sense of humor. Initially intended to serve as a one-time appearances, Joker's instant popularity ensured that the character would continue to appear, becoming a frequent enemy of the Dark Knight and Robin, the Boy Wonder. By the late 1940s, Joker had been reimagined as a harmless prankster. Falling into obscurity by the 1960s, he was re-introduced in the 1970s as a more legitimate threat and one of the most infamous criminals within Gotham City. In recent years, the character has taken on the persona of an evil-incarnate, simply taking joy in tormenting Batman or trying to push him into villainy. Widely considered Batman's arch-nemesis, the Joker has also been responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. His characterization has changed over the years, with the most common incarnation being a criminal mastermind who commits crimes for his own entertainment. Joker is also considered one of DC' most recognizable characters, with him also battling other heroes such as Superman and Wonder Woman. The character has also become an icon in popular culture, usually through his portrayals in various media related to Batman and other DC properties. Originally conceived as an evil "court-jester" type, the character was initially rejected by studio writer Bill Finger as being "too clownish," but he later relayed the idea to Bob Kane. Kane, who started out as a gag artist, loved the concept and encouraged its production. Finger found a photograph of actor Conrad Veidt wearing make-up for the silent film The Man Who Laughs, and it was from this photograph that the Joker was modeled. This influence was referenced in the graphic novel Batman: The Man Who Laughs, a retelling of the first Joker story from 1940. In his initial dozen or so appearances, starting with Batman #1 (1940), the Joker was a straightforward spree killer/mass murderer, with a bizarre appearance modeled after the symbol of the Joker known from playing cards. It is of note that in his second appearance he was actually slated to be killed off, with the final page detailing the villain accidentally stabbing himself, lying dead as Batman and Robin run off into the night. DC editor Whitney Ellsworth thought the Joker was too good a character to kill off, suggesting that he be spared. A hastily drawn panel, calculated to imply that the Joker was still alive, was subsequently added to the comic. For the next several appearances, the Joker often escaped capture but suffered an apparent death (falling off a cliff, being caught in a burning building, etc.), from which his body was not recovered. In these first dozen adventures, the Joker killed close to three dozen people, impressive for a villain who didn't use giant robots, mutant monsters, or space lasers, as was the status quo between 1940 until around 1942. Ironically, the turning point came in "Joker Walks the Last Mile" (Detective Comics #64), when the Joker was actually executed in the electric chair only to be chemically revived by henchmen. While the Joker was back, he was decidedly less deadly than previous engagements. At this point, the editors decided that only one-shot villains should commit murder, so as to not make Batman look impotent in his inability to punish such recurring foes as the Joker or the Penguin. As the Batman comics softened their tone, the Joker shifted towards a harmless, cackling nuisance. He quickly became the most popular villain and was used frequently during the Golden Age of Comic Books. The use of the character lessened somewhat by the late 1950s, and disappeared almost entirely when Julius Schwartz took over editorship of the Batman comics in 1964. In 1973, the character was revived and profoundly revised in the Batman comic stories by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams. Beginning in Batman #251, with the story "The Joker's Five Way Revenge", the Joker becomes a homicidal maniac who casually murders people on a whim, while enjoying battles of wits with Batman. This take on the character has taken prominence since. Steve Englehart, in his short but well-received run on the book, added elements deepening the severity of the Joker's insanity. Joker even had his own nine-issue series from 1975 to 1976 in which he faces off against a variety of foes, both superheroes and supervillains. This was a major change as he was now the protagonist and in every issue, he was always apprehended and never killed anyone, due to writers telling series creator Dennis O'Neil to make these changes. However, the development of the Joker as a sociopath continued with the issues "A Death in the Family" (in which readers voted for the character to kill off Jason Todd) and The Killing Joke in 1988, redefining the character for DC's Modern Age after the company wide reboot following Crisis on Infinite Earths. A major addition to the character was the introduction of the character Harley Quinn. Originally introduced in Batman: The Animated Series, Quinn is a clinical psychiatrist who falls hopelessly in love with the Joker in Arkham Asylum after he relays his tale of having an abusive father and a runaway mother, and now serves as his loyal, if daffy, sidekick, costumed in a skintight harlequin suit. Their relationship often resembles that of an abusive domestic relationship, with the Joker insulting, hurting, or even attempting to kill Quinn, who remains undaunted in her devotion. She was popular enough to be integrated into the comics in 1999 and a modified version of the character (less goofy, but still criminally insane and utterly committed to the Joker) was also featured on the short-lived live-action TV series Birds of Prey. Though many have been related, a definitive history of the Joker has never been established in the comics, and his true name has never been confirmed. Nobody knows who he truly is. Detective Comics #168 (February 1951) revealed that he had been a lab worker who turned to crime and became a criminal known as the Red Hood. In the story, the Red Hood was robbing a factory called the Monarch Playing Card Company and encountered Batman for the first time. He tried to escape from the Dark Knight by fleeing to the Ace Chemical Plant where he fell into a vat of chemicals. He survived but the chemicals had radically changed his body resulting in chalk-white skin, emerald green hair, and a bizarre ruby-red grin. The most widely cited back-story can be seen in Alan Moore's The Killing Joke. It depicts him as originally being an engineer at a chemical plant who quit his job to pursue his dream of being a stand-up comedian, only to fail miserably. Desperate to support his pregnant wife, Jeannie, the man agrees to help two criminals break into the plant where he was formerly employed. In this version of the story, the Red Hood persona is given to the inside man of every job (thus it is never the same man twice); this makes the inside man appear to be the leader, allowing the two ring-leaders to escape. During the planning, police contact him and inform him that his wife and unborn child have died in a household accident. Stricken with grief, he attempts to back out of the plan, but the criminals strong-arm him into keeping his promise. As soon as they enter the plant, however, they are immediately caught by security and a fatal shoot-out ensues, in which the two criminals are killed. As he tries to escape, he is confronted by Batman, who is investigating the disturbance. Terrified, the engineer leaps over a rail and plummets into a vat of chemicals. When he surfaces in the nearby reservoir, he removes the hood and sees his reflection: bleached chalk-white skin, ruby-red lips, and emerald green hair. These events, coupled with his other misfortunes that day, drive the engineer through the massive personality shift that results in the birth of the Joker. The story "Push-back" (Batman: Gotham Knights # 50-55), supports part of this version of the Joker's origin story. In it, a witness (who coincidentally turns out to be Edward Nygma, a.k.a. The Riddler) recounts that the Joker's wife was kidnapped and murdered by the criminals in order to force the engineer into performing the crime. In this version, the Joker was called Jack. In Geoff Johns' "The Three Jokers", the final pages also support the retelling as the Joker's origin. However, the story also implies that the Joker was abusive to Jeannie and that her death was staged to by the GCPD to allow her to go into witness protection. Bruce Wayne visits her and their child in the Canada wilderness, indicating he knows who the Joker really is. The second arc of Batman Confidential (#7-12) re-imagines the Joker as a gifted criminal and abandons the Red Hood identity, also called Jack, who is nearly suicidal due to boredom with his "job". He talks to a waitress, Harleen Quinzel, who convinces him to find something to live for. Jack becomes obsessed with Batman after he breaks up one of his jobs, leading Jack to attract Batman's attention at a ball. Jack injures Lorna Shore (whom Bruce Wayne is dating), leading Batman to disfigure his face with a Batarang. Jack escapes and Batman gives Jack's information to mobsters, who torture Jack in a chemical plant. Jack kills several of his assailants after escaping, but falls into an empty vat as wild gunfire punctures the chemical tanks above him, and the resultant flood of antidepressant chemicals alters his appearance to that of a clown, completing his transformation into the Joker. In flashbacks to Batman: Streets of Gotham, there was a boy known as Sonny who had gone over to Martha Kane's clinic at a foster home, who treated him kindly, and then ended up witnessing a horrific crime by some mobsters and got his jaw broken and infected with a laughing virus, with Kane's clinic saving him again. However, the mobsters proceed to firebomb her clinic and abduct Sonny as he was attempting to save Kane, and was repeatedly abused by the mobsters to such an extent that his already broken jaw was incorrectly aligned, with the mobster in question taunting him to "keep smiling" and stop frowning. It is heavily implied that "Sonny" would grow up to become the Joker. In Scott Snyder's run on Batman, Joker appears in the first arch of Batman: Zero Year (Batman (Volume 2) #25-28). Depicted as the leader of the Red Hood Gang, he led the group on an anarchical crusade to bring chaos to Gotham, claiming to have been inspired by the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne. The recruits were also average citizens in Gotham, though many were actually blackmailed into helping the group. Before Bruce became Batman, the Red Hood was hired by a pre-Riddler Nygma to attack Bruce Wayne, leading to him becoming a fixation. After a fight with Batman, the criminal purposely threw himself into the vat of chemicals, though a body was later recovered but could not be identified. During the later Endgame arch, there are hints that the Joker may have operated in Gotham long before Batman appeared. After discovering his use of Dionesium, Batman suspects that Joker, like Vandal Savage and Ra's al Ghul, may use the chemical to extend his lifespan. The story also mentions of a serial killer called the Pale-Man who operated in Gotham long before Batman's arrival, implying that the Joker may be centuries old. No recounting of the Joker's origin has been official confirmed as definitive, however, with many being brushed off as cover stories, lies about his former life and/or that he genuinely doesn't know his past. As he says in The Killing Joke: "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another... if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!" From the Joker's first appearance in Batman #1, he has been willing (and eager) to wreak as much havoc as possible upon innocent people in order to claim the mantle of Gotham City's greatest criminal mastermind. Throughout his decades-long war with Batman, he has committed crimes both whimsical and inhumanly brutal, all with a logic and reasoning that, in Batman's words, "make sense to him alone." In The Killing Joke, the Joker shoots Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Batgirl), paralyzing her below the waist. He kidnaps Commissioner Gordon and taunts him with photographs of what he has done to Barbara, in an attempt to prove that any man can have "one bad day" and become just like him, but fails to drive Gordon insane, despite giving him some serious trauma. Batman rescues Gordon and tries one final time to reach the Joker, offering to rehabilitate him. After a few moments of consideration, the Joker refuses, stating that it is "too late for that", but shows his appreciation by sharing a joke with Batman (which, surprisingly, receives an uncharacteristic laugh from the vigilante) and allowing himself to be taken back to Arkham. The Joker also murdered Jason Todd, the second Robin, in the story "A Death in the Family." Jason Todd discovers that a woman who may be his birth mother is being blackmailed by the Joker. She betrays her son to keep from having her medical supply thefts exposed, leading to Jason's brutal beating by the Joker with a crowbar. The Joker locks Jason and his mother in the warehouse where the assault took place and blows it up just as Batman arrives. Readers could vote on whether they wanted Jason Todd to survive the blast. They voted for him to die, hence that Batman finds Jason's lifeless body. Jason's death has haunted him since and has intensified his obsession with his archenemy. Psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel eventually ponders whether the Joker may in fact be faking insanity so as to avoid the death penalty. As she tries to treat the Joker, he recounts a tale of an absent father and runaway mother to gain her sympathy. Falling in love, she allows him to escape Arkham several times before she is eventually exposed. Driven over the edge with obsession, she becomes the criminal Harley Quinn and the Joker's closest sidekick. In a company-wide crossover, "The Last Laugh," the Joker believes himself to be dying and plans one last historic crime spree, infecting the inmates of 'The Slab,' a prison for super criminals, with Joker venom to escape. With plans to infect the entire world, he sets the super-powered inmates loose to cause mass chaos in their "Jokerized" forms. Meanwhile, he tries to ensure his "legacy" by defacing statues in his image. The entire United States declares war on the Joker under the orders of President Lex Luthor; in response, Joker sends his minions to kill the President. The heroes of the world try to fight off the rampaging villains, while Black Canary discovers that Joker's doctor modified his CAT scan to make it appear that he had a fatal tumor in an attempt to subdue him with the threat of death. Harley Quinn, angry at the Joker's attempt to get her pregnant without marrying her (to continue his legacy, through artificial insemination), helps the heroes create an antidote to the Joker poison and return the super villains to their normal state. Believing Robin (then Tim Drake) had been eaten by Killer Croc in the ensuing madness, Nightwing eventually catches up with the Joker and beats him to death (heart stopped). To keep Nightwing from having blood on his hands, Batman resuscitates the Joker with CPR. During the events of the No Man's Land storyline, the Joker murders Sarah Essen Gordon, Commissioner Gordon's second wife, by shooting her in the head as she tries to protect the infants that he had kidnapped. He did not, however, take any pleasure in the act, shown frowning afterward rather than with his trademark grin. He surrenders to Batman, but continues to taunt James Gordon, provoking the commissioner to shoot him in the kneecap. After lamenting the fact he may never walk again, the Joker suddenly begins laughing manically as Gordon just avenged the fate of Barbara. In "Emperor Joker", a multi-part story throughout the Superman titles, the Joker steals Mister Mxyzptlk's reality altering power, becoming a nigh-omnipotent being, and remaking the entire world into a twisted caricature, with everyone in it stuck in a loop, repeating the same patterns over and over. The conflict focuses on the fate of Batman in this world, with the Joker torturing and killing his adversary every day, only to bring him back to life and do it over and over again. Superman's powerful will allows him to fight off the Joker's influence enough to make contact with the weakened Mxyzptlk, who along with a less-powerful Spectre, encourages Superman to work out the Joker's weakness before reality is destroyed by the Joker's misuse of Mxyzptlk's power. As time runs out, Superman realizes that the Joker still is unwilling to erase Batman from existence, as the Joker totally defines himself by his opposition to the Dark Knight; if the Joker can't even willingly erase one man, how can he destroy the universe? The Joker's control shattered, Mxyzptlk and the Spectre manage to reconstruct reality from the moment the Joker disrupted everything, but Batman is left broken from experiencing multiple deaths. Superman has to steal Batman's memories so that he can go on, apparently transferring them to the Joker. During the return of new villain Hush to Gotham City, The Riddler hires the Joker to save him, offering the Joker the name of the crooked cop who killed his wife all those years ago. However, the Joker's attempted revenge is cut short when Hush attacks with Prometheus, forcing the Joker to retreat. After Jason Todd returns to life and takes over his killer's old Red Hood identity during the lead-up to Infinite Crisis, Jason asserts that the Joker was not quite as crazy as he leads people to believe. Jason attempts to force Batman to shoot the Joker, angered at Batman's refusal to kill the Joker despite what he'd done. Batman refuses, however, driving Jason away with a well-aimed batarang instead. At the conclusion of Infinite Crisis the Joker kills Alexander Luthor, hero of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths and villain of Infinite Crisis. In Batman #655, a captive shoots the Joker in the face. The Joker returns in Batman #663 after having undergone extensive facial surgery that has left him with a permanent smile and unable to speak coherently. While in intensive care at Arkham, he sends Harley Quinn to kill his former henchmen, having her use a more lethal version of Joker venom, in order to signal his "rebirth". The Joker has by now developed an immunity to this venom. In Countdown #50, Jimmy Olsen interviews an incarcerated Joker about the murder of Duela Dent, who had called herself the Joker's Daughter. The Joker states that he never had any daughter, and expresses awareness of the Multiverse's existence and of shifts in reality. The Joker appears as he did before Batman #655. The Joker is among the many villains transported to a remote jungle imprisonment planet where Psimon is elected as their leader. Joker gives up hope, thinking that he could never surpass Psimon in power, and sinks into a depression. Kid Karnival snaps him out of it and tells him about how he admires the Joker and how he wouldn't let anyone stand in his way, giving the Joker his confidence back to fight. When Psimon gives his speech, the Joker chucks a stone at the back of his head, stunning him. He then picks up a larger rock and pins Psimon to the ground, giving him a speech on his views on survival and beats him to death with the rock, destroying his brain in the process, proceeding to take command as chief. Lex Luthor questions his leadership and sends Iron Cross after the Joker with the intent of killing him. Iron Cross is killed by the Joker, upon which Splitshot attempts to kill him to avenge Iron Cross, but is eventually killed as well, being strangled by his own bow. Following this, Lex Luthor takes half of the villains and leaves to form his own tribe. Later, Gorilla Grodd takes over the Joker's tribe and is told by Monsieur Mallah to ditch the humans and form a society together, which results in Gorilla Grodd killing Mallah by smashing the brain case over his head after being insulted. Grodd, heavily wounded, asks the Joker to help him, being kicked off a cliff and being put into a coma in response. Later on, the Joker's camp invades Luthor's camp, resulting in an all-out brawl. It is then decided that the Joker and Lex Luthor should fight to the death. Luthor, despite having the upper hand for the first half of the fight, is beaten by the Joker. Nearing the end of their fight, the Parademons invade the planet. They decide to work together against the Parademons, managing to defeat the first wave, after which Gorilla Grodd recovers from his injuries, making an attempt at tearing the Joker's arm off in revenge. Another wave of Parademons invades, interrupting their fight. The Joker helps fight off the invasion, eventually running out of ammunition. He manages to trade guns with a gullible Parademon which he kills a moment later, taking its extra ammo and weapons, getting back in the fight to kill the rest of them. Eventually, after Lex Luthor uses elemental villains to power his teleportation machine, the Joker is able to escape from the planet, and the remaining Parademons are wiped out when Luthor rigs the machine to explode. From the media, to the films and his relationship with the Dark Knight, the Joker's personality could be the obvious. The Joker is a homicidal, psychopathic, ruthless, sadistic, maniacal, insane, manipulative, intelligent and diabolical lunatic and master criminal who wants nothing but chaos and anarchy wherever he goes, as well as reveling in the suffering of others. In most speaking roles, the Joker is often given a high-pitched, comical, bouncy, silly, and over-the-top voice that occasionally stoops down to a slight growl, in accordance to his clown-like appearance and maniacal personality, with the only known exceptions being his appearances in Batman: Under the Red Hood and the Tim Burton Batman film, both of which give him a comparatively deeper, though still humorous voice. The voice was implied in the animated adaptation of The Killing Joke to be a side effect of his falling into the vat of chemicals. In several sources, Joker's infamous brutality and insane nature was such that the Gotham criminal element feared him far more than even Batman himself, citing that while Batman was merely scary, Joker was downright terrifying and was even willing to inform Batman of his location just to get him off the streets. His malevolent, sadistic sense of humor and psychopathic tendency of murdering whoever he wants to depicts him as Batman's greatest foe and not even Poison Ivy or even Two-Face could possibly beat the Joker. The Joker is a genius but uses his intelligence for evil schemes in Gotham. However, he does not have any plan to kill Batman because he is "just so much fun" because he always plays his little "games". The Joker also likes to corrupt his enemies in various media and that is perfectly shown in the Dark Knight movie, when he manipulated Harvey Dent into getting revenge on those who were involved in Rachel's death just so that he can pledge more anarchy. In the Dark Knight Trilogy and the Batman Arkhamverse, there are two personality sides of the Joker-in the Dark Knight, his diabolically devious side is shown and in the Arkhamverse, his psychopathically ruthless side is shown but in both trilogies, the Joker is sadistic, evil, maniacal, chaotic, ruthless, murderous and rather cunning in his behavior. He has some on and off alliances and on and off rivalries with Batman's villains, such as Two-Face, Penguin, Catwoman etc. The Joker has a tendency of cheating death and escaping Arkham Asylum in order to create more chaos. At his most harmless, the Joker is still menacing and will endanger lives with no regard for the harm he causes while also pulling dangerous pranks for no reason other than to spread chaos. At his worst, the Joker would be best described as a living nightmare. A creature whose only purpose is to bring pain and death for his own perverse amusement. In the Dark Knight (and possibly for any other portrayal Of the Joker for that matter), Alfred Pennyworth is right about Joker, implying him as "one of the men who want to watch the world burn" The Joker actually wants to corrupt Batman by causing greater tragedies in his life so that he can get Batman to kill him or make Batman like him. Even though the Dark Knight has shown to be incorruptible and sticks to his moral code of not murdering his enemies and having them receive justice instead, the Joker never gives up because the more tragedies he causes, the more Batman will get angry at the Joker and thus, risk breaking his code. The Joker has a vicious, sadistic and ruthless mind of physically and mentally torturing his enemies or puppets. The perfect example is none other than Harley Quinn, who has an undying crush on the Crown Prince of Crime as he just uses her for his own diabolical schemes and he always slaps her and belittles her. The Joker also takes a lot of pride in his crimes, often freely admitting and taking credit for the crimes he commits. In fact, he has done it so many times that usually a surefire sign that the Joker is actually innocent of a crime is when the Clown Prince of Crime actually denies any involvement in it. In more recent incarnations, presumably due to the popularity of the version played by Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight, the Joker also frequently says "Let's put a smile on that face", or similar phraseology, when about to harm someone physically. While very much sadistic in his own right, he has limitations on what he would permit himself to do. In particular, he refuses to work with Nazis, citing himself as an "American lunatic," which was famously revealed when he turned against his ally Red Skull upon learning of the latter's ties to the Nazis (he had earlier been led to believe Red Skull simply disguised himself as one).

