The Amazons of Themyscira or Paradise Island are a race of powerful warrior women, led by Queen Hippolyta, and defended by their champion Wonder Woman.

The Amazons were a powerful race of women who lived in ancient Greece. Around the year 1200 B.C.. The gods of Olympus are an extra-dimensional race of beings who were worshiped in Ancient Greece. They no longer seek worshipers today, but they are still worshiped by the Amazons and Atlanteans. The Olympians played a role in the creation of the Amazons, a small group of female Olympian gods desired to create a nation of warrior women that would help to spread their ideals of peace, tolerance, and equality to the world, they have been guided and protected by the goddesses ever since. Zeus, in his arrogance, decreed that mankind would never forget the gods, and that it did not matter if there were champions or not. Ares, being the god of war, did not desire anyone promoting peace. The other male gods did not seem interested, and Hera did not wish to go against her husband. Therefore, it fell to the other five primary Greek goddesses, Hestia, Aphrodite, Demeter, Athena and Artemis convened on the island of Rhodes near a lake. Through their magics, the goddesses gathered thousands of strong, adult females from around the world to the island of Rhodes.

The first such woman to come to the lake was named Hippolyta, the second woman to come to the lake was called Antiope, the goddesses made themselves known to the Amazons, appointing Hippolyta and Antiope to be the two queens of them. The Amazons were to serve the Olympian gods in proselytical manner, spreading their principles and devotion to a largely barbarian world. They were given a city-state in Greece (the land adjacent to the lake of their gathering), and they called it Amazonia. They decreed that the Amazons were to spread the message of Gaea: a message of peace, tolerance, and equality. As a symbol of their devotion, Hippolyta and Antiope were each given a Golden Girdle. Hippolyta and Antiope lead the Amazons for years, creating a great city called Themyscira. It's clear the Amazons didn't age and the goddesses did something to them from the start. Twenty years go by, as Antiope has a daughter, Pythia. Their efforts to spread peace and equality were frustrated, however, as few men trusted them (especially after Ares kept stirring up trouble). As the years went by, more and more they remained isolated in their city. Their numbers increased by freeing women from slavery.

Three thousand years ago, Ares the god of war a chief opponent of the Amazons, manipulated his half-brother Heracles to gather forces and attack Amazonia, where Heracles seduced and ravaged the Amazon Queen Hippolyta. His forces succeeded in ransacking Themyscira and enslaving the Amazons. Through strength and savage cunning, the Amazons freed themselves, slaughtering most of their captors. More and more Amazons were freed, and a running battle began all over the city. Hippolyta watched as many of her sisters succumbed to blood-lust, enjoying the bloody slaughter of the men. They fought until all the men lie dead. Afterwards, Antiope was still enraged--she insisted that they march on Athens itself, killing all in their path until they reached Athens where they could take back the Girdle from Heracles' dead hand.

But Hippolyta said no--she said that such a path of bloody revenge was not the Amazon way, and that to go down that way would lead only to destruction. Antiope could not be strayed--feeling betrayed by not only her sister but by her gods, she cast her Girdle at Hippolyta's feet, declaring that henceforth she asked nothing of Olympus. Half the Amazons left with her--the other half stayed with Hippolyta. It was the last time the sisters would ever see each other. The head of Hercules' Nemean Lion Skin was kept as a trophy of the Amazons, being used annually during the games at the Festival of Artemis as an eternal reminder of the cruelty of men.

Their home destroyed and prospects for success in their worldly mission dashed, Antiope led her portion of the Amazons away from her sister and the influence of the gods, to travel the world in search of a new purpose. They eventually settled in Egypt, becoming known as the Amazons of Bana Migdhall.

In the midst of the ruins, the goddesses now appeared again. They were displeased with the Amazons, declaring that they had failed in their sacred mission--now the very name "Amazon" would be associated with death and destruction, not peace and equality. The Amazons must have a penance. They were each given a pair of steel "bracelets" to wear at all times, forever a reminder of their capture and humiliation. Then their bodies and souls were purified, and they began their journey. Poseidon himself parted the sea, and the Amazons walked along the bottom until they came to an island that the gods had removed from the circles of the world--Paradise Island. There they built the new city-state of Themyscira, and where they were tasked with guarding Doom's Doorway as punishment for their failures as teachers. As long as they remained on the island, they would be immortal--though they could be killed, and some were over the many long years and the many battles they had to fight against the evil that would try to escape. Here they began new lives, erecting buildings and monuments, and perfecting their skills as artisans and warriors. For over 3,000 years, here they remained, with Hippolyta their queen all that time.