Wayne Enterprises (formerly WayneCorp) is a company in the DC Universe. Wayne Enterprises is owned by billionaire Bruce Wayne and run by his business manager Lucius Fox. It was founded by merchant ancestors of the Wayne family in the 17th century as a merchant house. It changed and gradually grew when it was officially erected in the 19th century when Alan Wayne, heir to Solomon Wayne, founded Wayne Shipping and Wayne Chemical. Along with Wayne Manufacturing, which came later, the Industrial Revolution fueled Wayne Enterprises into becoming a major powerhouse. In addition to providing an income for Bruce Wayne, the various activities of the organization help facilitate his Batman activities in Gotham City. Descending from "Mad" Anthony Wayne and his brother, Darius Wayne (a hero of the American Revolution), Charles Arwin Wayne managed the Wayne Family's then-modest fortune by buying cheap property and holding on to it as Gotham Town grew. As a result, upon his death at age fifty-two, Charles left a considerable real-estate fortune in the form of a merchant house which he left to his sons Solomon Zebediah Wayne and Joshua Thomas Wayne; both of whom became prominent citizens of Gotham Town in the late 1850s. Solomon's son of his second wife, Alan Wayne, would marry Catherine Van Derm; a member of the once-wealthy Van Derm family, and together they would have a son named Kenneth Wayne. With Alan spearheading the growth and development of the Gotham Railroads and creating Wayne Shipping, & Wayne Chemicals, and later Wayne Manufacturing, which took great advantage of the Industrial Revolution, Wayne Enterprises became a powerhouse. Kenneth's son, Patrick Morgan Wayne, saw the Wayne legacy through two world wars and built WayneCorp out of the ashes of the Great Depression and later developed WayneTech, whose aircraft plants and shipworks fueled American efforts in the Pacific War. His wife, Laura Elizabeth Wayne, inherited the Wayne fortune at age thirty-seven and became the first Wayne to direct the conglomerate toward ecological responsibility. Patrick and Laura's son, Thomas Wayne, as a doctor and philanthropist, would create and contribute the Wayne Foundation and its various divisions to the conglomerate. While his son, Bruce Wayne, would expand the conglomerate's focus to become a global powerhouse in a wide variety of fields, this diversity allowed him to use the conglomerate's resources for the better-ment of mankind by financing and providing resources for not only his own endeavors, but for the financing of various hero groups such as Young Justice, Teen Titans, Outsiders, Birds of Prey, and the Justice League, as well as combating poverty and disaster-affected areas. Wayne Enterprises is perhaps the only Gotham-based corporation to weather the city's earthquake and year of No Man's Land. The company ensured its continued survival by transferring the burden of its manufacturing to satellite facilities elsewhere. After fierce debate, the American congress reneged the No Man's Land and the ambitious "Billion Dollar Build-Up" Federal Works Project began, teaming LexCorp, STAR Labs, Wayne Enterprises, Wayne Foundation and the US Army Corps of Engineers in rebuilding Gotham from the ground up. Profits earned by Wayne Enterprises during NML were some for the first capital funds applied to the city's eventual rebuilding. Without hesitation, Wayne Enterprises exceeded Lex Luthor's investments in Gotham's future. Wayne Technologies, also known as WayneTech, is the biggest division of Wayne Enterprises. It is involved in the retrieval and research of alien technology. Its main rival is LexCorp. The subsidiary is sometimes used by Batman as a means to acquire new technologies. Other subsidiaries of WayneTech include: Holt Holdings Inc., Wayne Pharmaceuticals, and Wayne Healthcare. Wayne Biotech is the company mostly responsible for the Gotham healthcare system. The company itself is a facility for researching and developing new medical procedures and systems. It also trains and teaches a huge number of people annually. Wayne Chemicals and Wayne Pharmaceuticals work closely with Wayne Biotech to develop medicines for different diseases. The current research at Wayne Biotech is focused on finding the cure for cancer. Since the human genome has already been unlocked, Wayne Biotech is studying cloning to produce organs for future transplants. The company is involved in research into brain surgery methods, the fight against AIDS and HIV, and reconstructive plastic surgery. Batman uses Wayne Biotech as a research tool for finding medical information, patient histories and information on illnesses. Wayne Foods is a little known subsidiary of WayneTech mostly based in Gotham City. It runs farms and cattle ranches in the Midwest United States, and imports beef from Argentina and other countries. Wayne Foods produces specialized products like ecological foods and natural lines with no additives and controlled growing. Batman uses Wayne Foods as a means to keep tabs on the food produce market. In recent times, Wayne Foods has concentrated development efforts on organic produce, as a result of changing fashion and consumer demand. Wayne Shipping owns dozens of freighters and handles three and a half billion tons of freight each month and is used by Batman to gain an inside view on smuggling and drug trafficking. In 1986, Wayne Shipping merged with PAAL Ship Corporation, creating the worlds largest commercial shipping operation for precious metals. The former PAAL CEO, Andreas Milanic, successfully floated Wayne Shipping on the New York Stock Exchange in 1988. The Wayne Family currently owns 57% of the company, with Milanics second son Dragoslav, owning 20% (with the remaining 23% in public ownership). Despite a lack of investment in Wayne Shipping since the merger took place, the company still remains an important player in world ocean transportation. Wayne Steel is one of the oldest steel mills and metal refineries in Gotham and supplies steel for shipbuilding. It also studies and replicates alien technology. This has led to Batman getting priority on technology and alloys for him to study. Wayne Steel's alliance with the US Navy and the government has produced numerous contacts for Wayne Enterprises. WayneYards is responsible for the building of a large number of naval warships, commercial, and private ships and is currently building a Nimitz class aircraft carrier in Gotham. WayneSteel and WayneYards facilities repair a large number of cruisers and destroyers and also has contacts within the upper pylons of the Navy and the global maritime business Wayne Aerospace builds luxurious and exclusive corporate and private jets and airliners. Its experimental aviation branch produces experimental and research planes built for the United States government and NASA. The military aviation branch designs and manufactures jet fighters and helicopters for the US military. The most notable models of these are the W-4 Wraith fighter and the Kestrel attack helicopter. Wayne Aerospace maintains competition with other aerospace corporations like Ferris Air and LexAir. The division maintains facilities and vehicles at Archie Goodwin International Airport. Wayne Chemicals controls Wayne Oil, Wayne Pharmaceuticals and Wayne Botanical. Wayne Chemicals also has a small percentage of ownership in Tyler Chemicals, based in New York City. Wayne Chemicals is primarily a research and development firm. Wayne Oil researches petrochemicals and alternative fuel sources, at one time acquiring Luxor Oil. Wayne Pharmaceuticals is another one of Wayne Chemicals' research and development branches. Wayne Industries is Wayne Enterprises' main research and development division used for industrial purposes. The company studies, researches and develops cleaner, mechanical fission and fusion power plants and also owns many factories and normal labor units, from manufacturing cars to making cloth and so on. Wayne Mining is also a part of Wayne Industries, along with the few power stations the company owns. Wayne Mining mostly produces gold and some precious stones in Africa. Wayne Medical is Wayne Biotech’s sister company but both have different fields of study and work. While Wayne Medical also studies cancer and AIDS with Wayne Biotech, Wayne Medical is focused more on treating illnesses than researching them and maintains and runs many hospitals in Gotham City and helps the Wayne Foundation with the orphanages. Wayne Electronics is a large consortium that manufactures portable radios, stereo and Hi-Fi systems, movie cameras, cameras and electronics, measuring devices, scanners, surveillance equipment, computers and other electronics devices. Its other branches of business include information technology, wired networks, wireless networks and space exploration systems and satellites. It also has contracts with the aerospace, nautical and military industries. When Wayne acquired Kordtronics, it was folded into this division. Wayne Entertainment owns many arenas and stadiums across America, including facilities in both Gotham and Metropolis, leasing out the Sommerset Stadium to the Metropolis Monarchs. Furthermore, Wayne Entertainment has working partnerships with several modeling agencies and multimedia houses and provides a large number of contacts and information. Wayne Entertainment is in direct competition with WGBS (run by Galaxy Communications) and LexCom (run by LexCorp). Those companies, along with other television and movie companies provide the same services as Wayne Entertainment. Through Wayne Entertainment, Batman has contacts in the media and entertainment industries. The Wayne Institute is a think tank for people looking ahead to solve the next generation of problems confronting humankind. Many decisions on future development, particularly in Gotham, goes through this division. Wayne Research Institute is a catch-all research and development division used by Wayne to study issues and technologies that he thought might be helpful in his endeavors. The Wayne Foundation funds scientific research and helps research by providing facilities and training. Through the Wayne Foundation Wayne addresses social problems that encourage crime and assists victims in a way that his Batman persona cannot. The arrangement also provides him with a large network of connections in the world of charities. He finds out about the newest trends and newest arts, but at the same time maintains connections to the streets through the soup kitchens and social services groups, which augments his crime fighting efforts. The Thomas Wayne Foundation is a foundation for medicine and medical help. This foundation gives annual awards for medical breakthroughs and lifelong commitment, similar to the Nobel Foundation. The Thomas Wayne Foundation is also responsible for funding the Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic in Park Row, and the foundation funds and runs dozens of other free clinics all over the city and in other trouble cities like the Blüdhaven. Bruce Wayne's surrogate mother, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, ran the Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic in Crime Alley and governed other Gotham-based clinics until she left Gotham. The Martha Wayne Foundation is a patron foundation and supporter of arts, families, education and tolerance. The foundation supports and helps to run a number of orphanages and free schools, and provides teachers for those who have learning difficulties. Artists can apply for grants from the foundation to help support them in furthering the arts. The foundation sponsors companies like Family Finders Inc. in Gotham. Family Finders is an organization directed at finding lost people and uniting families. The foundation sponsors and runs dozens of soup kitchens within the city.

Batman Incorporated was a global non-profit organization publicly funded by Wayne Enterprises and Bruce Wayne. The group selects vigilantes from across the world to train and supply for crime-fighting purposes while also making them swear oaths. The team was created as a modern reimagining of the Silver Age's Batmen of All Nations which was a Batman-lead team-up of Batman-inspired vigilantes from all over the world. Members:: Gotham Operatives: 1. Batman 2. Nightwing 3. Batwoman 4. Batgirl 5. Red Robin 6. Red Hood Assorted: 1. Bat-Man of China 2. Batwing 3. Clownhunter 4. Dark Ranger 5. Ghost-Maker 6. The Hood 7. Lex Luthor (formerly) 8. Man-of-Bats 9. Raven Red 10. Mister Unknown 11. Batman of Moscow 12. El Gaucho 13. Knight 14. Squire 15. Nightrunner

Lazarus Pits are natural phenomena in the DC Comics universe. They are commonly used by Ra's al Ghul for their restorative powers and used to save the lives of those close to death. Lazarus Pits were accidentally discovered by Ra's al Ghul in an effort to cure a dying prince of the Sultan he worked for. Ra's al Ghul dug an experimental chemical pit where he discovered the restorative chemical pools that he dubbed a Lazarus Pit for its abilities to heal those at death's door. After using the pit to save the life of the prince, a side effect of the pit's restorative abilities revealed itself as the prince went mad and killed Ra's al Ghul's wife Sora. Blamed for his wife's murder, al Ghul was left to die, buried in the desert, but was soon rescued by his own tribe and a boy named Huwe. Afterward he used the tribe to gain vengeance for what happened to him and proceeded to call himself the "Head of the Demon". For centuries the pits served the purpose of prolonging his life as well as the lives of his uncle and the boy Huwe. However he eventually killed the boy and his uncle went missing. From that time he alone used the pits until he eventually fathered two daughters, Nyssa and Talia. Both have used the pits from time to time. It was not until he met Batman that others who weren't close to him learned of the existence of the Lazarus Pits around the world. Others who have either discovered or used the pits include: Jason Todd, The Black Canary II (Dinah Laurel Lance), The Riddler, Cassandra Cain, Lady Shiva, The Joker, Kobra, Nora Fries, King Snake, Duela Dent, The Batman Clone, Bane and Batwoman. Ra's, during a hospitable period, revived Dr. Brian Bryan, a close friend of Azrael. Kobra analyzed and duplicated the chemical composition of the Pits and used this information to build his own network, something Batman would discover during their very first meeting. The unique chemical composition of Kobra's Lazarus Pits enabled him to control the minds of those he resurrected. Beyond him, however, Bane and Batman together also served an important role in the history of Lazarus Pits: the destruction of nearly all pits on Earth. Now while supposedly only one pit exists, there are actually four remaining. The first belongs to Ra's al Ghul's daughter Nyssa, who also discovered a way to use the pits indefinitely — whereas before a pit could only be used once. The second is located in the Batcave, created by Batman after he learned that the Pits were necessary to maintain the stability of the world, but wanting to ensure that Ra's could never use the pit to return from the dead again. A third seems to exist high in the Himalaya mountains, used by Black Adam to revive Isis. In Batman Annual #26, published August 2007, a fourth Lazarus Pit was revealed to exist in the Australian outback. In Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, it is revealed that al Ghul has access to a "Fountain of Essence," which has similar longevity, rejuvenation, and youth restoration abilities, but it does not appear to have the insanity side effect. Having returned to life in a crumbling body, Ra's seeks a permanent young one to take as host, which he decides to be his grandson Damian. After a fight with the Sensei, who declares himself to be Ra's father, Batman is stabbed via a cane in the chest and pulls the Sensei down into the pit with him. Sensei is killed for being an unsick user, but Batman is healed to full health and slightly de-aged. In the DC limited series 52, week 6, Booster Gold enters Rip Hunter's lab to find a chalkboard filled with cryptic clues on different aspects of the DC Universe. One of them was the clue "The Lazarus Pit RISES". Lazarus Pits are composed of a unique unknown chemical blend that bubbles up somewhere within the Earth's crust to the surface at key points on Earth, typically at the junction of ley lines. The substance possesses the ability to rejuvenate the sick, injured and even resurrect the dead. The pits also decrease the age of the user depending on how long they stay submerged in the pit. If a healthy person goes into the pits, they will be killed in most instances. In addition to the pits' regenerative uses, their power has also been used as a weapon. When Nyssa confronts the Injustice Society, she claims that the staffs wielded by her soldiers "channel the power of the Lazarus Pits" and have the ability to destroy both Solomon Grundy and Gentleman Ghost. In the New 52, the Lazarus Pit's formula is a tainted variation of a chemical called Dionesium which in it's purest state is capable of perfectly healing wounds, resurrecting the dead and even the giving of super-powers. Dionesium was also responsible for the super-villain Vandal Savage, the Talons who work for the Court of Owls, and at one point the Joker. Though Lazarus Pits are undeniably powerful and useful, they come with side effects, both of which happen immediately after the user emerges. The user both becomes temporarily insane (although when it was used on the Joker, it temporarily rendered him sane) and gains increased strength for a brief period. Each of the Lazarus Pits can only be used one time by a user, however Ra's al Ghul's daughter Nyssa discovered a way to make the Lazarus Pits last indefinitely, though how she does this is never revealed.

The League of Assassins are a sect of highly trained warriors that act as bodyguards/mercenaries for the Brotherhood of the Demon criminal empire. They have sworn eternal loyalty to the man who calls himself Ra's al Ghul, the Head of the Demon. The League of Assassins was founded by Ra's al Ghul (exactly when is unknown) to be the "Fang that protects the Head." Members of the League demonstrated a willingness to die at a word from Ra's. They have included some of the most dangerous assassins in the world including Lady Shiva, David Cain, and master archer Merlyn. For much of its current history, any member to fail in an assassination was in turn targeted by the League (and indeed, one of its best-known members, the master-archer Merlyn was eventually forced to flee from the League, fearing for his life, having failed to assassinate Batman). In more recent years this policy has apparently relaxed somewhat. Ebeneezer Darrk, aka Doctor Darrk, was the first known individual assigned to head the League of Assassins by Ra's al Ghul. Darrk himself was seconded by the Sensei, a martial arts master from Hong Kong. Although many of the League's leaders over the years have been accomplished martial artists, Daark himself did not depend on physical prowess, and as an assassin, he instead relied upon careful planning and manipulation, ambushes and death traps, as well as a variety of cleverly concealed weapons and poisons. Although the League apparently had an inner circle of elite fighters as well as a large number of warriors trained in the martial arts, the League during Daark's tenure as leader reflected his personal methodology. Following a "falling out" with Ra's (the exact details of which were never made clear) Darrk kidnapped Ra's daughter, Talia. Batman became involved in this matter while attempting to bring the League to justice for a number of recent killings. Although he had connected the League to several assassinations over the years, all previous attempts to investigate had met dead-ends. Batman rescued Talia (the first time the two would meet, laying the foundation for all their future interaction) and Darrk died while trying to kill them. Under the direction of the organization's second known leader, the villainous Sensei, the League became more brutal and rebelled against Ra's' rule. Although The Sensei's methods closely resembled Darrk's, and the majority of the League's operatives showed little to no real skill in personal combat, The Sensei did show slightly more reliance on skilled martial artists. This version of the League is best known for two assassinations. As part of an initiation process, the operative known as the Hook was assigned to murder Boston Brand (who became Deadman after his death). Additionally, Professor Ojo successfully brainwashed Ben Turner (best friend and partner of Richard Dragon), creating an alternate personality dubbed The Bronze Tiger, and turning the master martial artist into a League operative. As The Bronze Tiger, Turner defeated Batman in personal combat while another League operative murdered Kathy Kane (the secret identity of Batwoman in pre-Crisis continuity, and a close personal friend of Batman's post-crisis). Eventually, Turner's training at the hands of the O-Sensei proved too strong for the League to fully break, and when he refused to kill Batman he was forced to flee the League. Not long afterward, the insane Sensei - no longer motivated by anything but a desire to raise assassination to an art - attempted to cause an artificial earthquake in order to kill a number of diplomats gathered for peace talks. Batman traced Ben Turner to a hospital, foiling a League attempt to assassinate the man. Turner could not fully remember the actions of his alternate personality (although years later, as a member of the Suicide Squad, he would reveal that the League had used him to kill a number of people) but he was able to aid Batman in uncovering The Sensei's latest plot. Although Batman was unable to prevent the earthquake, ultimately it was only The Sensei himself that died in the disaster, and control of the League returned to Ra's. It was more recently revealed that, prior to the betrayals of Doctor Daark and the Sensei, Ra's had grown tired of the fickle loyalties of his warriors. Ra's assigned David Cain to create a perfect bodyguard ("The One Who Is All"). After early attempts to raise such a person resulted in hopelessly psychotic children, Cain decided that he needed a genetically suited child and began searching for a possible mother. To this end he assassinated Carolyn Woosan/Wu-San, one of two astonishingly talented martial artist sisters he had seen fighting in an exhibition. Carolyn's sister, Sandra, swore revenge and tracked Cain down, only to be subdued by the combined might of the League. Both intoxicated and frightened by the levels of skill she was attaining now that she was no longer holding back for her sister's sake, Sandra agreed to be the mother of Cain's child. In return, the League spared Sandra's life and assisted her in further training. By the time Sandra gave birth she had surpassed the entire League in skill. She left immediately following the birth of her daughter, Cassandra Cain, rechristening herself Lady Shiva. Other stories would suggest that at some points afterward, Shiva worked as a member of the League, and eyewitness testimony from former League member Onyx indicates that she kept in contact with the League, although she apparently did not see her daughter. Although most of her appearances over the years show her working independently, she apparently had some degree of League membership and was called upon by Ra's to "rescue" Talia during the Hush storyline. In keeping with Ra's and Cain's plans, the League attempted to train Cassandra Cain from birth to be the ultimate assassin, unknowingly giving her the skills she would use as the hero Batgirl. After the death of Ra's, his firstborn daughter Nyssa Raatko formed a new League. Lady Shiva was recruited to serve as Sensei to this incarnation of the League, with the intent that Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) would lead the warriors themselves. Reflecting Shiva's emphasis for martial arts, the known members of Nyssa's League were all skilled in this area, and included the warriors Shrike, Kitty Kumbata, Wam-Wam, Joey N'Bobo, Tigris, Momotado, Krunk, White Willow, the twin warriors Los Gemelos, Ox, "The Mad Dog", Alpha, and Cristos. The new League was present when Mr. Freeze's wife Nora Fries was brought back to life as the monstrous Lazara, and several members died in the resulting chaos. Due to the conflict between their loyalty to Shiva and Nyssa and their near-worship of Batgirl as "The One Who is All", the League split at that point, with Ox, White Willow, and Tigris pledging themselves to Cassandra. Several more members of the League (including all the defectors except Tigris) died when the insane "Mad Dog" went on a killing spree. "The Mad Dog", it was revealed, had been one of David Cain's early attempts to create Ra's' perfect warrior. The Mad Dog had been considered useless as a child since Cain's methods had driven him murderously insane, and Ra's had ordered the child be killed. Nyssa, however, knew that the servant ordered to carry out this execution had instead released him into the wild, explaining how it was possible to recruit him. The Mad Dog was successful in killing Batgirl (who gave her life to protect the burqa-clad assassin Tigris). She was quickly restored to life in a Lazarus Pit by Shiva, in order that the two could face each other in a final battle. Batgirl won leaving Shiva on a meat hook suspended over the Lazarus Pit. While searching for the Swiss in Rome, Bane encounters Ra's al Ghul's daughter, Talia. She introduces Bane to her father, and eventually, Bane impresses Ra's so much that he chooses Bane as his heir (an "honor" he had previously imparted on Batman). Ra's al Ghul and Bane then launch a plague attack on Gotham in the "Legacy" storyline. Bruce Wayne, again costumed as Batman, gets his rematch with Bane in Detective Comics #701 (September 1996) and finally defeats him in single combat. Since then, whenever Batman and Bane square off in battle, their fights usually end in a draw.The alliance between Ra's and Bane fell apart when he attempted to mate Bane with Talia;only Talia was repulsed by the "oaf". For a time, Bane dedicated himself to destroying as many Lazarus Pits as he could locate;tp deny Ra's his immortality. Although most of its members had died or defected, the League survived the Infinite Crisis and was seen to play an important role in The Society's world-wide prisonbreak. Throughout the period of the aftermath, it remained under the control of Nyssa until she was apparently killed in a car explosion. Cassandra Cain has apparently taken over the League as its new leader, although she abandoned the league at some point prior to the Teen Titans storyline Titans East, where it is revealed that she was being drugged by Deathstroke. Furthermore, it appears that Cassandra was battling for complete control of the League of Assassins with Ra's Al Ghul's youngest daughter Talia, as well as the Sensei. Talia who would naturally assume control of her father's empire by default following Nyssa's death has recently been seen in the Batman & Son storyline, leading ninja members of the League of Assassins, against Batman. At the same time, several members felt neither Talia nor Cassandra were up to the role, and, after failing to recruit Black Canary's adopted daughter Sin, gave the leadership to the Sensei, who recently reappeared in the Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul storyline. In the One Year Later event, Talia later forced Kirk Langstrom to give her the Man-Bat formula which she used to turn some of its members into Man-Bats. In the series Green Arrow/Black Canary #11, a metahuman faction of the League of Assassins was introduced. They were involved in the abduction of an injured Connor Hawke. These groups members included Bear (a Mexican yeti-like man), Tolliver (a vampire), Ruck (a four-armed gunman), Spike (a female martial artist capable of creating energy blades), Mazone (a bearded Samurai), and their leader Targa (a telekinetic little person). However, although they thought they were being commanded by Ra's al Ghul, they were apparently duped by an imposter, Shado. It was later revealed that while Cassandra Cain was leading the League, she was really being drugged by Deathstroke the Terminator. In Batman and Robin #9 Deathstroke; Slade Wilson, reappeared, where it was revealed he has been doing freelance work for the League of Assassins. Working for Talia Al Ghul, Slade controlled the body and physical actions of the current Robin, Damian Wayne in order to kill Wilson's old foe, Dick Grayson, who had taken up the mantle of Batman. Deathstroke is able to control Damian's actions thanks to a neural-implant inserted into Damian's spine by his mother while it was being surgically replaced. Grayson defeats Deathstroke by taking advantage of the two-way connection between him and Damian by using a taser on Damian, the resulting electric shock overwhelming Deathstroke's enhanced senses. It was revealed Slade was doing freelance work for the League for quite some time, dating back to when he drugged Cassandra Cain. Following the Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul, the League has been reformed under Ra's Al Ghul. In the Red Robin title, Tim Drake infiltrated the League of Assassins and tried to bring it down from the inside. After a deal with Ra's Al Ghul to save Lucius Fox's daughter, Tam, Tim was assigned his own task force under the condition they would not kill. After an encounter with the Council of Spiders, Tim's entire task force was eliminated, save for Prudence, the one member who Tim was able to save. Indebted to Red Robin, Pru remained in the League as a mole for the Bat-Family, regularly conferring with Tim and acting as an informant.

Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth is Bruce Wayne's valet at Wayne Manor. He knows that Bruce is secretly Batman and aids him. Alfred Pennyworth, after a varied career, was employed as the Wayne family valet when Bruce Wayne's parents were killed. Alfred raised the young orphan and reluctantly aided him in his quest to become Batman. His many skills—ranging from cooking to medicine—make him Batman's staunchest ally, along with a formal demeanor that grounds the Dark Knight and deflects those who might otherwise suspect Batman's true identity. Alfred was originally nearly a completely different Butler character called Alfred Beagle, a retired intelligence agent who followed the deathbed wish of his dying father, Jarvis Beagle, to carry on the tradition of serving the Wayne Family. To that end, Alfred introduced himself to Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson at Wayne Manor and insisted on becoming their butler. Although the pair did not want one, especially since they did not want to jeopardize their secret identities with a servant in the house, they did not have the heart to reject Alfred. That night, Alfred awoke to moaning and followed the sound to the secret door to the staircase to the Batcave and met his would-be employers in their superhero identities (Wayne had been injured while out in the field). As it turned out, the wounds were actually insignificant, but Alfred's care convinced the residents that their butler could be trusted. Since then, Alfred included the support staff duties of the Dynamic Duo on top of his regular tasks. Later, Alfred was reunited with his long-lost daughter, Julia Remarque. This character has yet to appear in the Post-Crisis comics. In the Post-Crisis comics' continuity, he first becomes indentified with the Pennyworth name in Batman #216 (1969). In Batman: Year One it is revealed that Thomas Wayne kept a bell in his private study to summon Alfred, implying he had been serving Bruce his entire life, staying loyal despite his vigilante crusade. At one point, Alfred along with Leslie Thompkins were Bruce's legal guardians following the deaths of his parents. Alfred's history has been modified several times over the years, creating assorted versions. In one such version, Alfred was hired away from the British Royal Family by Bruce's parents, and he virtually raised Bruce after they were murdered. Meanwhile, another version of Alfred's Post-Crisis life was slightly more closely linked to his pre-Crisis counterpart. In this version Alfred was an actor on the English Stage, who agreed to become the Wayne's butler, only so as to honor the dying wish of his father. At the time he begins working for the Wayne's when Bruce was but a young child. After several months, Alfred voices the desire to quit and return home to continue his life as an actor. However, these plans are momentarily forgotten when young Bruce returns home, after getting into a fight with a school bully. Alfred teaches Bruce to handle the bully strategically, rather than using brute force. Following Alfred's advice, Bruce manages to take care of his bully problem. Upon returning home, Bruce requests that Alfred stays, and Alfred agrees without a second thought. Following the Infinite Crisis however it appears that Alfred's history has been merged to combine both his pre and post-Crisis histories. He spent years as a member of the British Guard and later became a member of MI-5 before retiring and taking up his love of acting. Following his father's death, he then became the Wayne Family Butler. Whether or not the rest of his history has remained the same or has been yet again altered has not yet been revealed, although it has been occasionally hinted at. Following the murders of the Wayne Family, Alfred was named Bruce's legal guardian in the will left by Thomas and Martha, however, social services combated the will feeling that Bruce should not be raised by a servant. However, Bruce managed to remain in Alfred's care by, despite his young age, bribing the social service agent into allowing Alfred to raise him. Alfred would later aid Bruce in raising Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake, all of whom would be adopted by Bruce Wayne and become his partner Robin. He also had close friendships with other members of the Bat-Clan including Barbara Gordon and Cassandra Cain (the latter of whom would also be adopted by Bruce prior to his death). Alfred often acts as a father-figure to Bruce, and a grandfather to Dick, Jason, Tim and Cassandra. However, due to his rather cold personality, Bruce Wayne makes sure that at least some degree of the business relationship between the two always exists. He is also highly respected by those heroes who are aware of his existence, including Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the original Teen Titans. Alfred has also been romantically linked to Dr. Leslie Thompkins, though his relationship with her never came to anything beyond occasional dates, particularly after she apparently allowed Stephanie Brown to die from neglect. He also developed feelings for Tim Drake's stepmother, but again, nothing came out of it. During the events of Knightquest, Alfred accompanies Wayne to England and becomes enraged when Wayne insists on endangering his own health while paraplegic. This was the culmination of several weeks of Wayne's self-destructive behavior, and when Wayne returns to Gotham, Alfred remains in England, tendering his resignation. He spends some time vacationing in Antarctica and The Bahamas before returning to England. Dick Grayson tracks him down several months later and convinces him to return to Wayne Manor. In that story, it was revealed he had walked out of his own wedding years earlier. His resourcefulness came to the fore in the No Man's Land storyline, especially in Legends of the Dark Knight #118. Batman is missing for weeks, leaving Alfred alone to watch his city for him. He uses his skills as an actor, storyteller, medic, and spy to survive and collect information on the recently destroyed society. Alfred even uses hand-to-hand combat in a rare one-panel fight sequence between him and a pair of slavers that ends with his rescue by Batman. At a point in which Commissioner Gordon was shot and nearly killed, Alfred took notice that Bruce was behaving increasingly out of sorts. Feeling that Bruce had pushed his entire family as far away as possible, Alfred gave Bruce his resignation and left his employment. Alfred, however, continued to work with the Bat-family, going with Tim to the Brentwood Academy for Boys, working as his butler. Following Bruce being accused of murdering a girlfriend (actually executed by David Cain), Alfred returned to Bruce's employment. In Batman #677, agents of Batman's mysterious enemy the Black Glove attack and beat Alfred in front of Bruce and Jezebel Jet, severely injuring him. In the same issue, a reporter from The Gotham Gazette suggests to Commissioner Gordon that Alfred may be Bruce's biological father and that this may be a reason for the murder of Martha Wayne. Alfred later denies the entire story, agreeing with Bruce that it was a fabrication. Alfred is the last member of the Bat-Family to see Bruce alive, prior to his reported death at the hands of Darkseid. In Batman And The Outsiders Special, Alfred is seen apologizing at the grave's of Thomas and Martha Wayne at the loss of Bruce, commenting that he grieves as a parent, regarding Bruce as his son. Later, a secret panel in Alfred's room opens, the result of a failsafe planted by Bruce in the event of his death. Bruce leaves his one final task, and also gives him an emotional goodbye, telling Alfred he considered him as a father. Alfred then assembled a new team of Outsiders, now under his control, while continuing to serve as the Wayne family butler to Bruce's adopted children: Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain and eventually, Damian Wayne. Even after Bruce was returned, Alfred continued his work at Wayne Manor with Grayson while Bruce spread out as Batman Incorporated. After the timeline is reset, Bruce Wayne is once again working out of Wayne Manor with Alfred as his primary confidante. When the Joker mounts his latest attack against Batman, his first step is to abduct Alfred, prompting concern from the rest of the family that the Joker knows Batman's true identity, but Bruce affirms that the Joker just chose Alfred because of Wayne's connection to Batman Inc. rather than personal knowledge, later confessing to Alfred that he once 'tested' the Joker and confirmed that the Joker is incapable of acknowledging the idea that Batman may have another identity. During a major assault on Batman's life, Alfred is reunited with his long-absent daughter, Julia Pennyworth, an agent of the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, when Batman finds her in Hong Kong and takes her back to Wayne Manor for medical treatment after she is stabbed with a samurai sword through the chest by a Chinese gang boss the two were hunting. Although Julia is initially hostile to Alfred, feeling that he has wasted his life going from a soldier to tending to a fop like Bruce Wayne, after Alfred is attacked by Hush and infected with a fear toxin, Julia discovers the Batcave and takes on her father's role to coordinate the Bat-Family's efforts. Alfred is briefly transferred to Arkham before it is attacked as part of the conspiracy, but he manages to survive the explosion and trick Bane into helping him reach an emergency cave Batman had installed under the asylum, the cave's defenses knocking Bane out and allowing Alfred to call for help. When Hush was briefly kept prisoner in the Batcave, he managed to break out of his cell and lock Alfred in it before sabotaging the Bat-Family's equipment via the computer as they fought various villains, including crashing the Batwing with Batman still in it. However, he was swiftly returned to captivity when Alfred escaped the cell and knocked Hush out, Alfred harshly informing Tommy that he was hardly going to be locked up in his own home. When the Joker mounted his final assault, feeling that Batman had 'changed the rules' in their last confrontation, he broke into the Batcave and cut off Alfred's hand. Julia was able to get her father swift medical treatment and he was reported to be in stable condition, but Alfred falls into a deep depression after Bruce's apparent death, even rejecting the idea of having his hand reattached as there was no point without Bruce to serve. However, after Bruce is discovered to be alive but with no memory of who he is or his life as Batman, Alfred tells Bruce everything that had happened in his life up to the point of the creation of Batman, but accepts Bruce's request not to learn any more, hoping that this would give Bruce a chance at a life without pain and the burning desire to be Batman, allowing his life as Bruce Wayne to finally begin. However, when the new villain Mr. Bloom launches a mass attack on Gotham, the amnesic Bruce pieces together enough information to deduce that he was once Batman, and convinces Alfred to subject him to a machine that will theoretically download all of his memories as Batman into his mind. Bruce's original plan was for this machine to be used to create a series of clones of himself that could be programmed to continue his mission, but although the process failed because simulations confirmed that the human mind could not handle Batman's trauma, Bruce comes through the process by having Alfred take him to the point of brain-death and then download his memories onto his blank brain. After Bloom was defeated, Bruce arranged for Alfred have his hand reattached. When the Flashpoint Batman and Bane took over Gotham, they held Alfred hostage as a deterrent to the Bat-Family. However, Damian eventually decided to attempt to stop them. After capturing the teenager, Bane went through with his threat and broke Alfred's neck, killing him. Attributes: 1. Skilled actor 2. Trained in emergency medical techniques 3. Proficient with mechanical and computer systems 4. Expert in domestic sciences 5. Unflappable manner 6. Unlike Batman, perfectly willing to wield firearms during times of crisis Alfred has taken on the role as Bruce Wayne's surrogate father after the death of his parents. Aside from that, Alfred is loyal, intelligent, caring, hardworking, tireless, sometimes sarcastic, wise, brave, bold, protective, kind and fatherly. Despite occasionally worrisome about Bruce's safety, he none the less supports him in his crusade to rid Gotham of crime as Batman and is very resourceful to him. Abilities: Genius Intellect: Alfred is a highly intelligent and resourceful man. Master Physician: Being a former combat medic, Alfred is a highly skilled and versatile physician, with the Wayne family resources, he can make and administer professional medication for the Bat Family's health care. He could provide first aid and suture wounds and remove bullets, perform arthroscopy and other advanced medical procedures to treat grievous injuries. Master Chef: As part of his butler duties, Alfred is a first rate chef, making the most delectable meals from haute cuisine such as gourmet meals for Bruce and social galas hosted at Wayne Manor to street food such as Chili dogs for Jason Todd. Most importantly, Alfred cooked meals in accordance to Bruce's specialized diets for crime fighting, incorporating knowledge of clinical nutrition and nutritional science to support and improve Bruce's health and constitution while still maintaining great taste. Expert Tailor: Alfred is a very skilled tailor, having frequently repaired and maintained many of Bruce Wayne's clothing from his suits, tuxedos to the Batsuit. Alfred's father, Jarvis Pennyworth, had previous served the Wayne family as their butler prior to his employ. His death motivated Alfred to take over the position to the Wayne family. Alfred also has a brother named Wilfred, an accomplished theater actor, and a niece, Daphne. Neither have been involved in his line of work, though have been involved in several of Batman's cases. The Earth-One version of Alfred was at one point romantically linked with Mademoiselle Marie. Through her, Alfred had a daughter, Julia Pennyworth. Unlike her parents, she was initially a journalist, though was involved in several of Batman's cases. During the New 52, Julia was reintroduced as Alfred's daughter with an unnamed woman. Similar to her father, Julia became involved in espionage and military organizations, such as MI6 and Special Reconnaissance Regiment. Like her father, Julia is aware of Batman's dual identity. Since the multiverse's recreation following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Alfred has served as the surrogate/foster father of Bruce Wayne after his parents' murder. Through Batman, he has served as as the surrogate grandfather to the various Robins and Batgirls, including Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain and Damian Wayne. One of Alfred's cousins is one of Europe's most skilled heart surgeons--at Alfred's urging;Batman bodyguarded him from an assassination attempt. Scott Snyder's All-Star Batman series introduced a clone of Alfred called the Dark Knight, created by the Nemesis Program agent Briar. Though more of a genetic template, Alfred arguably serves as the "biological father" of the clone.

Jason Peter Todd first appeared in Batman #357 (1983) and became the second Robin, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when the previous Robin, Dick Grayson went on to star in The New Teen Titans under the moniker of Nightwing. Though originally popular, following a revamping of his origin by Max Allan Collins, the Jason Todd version of Robin was not well received by fans. For 1988's Batman: A Death in the Family story-line, DC Comics held a telephone poll to determine whether or not the character would die at the hands of the Joker, Batman's arch-nemesis. The character was killed off by a vote of 5343–5271. Subsequent Batman stories dealt with Batman's guilt over not being able to prevent Jason's death. However, in 2005's story arc Under the Hood the character was resurrected, eventually becoming the second Red Hood and assuming a new role as an antihero who resembles Batman in many ways, except with a willingness to use lethal force and weapons. Beginning in June 2010, Todd starred in "Red Hood: The Lost Days," a six-issue miniseries that was timed to coincide with the release of the DC animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, which was a movie adaptation of the comic series Under The Hood. The story, written by Judd Winick, concentrated on Jason Todd's lost years of globe-trotting and training after his death and resurrection before his return to Gotham. The initial version of Jason Todd had an origin that was a similar origin to the first Robin, Dick Grayson. Originally, like Grayson, Jason is the son of circus acrobats (the Flying Todds) killed by a criminal (Killer Croc) and is later adopted by Bruce Wayne. Distinguished by his red hair (as opposed to the black hair of Dick Grayson), Todd is unfailingly cheerful, wearing his circus costume to fight crime until Dick Grayson presents him with a Robin costume of his own. At that point, Jason dyes his hair black, and in later stories blossoms under Batman's tutelage. Following the revamp of the Batman mythos due to Crisis on Infinite Earths, Jason Todd is recast as a young street orphan who first encounters the Dark Knight while attempting to steal the tires of the Batmobile. Bruce Wayne sees to it that Jason is placed in a school for troubled youths. Jason earns the mantle of Robin a short while later by helping Batman apprehend a gang of thieves. However, Todd does not wear the Robin costume (an improved version of) until after six months of training. Batman realizes that while Jason doesn't possess Dick Grayson's acrobatic skills, he can become a productive crime-fighter by channeling his rage. He also believes that if he doesn't help the boy, Jason will eventually become part of the "criminal element." Jason also aided Batman while Gotham City was temporarily overrun by Deacon Blackfire. Unlike Dick Grayson or the pre-Crisis Jason, the post-Crisis Jason is impulsive, reckless, and full of rage. Jason Todd was the child of Willis and Catherine Todd, being raised in Gotham City. His father was a petty crook who ended up serving a prison sentence, and even after the sentence was served, his father did not return to the family. That left Jason alone with his drug-addicted mother, who he tried to take care of by ripping off car parts such as tires for cash. Sadly, his mother would soon die of an overdose and he would be left alone. He fended for himself just as he had taken care of his mother before, by continuing to rip off car parts. One night, Jason came across the Batmobile, which was parked in an alley. Batman had recently put new tires on the vehicle but had not replaced the hubcaps with the redesigned ones yet. This created an opportunity that Jason could not pass up. Batman caught him when he had already stolen one of the tires and was coming to take the others. Batman tried to put Jason in a boarding school for troubled kids, but this did not work out for Jason as the owner of the school was actually running a training ground for youthful criminals. Batman instead decides that perhaps the boy's anger could be channeled against criminals as Robin, or else the boy would likely end up a criminal himself. This is how Jason Todd became the second Robin. He was not the acrobat Dick Grayson was, but he was a strong kid with skills from life on Gotham's streets. On their first official mission as Batman and Robin, it was discovered that Jason's father was killed by the criminal Two-Face. Furious at the knowledge and the fact that Batman knew of it, Jason went on a rampage until at last, he confronted Two-Face. Rather than kill Dent, however, Jason mastered his anger and lets Dent be arrested, much to Batman's pride. While Jason soon proved to be one of Batman's most enthusiastic students, he was also the most troubled. Brash and impulsive, Jason's former life on the streets had left him with an ambiguous sense of right and wrong. This often placed Jason in opposition to the values his mentor was trying to teach him. Jason often uses excessive force to subdue criminals. In one adventure, asked to "hold off" villains, Jason instantly takes to firing at them with a gun, despite Batman's abhorrence for firearms. The most dramatic of these moral clashes, however, happened when Jason tracked down Felipe Garzonasa, a foreign national who had raped a young woman and later drove her to suicide. Moments after Jason arrived, Garzonasa plunged to his death from his apartment balcony. While the truth is still unknown, there is a distinct possibility that Jason pushed Felipe off the balcony, thereby breaking Batman's strict code against ever taking a life. Afraid of Jason possibly murdering someone, Batman asks Barbara Gordon, to come out of retirement as Batgirl, and work with Jason on a case, hoping that she might gain a better insight into Jason's behavior. Although the pair work well together, Barbara is unable to deny the darkness in Jason, which she later warns Bruce about. Jason later discovers his mother was not his biological mother and runs away to find the woman who gave birth to him. After following a number of leads, Jason finally tracks his mother, Sheila, to Ethiopia, where she works as an aid worker. While Jason is overjoyed to be reunited with his real mother, he soon discovers that she is being blackmailed by Joker, who is using her to provide him with medical supplies. Sheila herself has been embezzling funds from the agency and as part of the cover-up, she hands her own son, who arrives as Robin, over to the Joker. The Joker brutally beat the boy with a crowbar and then left Jason and Sheila in the warehouse with a time bomb. Sheila and Robin try desperately to get out of the warehouse but are still inside as the bomb goes off. Batman arrives too late to save them and is only able to hold Jason's lifeless body in his arms. The bodies are taken back to Gotham City for burial. For the next decade's worth of stories, Jason's death haunts Batman, who keeps Jason's costume on display in the Batcave. Batman considers this his greatest failure: not properly training Jason in his role as Robin, and failing to protect him from the Joker. In the years to come, he would erect a memorial in the Batcave made from Jason's uniform. Years later, while trying to discover the identity of a mysterious figure plotting against him (who turns out to be Hush), Batman discovers that Robin (Tim Drake) has been kidnapped. When he confronts the kidnapper he discovers, much to his surprise, that the kidnapper is apparently an adult Jason Todd. Batman subdues this mystery "Jason" and discovers that it is Clayface impersonating Jason. It is later revealed that Jason indeed had died at the hands of the Joker, but when Superboy-Prime alters reality from the paradise dimension in which he is trapped (six months after his death), Jason is restored to life and breaks out of his coffin (with his bare hands), walked away from the graveyard (approximately 12 miles) before collapsing and thereafter is hospitalized, as the injuries inflicted by the Joker had not fully healed. After spending a year in a coma and subsequently, as an amnesiac vagrant, he is recognized by a petty criminal who soon informs Talia Head. After some time, Talia restores his health and memory by immersing him in a Lazarus Pit in which her father Ra's is also bathing. It is suggested at that time that exposure to the Pit's energies together with Al-Ghul might have affected Jason's personality. On Talia's advice, Jason determines his death was never avenged and prepares to confront Batman by traveling across the globe in the same path of training as his mentor. When Batman expresses no remorse for sparing the Joker's life after Jason was killed, Jason is further enraged and takes up the mantle of the Red Hood. Shortly after the events of War Games and War Crimes, Jason Todd reappears in Gotham City as the Red Hood, hijacking a shipment of Kryptonite from Black Mask. In the midst of a battle with Batman, Nightwing, and Mr. Freeze, the Red Hood gives them the Kryptonite back, and tells them he has gotten what he truly wanted: a "lay of the land." Shortly afterward, the Red Hood finds the Joker (driven out of Gotham by Hush) and beats him with a crowbar just as the Joker had once beaten Jason. Despite the violent beating, Jason spares the Joker, intending to use him later against Batman. The Red Hood assumes control over several gangs in Gotham City and starts a one-man war against Black Mask's criminal empire. Overall, he strives to cleanse the city of its corruption, such as drug dealing and gang violence, and to kill the Joker in revenge for his own death. Because of his anti-heroic activities, he repeatedly comes to blows with Batman and several of his allies. A Robin mask was found in the Batmobile, which never belonged to Dick or Tim, but it was of the style that Jason wore as Robin. Around this time, Batman discovers that Jason's coffin has always been empty, and he begins to question whether or not Jason had actually died. Despite his return, Jason's Robin costume remains in its memorial display case in the Batcave; when Alfred asked if Bruce wanted the costume removed, Bruce replied that the return of Jason "doesn't change anything at all." Knowing that Tim Drake has not only replaced him as Robin but is reportedly a better Robin than he had been, Jason breaks into Titans Tower to confront Tim. Wearing an altered version of his own Robin costume, Jason quickly immobilizes the other Titans and strikes him down in the Tower's Hall of Fallen Titans. Furious that no memorial statue was made for him (despite his short tenure as a Titan), Jason demands that Tim tell him if he is really as good as Jason has been told. Tim says “Yes” and passes out. As he leaves, Jason tears the 'R' emblem from Tim's chest. In the Epilogue, Jason has apparently developed a grudging respect for his replacement as he states, "I'll admit. He's good." Jason is also left wondering if perhaps he would have been a better Robin and a better person had he had a life like Tim's and friends like the Titans. Jason's return crescendos when he kidnaps the Joker and holds him hostage, luring Batman to Crime Alley, the site of their first meeting. Jason asks Batman why he has not avenged his death by killing the Joker, and Batman tells Jason that he will never cross that line. An enraged Jason explains that even ignoring all the people he's killed and the crippling of Batgirl, he believed that after his death at the hands of the