For centuries the Amazons lived in what they felt a perfect state of harmony with their surroundings. Occasionally, the Nereides would bring to the shores of Themyscira young infants who would have drowned otherwise in accidents. Called "sending forth," these infants would wash up on the shores of Paradise Island, be tutored spiritually in Amazonian ideals, and then sent back mystically to the place of their disappearance.

For three thousand years, the Amazons of Themyscira stayed isolated from humanity, until about 40 years ago, when Diana Trevor, an American airplane pilot, crash-landed off-shore. Diana Trevor became friends with the inhabitants of Themyscira and taught them of the changes in the world beyond their protected shores. Shortly thereafter the demons locked beneath the island almost escaped, but through the bravery and ultimate sacrifice of Trevor, the threat was averted. She was given an Amazon's burial and hailed as one of the greatest of all Amazon warriors.

Queen Hippolyta, one of the Amazons of the paradise island of Themyscira, who was chosen to fight alongside the allied forces of the outside world in World War II as her people's ambassador, whom the people would call Queen of the Amazons. She became a member of the Justice Society. By the 1950's,Hippolyta became concern of the American government's conservative policy, especially in its policy against freelance vigilantism. She and others like Starman registered their loyalty to the American Federal Government during the height of the Cold War. However, she did not follow their controlling rules.

Some time before Wonder Woman's birth, Queen Hippolyta knights four Amazons as her personal guards: Myrto, Charis, Philomela, and Alkyone. One night, they all agree to guard their queen with their lives, but later on, they learn that Hippolyta had pleaded to the Gods for a child. Alkyone, the bald amazon, believes having a child would destroy them, and when they hear that one of their Amazon sisters has made a convincing baby doll, pretending it was real, she orders her dead. Alkyone pleads with Hippolyta not to bring a child to their home, calling it evil. But Hippolyta leaves, saying that this event will be their salvation. Alkyone crushes the small baby doll and leads the other three to the city.

The gods of Olympus were greatly disturbed by Trevor's entrance through the mystical barriers that guarded Themyscira, and recognized it as a sign of their weakening powers. When Hippolyta soon followed her mounting desire to ask the gods to grant her a child, they easily agreed, and took it as an opportunity to create a super-warrior who would champion their causes as the Amazons had originally been intended to.

At the same time, Hippolyta makes a baby girl out of clay. In the late 20th Century, Hippolyta was instructed to mold some clay from the shores of Paradise Island into the form of a baby girl. Six members of the Greek Pantheon then bonded the soul to the clay, giving it life. Each of the six also granted Diana a gift: Demeter, great strength; Athena, wisdom and courage; Artemis, a hunter's heart and a communion with animals; Aphrodite, beauty and a loving heart; Hestia, sisterhood with fire; Hermes, speed and the power of flight. When it comes to life, she shows the baby to the rest of the Amazons, claiming she is their daughter, and names her Diana. Elsewhere, the four women watch from a distance, waiting.

Nightfall; the Circle head to where Hippolyta sleeps with her baby. Wounding Philippus the Captain of the Guard, they enter Hippolyta's chambers but the three women, except for Alkyone, start to admire the baby. When an eagle screams outside, Hippolyta is woken up and fights her traitor sisters as baby Diana watches. The fight is short as the other Amazons, with the wounded Philippus, surround the Circle.

Diana grew up surrounded by a legion of sisters and mothers. When she was a young woman, the gods decreed that the Amazons must send an emissary into Man's World. Queen Hippolyta ordered a contest to be held, but forbade Diana from participating. Diana disobeyed and did so anyway in disguise, easily winning the contest and being named the Amazons' champion. Indeed, her character was in many ways that of a babe in the woods, innocent and without guile. Diana spoke only Themyscirian, a combination of classical Greek and Turkish. She had to learn English when she arrived in America, rather than knowing the language intuitively. Nonetheless, Diana was trained as a warrior and had no compunction against using deadly force when called for. She often dealt with war, injustice, inequality, death, and conflicts involving the Olympian Gods.