Joker, he'd finally be able to kill him, "doing it because he took me away from you". Despite this, Batman explains that it is not too hard for him to kill the Joker, it would be too easy; he has never once not fantasized about taking the Joker somewhere private and torturing him for maybe weeks before finally killing him, but refuses to go to that place. Jason offers Batman an ultimatum: Jason will kill the Joker unless Batman kills Jason first. Holding the Joker at gunpoint, Jason throws a pistol to Batman and begins to count to three while standing behind the Joker, leaving Batman with only a headshot if he wants to stop Jason pulling the trigger. At the last moment, Batman throws a batarang that cuts down an object and slices Jason's neck. The Joker takes advantage of the situation, detonating nearby explosives that engulf the platform they are on and sending them plunging into the bay. Jason resurfaces one year after the Infinite Crisis patrolling the streets of New York City as a murderous version of Nightwing. Jason shows no intention of giving up the Nightwing persona and continues to taunt Dick Grayson by wearing the costume and suggesting that the two become a crime-fighting team. Grayson refuses to join his side and methods of crime-fighting. Not long after the two Nightwings meet up, Jason is captured and imprisoned by unknown mobsters. Rescued by a reluctant Grayson, the two join forces to defeat the Pierce brothers. Jason leaves New York City and the Nightwing mantle to Grayson, along with a telegram telling Grayson he has returned to normal and still considers them family. Jason appears once more in several issues of Green Arrow alongside Brick as part of a gun-running organization, which brings Batman to Star City. Jason's true motives are shown in the third part as he kidnaps Mia Dearden (Speedy) in an effort to convert her to his side, feeling that they are kindred spirits, cast down by society and at odds with their mentors. The two fight while conversing but when Jason is unsuccessful in his bid to turn Mia, he settles for blowing up her high school. Mia is deeply troubled by what transpired between her and Jason but ultimately decides to stick with Green Arrow. At the start of Countdown, Jason Todd resumes his persona as the Red Hood and rescues a woman from Duela Dent (aka Two Face's Daughter). After a Monitor shoots and kills Duela, he attempts to kill Jason but is stopped by a second Monitor. This second Monitor apologizes to Jason before they both disappear, leaving Jason alone with Duela's body. Later, at Duela's funeral, Jason hides until all of the Teen Titans have left except Donna Troy. Jason tells her what happened the night of Duela's death, and about the dueling Monitors. He knows that both he and Donna Troy have come back from the dead, and wonders which of them is next on the Monitor's hit list. The two are then attacked by the Forerunner, but before she can kill them, the apologetic Monitor stops her, and recruits Jason and Donna for a mission to the Palmerverse (a section of the Nanoverse discovered by Ray Palmer), in an attempt to find Palmer. During the trip, Jason takes it upon himself to name the Monitor "Bob". On Earth-51, Jason meets that world's Batman. It was shown that this version of Batman had begun to use lethal force when his Jason died. Jason Todd of New Earth is then given a new costume and the codename, Red Robin. Earth-51 Batman had originally planned to give those to his Jason, but he died before it was time. During a final confrontation on Earth-51, Batman is killed, much to Jason's fury. After landing on Apokolips and battling against Darkseid's forces, the team returns to New Earth, Jason once again turns his back on life as a costumed hero, and returns to his old ways of dealing with crime. Following Batman's disappearance during the events of Batman R.I.P. Jason begins manipulating the Gang Wars in Gotham, so as to take control of them. Unfortunately, Jason's approach leads to more bloodshed and violence. With both Nightwing and Batman unavailable, it falls to Tim Drake to deal with the mess Jason created. Jason however, asks Tim to join forces with him, though Tim, of course, refuses on the grounds that Jason's methods are too questionable. This leads to a confrontation between Jason and Tim Drake, which is interrupted by the arrival of another Red Robin, whose identity is initially a mystery but later turns out to be Ulysses Armstrong. Due to a combination of Red Robin's involvement and a gun-toting gang member, Jason was shot in the leg and arrested by police. Upon the resolution of the gang war in Gotham, Tim Drake - under a pseudonym visited Jason in prison to give him the Justice League access code to release himself from prison, due primarily to the fact that Tim believes that Jason should be given another chance at redemption. Following his escape, Jason continues on the mend and is summoned by Tim to come to the Batcave, where Batman has left his Last Will and Testament statement for him. After hearing the statement in private, Jason prepares to leave, not revealing what he was told, although he does pause before his old costume and the tattered remains of Batman's. It is later revealed that the message left for Jason was Bruce admitting that of all his failures, Jason was the biggest. Bruce states that he regrets never offering Jason any help or feeling for his obvious emotional hardships, but instead dressing him up as Robin and putting him in constant danger. These words, however, only cause Jason to snap completely, leading to the events of the Battle for the Cowl. Following his escape from prison, Jason apparently decided to put a bid in for the Bat-mantle. He wore a black and grey Batsuit with two handguns, various other weapons, and a mouthplate. He is also living/operating out of an abandoned Gotham subway system. His inner monologue demonstrated that he'd always had a desire to eventually replace Batman, and his displeasure with Batman becoming a public figure, rather than an urban legend. Jason begins his war on crime using lethal tactics and leaving slips of paper saying "I AM BATMAN". After Jason manages to take down a group of thugs, he then escapes only to have Nightwing and Damian Wayne on his tail. Nightwing deduces that the impostor is Jason Todd. After a short quarrel, Damian is shot by Jason. At the same time, Tim Drake begins a search to stop the impostor and dresses as Batman in order to demonstrate how the real Batman would have acted. Tim finds Jason Todd's "Batcave" in a subway station and is saved from a booby trap by Catwoman, who knows Tim is behind the mask. Jason ambushes them, disposing of Catwoman, and then getting into a fight with Tim before impaling him in the chest with a Batarang, exclaiming "One more to go". After questioning himself, following Damian's near death, Nightwing goes forth against Jason, intending to take down Todd once and for all. The pair battle, all the while with Jason claiming that Tim is dead, unaware that Tim survived and was saved by Damian and the Squire. The battle accumulates to Nightwing kicking Jason off a speeding train. When Dick attempted to help Jason, the other man refused and fell to his supposed death, though claiming they would see each other again soon. This allowed Dick to officially assume the mantle of Batman. Jason survived his fall and gave up his claim to Batman's mantle. Dick was Batman now, and Jason set out to become Dick's direct competition. He reworked his Red Hood identity to be more dramatic and attention-grabbing by creating a costume for it, a costume very similar to the original Red Hood outfit the Joker had used. Also, he stopped dying his hair black and allowed it to grow red again with a small gray streak left by his previous exposure to a Lazarus Pit. To complete his transformation, he even found himself a sidekick. This was Scarlet, the daughter of a criminal and the victim of Professor Pyg's practice of mutilation. His intent was for them to become Gotham City's new dynamic duo, supplanting the old one. With his new partner, Jason resumed his brutal and lethal methods of dealing with criminals, but now there was a twist. Using the media and the Internet, he exposed his methods to the public and actively marketed them as the way things should be done. Public opinion was actually at least somewhat in his favor, especially after he showed Batman and Robin protecting Penguin from him and Scarlet. He was able to keep ahead of Batman and Robin, getting to criminals first and evading their attempts to apprehend him. That lasted until he tracked down a criminal who got away from him to finish what he had started. Batman and Robin arrived to stop them, and the two duos fought. The fight went in Jason's favor. Instead of the two heroes capturing him, he captured them, stripped them naked, and locked them out of his way for the time being. His plan was to reveal to the world on a Twitter webcam, the identities of Batman and Robin if the public offered enough attention to it. It was then that Jason and Scarlet were ambushed by an assassin called Flamingo. He took two shots from a sniper's rifle, shattering his helmet. While Batman and Robin escaped from his trap, Todd and Scarlet attempted to combat against Flamingo. However, both of them proved inferior to Flamingo's skills, and it was only with the timely arrival of Batman and Robin that they were not killed. Jason used the Dynamic Duo as a cover, and proceeded to crush Flamingo with a truck, while Damian threw himself in front of an attack to save Scarlet, leaving him crippled. Scarlet escaped, and Jason was again taken into police custody. As he was dragged away, however, he shouted at Dick that if the Lazarus Pits could revive him from the dead (a half-truth), then why hadn't Dick done it for Bruce? Strength: Jason Todd possesses the normal human strength of a 6-foot, 225-pound young man who regularly engages in intensive physical exercise. Jason is capable of lifting over 1000 lbs. Abilities: 1. Lazarus-Enhanced Capabilities 2. Peak Human Conditioning 3. Peak Human Strength 4. Peak Human Speed 5. Peak Human Stamina 6. Peak Human Agility 7. Peak Human Reflexes 8. Peak Human Durability 9. Master Martial Artist 10. Master Marksman 11. Weapon Master 12. Skilled Swordsman 13. Expert Acrobat 14. Genius-Level Intellect 15. Expert Tactician & Strategist 16. Master Detective 17. Expert Computer Hacker 18. Expert Inquisitor 19. Expert Escape Artist 20. Master of Disguise 21. Expert Vehicular Driver 22. Expert Bomb Assembly and Defusal 23. Expert Tracker 24. Expert Leader 25. Occultism 26. Expert Intimidator 27. Indomitable Will 28. Master Spy Red Hood Costume: After his resurrection and return to Gotham, Jason used the guise of Red Hood. The first costume consisted of Jeans, a T-shirt, a Biker Jacket, A domino mask that is held in place by Spirit Gum, and The Red Hood Mask. His mask contains a Radio Transmitter and Receiver as well as Night Vision. He has Gauntlets that contain compartments for his weapons, which are deadlier. His weapons of choice are a pair of customized Jericho 941s, fitted with extra serrations and mini red dot sights, an assortment of shurikens, and a flame dagger, a replica of one of Ra's Al Ghul's weapons. His second costume has the Red Hood Mask, which is still metallic, although it appears to have been modified. He wears a white and Grey costume which also comes with a cape. In the middle of his chest is a Red Skull. He uses lethal force by means of his two red pistols. The third version of the costume is similar to the first with the exceptions of a red bat emblem on the chest, a brown biker jacket, and a more form-fitting mask with Jason's mouth visible and a distinct absence of a domino mask underneath instead he has a mask like his old Robin mask under the hood. Jason's new outfit possesses tech and weapons inside it similar to the Batman Beyond suit. So far shown are glider wings housed in the forearms and a grappling hook with reticle aimer on the left forearm. Jason's helmet or "hood" provides a moderate degree of protection. When a Talon stabbed it with a knife cracking it, Jason was shocked that a knife was able to do that and stated that no knife should be able to crack his hood. Also, Jason used a dosage of Venom while on a mission with Supergirl. His most recent suit consists of the standard biker jacket, jeans, and metallic mask. However, he now wears an armor-like shirt with the red bat emblem. He also modifies his attire with technology regularly, with one suit containing retractable blades along the arms. His most recent suit has a taser powerful enough to stun an Amazon while on a low charge. He also wields pistols that fire normal bullets along with other types of ammo such as sedative injectors and anti-tank rounds. In most, if not all instances, Jason usually carries a firearm with him. He usually only carries dual pistols with him, but will use whatever gun he feels suits his purposes. Transportation: 1. Motorcycle 2. Car 3. Helicopter 4. Boat Weapons: 1. Automatic Handguns 2. Tasers 3. Grenades/Other Explosives 4. Batarangs 5. Electric Wings 6. Knife 7. Twin Blade Katanas 8. All-Blades 9. Crowbar

Richard John "Dick" Grayson was once Batman's first sidekick Robin, before going on to become Nightwing. Once he took up the mantle of Batman when Bruce was thought to be dead, but became Nightwing once again after the events of Flashpoint. After Forever Evil, Dick's identity was revealed to the world and Bruce convinced him to give up being Nightwing to become an agent of Spyral. He was created by artist Bob Kane, writer Bill Finger and by illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940. The youngest in a family of acrobats known as the "Flying Graysons," Dick watched as a mafia boss killed his parents in order to extort money from the circus that employed them (whose name was later revealed to be Tony Zucco). Bruce Wayne, secretly the vigilante Batman, took him in as his legal ward after witnessing their deaths, and eventually as his sidekick, Robin. Throughout Dick's adolescence, Batman and Robin were inseparable. However, as Dick grew older and spent more time as the leader of the Teen Titans, he decided to take on the identity of Nightwing to assert his independence (other teenaged heroes would later fill in the role of Robin). His Nightwing persona was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appeared in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July 1984). As Nightwing, Dick led the Teen Titans and later the Outsiders. Following the events of the Zero Hour miniseries, he temporarily replaced Bruce Wayne as Batman, beginning in Robin #0 (October 1994) and extending throughout the Batman: Prodigal storyline. In an eponymous series, launched in 1996 and continuing until 2009, he becomes the protector of Blüdhaven, Gotham's economically troubled neighboring city. Following the destruction of Blüdhaven, at the command of Deathstroke the Terminator, Nightwing relocated to New York. After the events of Batman R.I.P., Dick moved operations to Gotham to protect the city after Bruce's apparent death in Final Crisis. Despite Bruce's will wanting him not to succeed Wayne permanently as Batman, the chaos in Gotham following Batman's disappearance prompts Dick to take up his mentor's identity once again and has returned to operating as the new Batman. His Nightwing mantel would then be passed on to Chris Kent. As Robin, Dick has appeared in most other media adaptations of Batman, most notably the Joel Schumacher films, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, where he was portrayed by Chris O'Donnell. The Batman animated series of the 1990s is the first one to portray his evolution into Nightwing. The name "Robin the Boy Wonder" and the medieval look of the original costume were inspired by the legendary hero Robin Hood, as well as the famous red-breasted Robin, which continued the "flying animal" motif of Batman. Young Dick Grayson was born on the first day of spring. His mother nicknamed him "little Robin." Little did she know how prophetic this term of endearment would be in her son's life. Also, when he was up on the trapeze, he reminded his mother of a robin. Dick was an eight-year-old circus acrobat, the youngest of a family act called The Flying Graysons of The Haly Circus . Dick joined the act at a very young age, having been trained in acrobatics from birth. Before one appearance in Gotham City, in which The Flying Graysons were the main attraction, they were asked to pose for a photo opportunity with Jack Drake and his family, including their young son, Tim Drake. From that time on Tim's one and only hero in the world was Dick. While on tour in Gotham City, he overheard "Boss" Tony Zucco, a well-known and feared crime lord, threaten the performers unless the circus's owner paid protection money. The owner refused, and that night Dick watched in horror as his parents' high wire snapped, sending his parents hurtling to their deaths, all while many of Gotham's elite watched on. Young Dick felt responsible, because he failed to warn his parents in time. Shortly after the tragedy, shown in Batman: Year Three and Year One Annual: Robin, Dick was placed in an uncaring juvenile services system, on the grounds that social services was full. He got beaten up by a number of the inmates, and he was later sent to a Catholic orphanage. Bruce Wayne rescued Dick by adopting him as his ward, because the boy did not want to replace his deceased father with the billionaire. Frustrated by the lack of attention from his new guardian and the mystery still surrounding his parents' death, Dick snuck out of Wayne Manor one evening to solve the crime on his own - only to stumble into Batman, who was also investigating the murder. After waking up in the Batcave, he is shocked to learn that Bruce is really the Batman. They succeed in revealing Zucco's complicity, but he supposedly dies of a heart attack before his arrest. Seeing a reflection of himself in Dick; that he could temper compassion with a thirst for justice, Batman made the young orphan the offer of a lifetime; the chance to become his crime-fighting partner. Dick chose the name Robin, after the nickname his mother gave him, and his training began. Robin's origin had a typological connection to Batman's in that both witnessed the crime-related deaths of their parents, creating an urge to battle the criminal underworld. This provided a bond and understanding between the two. Bruce taught Dick fighting techniques and detective skills for a grueling 6 months. Finally, Dick had to pass a final test - "the Gauntlet". Dick had to elude the Dark Knight on the streets of Gotham for one night - from sundown to sunrise - without any outside help. Dick succeeded, simultaneously bringing Gotham gangster Joe Minette to justice. Dick took to the streets as Batman's full-fledged partner in crime-fighting: Robin, the Boy Wonder. Dick enjoyed his first year as Robin, regarding the job as an adventure until a confrontation with Two-Face served as a rude awakening for the young hero. Two-Face had captured the new District Attorney and Batman, and had each suspended from a hangman's noose in a 'double gallows death-trap'. Robin, in trying to save the D.A., used a batarang to cut the rope of the noose. It worked, but Robin didn't account for Dent's obsession with the number two—it was a two-fold trap, and the floor gave way, dropping the D.A. into the water, where the man drowned. Robin was unable to prevent his death and received a beating at the hands of Two-Face. A beating witnessed by Batman, still tied up on the platform trying to free himself. Eventually, Batman was able to free himself and apprehend Two-Face. This event, however, scarred the young crime-fighter and haunts him even today. Rather than see Dick be further endangered, Batman "fires" his partner, sidelining the Boy Wonder for a time. Dick continued his adventures with Batman, and began attending college at Hudson University. Robin started to take on solo missions as well, and found himself to be a capable crime-fighter in his own right. Shortly afterward, the mysterious Raven summoned Dick and several other young heroes to form a new group of Titans. Robin again resumed leadership of the Titans, and in doing so moved out of Batman's shadow. When Robin was 17, he was shot in the shoulder by the Joker, and this scared Batman into ending his career for good. Dick realized at that point he had grown up: He no longer relied on Batman and, in fact, he and the Dark Knight disagreed on crime-fighting methodology as Batman used torture and Dick didn't like it. His newfound independence and Titans' duties in New York left less time for his former commitments in Gotham City. He also dropped out of Hudson after only one semester. Dick rediscovered his self-worth among the Teen Titans. Batman, however, was less than pleased. He informed Dick that if he no longer wanted to be his partner, then Dick would have to retire as Robin. Dick left Wayne Manor after this falling out. Helping him through this difficult time was his fellow Titans, including Starfire, a beautiful alien that Dick had fallen in love with. Dick handed over leadership of the Titans to Wonder Girl. Uncertain what to do, he turned to someone he knew would understand: Superman. Very briefly, Dick had considered giving up the whole crime fighting gig; but he couldn't imagine his life any other way. But if he couldn't be Robin, who would he be? Superman had the answer. Long ago on Krypton, a man was cast out by his family - just as Dick had been. He dreamed of a world ruled by justice and set out to protect the helpless of Krypton. His true identity was never revealed. He was known only as Nightwing. The Post-Crisis version of Grayson had him become the first and only Nightwing, with his costume partially inspired by his father, who at one time wore a circus costume that was a variant of colleague Boston Brand's Deadman costume. When all his teammates were captured by Deathstroke the Terminator, and delivered to the HIVE, Dick assumed a new identity of Nightwing and helped to free them, with the help of a new ally (and future Titan), Jericho. Nightwing had finally moved out of the shadow of the Bat, and would lead the Titans through some hard times. Dick endured brainwashing at the hands of Brother Blood, his relationship with Starfire would suffer due to her marriage of state, he would be deeply affected by the fact that Batman trained a new Robin (Jason Todd) only for him to be seemingly killed at the hands of the Joker. Shortly after this, during Batman: Year Three, Dick learned that Tony Zucco, the man who killed his parents, had not actually died but rather passed into a coma. As revealed in Robin: Year One, Batman feared Dick would want the gangster dead, so he "protected" the boy by telling him that Zucco was dead. After spending nearly seven years in prison with good behavior, Zucco applied for parole, in exchange for becoming a state informant of mob activity. His real intentions, however, were to retrieve a ledger containing his secrets. Just as Dick arrived to see him step out of the prison, he was gunned down by an enemy mobster from a helicopter. Despite catching the assassin and getting some closure to his parents' deaths, Dick was upset with Bruce for lying to him and keeping him away. Bruce explained that this was not his intent. Feeling hurt and betrayed, Bruce and Dick would remain at odds with each other, never fully sorting out their strained relationship. While serving with the New Titans, Dick was searched out by an older Tim Drake, who had only one goal on his mind, for Dick to return to Robin. It was Dick's refusal to return that Tim started down the road toward becoming the new Robin. After weeks of persuading and proving his potential, Dick then returned to the Batman to plead Tim's case, with help from Alfred Pennyworth. Due to their arguments and the realization that the Batman needs a Robin, Tim Drake becomes the third Boy Wonder. Soon after, various members of the Titans were abducted by the Wildebeest Society. This event shook up the team in a big way. The group entered into tumultuous times, where members came and went, longtime friends were maimed or destroyed, although Dick persevered through it all, and remained the heart and center of the team. But his relationship with Starfire became strained, and problems in Gotham demanded Dick's attention. Impulsively, Dick proposed marriage to Starfire. The two almost wed, but the ceremony was interrupted by Raven, now reborn as an evil avatar of her father, Trigon. Her brutal attack on Starfire triggered changes in Dick and Kory's relationship. Starfire was implanted with a demon "seed" which causes her to leave Earth and go on a spiritual journey. The two grew apart, and Starfire eventually returned to her home planet of Tamaran. Meanwhile, in Gotham, Bruce Wayne was nearly killed by the villain Bane who had crippled him by breaking his back. Unwilling to force Dick to come back and believing that Dick deserved to be his own man, Bruce opted to give the mantle of Batman to the unstable Jean-Paul Valley, with Tim Drake, the new Robin to guide him. Unfortunately, Jean Paul proved too much for Tim to handle, and Dick returned to help. Dick intervened with Tim Drake, and when Bruce returned to Gotham healed and ready to become Batman again, the three of them along with Catwoman brought Valley down and Bruce re-assumed the mantle of Batman. When Dick returned to the Titans, he found the government had interceded, placing Arsenal (the former Speedy) as leader of the team. Dick stepped aside and left the Titans, concentrating on problems in Gotham City. Still recovering from his broken back, Bruce asked Dick to substitute for him as Batman for a time. Dick accepted. During this time, Dick was able to confront Two-Face and lay some demons to rest. He also established a wonderful partnership with Tim which allowed for their brotherly bond to flourish. Bruce eventually returned to Gotham to reclaim his role as Batman before taking back the mantel. However, Bruce admitted to Dick the reason he had not selected him for the role of Batman originally and for the first time in a long time, Bruce and Dick began to heal their strained relationship. Bruce's respect for Dick was at last obvious. As of the current events surrounding the Infinite Crisis storyline, Nightwing has refused to join his recently resurrected friend Donna Troy as she journeys to New Cronus with several heroes. He has instead adopted a new villainous costume and persona in order to infiltrate Lex Luthor's Secret Society of Supervillains and seemingly attempt to trouble it from the inside. Under Deathstroke's employ, he trained Slade's daughter Rose, the newest Ravager. Deathstroke betrays Nightwing when Blüdhaven is destroyed by the Society. The Society drops the super-villain Chemo on the city, killing 100,000 people. Dick tries to rescue survivors but is overcome by radiation poisoning, only to be rescued by Batman. Nightwing confides that he let the villain Blockbuster die and asks Batman to forgive him. Batman tells him that his forgiveness doesn't matter; Dick has to move beyond Blockbuster's death. Inspired by his mentor, he proposes to Barbara Gordon, who tearfully accepts his proposal with a kiss. Batman then entrusts Nightwing to alert other heroes about the danger that the Crisis poses. Dick flies to Titans Tower, but the only hero who answers his call is Superboy (Conner Kent). Together, they locate and attack Alexander Luthor's tower, the center of the Crisis, only to be repelled by Superboy-Prime. Prime is ready to kill Nightwing when Conner intervenes, sacrificing himself to destroy the tower, ending the destruction of the Universe. Saved by the Justice Society, Nightwing recovers with Barbara at his side. As soon as he's able to walk again, Batman asks him to join him and Robin in retracing Bruce's original journey in becoming the Dark Knight. While Nightwing is hesitant, due to his engagement with Barbara, she encourages him to go and returns his engagement ring so he can make an honest decision for himself. While Barbara feels that it is important he re-discover himself, and until he does they're not yet ready to be married. They part on good terms, though before he departs Dick leaves her an envelope containing a photograph of them as Robin and Batgirl, along with the engagement ring on a chain and a note promising he'll come back to her one day. Soon after his journey with Batman and Robin begins, Nightwing returns to Gotham, following Intergang's trail. He works with the new Batwoman and Renee Montoya to stop Intergang from destroying Gotham, shutting off dozens of fire spewing devices spread across the city. One year later, Dick returned to New York City (his previous home base with the Teen Titans) in order to find out who had been masquerading as Nightwing. The murderous impostor turned out to be the former Robin, Jason Todd. Grayson lead the Outsiders once again, operating undercover and globally. Nightwing followed an armored thief named Raptor, who he suspected was responsible for a series of murders. Later, Raptor himself was murdered in a manner similar to the other victims by an unseen contract killer, who proceeded to bury Grayson alive. Nightwing freed himself, but wondered about the relationship between his experience and a mysterious voice who told him that he was "supposed to be dead". Nightwing was having trouble finding things to keep him busy during the day due to the cast on his right arm. Incapacitated from his injuries, he tried without luck to find jobs and continued to research into the mysterious assassin. At one point Dick agreed to attend a party for Bruce Wayne and their relationship seemed to flourish. Bruce praised Dick for his success on the Raptor case, and also mentioned to look into the Landman Building which hosted ex-Lexcorp scientists; most likely those who worked on the Raptor project. Dick had also continued to keep a close brotherly relationship with Tim Drake, and helped him deal with his many losses during the past year. After dealing with the Raptor issue, New York City was plagued by a villainous duo called Bride and Groom. Nightwing begins pursuit of these two after some grisly murders, including that of the Lorens family (close friends of his after the Raptor incident). Dick grew obsessed with finding them, not knowing how far he was willing to go to take them down. Eventually, he formed a makeshift team with some "villains" to find them. They located them, and after killing some of his "team" Nightwing chased them to a cave, where Bride began a cave-in and the two were trapped there. Some time later, Nightwing disassociated himself from the Outsiders, turning the responsibility of leadership over to his old mentor Batman. He then reunited with his alma mater the Titans after learning about a vicious attack wrought against Cyborg’s impromptu Titans East trainees. Along with Beast Boy, Cyborg, Donna Troy, Flash, Raven, Red Arrow, and Starfire, Dick discovered that the perpetrator behind this attack was the spawn of one of the Titans' deadliest villains – Trigon. Trigon had apparently had other children aside from Raven, who each symbolized the seven deadly sins. Together the Titans managed to defeat the sons of Trigon and again rescue Raven from being turned evil. Afterwars, they agreed to reform their group of Titans. Soon after, Batman became targeted by a group calling themselves the Black Glove. Their attacks became so intense, that they apparently drove Batman insane, and he disappeared, leaving Robin alone to defend the city. Unwilling to allow Tim to deal with everything alone, Dick gave up his life in New York to return to the city and help locate their mentor and keep control. Unfortunately, Nightwing was ambushed by the International Club of Villains. He is later seen in Arkham Asylum, frothing at the mouth and presumably drugged, believed by the staff to be Pierrot Lunaire, a member of the Club. Scheduled for an experimental lobotomy by Arkham himself, he was spared by the ICoV taking hold of the Asylum, eager to use him and Jezebel Jet, Bruce's girlfriend at the time, as bait. Jezebel's capture was revealed to be a red herring, due to her being a part of the Black Glove; as such, Nightwing's lobotomy was still pending, but he managed to escape due to the fact that his capture and Batman's 'insanity' were both parts of an elaborate plan created by Batman to expose the Black Glove. After besting Le Bossu, Dick joined the fray between the Bat-Family, the International Club of Heroes, and the Black Glove itself. Things built up to a final battle between Batman and Doctor Hurt, who battled on a helicopter that exploded, much to the horror of Nightwing and the others. While everyone fears that Batman has died in the explosion, however, Batman survived the crash, and later joined the Justice League during the events of the Final Crisis. Unfortunately Batman was seemingly killed during his final confrontation with the new God, Darkseid, thus leaving Dick, Cassandra Cain, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake once again orphaned. Alfred soon discovered a chamber left by Batman, which contained a holographic projection of his Last Will and Testament and a message for each of his children. In the message left for Dick, Bruce pleads that Dick not take up the mantle of the Batman, due to his belief that Nightwing and Robin can protect the city as they are. Abilities: Peak Human Condition: Due to years of intense and extensive training with Batman, Dick Grayson is at the natural peak of human capability (almost on Batman's level). He has displayed the peak human strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and endurance because of his training at a young age. Peak Human Strength: Nightwing possesses enough strength to break a holographic construct Bane's back, throw a refrigerator and use a bed as a weapon with effort. He had even been able to damage Blockbuster. Dick can easily lift a man with one hand, flip around with a obese grown man on his shoulder with no strain, and throw KGBeast through a concrete wall. His greatest feats of strength were breaking through titanium legs, snap a Superhuman Talon's knee tendons with a single kick, break a steel door off of its hinges and supporting over 1000 lbs of rubble over his head to save people from a burning building. Peak Human Durability: Dick's muscles and bones are more tolerable to damage than average humans, he possessed endurance similar to his mentor and is able to survive attacks from Blockbuster, who possesses Superhuman Strength, and Osiris. He has also survived a shot from a .32 pistol that only grazed to the back of his head and continue fighting. Peak Human Speed: Grayson' speed is at the peak human level, able to keep up with and even surpass his mentor in speed. He has been said to be faster than Batman. He is capable of sprinting speeds of approximately 30 mph. Peak Human Agility: Dick Grayson possesses peak-athlete equilibrium, balance, flexibility, dexterity, and bodily coordination well above than most Olympic-level athletes. He is one of the 3 people able to do a quadruple backflip and one of the world's finest human athlete. His agility also enables him to possess gymnastic and acrobatic prowess, Dick also can survive at heights that would even concern the likes of Superman and Starfire. Peak Human Stamina: He is able to function for up to 4 days straight with no sleep[167] and is capable of holding his breath for 7 minutes from training with Batman. As a teen Dick has been shown to intensely train for approximately 1 hour before the fatigue toxins begin to impair him. Peak Human Reflexes: Dick can evade several attacks to a degree and dodge multiple rapid gunfire bullets at near point blank range. He possesses enough skill to detect a Sniper bullet with concentration. Master Martial Artist: He is a master of several martial arts disciplines with an emphasis on Aikido, Kung Fu, Escrima, Capoeira, Judo, Hapkido, Taekwondo, Jiu-jitsu, Karate, Savate, Sambo, Ninjitsu, Boxing, Krav Maga & Jeet Kune Do. He has effectively combined the martial arts he has mastered into a unique harmonious style that suits his strengths. This makes him one of DCs top tier martial artists. Weapon Proficiency: He has displayed high expertise with various weapons including Shuriken (Wing-Dings and Batarangs), throwing knives, paired staves, and swords. Expert Marksman: Dick is skilled in throwing modified Shuriken (Wing-Dings) to hit thugs at a medium distance, despite occasionally giving them head-starts and even disarm others with his wingdings. He is also skilled with firearms, as he was trained by Batman and Spyral to do so. Master Acrobat: Grayson is a prodigious natural athlete, possessing a peak human level of agility/acrobatic skills. He is generally regarded as the greatest human acrobat in the DC universe. Batman himself is an incredible athlete in agility, but even he gives the advantage in that area over to Nightwing. As he is the only person on Earth who can do the quadruple somersault (formerly one of three, the other two being his parents). Grayson is one of the world's best human acrobat. Stealth Mastery: Due to his training with Batman and his time as a Spyral agent he is a master at stealth, espionage, infiltration, and sabotage. Dick is capable of breaching very high-security facilities with ease and without being detected. Expert Escapologist: Due to his training with Batman, he possess talented skill in escapology. He was able to escape a maze before the Flash could release himself from police handcuffs in an instant before the cop could even notice, and was able to use a Tibetan Mind Technique to escape virtual reality. Skilled Intimidator: He is skilled enough to get Scarecrow, who only fears Batman, to talk and, during his time as Batman, was able to contain a riot in Arkham Asylum. Genius-Level Intellect: Being trained by the Dark Knight himself in various fields, Grayson is shown to have a naturally high level of intelligence, though not as high as Batman's own. He was intelligent enough to build his own "Nightcar", build and program a Tech Glider, and also mentioned he can fool a polygraph. Master Detective: Grayson is a world class detective on par to the likes of Batman. He was able to solve a riddle by the Riddler before Batman himself even figured it out before becoming Robin and has been shown to solve mysteries and cases in a speed that even impresses his mentor. Barbara even commented that he was able to solve 4 cases in "America's Most Wanted" in a single morning and solved a homicide case that went unsolved for 14 years. He was also able to deduce clues Bruce left in the manner that suggested he was traveling through time. Dick also has an advanced degree in forensics. Expert Tactician: Grayson was taught in various fields by Batman and as a result, is a capable tactician. In addition to that, he is skilled in reading the body motions of others, using this skill to aid in defeating multiple armed opponents and anticipate an opponent's next move. Expert Leader: He is also a brilliant and experienced strategist with superlative leadership skills and adept emotional intelligence, having served as leader to the Titans, the Outsiders, and even the Justice League. Additionally, Dick's efforts to remain in contact with other heroes makes him a master at rallying, unifying, and inspiring the superhero community, a skill in which he has surpassed his mentor. Expert Hacker: He is skilled enough to hack into the JLA emergency override codes and hacked an alien Terminal with the use of the Tameranean Language he learn from Starfire. Multilingualism: Dick is of Romany descent and was raised to speak the language. Having had the finest education as Bruce Wayne's ward, he speaks with extreme fluency in English, Spanish, Japanese, German, Russian, French, Swahili, Mandarin, Cantonese and has some knowledge of the alien language of Tamaran. Indomitable Will: Like his mentor, Grayson has a very strong will. He is able to resist Scarecrow's potent fear toxins, resist and overcome mind control from Brother Blood and the Groom. He was even a candidate to succeed the Green Lantern, Abin Sur. Equipment Nightwing Suit: Nightwing had four versions of his costume. Each suit was made of a version of the Nomex fire-resistant, triple-weave Kevlar-lined material. It is an excellent protection against damage, and it's also electrically insulated. Instead of a black cape for stlthing, the suit is light sensitive, darkening when there is more light in the area. The original costume was mostly blue with light blue gloves and boots. The second was more advanced with a dark blue hue and gold boots and gloves, and trimmings on the neck. Nightwing's latest suit returns to the blue and black design. The logo is now slimmer and has a bird head. The logo wraps around his chest, around her shoulders and back. The boots now have a light blue trim. The newest costume appears to be the same basic design of the third, except the blue portions have been changed to red, and he now has spikes on the gauntlets similar to Batman's. Nightwing's costume is tailored specifically to his unique style of crime-fighting. As such, his costume has fewer body-armor inlays than Batman's, anticipating a decreased need for shock-absorption and an increased capacity for motion. ("Move more, get hit less.") A caveat of this configuration can be exploited by capable fighters who are both fast and strong, such as Superman. Should Nightwing need to engage an enemy who is capable of exploiting this weakness, he has supplemental body-armor overlays which he can attach to his gauntlets, mask, shoulders, and boots. Recently he has begun using Nightwing Mask: The mask, in the form of his symbol, is fixed in place with spirit gum, and includes a built-in radio transmitter/receiver and Starlight night-vision goggles. His gauntlets and boots each contain eight compartments in which he can store items. They have a self-destruct feature built into them, similar to the ones in Batman's utility belt, and, as another security measure (especially when the hero is unconscious), the suit contains a one-use-only taser charge, which automatically emits a high-voltage electrical shock when someone attempts to tamper with either the boots or gauntlets. Nightwing Gauntlets: Each gauntlet's sections can contain a wide array of equipment, such as sonic or smoke pellets, modified batarangs ("Wing-Dings"), knockout gas capsules and throwing tracers. The right gauntlet is also equipped with a 100,000-volt stun gun.

Tim Drake was little more than a toddler when he attended the circus with his parents. In order to ease his wife's concerns that the circus might frighten Tim, Jack Drake asked to take a picture with the Flying Graysons, who were the starring act. It was here that Tim first met Dick Grayson, who offered Tim special attention, and even promised to dedicate his performance to the toddler. Soon after, Tim and his family bore witness to the murder of Dick's parents John and Mary, alongside Bruce Wayne. As his parents rushed him out of the circus tent, Tim managed to catch sight of the mysterious Batman consoling Dick. Feeling sorry for Dick, Jack and Janet sent him a copy of the photo they had taken prior to the murder. A few years later at the age of nine, Tim saw footage of Batman and Robin apprehending the Penguin. Robin performed a quadruple somersault, a rare maneuver that only a Flying Grayson could do. After learning Grayson was the ward of Bruce Wayne, he came to the conclusion that Grayson was Robin and that of course Wayne was Batman. Tim continued to follow the adventures of the Dynamic Duo, as well as Grayson's becoming Nightwing and Jason Todd succeeding him as Robin. After Jason's death, Timothy began to take notice of a drastic and almost psychotic change in Batman's behaviour, in which he became convinced that Batman needed a Robin to maintain his sanity. When Nightwing left the Titans for a short time in order to find himself, Tim followed him and after helping Dick solve a mystery at Haly's Circus, was able to convince Dick that Batman needed help. However, where Dick intended to help Batman as Nightwing, Tim remained convinced that Batman needed Robin more. Dick ignored these pleas and raced off to help his mentor, only for both Dick and Bruce to be captured by Two-Face. Realizing that his idols were in danger, Tim donned the costume of Robin, at only thirteen years old and with the help of Alfred Pennyworth, was able to rescue them. Batman, although extremely reluctant, accepted Tim as the new Robin on a trial basis after being convinced by the boy, as well as Dick and Alfred. He was trained over several months, first by Alfred, then Batman, and finally Nightwing before ever being allowed to wear the costume again or go into the field. Unfortunately, just prior to completing his training, the ruthless Obeah Man later captured Tim's parents during a trip to the Caribbean. The Obeah man intended to sacrifice them, but Batman arrived to their rescue. Unfortunately, Janet and Jack both drank water laced with poison, and Janet died, while Jack was left in a coma. Batman began to reconsider Tim for the role of Robin, due to his fear that Tim was now motivated by anger, just as Jason had been. Tim, however, became more driven by his desire to do what was right, rather than petty revenge. After later saving Batman and Vicki Vale and defeating the Scarecrow, Bruce at last bestowed upon Tim the mantle of Robin, as well as a new costume. Despite finally getting his heart's desire, Tim had his doubts about becoming the new Robin, but Bruce told him that he had every confidence in him to be his new partner. He also confided in him that he was looking for someone with smarts, not just guts, and Tim had that and more. All that was necessary was that Tim go through intensive training before taking to the streets in Gotham. This would involve a tour overseas, helping Tim understand who he was in addition to learning how to be a great fighter. His first stop would be Paris, where he would learn from Rahul Lama, a Chinese martial arts master. In Paris, Tim crossed paths with some thugs working for King Snake, who was himself being shadowed by Lady Shiva. Shiva actually joined with Robin and a man named Clyde Rawlins (who wanted revenge against Snake for the death of his family) to help take down King Snake's heroin trafficking in the area. Not that Shiva was opposed to it for any moral sake, she simply wished to learn for herself if King Snake was truly as dangerous as rumors made him out to be—a good challenge for her talents. Together they discovered that King Snake was interested in more than just drugs—he was going into the chemical weapons industry, manufacturing his own bubonic plague. They followed the trail to Hong Kong. While there, Shiva trained with Robin some more, and here he first acquired his collapsible fighting staff. King Snake's plan was actually to unleash his plague into Hong Kong so as to leave it a rotting cesspool before the Chinese reclaimed it from the British. The team split up when they breached his lair. Clyde found him first and was quickly killed by Snake. Robin managed to defeat him, but refused to kill him when Shiva ordered him to. He returned to Gotham, ready to take his place alongside the Batman. Tim distinguished himself from Jason Todd by being far more reserved in temperament and from Dick Grayson by being more of a detective and less of a great acrobat. Whereas Dick had been brought up from a very early age to be acrobatic, Tim had to work hard for it. He proved himself more than capable of holding his own in a fight though. However, Batman did have strict orders with Tim—whenever he came across a known killer (such as Joker, Two-Face) he was supposed to withdraw and summon help. Unfortunately, Tim was not quite able to follow Batman's orders, and during one of his first solo-periods in Gotham without Batman, he found himself confronting Jason Todd's killer, the Joker. Having recently escaped from Arkham, Joker managed to use a hacker to cause the city to digitally self-destruct. Forced to handle the situation alone, Robin was made to confront the Joker who became infuriated at the sight of him, thinking that he had actually failed to kill the previous Robin. Upon realizing that this was a new Boy Wonder, Joker swore to kill this one, just as he had done Jason. Unfortunately for Joker, Tim proved more intelligent than Joker thought, and he was soon defeated and returned to Arkham, where he claimed that Robin was his, and his alone to kill. Around this time, Jack Drake came out of his coma, and with some manipulation from Tim, purchased a home right next door to Wayne Manor. This allowed Tim to continue his work as Robin, while also staying close to his father. Unfortunately for Tim, following the loss of his wife and his near-death, Jack's priorities had shifted. Where before he was more concerned with business than his son, Jack now wanted to develop a closer relationship with Tim. Unfortunately, Jack became more and more resentful at Tim and Bruce's close relationship and the fact that Tim would constantly disappear and seem to avoid spending time with him. Soon after, the Russian Mob began cracking down against the King Snake's organization, and once again Robin found himself stuck in the middle. Batman had ordered Tim to stay clear of it, but Tim found himself inadvertently disobeying his orders, upon meeting a young Russian girl named Ariana, whose father had been murdered by the KGBeast. With the aid of Huntress, Robin managed to defeat the King Snake, the Beast, and rescue Ariana who was forced to work in a drug sweatshop after being captured. Ariana would later move in with her aunt and uncle, and then be transferred to Tim's high school where they would soon start dating. Around the this time, the Cluemaster was released from jail, supposedly cured of his need to leave clues for people to track his crimes. However, clues still managed to appear all over the city, causing Batman and Robin to become confused by the supposed odd behavior of Arthur Brown. While attempting to stop Cluemaster, Robin noticed a girl in a purple costume leaving the scene. Assuming that she was an accomplice, Tim took chase and not only caught the girl, but unmasked her, revealing a teenage blond girl. The girl escaped by using Tim's surprise and striking him down with a broken brick. After a quick investigation, Tim realized the girl was Cluemaster's daughter Stephanie Brown, who was not working with her father, but trying to stop him. Calling herself Spoiler, Steph teamed up with Batman and Robin and stopped her father. Tim was in Gotham City when Bane broke open Arkham Asylum, unleashing nearly every inmate into the city, and was the first to suggest to Batman that Bane was responsible. He set out with the Batman at first, and initially they had some good progress, busting up the Mad Hatter's tea party and bringing in a half dozen or so thugs along with him. They got separated, however, as Robin decided to pursue Bird, one of Bane's lackeys, while Batman went after Victor Zsasz. Robin was briefly captured by Bane and Killer Croc, but managed to escape. He then did some detective work regarding Firefly, but a physically and emotionally drained Batman ordered him to stay put in the lair while he took on Firefly by himself. He did, however, get some action when Riddler held a live TV show hostage (although he had a fake bomb) and helped apprehend him. Tim was with Alfred and Jean-Paul Valley when Bane broke Batman's back and threw him from a rooftop in downtown Gotham. They acquired an ambulance and took Bruce back to the Batcave (despite Tim's initial protestations that he should go to a hospital). He contacted Jim Gordon to get some medicine Bruce needed. After that, there was nothing he could do but wait and pray alongside Alfred. Thankfully, Bruce did not die, though when he awoke he was psychologically scarred, as his defeat from Bane on top of months of exhaustion was a major blow to him mentally (in addition to his broken back). Tim could barely stand to watch his mentor so shattered, but he stayed the course, helping Alfred recruit Dr. Shondra Kinsolving to be his personal physician and smashing up the Porsche to explain how Bruce Wayne could have sustained such injuries. Once Bruce was feeling in better spirits, Tim went to talk to him about the escalating violence and gang war in Gotham—someone would have to step in for Bruce until he could recover. Bruce turned down Tim's suggestion to get Nightwing, reasoning that he was his own man now with his own responsibilities, which left the task to Azrael, Jean Paul Valley. Tim gave him the costume and taught him a few of Batman's tricks. Bruce's condition was particularly heartbreaking for Tim, given that his own father was still paralyzed (although Jack had been making remarkable progress; while still wheelchair bound, he had much more feeling and could move his arms a lot better). Robin went out with the new Batman (sometimes referred to by fans as "Az-Bats") on patrol and was dismayed when Jean Paul kept getting more and more aggressive, pushing the edge when it came to defeating criminals. Robin kept trying to remind Jean Paul that there was more to being Batman than just the costume, but Jean Paul had quickly lost himself in his role. Meanwhile, Bruce surmised that since Bane had guessed his secret identity, he