Dr. Barbara Minerva is a British archaeologist who had garnered a reputation of going to any lengths to secure an artifact. Born as the heiress of a vast fortune in the ancient family site in Nottinghamshire, her life would change dramatically following an expedition she led into a dense African jungle. She was searching for the legendary lost city of the Urzkartagan tribe. Deep within the jungle, her team was betrayed by their guides and ambushed by the Urzkartagans. Only she and one other, Dr. Tom Leavens, escaped by diving in a river. The two of them found the lost city while it was in the midst of a ritual. One of the other members of their team was sacrificed by the high priest, Chuma. The ritual had been intended to restore to health the ailing woman who was regarded as an avatar for their cheetah god. Before the ritual could be completed, outsiders attacked the village, slaughtering everyone but Chuma, who was saved by Minerva. The two were buried within the cave that was the temple to the god Urzkartaga by a grenade blast.

Chuma explained that the ritual would have turned the old woman into a cheetah god. The ritual, which could only be performed on the full moon and required a blood sacrifice, would have restored the woman's youth as well. She had been centuries old at the time of her death. Minerva demanded the ritual be done to her so she could have her chance at power and immortality. When Chuma explained there must be a sacrifice, Minerva murdered Dr. Leavens, who had returned just long enough to free them from the cave-in and forfeit his life. After she killed him and drank his blood, the ritual began. Even as Chuma worked tirelessly, the invaders who had destroyed the temple were returning. With the ritual complete, Minerva was transformed into Cheetah and slaughtered all the invaders. After the slaughter, she reverted to human form and took Chuma with her back to England.

Unfortunately, there was an unforeseen side effect to the transformation. The sacrifice had called for a virgin and Minerva did not qualify. Hence, rather than grant her youth and vitality, after the transformation she became weak and frail. Only on nights when the moon was out would she became Cheetah, and was strong again.

Before embarking on her mission, Diana was given the Lasso of Truth, forged by Hephaestus himself. She was also given the Sandals of Hermes, which allowed her to instantly traverse great distances in seconds. Diana's mission was one of peace, but part of it initially involved defeating a mad plot by Ares to destroy the world. She ventured into the world by starting at Boston. There she met a Harvard professor, Dr. Julia Kapatelis, and her daughter, Vanessa Kapatelis, as well as the Air Force Officers Steve Trevor and Etta Candy. Diana stayed with Julia and Vanessa and over the course of a month or two, she learned to speak English. She was attacked at their home by Decay, one of Ares' minions, and after a battle that spilled out into the streets of Boston she first came to the public's eye and was given the name Wonder Woman. Upon discovering Ares' plan (one that involved causing a nuclear holocaust), Diana managed to foil it, first battling his sons Phobos and Deimos before finally convincing him the error of his ways using her Lasso. After defeating the God of War, Diana returned home for healing at the hands of Poseidon himself.

By the modern day, some of the Olympians helped Diana, daughter of Amazon Queen Hippolyta, for her role in "Man's World" in which she became known as Wonder Woman. However, the god of war Ares saw the Amazons as a threat for their purpose of bringing peace to humankind contrary to his obsession with conflicts and has since plotted to destroying them.

After returning to Boston, Wonder Woman agreed to hire Myndi Mayer to be her publicist, with the aim of getting her image out to the world at large. She spent the next several months touring the world, conducting interviews and learning a lot about modern culture. She also initially met most of the Justice League around this time, and after meeting Superman, she was instantly enamored with him.

Wonder Woman gathered the attention of Barbara Mivera, the Cheetah, who secretly desired to steal the Lasso of Truth from Diana. She lied to Wonder Woman about having found the lost Girdle of Antiope to get close to her, but after touching the Lasso her truth was made clear. Diana was frustrated and enraged over her naive trust of Minerva. That same night, Barbara decided to take the Lasso by force and attacked Wonder Woman as the Cheetah. Diana managed to fight her off, and decided it was time to return home to Paradise Island again.