may have guessed Tim's, and went to the Drake's manor—too late, for Jack Drake was kidnapped just before he got there. Tim found out that his father was missing when he finally went home (after Jean Paul made it clear that he would not take directions from him). Bruce and Alfred had left Gotham to go search for Jack Drake and Shondra Kinsolving (who had also been taken). Tim kept up the pretense that his father had planned his trip. Tim felt shut out of the team and the Cave by the time Nightwing dropped by. Tim filled him in on the situation, saying that he blamed himself partly for Jean Paul's behavior, as it had been he who had designed his original costume, which was very similar to a villain Bruce had recently defeated. That, combined with "the system", a kind of brainwashing Azrael had undergone, might have been the cause of his recklessness. Nightwing told him not to blame himself. He also admitted he was surprised Bruce hadn't asked him to fill in while he was injured. Robin showed up when Bane and Jean Paul had their second sparring and managed to save the passengers of an elevated train while Az-Bats took down Bane. Much to Tim's relief, Jean Paul did not kill Bane and for a moment considered that perhaps Jean Paul was a worthy successor. During the Genesis crisis, Robin was unable to save a hood who tried to kill him from drowning. Feeling depressed, Robin nevertheless had to head for the front-lines—this time literally. Armstrong was back, this time as the adviser to Ali Ben Khadir, a claimant to the throne of the Karoccan Emirate. His rival was being backed by Qurac. With Nightwing's help and a Waynetech jet, Robin went over to the war-torn country (the conflict was escalating with the appearance of more mercenaries on either side, such as Deadline (whom Robin managed to easily take down). Nightwing managed to stop two armies from clashing outside the capital while Robin penetrated Armstrong's lair. He found that Armstrong and his employer had had a falling out, so the boy was arrested and Robin withdrew. Robin had Nightwing drop him off in France, saying that lately he'd been feeling lost and decided he needed to step back for a while. He thought Paris was the right place to start, since his training had never really ended there. Knowing that Rahul Llama was dead, Tim decided to train in the course of the Iron Master, although he remained in his identity as Robin. He stopped a former student from stealing from the master and also met a girl named Dava Sborscs. The girl was there to learn a single move to add to her arsenal of lethal moves. She wanted to be able to fight in the war that was destroying her native country of Transbelvia. After she left, Lady Shiva arrived looking for her. Robin had to withdraw, leaving the Iron Master to fight her alone, and she killed him. King Snake was also involved again, this time selling weapons to Transbelvia. Robin went after Dava to warn her about Shiva. Back in Gotham, Jack Drake, Ariana, and Spoiler were all wondering what had happened to Tim. Robin found Dava, a rebel fighting against the oppressive regime, and she has a secret—a special chemical called Aramilla that allows her to move at super-speed. Together, they easily took down some military thugs—but then Shiva turned up. Not willing to step aside and let her murder Dava, Robin attacked. Not even Shiva could stand up to Robin moving at super-speed. Losing control, Robin beat her to death—just in time for King Snake to saunter in. While Dava fought King Snake and his minions, Robin performed CPR and managed to revive Shiva—unfortunately, she had absorbed some of the Aramilla, and at super-speed she took down all of King Snake's men and went after him herself. Robin left them to fight each other and brought an injured Dava to safety. But the war continued, and Robin decided it was finally time to return home. Unfortunately, on the flight home, Gotham City was struck by the Cataclysm, a massive earthquake that leveled most of the city. Robin joined with Batman and the rest of the "family," overwhelmed at the near total destruction of the entire city. There was little that Robin could do in such chaos, and Batman had him stay out of most of the city. Luckily, the Drake home, in one of the outer neighboring communities, suffered only minor damages and they were able to repair it. During the Aftershock, Ariana and Stephanie were both staying in a shelter with their families. Stephanie asked Robin to retrieve her costume, worried someone would steal it and learn her secret. Cluemaster was waiting there, but Robin took him down and turned him in to the National Guard. Unable to be with Ariana for a long period of time, Robin began spending more and more time with Spoiler, causing Robin to realize that he did care for her. However, before taking their new relationship too far, Tim decided that he to break things off with Ariana rather than keep leading her on (the pair had been allowed to date again shortly before). Fortunately, Ariana felt exactly the same way about a breakup, although stating it was because they were too young to be so serious. Tim would later run into Ariana during an awkward meeting upon Tim's later return from Keystone City. At this same time, Robin also became one of the charter members of Young Justice alongside Superboy and Impulse. Despite Superboy's protests, Robin immediately became the team's unofficial leader, due primarily because of his training from Batman. Robin and Spoiler got along well—she didn't pry any about his real identity, and he could share being Robin with her. However, after their first real date, Steph told him that she was pregnant. Robin was not the guilty party (he was not even a suspect)--she was actually about two months along—but he stood by her. Disguised as Alvin Draper, he went to Lamaze classes and told her that she had to give up being Spoiler until after the baby was born. Later, Robin had to save his friends Ives and Hudson from Steeljacket. At school, a friend of Tim's was found dead in the woods and two bullies were suspected of killing him. While Tim initially believed they were innocent, he soon found evidence of their guilt, which lead to their arrest. With all of Gotham in ruins, Jack Drake decided the family should relocate from Gotham Heights for a while. He decided to move to Keystone City along with Dana, who was transferred there. When they arrived, Robin teamed up with the Flash (Wally West) to take on the Riddler and Captain Boomerang. They also got some help from Superman to stop a bomb threat. While they were in Keystone, Stephanie went into labor (earlier than expected) and needed a C-section. Flash got Robin back to Gotham in time for him to come to the hospital and see her before the baby was born just as he promised her. The baby (later revealed to be a girl) was born and Stephanie gave the child up for adoption as planned. Jack was furious with his son for apparently running home to Gotham—but admitted that he had hated Keystone and that he wanted to come back. Robin even managed help Shotgun Smith take down three monstrous thugs who held hostage an emergency room. Now that he had returned, it was time for Robin to help with No Man's Land. Recalled to Gotham City by Batman, Robin and Nightwing had to crawl through an extensive system of tunnels and underground chambers, as the bridges were all down and patrols kept them from going over the river. They had a tussle with Tommy Mangles and Gearhead, but Nightwing easily defeated them and got into the city. Robin was depressed by what he saw—despair and desperation, people fighting to just survive. Batman put Robin to work immediately, ordering him to track down a cache of food from an old shelter. Robin found it—and discovered the Ratcatcher there. Robin had to flee the Ratcatcher and his legions of rats—though a combination of rat bites and exposure to sewage gave him a fever. He managed to stay it off with some antibiotics he brought, and was found by a group of children known as the Wolflings, including a kid Robin knew from his school who was calling himself Aragoth. The Wolflings decided to find the stores, and Robin was too sick to follow them at first. The kids found it, but unfortunately so did the Ratcatcher—and so did Mister Freeze. Robin managed to defeat both Freeze and Ratcatcher, arranging for them to be arrested. Batman was impressed with Robin's actions. Robin did not have much time to recover, however, as he knew Batman and the others were fighting for their lives. Robin was captured by Killer Croc, who was planning an all out battle with Penguin and his police allies. Alfred helped free Robin and he rallied with Bullock and Penguin to defeat Croc. He then had to make the hard decision to call his father and tell him that he was in Gotham—and there was no way out. Jack made a lot of noise, and Washington took notice. Federal agents were ordered to stage a rescue. Tim was told to come to Grant Park to be pulled out. The rescue site turned into a firefight, but Tim was successfully lifted out with some help from the new Batgirl. Jack decided to enlist his son in Brentwood Academy, a private high school not too far from home. Because of all his absences, Jack also insisted that Tim board at the school. His first roommate was Ali Ben Khadir, the religious leader of a small country called Dhabar. Ali had a bodyguard, Zugir. Thankfully, Bruce assigned Alfred to be his personal valet for the rest of the semester. Tim decided life at the school wasn't so bad—he still got to see Spoiler and created a new hi-tech skateboard. There were some people who had been transformed into Man-Bat like creatures that warranted investigating. With help from Nightwing, he learned that the bats were Kirk and Francine Langstrom and their child. He had to ask Jason Bard for help. Bard had been entrusted with a serum by Man-Bat years ago. The serum worked on the parents, but the child was born in his condition. Much like Dick Grayson, Tim Drake has allied himself with the other superheroes in his age demographic. He mostly worked with only the Gotham City heroes, but on occasion joins forces with heroes such as Superman, the Flash, Superboy (who became Tim's best friend) and Impulse. During one adventure where a pre-teen boy was given god-like powers, Robin, Superboy and Impulse joined forces to defeat him. The boys work so well together that they created their own team of heroes called Young Justice. Robin acted as the leader of the team (with Red Tornado acting as team mentor) until the Imperiex War. Due to the team's age, the then President Lex Luthor refused to let teen heroes on the frontline of the war. As such, Young Justice was forced to play the role of a space mobile medical team, collecting injured heroes. During one of their missions, the group crashed onto Apokolips, where they would later be captured and tortured. Robin discovered during those events that over half the team, Superboy, Wonder Girl, Impulse and Cissie King-Jones (formerly Arrowette), no longer trusted him. The cause of the new mistrust came after the Justice League discovered that Batman kept contingency plans on them in case they ever went rogue. As a result, the younger heroes begin to wonder if Robin, who had still not revealed his true identity and kept most of himself hidden, might also have plans to defeat or even kill them. Secret, who has deep feelings for Robin, along with new members Empress and Lil' Lobo, however, remained trusting of Robin and side with him. Still, feeling hurt and unable to be a proper leader when only half the team trusted him, as well as strained by assorted other problems in his personal life, Robin quit the team temporarily. Tim rejoined the team after having to go up against Bedlam a second time, during which his secret identity is revealed to his teammates. However, upon his return the team refused to give him back the mantle of leader, and decided instead to elect their leader this time around. Tim lost to Wonder Girl, however the team continued to look at Tim as its tactical expert, aiding Wonder Girl, in leadership, similar to Batman's own position in the JLA. Unwilling to quit Young Justice a second time, Tim takes on the identity of "Mister Sarcastic" at a point where Young Justice agree to be become reality TV stars. Soon after, Secret is turned evil by Darkseid and it is Tim (not Robin) who manages to save the world by reminding Greta of her humanity. Soon after Young Justice and the Titans were approached by a company offering to support their super-heroic teams. Before anything could happen however, the team was attacked by a cyborg from the future, who then turned on a robotic Superman in an effort to save itself. The Superman Robot was out of control and while trying to shut it down, Donna Troy and Omen were murdered. Young Justice disbanded soon after, as did the Titans, both of who felt broken following the losses of Donna and Lilith. Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy brought Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl and Impulse (later known as Kid Flash) together to form the new Teen Titans. While Cyborg took the lead, Robin was often seen as the leader of the younger members, even going against the direct orders of the elder Titans. In the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline, Tim encountered his future self in the identity of Batman after his mentor died in a crisis. This future happened despite his repeated statement that he did not want to be the next Batman, and is rather content being Robin. In this timeline, Tim was now the leader of the future Titans with himself as Batman. After Bruce Wayne's death, Tim has the Titans take control of the entire West Coast. He orders any rebellions to be put down by Dark Raven absorbing the people's free will and hope. He even hunts down most of Batman's Rogue's gallery and kills them with the handgun that was used to kill Thomas and Martha Wayne. As he explained to his younger self, "It took me years to do it." He even began a relationship with Bettie Kane, who became his partner, Batwoman. He later killed her during an argument; wracked with guilt, he makes a deal with Ra's al Ghul to restore her using the Lazarus Pit. Once revived, however, she joined the Titans East (led by an older version of Cyborg) and opposed him and his team. His latest victim before the younger Teen Titans show up was Duela Dent, the Joker's daughter, whom he apparently murdered out of revenge for the death of assorted people including Cassandra Cain and Alfred Pennyworth. Abilties: Martial Arts Master: Tim has been trained by Batman and assorted other martial artist in a wide assortment of martial arts disciplines. Although he has not mastered near as many fighting styles as his mentors, he has managed to use the training given to be considered a highly skilled combatant. He is very proficient in the use of the Bo staff. Escapologist: Batman and Nightwing have trained Red Robin to be skilled in escaping from any trap, lock or captivity, ranging from the most simplistic of handcuffs to the most elaborate of cages. Gifted Intellect: His naturally high intellect allows him to excel in computer science and more importantly as a skilled detective. Further more, Tim apparently has a firm grasp of assorted scientific techniques including biology, engineering and genetics, which he has been shown to use in his attempts at re-cloning Superboy. Batman states that Tim could potentially be smarter and better than himself. The Batman has trained him in many disciplines, such as forensic, criminology, acrobatics, stealth, disguise, and escapology. Master Detective: Tim is highly analytical, able to perceive and interpret the most minor of clues. His skills were so advanced that at the age of 13 he was able to deduce the identities of Batman and Robin. Master Tactician and Strategist: Tim is a brilliant and experienced strategist with impressive leadership skills, having served as leader to the Teen Titans, Young Justice, and even being placed in charge of the rescue efforts of Blüdhaven by Superman, following the attack made by Deathstroke and his fellow villains. In recent times, he has managed to orchestrate the unified control of the Gotham Street Gangs, thus reducing the threats they pose to the city. Red Robin Costume: With Damian now assuming the role as the fifth Robin, Tim adopted the full uniform of Red Robin. This costume seems to contain a mixture of both Tim's old Robin uniforms, as well as Batman's. The uniform is comprised of black leggings and boots, a red tunic similar to that of Dick Grayson's old Robin tunic, though lacking the 'R' emblem. He wears a utility belt, again similar to the one worn by Dick Grayson while as Robin, only of a slightly larger size. He then has a chest harness, that is connected by the Red Robin symbol. Finally, he wears a black cowl and cape. Rather than using throwing stars or batarangs like before, Tim now uses Red Robin throwing disks. He does, however, continue to use his collapsible bo-staff as his primary weapon. Red Robin Costume 2: With a few minor alterations by Alfred, Tim begins patrolling with a new version of the Red Robin costume. The hip-flaps are replaced with a more streamlined look and the heavy leather is replaced (or at least lessened). Tim returns to a utility belt more like his previous Robin costume (arguably more Batman-esque, as well, ditching the thin rod-canisters in favour of the metal, square "pouch"-style). It seems, if the cover of Red Robin 13 is anything to go off of, that Tim has developed a sort of Red Robin-branded batarang of his own to replace the throwing disks. Transportation: Tim's first vehicle was the Redbird car. It is capable of morphing between a highly armored combat-vehicle and a normal-looking car. As both Robin and Red Robin, Tim has driven different versions of a Robin-themed motorcycle. With the disappearance of Batman, Robin has also begun using the Batmobile. Robin Weapons: "R" shurikens, Batarangs, extendible staff given to him by Lady Shiva. He also often uses a sling. Red Robin Weapons: Red Robin emblem throwing disks, collapsible bo-staff, grappling hooks.

The Bat-Family is a network of crimefighters who operate in and around Gotham City. Nearly all members trained directly under Bruce Wayne. These include the Birds of Prey who operate out of the Clock Tower and the the Belfry. The group usually are seen interacting with one another and assisting in each other's cases in their respective series. When a new vigilante emerges in the city Batman deduces their identity relatively quickly. Although some members occasionally resent Batman’s intrusion into their lives, all respect him as a legend within the superhero community and rarely challenge his authority. Most of the members also have a strong rapport with the Dark Knight due to their long and close relationships with him over the years, and consider him a close friend as well as ally. In a 2002 storyline in which Bruce Wayne, Batman’s secret identity, is accused of murder, Batman's friends gather to prove his innocence. It has also been implied through Batman's history that this network serves as a surrogate family for Batman and keeps him from slipping too far into his ruthless vigilante persona. Members: 1. Bruce Wayne / Batman (leader) 2. Cassandra Cain / Orphan / Batgirl 3. Claire Clover / Gotham Girl 4. Barbara Gordon / Batgirl / Oracle 5. Selina Kyle / Catwoman 6. Helena Bertinelli / Huntress 7. Julia Pennyworth 8. Duke Thomas / Robin / Lark / The Signal 9. Damian Wayne / Robin 10. Stephanie Brown / Spoiler / Batgirl 11. Henry "Hank" Clover Jr. / Gotham (deceased) 12. Timothy "Tim" Drake / Robin / Red Robin 13. Richard "Dick" Grayson / Robin / Nightwing / Batman / Agent 37 14. Lucas "Luke" Fox / Batwing 15. Katherine "Kate" Kane / Batwoman 16. Basil Karlo / Clayface (retired after faking his own death) 17. Alfred Pennyworth 18. Harper Row / Bluebird (retired) 19. Jason Todd / Robin / Red Hood 20. Jean-Paul Valley / Azrael 21. David Zavimbe / Batwings 22. Minhkhoa "Khoa" Khan / Ghost-Maker 23. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn 24. Ace the Dog / Bat-Hound 25. Haley the Dog / Bitewing 26. Titus / Bat-Hound 27. Alfred the Cat 28. Bat-Cow 29. Jerry the Turkey 30. Lucy the Monkey 31. Goliath 32. Wiggles the Dragon 33. Jarro / Robin

The Batcave is the secret headquarters of Batman and the extended Bat-Family, consisting of a series of subterranean caves beneath Wayne Manor. The most prominent tool in the Batcave is its famous Central Computer Console, used daily by Batman to research and solve crimes. Discovered and used long before by Bruce Wayne's ancestors as a storehouse as well as a means of transporting escaped slaves during the Civil War era, Wayne himself rediscovered them when he fell through a dilapidated well on his estate. Much like Superman's Fortress of Solitude, the Batcave serves as a place of privacy and tranquility where Batman can be himself. Upon his initial foray into crime-fighting, Wayne used the caves as a sanctum and to store his then-minimal equipment. As time went on, Wayne found the place ideal to create a stronghold for his war against crime and has incorporated a plethora of equipment as well as expanding the cave for specific uses. The cave is accessible in several ways. It can be reached through a secret door in Wayne Manor itself, which is located in the main study, behind a grandfather clock. The panel unlocks when the hands of the clock are set to the time that Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered: 10:48. Alternately, the study entrance has been shown to be behind a bookcase which slides to the side when a secret button is pushed, revealing the "Bat-Poles," which allow Bruce Wayne and his ward to change into their Batman and Robin costumes en route as they slide down to the cave. There is also an entrance under Bruce Wayne's chair in his office in Wayne Enterprises, as shown in Batman Forever. In Batman Begins the cave is accessible through a secret door disguised as part of a large display case and unlocked by pressing a sequence of keys on the nearby piano. Another secret entrance, covered by a hologram or a camouflaged door, allows access to a service road for the Batmobile. Another alternate entrance is a dry well- which was actually the hole that Bruce fell into when he originally discovered the cave as a child- highlighted especially during the Knightfall storyline. At one point, Tim Drake and Dick Grayson use the dry well to get into the cave, which they had been locked out of by Jean-Paul Valley during his time as Batman, with Bruce using it himself during his final confrontation with Valley to force Valley to remove his armour in the confined space. The Batcave serves as Batman's command center, where he monitors all crisis points in Gotham and the world. All variations of the Batcave are linked up the Dupin supercomputer system. The cave's centerpiece is a large monitor and keyboard console. Dupin's specs are on par with any of those used by leading national security agencies; it permits global surveillance and also connects to a massive information network as well as storing vast amounts of information, both on Batman's foes and his allies. A series of satellite link-ups allows easy access to Batman's information network anywhere in the globe. The systems are protected against unauthorized access, and any attempt to breach this security immediately sends an alert to Batman or Oracle. Despite the power of Batman's computers, the JLA Watchtower is known to have more powerful computers (composed of Kryptonian, Thanagarian and Martian technology), and Batman does occasionally use them if he feels his computers are not up to the task; on occasion, he also consults Oracle for assistance. It is usually operated by Alfred Pennyworth while the Bat-Family are out on a mission. The Batcave also has a collection of ancient armor due to Batman's study of military history. It includes outfits worn by European Knights, Desert nomads, and Samurai warriors throughout the centuries. Additionally, the cave contains state of the art facilities such as: crime lab, various specialized laboratories, mechanized workshops, personal gymnasium, a vast library, parking, docking and hangar space (as appropriate) for his various vehicles as well as separate exits for the various types, trophies of past cases, a large bat colony, and a Justice League teleporter. It also has medical facilities as well as various areas used in training exercises for Batman and his allies. The cave houses Batman's vast array of specialized vehicles, foremost being the famous Batmobile in all its incarnations (mostly for nostalgia as well as for contingencies, as all are serviceable and in excellent working condition). Batman keeps a fleet of regular cars of various models and utility vehicles such as an ambulance as well when the Batmobile would be too conspicuous for a mission. Other vehicles within the complex include various motorcycles, and various air and watercraft such as The Batplane, a single occupant supersonic jet. Another vehicle found in the Batcave is the subway rocket, first used during the time when Jean Paul Valley was substituting for Bruce Wayne after Bane had broken his back. It let Batman get into Gotham City very fast, and could electronically clear a path via the Gotham Rail system. The cave is sometimes powered by a nuclear reactor, but most often by a hydro-electric generator. Batman later incorporated safeguards against earthquakes and even nuclear catastrophe, outfitting the cave as a virtual bomb shelter or an enhanced panic room. It is rumored that the world's last Lazarus Pit was constructed inside the Batcave, although the validity of this claim is suspect. Memorabilia: Three memorabilia items often seen in the cave are a defunct full-size mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex, an equally large U.S. penny and a Joker playing card. The T. Rex comes from an adventure on "Dinosaur Island"; the penny was originally a trophy from Batman's encounter with a penny-obsessed villain named the Penny Plunderer. Other "keepsakes" in the cave include Two-Face's original coin, Deathstroke's sword, the shroud of the Mad Monk, a collection of Penguin's deadly umbrellas, a Joker laughing fish, one of Harley Quinn's popguns, a Scarface dummy, Bane's mask and Venom tank, Mad Hatter's top hat, the Red Hood's domed helmet and original costume, Maxie Zeus's lightning weapon, and an over-sized collection of bowling ten-pins. There is also a glass case display of Jason Todd's Robin costume as a memorial to him, with the epitaph "A Good Soldier." Barbara Gordon's Batgirl costume also remains on display. Following his death at the hands of The Heretic, Damian Wayne's costume always remains on display.

Wayne Manor is the stately residence of billionaire Bruce Wayne, secretly Batman. Under all the expensive china and bookcases, it also serves to hide the massive underground cave used as Batman's base of operations, the Batcave. The Wayne family has owned the property since the 19th century, but construction was abandoned after Joshua Wayne died. Jonah Hex held criminal cabals on the grounds. Alan Wayne decided to fully construct a mansion on the acreage. While playing on the property, Bruce fell through rotting wood covering an old well that drew water from the cave. Injured and feeling vulnerable, he was quickly frightened by the bats that had been sleeping there. This was a highly traumatic for Bruce Wayne, he was only comforted by his mother Martha after Dr. Thomas Wayne scolded him for being foolish. When Bruce first returned to the mansion, he kept his small crime lab in his father's study. After the Window Bat appeared to him there he decided it was time to return to the cave he fell into as a child. After exploring the cave with Alfred he realized it was the perfect place to hide his vigilante equipment. Bruce Wayne decided to vacate the property after his ward left for college. Bruce and Alfred moved into a penthouse apartment on top of the Wayne Foundation Building in the heart of the city, which also included a secret sub-basement acting as a Batcave. Wayne returned to his ancestral home in 1982 (Detective Comics #513) over a decade later. During the events of Batman: Cataclysm a massive earthquake struck Gotham City, the epicenter of which was less than a mile from Wayne Manor. The mansion was seriously damaged, as was the cave network beneath. The ground beneath the mansion shifted significantly, and actually revealed the Batcave below. The original Manor was damaged beyond repair, forcing Bruce Wayne to redesign the Manor along with the Batcave. The new Manor is a veritable fortress, a pastiche of Gothic architecture combined with features of castellated architecture. Solar panels are installed in the new Manor, providing environmentally-friendly electricity generation for the complex. It also includes a heliport for commercial helicopters. Following the events of Arkham Asylum's collapse in Batman Eternal #29, Wayne Manor was donated by Bruce Wayne to replace the institution in Arkham Manor #1. After reconstruction, the Manor was renamed "Arkham Manor" and began housing the Arkham Inmates. The doctors note that Arkham Manor is even more secure than the original Asylum. The entrance to the Batcave was sealed off with a wall of cement to prevent anyone from discovering or accessing the Batcave. Bruce Wayne has extensive library and spends much his spare time here to collect his thoughts. This is where a large bat flew threw a window, inspiring his bat-uniform. The Manor grounds include an extensive subterranean cave system that Bruce Wayne discovered as a boy and later used as his base of operations as Batman, the Batcave. The method used to access it has varied across the different storylines in the comics, movies, and shows. In the comic books, it is typically accessible from a hidden door in Wayne Manor's study behind a non-functioning grandfather clock, which opens to a descending staircase when the hands on said clock are turned to 10:47 p.m., the time Thomas and Martha Wayne were killed. The grounds also include a large hill that was partially hollowed out for Batman's aerial vehicles, and there is also an underground river system that is large enough to accommodate docking space for the Batboat and has a large opening for the boat and has a water fall. The Bat-Plane was originally kept underground and was brought to the surface by a winch apparatus,

Park Row, later called Crime Alley, is a historical landmark in Gotham City and was rather infamous for being the location where Bruce Wayne's parents Thomas and Martha were murdered, which started off Bruce's career as Batman. The area on the northern Gotham island that now comprises Park Row and the Bowery was originally called Logerquist's Acres in the 17th century. Gotham City's founder Captain Jon Logerquist maintained farmland here in the years before his death. However, Logerquist's farmstead was eventually burned by British forces when he refused to pay his taxes. According to an urban legend in Gotham City, the area is cursed and the ghost of Logerquist still lingers in the Bowery and Park Row. This story persists to this day, even though occult investigator Dr. Terrence Thirteen has claimed to have debunked the myth. Originally a ghetto street in downtown Gotham, Park Row gained its glory after thirty years. The glamour of its heyday was changed to poverty, and the street was commonly referred to as Crime Alley. One of the first residents was Leslie Thompkins, who lived there from the start. The Park Row Tragedy, as the newspapers called it, was a pivotal point in the life of Bruce Wayne. A robber named Joe Chill murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of their eight year old son, Bruce after they had left the Monarch Theatre. Chill was first arrested the very same night after he murdered Thomas and Martha after he fled the scene. While the GCPD investigated, Dr. Leslie Thompkins looked after young Bruce, and the two remained friends after. Bruce Wayne used his influence to keep the street preserved during the rebuilding of Gotham, and made it the only part of the present-day Gotham City that remained. Bruce visited Crime Alley and placed flowers on the ground where his parents were shot. Roland Daggett, director of the Daggett Development Corporation, considered Crime Alley a breeding ground for crime, and tried endlessly to get it demolished and replaced with a mini-mall. As the legal roads proved unsuccessful, Daggett sent his henchmen to evict the residents, and hired Nitro to place explosives on an old gas pipe. The plan was, however, thwarted by Batman. Only several already condemned planned demolition buildings were destroyed, while the SRO Hotel, where there were still people, remained undamaged. Crime Alley was the location where Batman first met Jason Todd, when he attempted to steal the tires from the Batmobile. That was also where Dr. Leslie Thompkins maintained her clinic, and where Batman battled Superman in Frank Miller's graphic novel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Park Row was also part of Arkham City, and the memory flashdrive that Catwoman stole before she was captured by Two-Face contained information on Crime Alley, or rather, Park Row.

Gotham City is the hometown of Batman and the Bat-Family. Though it first appeared in Detective Comics #27, it was first identified by Bill Finger in Batman #4 (Winter 1940). Often depicted to be on the East Seaboard of the United States, Gotham has changed depiction, including with the city geography and architecture. From the Bronze Age of Comics, Gotham's politics has often been depicted as having heavy ties to organized crime and corruption. Gotham itself has become a major location in the DC Universe, with many characters like Superman, Swamp Thing, Green Lanterns and the JLA visiting the city on occasions. In Swamp Thing #52, Alan Moore established that Gotham City was founded in 1635 by Captain Jon Logerquist.[1] Other writers have generally followed this backstory for Gotham City. According to the regular version of this story, Jon Logerquist was a Swedish mercenary who served the Swedish Empire during the Thirty Years' War and fought in the Battle of Nördlingen in Swabia. In order to flee the religious wars that were raging throughout Europe, Logerquist and a small group of colonists decided to pursue a new life in North America, where they established a settlement on the East Coast in 1635. Captain Logerquist named the territory Fort Adolphus after Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, who had died in the Battle of Lützen a few years earlier. Fort Adolphus along with New Netherland was later ceded to the British in 1674 and English General Adam Howe took over as governor. Howe then renamed the settlement Gotham City. To an extent, this mirrors the history of many American cities that changed hands over the course of time. During the American Revolutionary War, Gotham City was the site of a major battle and rumors held it to be the site of various occult rites. Shadowpact #5 by Bill Willingham expands upon Gotham's occult heritage by depicting a being who has slept for 40,000 years beneath the land upon which Gotham City was built. Strega, the being's servant, says that the "dark and often cursed character" of the city was influenced by the being who now uses the name "Doctor Gotham." Many storylines have added more events to Gotham's history, and at the same time affecting the city and its people greatly. Perhaps the greatest in impact was a long set of serial storylines, which started with Ra's Al Ghul releasing a debilitating virus called the "Clench" during the "Contagion" storyline. As that arc wrapped the city was beginning to recover only to suffer an earthquake described as being 7.6 on the Richter Scale in "Cataclysm". This resulted in the federal government cutting Gotham off from the rest of the United States in "No Man's Land." This trio of storylines allowed writers the freedom to redefine the nature and mood of the city. The result suggested a harder city with a more resilient, resourceful, and cynical populace; a more dramatic and varied architecture; and more writing possibilities by attributing new locales to the rebuilding of the city. Before Detective Comics #48, Batman's adventures were said to happen in New York City. Gotham is known to be architecturally modeled after New York City, but with exaggerated elements of the styles and derives its name from a sobriquet for that real world city, first popularized by the author Washington Irving in his satirical work Salmagundi (1807). Prior to that the term "Gotham" had been used to refer to places with foolish inhabitants since as early as the mid-15th century. The existence of Gotham, Nottinghamshire in the DC Universe was acknowledged in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #206 (and again in 52 #27), although the connection between two names within the DCU has not been fully explained. In a story titled 'Cityscape' in Batman Chronicles #6 it is revealed that Gotham was initially built for the purpose of housing the criminally insane, and Robin reads a journal that tells of how Gotham got its name; "I even have a name for it. We could call it 'Gotham' after a village in England - where, according to common belief, all are bereft of their wits. The name "Gotham City" is generally associated with Batman and DC Comics, although it also appears in the first Mr. Scarlet story by France Herron and Jack Kirby from Wow Comics #1. Kirby historian Greg Theakston notes that this was published December 13, 1940, shortly before Detective Comics #48 was published. In terms of atmosphere, Batman writer and editor Dennis O'Neil has said that, figuratively, "Batman's Gotham City is Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November." Gotham City's atmosphere took on a lighter tone in the comics of the 1950s and part of the 1960s, similar to the tone of Batman stories of that era. However, by the early 1970s the tone of the city, as well as that of the stories, had become grittier. In recent decades, the portrayal of Gotham has been as a dark and foreboding place rife with crime, grime, and corruption. Different artists have depicted Gotham in different ways. But they often base their interpretations on various real architectural periods and styles, with exaggerated characteristics, such as massively multi-tiered flying buttresses on cathedrals, or the huge Art Deco and Art Nouveau statuary seen in Tim Burton's movie version. Within the Batman mythos, the person cited as being influential in promoting the unique architecture of Gotham City during the pre-American Civil War era was Judge Solomon Wayne, Bruce Wayne's ancestor. His campaign to reform Gotham came to a head when he met a young architect named Cyrus Pinkney. Wayne commissioned Pinkney to design and to build the first "Gotham Style" structures in what became as the center of the city's financial district. The "Gotham Style" idea of the writers matches parts of the Gothic Revival in style and timing. In a 1992 storyline, a man obsessed with Pinkney's architecture blew up several Gotham buildings in order to reveal the Pinkney structures they had hidden; the editorial purpose behind this was to transform the city depicted in the comics to resemble the designs created by Nigel Phelps for the 1989 Batman film. After "No Man's Land", Lex Luthor took the challenge of rebuilding Gotham City after the events of "Cataclysm". Gotham's old Art-deco and Gothic structures were replaced with modern glass skyscrapers and buildings. A common theme in stories set in Gotham is the rampant and recurring corruption within the city's civil authorities and infrastructure, most notably within the Gotham City Police Department. During stories set early in Batman's career (most notably "Batman: Year One"), Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb was depicted as having his hands in many pockets. However, Batman found evidence for conspiracy charges, forcing Loeb to resign his position. Later stories depicted subsequent commissioners as also being corruptible, or open to various forms of influence. In other stories, Batman has had to take on crooked cops, either acting in collusion with supervillains, working for the mob, or on their own. Later stories, featuring James Gordon as the new Commissioner, show the two characters often uniting to purge corruption from the force. Gordon was the commissioner for about 9 to 10 years of continuity, then retired, handing the police force over to his replacement, Commissioner Akins. Recent stories have returned Gordon to the position of Commissioner. Gotham has a wide variety of sports teams; like their baseball teams, the Gotham Knights and the Gotham Griffins, their basketball team, the Gotham Guardsmen, their football team the Gotham Wildcats and their ice hockey team, the Gotham Blades. The Gotham Knights baseball team colors are black and gold like the Knights football team. The Griffins team colors are dark green and white. In The Dark Knight Rises directed by Christopher Nolan, several Pittsburgh Steelers players portray the fictional Gotham City football team, the Gotham Rogues. In The Batman, there is a different, or possibly an additional, basketball team called the Gotham Gators. Gotham City's geography, like other fictional cities' geographies in the DC Universe, has varied over the decades, because of changing writers, editors and storylines. At various times the depiction has Gotham on the shores of "Lake Gotham". The majority of appearances, however, place Gotham on the eastern coast of the United States. Maps shown in various comics have depicted the city in different places. Many of the maps directly use Manhattan, Vancouver, and other real coastlines as their basis, while others are completely original. One map showing Gotham City in relation to Metropolis, the home of Superman, published in New Adventures of Superboy #22 (October 1981), placed Gotham City and Metropolis on opposite sides of a large bay. In Swamp Thing vol. 2, #53 (October 1986) the geography of Rhode Island was the basis of another map of Gotham City. The current definitive maps of Gotham City are those based on the ones produced for the "No Man's Land" story arc. The distance between Gotham City and Metropolis has varied over the years, ranging everywhere from being hundreds of miles apart to being twin cities on opposite sides of a large bay. Blüdhaven, a city that for several years was home to Nightwing, is located near Gotham City. Additionally, the Seven Soldiers of Victory series Klarion the Witch Boy, calls New York City the "Cinderella City", referring to nearby Metropolis and Gotham as its "ugly step-sisters". One older theory was proposed by Mark Gruenwald, who later went on to be a major writer/editor at Marvel Comics, and published in the 1970s in the DC house fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics in an issue dedicated to the Justice League. Gruenwald suggested that Gotham City is located somewhere in the state of New Jersey while Metropolis is located in close vicinity to Washington, D.C. Man-Bat #3 refers to Gotham City being in the Central Time Zone. In Nightwing #153, when Dick Grayson moved back to Gotham City from New York City via commuter train, it was revealed that the travel time by train was six hours, while the same trip via air shuttle between the two cities was only 40 minutes. According to the Planetary/Batman one-shot, a Gotham City also exists in the Wildstorm universe. It is similar to its DC Universecounterpart, but is not usually home to costumed vigilantes. In Captain Atom: Armageddon Gotham City does not exist in the Wildstorm universe. The Atlas of the DC Universe, published in 1990 by Mayfair Games Inc. as a supplement to the DC Heroes role-playing game (under license from DC Comics), places Gotham City in southern New Jersey (and Metropolis in Delaware). This source, never officially recognized by DC Comics, has since been contradicted with regards to other locations. A Gotham City driver's licence shown in Batman: Shadow of the Bat annual #1, contains the line "Gotham City, NJ", placing Gotham City in New Jersey. Detective Comics #503 (June 1983) includes several references suggesting Gotham City is in or near New Jersey. A location on the Jersey Shore is described as "twenty miles north of Gotham." Robin and Batgirl drive from a "secret New Jersey airfield" to Gotham City and then drive on the "Hudson County Highway." Hudson County is the name of an actual New Jersey county. Many comic book series and characters are set in Gotham. The most notable characters are Batman and Robin. Some of the most prominent characters directly connected to Batman whose adventures are set in Gotham are Nightwing, Huntress, Barbara Gordon and most recently Batwoman. Other DC characters have also depicted to be living in Gotham, including Jason Blood, Ragman, The Question, Plastic Man, Zatara and Zatanna, and Tommy Monaghan, the anti-hero Hitman. The superhero teams Section 8 and the Justice Society of America are also shown operating in Gotham City. Within the DC Universe continuity, Batman is not the first hero in Gotham. Stories featuring Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern, set before and during World War II depict Scott living in Gotham, and later depictions[5] show him running his Gotham Broadcasting Corporation. Additionally, the Justice Society of America and the Golden Age Black Canary have been depicted as operating in Gotham. Black Canary's daughter, the Modern Age Black Canary, is based in Gotham through much of the Birds of Prey series. Arella (formerly Angela Roth), a supporting character in Teen Titans and mother of Titan member Raven, is shown in flashback to have resided in Gotham City as a teenager. Apart from Gotham's superhero residents, the residents of the city feature in a back-up series in Detective Comics called "Tales of Gotham City" and in two limited series called Gotham Nights. Additionally, the Gotham City Police Department is the focus of the series Gotham Central. Ace Chemical Processing Plant — The factory where a costumed criminal named the Red Hood fell into a vat of chemicals and became the Joker, in Alan Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke. Amusement Mile — An amusement park in Gotham, lined with ferriswheels, rollercoasters, and other attractions typical of a theme park. Blackgate Penitentiary — The city’s main prison, located on Blackgate Isle. Batman: The Long Halloween suggests that it was preceded by Gotham Penitentiary. The Bowery — Described in the comics as Gotham City's worst neighborhood. Bordered by Crime Alley to the north, The Bowery is home to Crown Point, a smaller inner-district ridden with crime, homelessness, and prostitution. Brentwood Academy — A privately run high school once attended by Tim Drake during Chuck Dixon's tenure as writer of Robin vol. 2. Burnley — A district located north of Sprang River that is connected with Mercey Island via the Schwartz Bypass. Named for writer Jack Burnley. The Cauldron — An area known for organized crime. The Irish Mob runs most of The Cauldron and it is home to some of the most prestigious hitmen in the city, per Hitman by Garth Ennis and John McCrea. The Clocktower — A tower in central Gotham which at one time contained the secret headquarters of Barbara Gordon, for her activities as Oracle. The "War Games" storyline shows the destruction of the Clocktower. Chinatown — Gotham's primary Asian district. Crime Alley — A small side street, located in the East End, formally "Park Row." It is a dangerous, crime-infested area. This is where Joe Chill killed Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of their young son, Bruce, after the family had visited a cinema. In addition, this is the location where Batman first met Jason Todd, when the youth attempted to steal the tires from the Batmobile. This is also where Doctor Leslie Thompkins maintains her clinic, and where Batman battles Superman in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Diamond District — An area run by the Penguin during the No Man's Land series. East End — An underdeveloped part of Gotham laden with poverty, crime, prostitution, and the circulation of illegal drugs. Some writers occasionally blend the East End together with Crime Alley as a single area in the city. In the Catwoman series, especially volume 3, Catwoman takes an active interest in protecting this area. Falcone Penthouse — This was the home of Carmine Falcone before Two-Face killed him. This was also the place where Batman first encountered Catwoman, and first faced Two-Face, all of this in Batman: The Long Halloween. Fashion District — An area run by the Penguin during the No Man's Land series. Finnigan's — A bar popular with uniformed police officers in Gotham. Gotham County High School — A public high school once attended by Tim Drake. Gotham Docks — This is the city's harbor. Among other stories, the harbor figures in Batman: The Long Halloween as the place the coroner's body is found. Gotham Heights — An affluent area also known as "Bristol" and/or "Crest Hill", due to mutual proximity of the three neighborhoods. This is where Wayne Manor is located. Gotham Square — A central area of the city resembling New York City's Times Square. Gotham Village — In 1970s comics this was a bohemian area, based on New York City's Greenwich Village. Grand Avenue — The city's main theatre district based on New York City's Broadway. The Iceberg Lounge — A nightclub in the city center operated by the Penguin. Killinger's Department Store — A large department store similar to Macy's in New York. Mercey Island — An island in the northern part of Gotham City that is home to Arkham Asylum and the D'Angelo Sewage Treatment Plant. Monarch Playing Card Co. — The playing card factory adjacent to Ace Chemical Processing that the Red Hood was attempting to rob before encountering the Batman and fleeing. My Alibi — An underworld bar in the city center. The Narrows — A run-down part of Gotham City that is located on a small island surrounded by the Finger River. The Gotham Narrows were originally created for the Nolanverse, but later incorporated into the regular comic continuity during the New 52 era. New Town- An area in which during the No Man's Land series, was the district operated by the Ventriloquist and his puppet Scarface. Old Gotham — The Gotham district more well known for the location of Oracle's Clock Tower and the GCPD headquarters. Park Row— The place where the Solomon Wayne Courthouse is located. Plant Factory — The place where Batman first fought Poison Ivy during his first year of operation. It apparently burned to the ground by the end of the battle. Robinson Park — The city’s main park. During "No Man's Land," Poison Ivy claimed this area as her own. Named for 1940s Batman artist and Joker co-creator Jerry Robinson. The Stacked Deck — A seedy nightclub where the most notorious criminals in Gotham go to hide out sometimes. The Statue of Justice — Also known as "Lady Gotham," this is a monument situated off shore of the city and modeled loosely on the Statue of Liberty in New York. It varies in that the figure has a blindfold over her eyes, and a sword and scales in her outstretched hands. Slaughter Swamp — Just outside Gotham, this swamp 'birthed' Solomon Grundy, a frequent villain to Alan Scott. Sullivan Island — A small island off the coast of Old Gotham that is connected with Downtown Gotham City via two bridges. It is sometimes also known as Elsa Island. Tricorner — An island at the southwest corner of Gotham City. It is home to the Tricorner Yards. Toxic Acres — An abandoned neighborhood of newly built houses, unsuitable for habitation due to its proximity to a toxic waste dump. To prevent illness, those entering or staying in the area need to use gas masks or take antivenin. At one-time Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn used the area as a hideout. Wayne Manor — Also referred to as "Wayne Mansion" or "Stately Wayne Manor," this is the mansion estate of Bruce Wayne, and the location of the Batcave. Wayne Tower — This is the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises, located at the corner of Finger and Broome Streets. Named for comic creators Bill Finger and John Broome.

Batman is a crimefighter operating in Gotham City, he serves as its protector, using the symbol of a bat to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. Unlike other superheroes, Batman is often depicted to lack any "superpowers", instead using lifelong training and equipment to fight crime. His secret identity is Bruce Wayne, a rich playboy and philanthropist who swore to fight crime after witnessing his parents' brutal murder. He has served as a member of various teams, including the Justice League, the Justice Society of America, and the Outsiders. Batman is also the founder and leader of various teams, including the Bat-Family, Batmen of All Nations and Batman Incorporated. He also goes by numerous nicknames, including "The Dark Knight", "the Caped Crusader", "World's Greatest Detective" and the "Defender of Gotham". Bruce Wayne is born to Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha Kane, two very wealthy and charitable socialites from Gotham City. Bruce was brought up in the wealthy splendor of Wayne Manor and leads a happy and privileged existence until roughly the age of eight. While returning home one night, his parents were killed by a small-time criminal named Joe Chill. After the incident, Bruce swears an oath to rid the city of the evil that had taken his parents' lives. As he grows up, Bruce engages in intense intellectual and physical training. He also travels abroad, training in various martial arts, fields of science, criminology, and detective skills. After returning to Gotham, Bruce realizes that these skills alone would not be enough. "Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot", Wayne remarks, "so my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible..." As if responding to his desires, a bat suddenly flies through the window, inspiring Bruce to assume the persona of Batman. In the early strips, Batman's career as a vigilante initially earns him the ire of the police. He initially operates alone, using only street contacts and circumstantial allies in his investigations. Batman also comes into conflict with various criminals, including a mad scientist Doctor Death, a vampire called the Monk, and a criminal mastermind Professor Hugo Strange. During this period Wayne was engaged to actress Julie Madison, though this is called off after several encounters with the serial killer Clayface. After witnessing the murders of circus acrobats called the Flying Graysons, Wayne takes in the couple's son Dick Grayson. The boy quickly joined him in his crusade as his sidekick Robin to help capture the criminal responsible for his parents' murder. Shortly afterward, Batman comes into contact with costumed criminals like Joker and Catwoman, who begin taking over the criminal underworld in Gotham. Batman also becomes a founding member of the Justice Society of America, although he, like Superman, is an honorary member and thus only participates occasionally. Batman's relationship with the law thaws quickly, and he is made an honorary member of the Gotham City Police Department by its commissioner, James Gordon. During this time, butler Alfred Pennyworth arrives at Wayne Manor and after deducing the Dynamic Duo's secret identities joins their service. During 1956, the main continuity for DC moved to Earth-One after the introduction of the second Flash, Barry Allen. Though Batman's past and adventures remain the same, many elements are reinterpreted, including his upbringing by uncle Philip Wayne and a history operating as the original Robin whilst under the guidance of Harvey Harris. Despite these, Batman and Robin retain similar tones to their late-Golden Age stories, though begin taking on enemies and criminals who utilize more fantastical gimmicks or advanced inventions. During it, the duo adopt a pet called Ace, who joins their crusade as "Bat-Hound", and begins receiving help from fellow vigilante Batwoman. This, along with additions of Bat-Mite and Bat-Girl, lead to the formation of the Bat-Family. Batman meets and regularly works with other heroes during the Silver Age, most notably Superman, whom he began regularly working alongside in a series of team-ups in World's Finest Comics, starting in 1954 and continuing through the series' cancellation in 1986. Batman and Superman are usually depicted as close friends. Batman becomes a founding member of the Justice League of America, appearing in its first story in 1960s Brave and the Bold #28. In the 1970s and 1980s, Brave and the Bold became a Batman title, in which Batman teams up with a different DC Universe superhero each month. In 1969, Dick Grayson attends college as part of DC Comics' effort to revise the Batman comics. Additionally, Batman also moves from Wayne Manor into a penthouse apartment atop the Wayne Foundation building in downtown Gotham City, in order to be closer to Gotham City's crime. Batman spends the 1970s and early 1980s mainly working solo, with occasional team-ups with Robin and/or Batgirl. Batman's adventures also become somewhat darker and more grim during this period, depicting increasingly violent crimes, including the first appearance (since the early Golden Age) of an insane, murderous Joker, and the arrival of Ra's Al Ghul. In the 1980s, Dick Grayson becomes Nightwing. In the final issue of Brave and the Bold in 1983, Batman quits the Justice League and forms a new group called the Outsiders. He serves as the team's leader until Batman and the Outsiders #32 (1986) and the comic subsequently changed its title. After the 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC Comics rebooted the stories of some major characters in an attempt at updating them for contemporary audiences. Frank Miller retold Batman's origin in the storyline Year One from Batman #404-407, which emphasizes a grittier tone in the character. Though the Earth-Two Batman is erased from history, many stories of Batman's Silver Age/Earth-One career (along with an amount of Golden Age ones) remain canonical in the post-Crisis universe, with his origins remaining the same in essence, despite alteration. For example, Gotham's police are mostly corrupt, setting up further need for Batman's existence. While Dick Grayson's past remains much the same, the history of Jason Todd, the second Robin, is altered, turning the boy into the orphan son of a petty crook, who tries to steal the tires from the Batmobile. Also removed is the guardian Phillip Wayne, leaving young Bruce to be raised by Alfred. Additionally, Batman is no longer a founding member of the Justice League of America, although he becomes leader for a short time of a new incarnation of the team launched in 1987. To help fill in the revised back story for Batman following Crisis, DC launched a new Batman title called Legends of the Dark Knight in 1989 and has published various miniseries and one-shot stories since then that largely take place during the "Year One" period. Various stories from Jeph Loeb and Matt Wagner also touch upon this era. In 1988's "Batman: A Death in the Family" storyline from Batman #426-429 Jason Todd, the second Robin, is killed by the Joker. Subsequently, Batman takes an even darker, often excessive approach to his crime-fighting. Batman works solo until the decade's close, when Tim Drake becomes the new Robin. In 2005 writers resurrected the Jason Todd character and pitted him against his former mentor. Many of the major Batman storylines since the 1990s have been inter-title crossovers that run for a number of issues. In 1993, the same year that DC published the "Death of Superman" storyline, the publisher released the "Knightfall" storyline. In the storyline's first phase, the new villain Bane paralyzes Batman, leading Wayne to ask Azrael to take on the role. After the end of "Knightfall", the storylines split in two directions, following both the Azrael-Batman's adventures, and Bruce Wayne's quest to become Batman once more. The story arcs realign in "KnightsEnd", as Azrael becomes increasingly violent and is defeated by a healed Bruce Wayne. Wayne hands the Batman mantle to Dick Grayson (then Nightwing) for an interim period, while Wayne trains to return to his role as Batman. 1994's company-wide crossover Zero Hour changes aspects of DC continuity again, including those of Batman. Noteworthy among these changes is that the general populace and the criminal element now considers Batman an urban legend rather than a known force. Similarly, the Waynes' killer is never caught or identified, effectively removing Joe Chill from the new continuity, rendering stories such as "Year Two" non-canon. Batman once again becomes a member of the Justice League during Grant Morrison's 1996 relaunch of the series, titled JLA. While Batman contributes greatly to many of the team's successes, the Justice League is largely uninvolved as Batman and Gotham City face catastrophe in the decade's closing crossover arc. In 1998's "Cataclysm" storyline, Gotham City is devastated by an earthquake. Deprived of many of his technological resources, Batman fights to reclaim the city from legions of gangs during 1999's "No Man's Land." While Lex Luthor rebuilds Gotham at the end of the "No Man's Land" storyline, he then frames Bruce Wayne for murder in the "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" and "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" story arcs; Wayne is eventually acquitted. DC's 2005 limited series Identity Crisis, reveals that JLA member Zatanna had edited Batman's memories, leading to his deep loss of trust in the rest of the superhero community. Batman later creates the Brother I satellite surveillance system to watch over the other heroes. Its eventual co-opting by Maxwell Lord is one of the main events that leads to the Infinite Crisis miniseries, which again restructures DC continuity. In Infinite Crisis, #7, Alexander Luthor, Jr. mentions that in the newly-rewritten history of the "New Earth", created in the previous issue, the murderer of Martha and Thomas Wayne - again, Joe Chill - was captured, thus undoing the retcon created after Zero Hour. Batman and a team of superheroes destroy Brother Eye and the OMACs. Following Infinite Crisis, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Tim Drake retrace the steps Bruce had taken when he originally left Gotham City, to "rebuild Batman". In the "Face the Face" storyline, Batman and Robin return to Gotham City after their year-long absence. At the end of the story arc, Bruce adopts Tim as his son. The follow-up story arc in Batman, "Batman & Son", introduces Damian Wayne, who is Batman's son with Talia al Ghul. Batman, along with Superman and Wonder Woman, reforms the Justice League in the new Justice League of America series, and is leading the newest incarnation of the Outsiders. Batman was involved in a battle with Dr. Simon Hurt and the "Black Glove," a criminal organization dedicated to corrupting virtue, as they attempted to destroy Batman and everything for which he stands. Using a mixture of physical and psychological attacks, the Black Glove tests Batman's resolve, forcing him to temporarily adopt the crazed persona of the "Batman of Zur-En-Arrh." He is then led to Arkham Asylum to face the Joker. Seemingly defeated, Batman is buried alive by the Black Glove, a group that includes Bruce Wayne's girlfriend, Jezebel Jet, who has betrayed him. With the assistance of Robin and Nightwing, he turns the tables on his foes. In a final confrontation with Dr. Hurt, Batman is caught in a helicopter crash. The storyline concludes with both Batman's fate and the true identity of Dr. Hurt still up in the air. Hurt himself repeatedly claimed to be Thomas Wayne throughout the story, while Batman apparently believed him to be Mangrove Pierce, a crazed actor. In Final Crisis #6, Batman confronts Darkseid in the villain's bunker. He states that he will make an exception to his "no firearms" rule and shoots Darkseid using the bullet that killed Orion and hits Darkseid. As Darkseid dies he fires the Omega Sanction (which traps its victim's soul in a series of alternate lives, each worse than the one before it), from his eyes, and hits Batman. Before the Omega Sanction hits Batman he silently says, "Gotcha". It is unknown if ' Batman knew Darkseid shot the Omega sanction or he knew it was coming and accepted his fate. (Morrison notes that Batman's use of the gun is symbolic as “the root of the Batman mythos is the gun and the bullet that created Batman. So, Batman himself is finally standing there to complete that big mythical circle and to have the image of Batman up against the actual personification of evil and now he's got the gun and he's got the bullet. It seemed to me to work.") At the close of the penultimate issue in the series, Superman returns to Earth from the 31st century, where he was given access to the reality-altering Miracle Machine by Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Super-Heroes. In a fit of desperate rage, Superman attacks Darkseid's bunker, finding Batman's charred corpse within. The Dark Knight is seemingly dead. However, the Omega Sanction does not kill its victims: instead, it sends their consciousness traveling through parallel worlds, and at the conclusion of Final Crisis, it is made clear that this is the fate that has befallen the still-living Batman, as he watches the passing of Anthro in the distant past. For the most part, Batman's family and friends come to believe that Bruce Wayne is indeed dead. The only exception to this is Bruce's adopted son Tim Drake, who believes firmly that Bruce is still alive. After having the Robin identity taken from him by Dick Grayson, the new Batman, and giving it to Bruce's son, Damian, Tim takes on the identity of Red Robin, and begins searching the world for signs that Bruce Wayne is still alive. While searching in Baghdad, Tim finds a wall painting of the Bat emblem that was painted by Bruce upon the passing of Anthro. Tim realizes that Bruce is not dead, but rather lost in time. In Blackest Night, the villain Black Hand is seen digging up Bruce Wayne's body, stealing his skull, and recruiting it into the Black Lantern Corps. Deadman, whose body has also become a Black Lantern, rushes to aid the new Batman and Robin, along with Red Robin against the Gotham villains who have been reanimated as Black Lanterns, as well as their own family members. The skull was briefly reanimated as a Black Lantern, reconstructing a body in the process by Black Hand's lord, Nekron, to move against the Justice League and the Titans. After the Black Lantern Batman created several black power rings to attach to and kill the majority of the Justice League, the skull was returned to normal after Nekron explained it served its purpose as an emotional tether. Nekron also referred to the skull as "Bruce Wayne", knowing that the body was not authentic. In Batman and Robin's third storyline, "Blackest Knight," it is revealed that the body left behind at the end of Final Crisis #6 was actually a clone created from a failed attempt by Darkseid to amass an army of Batmen. Because of this, the skull that was used by the Black Lantern Corps and reanimated by Nekron was a fake. Dick Grayson, thinking it was Bruce Wayne's real body, attempted to resurrect it in a Lazarus Pit only to be met with a fierce, mindless combatant. He then realized the truth about the body. It is revealed in the Final Crisis that Bruce Wayne is not dead, but in fact, lost in time and amnesiac. Maintaining a presence in Gotham, Bruce would be sent to Paleolithic era, the Puritan witch-hunting era, the 17 century, the Wild West days, the years he grew up in, and finally the far future. During these travels, Bruce fights an early Vandal Savage, investigates a murder under the guise of a witch-hunter, fights the dreaded pirate Blackbeard, and arranged the meeting of his ancestors Alan Wayne and Catherin Van Derm. During these encounters, Bruce was chased by Darkseid's Hyper-Adapter, which had been sent following him as a fallback plan to wipe out the present-day Earth. After an encounter with the Black Glove in the days following his parents' murder, Bruce gained access to Professor Carter Nichols' time machine and used it to travel to the End of the Universe. Upon arrival, Bruce's memories returned to him, during which he realized Darkseid had simply used his Omega Beams to banish him through time intentionally. Each time jump built up Omega Energy that would have destroyed Earth when he returned to the present day. Having mitigated the plan with the time jump, Bruce was rescued by Superman, Rip Hunter, Green Lantern, and Tim (now using the alias Red Robin). Merging with both the Hyper-Adapter and the robotic Architects, he returns within the Time Bubble so that the Justice League can remove the creature and throw it into the time stream. To remove the Omega Energy, Bruce goes into a medically induced coma. During this, he is offered a chance to embrace the Anti-Life Equation by Darkseid, though he refuses. Upon waking, Bruce decides to not only return to Gotham but to spread Batman's operations outside of Gotham City. Upon his return, Bruce Wayne goes public with the news that he has been funding his crusade the entire time, though does not inform Gotham that he is Batman. Sharing the identity with Dick (who had taken it whilst he was "dead"), Batman sets out to create a worldwide crime-fighting organization known as Batman Incorporated. The idea behind the organization is that each country or region will have its own specific Batman that will be funded by Bruce Wayne and his business empire. After a confrontation with the Legion of Doom, Batman learned that a legion of assassins had been sent to Gotham and were targeting Catwoman, Penguin, and Riddler. After defeating most of the group, he learned that they and the Joker had been involved with a master criminal called the Designer. Believed dead after a meeting gone wrong, Batman learned that he'd planned schemes for the villains that had been abandoned after his death. Whilst Catwoman attempted to stop her plans to steal his fortune, Batman defeated Deathstroke and stopped Riddler's scheme. Tracking down "the Designer", Batman realized too late that these were actually a larger scheme by the Joker to steal his fortune and turn it against him. As Joker used the acquired resources to wage an endless war against Gotham's civil citizens and law enforcement organizations, Batman confronted his new sidekick Punchline, during which he was injected with a new toxin. Joker also used the Designer's gas to resurrect the bodies of all his victims, using them to attack him. Physically and mentally drained from the fight, Batman was rescued by Harley Quinn, who helped him purge Punchline's toxins from his body. Whilst recovering, Bruce resolved to become a better Batman by living within and operating within Gotham, rather than outside of it. After subduing Punchline, Batman contacted the rest of the Bat Family to help defeat Joker's forces. In the aftermath of Joker's attacks, Batman donated his fortune to Lucius Fox and his family. He later abandoned Wayne Manor to set up operations within Gotham's Fort Graye neighborhood. During his early days, Batman learned that a Joker survivor called Bao Pham had become the murderous vigilante Clownhunter and that his former friend Ghost-Maker. After confronting the duo, he managed to convince them to help operate in Gotham City. Sometime later, Batman learned from the Teen Titans that Damian had begun killing criminals. After stopping him from killing KGBeast, his son abandoned the Robin identity and left Gotham. Following the Infinite Frontier event, Batman learns of a new criminal conspiracy led by the Scarecrow, leading him to seek out the Unsanity Collective. However, his focus on these lead to the Magistrate and Simon Saint to take over the city, using Peacekeepers to take over law enforcement. With the help of the Batman Family, the Dark Knight is able to defeat Scarecrow and disband the organization. In the aftermath, he helps clear the names of Batman Incorporated after they are implicated in a murder, during which he learns Lex Luthor has become their financer. After defeating both him and the Abyss, Batman gives the team's leadership to Ghost-Maker and helps foil an escape from Arkham Tower. He also reconnects with Damian and Talia whilst solving Ra's al Ghul's murder by a Deathstroke impersonator. After being framed for murder by the Penguin, Batman comes into conflict with the robot Failsafe: a countermeasure created by the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh following the Tower of Babel incident. During their final confrontation, Batman is transported to an alternate reality ruled by Red Mask, an alternate version of the Joker who has been experimenting with the multiverse. Since this reality's Bruce Wayne died, he becomes the "Bat-Man" of this reality to overthrow Red Mask's regime, working alongside alternate versions of allies such as Alfred and Selina. Batman also loses his right hand during a fight with an alternate Ghost-Maker. After overthrowing Red Mask's regime, Batman chases after him in the Multiverse and defeats him with the assistance of other versions of himself. After being recovered by Tim, Batman helps the Justice League defeat Insomnia, though the effects place him into a coma due to the amount of stress on his body. After awakening from it, he come into conflict with Catwoman due to her usage of criminals to steal from Gotham's wealthy and reduce white-collar crime. Batman, in most of his incarnations, is a dark and brooding hero with a personal vendetta against crime and injustice. Psychologically traumatized by the death of his parents, Batman has sworn to rid Gotham from the criminal elements that took his parents away from him. He is extremely pessimistic and suspicious, which often makes it difficult for him to trust people other than Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Lucius Fox, the Robins, or the Batgirls. Despite this, Batman has proved to have a great love for humanity, which was instilled by his parents. His father was a doctor, while his mother was a crusader against child abuse. Indeed, Batman's oath of vengeance is tempered with the greater ideal of justice. He refrains from killing, as he feels this would not make him any better than the criminals he fights. He is also a very prominent member of the Justice League and the founder of the Outsiders. To protect his secret identity, Batman has constructed a fake persona he can use in his civilian identity. To the world at large, Bruce Wayne is a self-absorbed, irresponsible playboy and philanthropist. Only his closest allies know that this attitude is just an act. It's implied that he also considers Batman his true identity and that his civilian identity was essentially an alter ego as a result of having to watch his parents be gunned down. Throughout the years, Bruce Wayne's family has often changed, with members either appearing, being added, and retconned both in and out of continuity. Despite this, it is widely regarded that he has two different families: the biological Wayne Family and the surrogate Bat-Family. The two most important figures of the Wayne family are Bruce's parents Thomas and Martha Wayne, whose murder served as the main factor that inspired activities as Batman. However, their charitable activities has also inspired him to use him to continue such causes, often to ensure he can improve the living conditions of Gotham's citizens. Several other members of the Wayne Family have also appeared over the years, such as his uncle Philip Wayne, aunt Agatha Wayne, various cousins such as Van Wayne, and propertied brothers like Thomas Wayne, Jr. and Lincoln March. The Waynes also share a vast history with Gotham City and the wider world of the DC Universe. Though his mother, Bruce's maternal family includes the Kanes, whose members have included various members tied to Gotham's past. After DC's restructuring in the Post-Crisis continuities, Alfred Pennyworth's relationship has changed from serving just as his butler to also being Bruce's surrogate father and legal guardian. Through this, Bruce has become linked to the Pennyworth family, including Alfred's daughter Julia. Likewise, the Batman Family itself is widely considered part of Batman's surrogate family, Bruce adopted and served as a paternal figure to several members of the Batman family (such as Dick Grayson, Lance Bruner, Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain, Tim Drake, and Duke Thomas) or tied to him via family relations (Kathy Kane, Bette Kane and Kate Kane). Among his protégés are Barbara Gordon, Helena Bertinelli, Stephanie Brown, Carrie Kelley, Hank Clover and Claire Clover. Through relationships with several women, Bruce has had children, notably Helena Wayne, Echo, Bruce Wayne, Jr. and Aion (with Selina Kyle / Catwoman) and Tallant Wayne, Damian Wayne and Athanasia (with Talia). Sometimes this is due to scientific methods, such as the Damian clone, Heretic, and (in some continuities) Terry McGinnis / Batman Beyond and his brother Matt. Many of his children have also started crime-fighting activities, often alongside him or when he is unable to assume the identity of Batman. Some continuities also stated that Bruce will have descendants through them or through other children, many of whom will become Batmen or Batwomen of the future.