Baron Blitzkrieg was an especially vicious German army officer who was blinded when a prisoner threw acid into his face. German scientists experimented on Blitzkrieg, giving injections of experimental drugs, designed to siphon off the mind's vast energies. This allowed him full control, for brief periods, of his body's resources. At any given instant he could have superhuman strength, or be incredibly swift, or have the ability to fly. The Baron also stared S.C.Y.T.H.E. as a anti-government terrorist organization in a European country called Kaznia.

Veronica Cale was a pharmaceutical tycoon, master manipulator and bio-engineer with a triple PHD from Harvard. Considering herself the real woman wonder, she grew jealous of Wonder Woman, who, she felt, never had to work for her gifts. She disliked everything about the princess. She set out to tarnish her reputation, and was not too concerned about money to do so. With the publication of Reflections, a study of Amazon philosophy, Cale started her campaign from the shadows. Using companies and straw-men, she used selected quotations from the book to spin the media against her.

Doctor Psycho first appears as a pawn of the Duke of Deception. The God of War, enraged that women were gaining power in Earth society and potentially threatening his ability to engulf the world in war, ordered Deception to discredit women. Deception called upon Doctor Psycho, a conman psychic who was using his telepathy to steal identities of customers in Manhattan. The purpose of this guise is to hide from S.C.Y.T.H.E., who are hunting those with telepathic abilities. He was once a psychologist who was often mocked and ridiculed by his peers for his studies in psionics and the power of the mind, even giving him the moniker "Dr. Psycho", causing him to swear vengeance on all who mocked him. He later developed vast psychic powers that allowed him to enter and sometimes shape people's dreams, control minds, and project illusions.

Kryptonians are a highly technologically advanced people. Their technology seems to be based on self-grown crystals which made up the vast majority of their planet's surface. Vast amounts of data and information could be stored on relatively small crystals. Kryptonians made use of their advanced science to create a world where scientific inventions and research influenced much of daily life. Robots and computers were used for many tasks on Krypton, even for determining what career paths young Kryptonians would take as they grew up. Scientific and technological research were highly valued on Krypton, with the ruling body of Krypton named the "Science Council". The Kryptonian Science Council was an assemblage of esteemed scientists gathered together in the capital city of Kandor and later in Kryptonopolis to govern the progress of Krypton's technocratic bureaucracy. The assembly speaker was known as a Drygur and presided over a council of Molioms.

Each Kryptonian family is called a "House" and each family for example, is represented by a crest like the House of El has an "S"-like shape. Kryptonian society mainly places its values on arts, science, military might, and theology, strictly dividing its citizens into the five respective guilds. The five guilds are Military, Science, Artist, Religious and Labor. Kryptonians are depicted as a genetically-engineered race of beings. They are artificially grown in "genesis chambers" using information from the Codex, a skull containing the entire genetic code of the Kryptonian race. With this method, Kryptonians are designated pre-determined roles in society at their conception – for example, Jor-El is a Scientist, whereas General Zod is a Warrior.

In the distant past, Cleric was an alien missionary. His faith lead him to Krypton, where his peaceful message and denunciation of cloning quickly gained him a following. The Kryptonian Science Council was threatened by the preacher, and asked Kem-El to develop a device to kill him and to "prevent any similar act of heresy". Kem-El ultimately developed the Eradicator. With his xenophobic views, altough, Kem-El built the Eradicator so no more Kryptonians would leave the planet, and no outsiders would've come, preserving his ideal of Kryptonian culture. When it was used, the Eradicator merely incapacitated the Cleric, but it instigated a riot that left many dead.

The surviving Cleric took the Eradicator and left Krypton with a group of Kryptonian followers, however the Kryptonians needed a link to their planet, and without it, they slowly withered away and died. Cleric felt responsible and went into exile.

The Phantom Zone Projector is a Kryptonian device created by Gar-El. It can be used to transport prisoners and objects to and from the Phantom Zone, an inter-dimensional realm outside the normal space/time continuum which is a barren and insubstantial null area absent of any physical material. Its main controls are a black button and a white button, used to send and retrieve respectively.

One of Krypton's moons, Wegthor, was accidentally destroyed by the Kryptonian scientist Jax-Ur, who was experimenting with a nuclear missile that was diverted from its intended destination. The disaster killed 500 inhabitants of the moon and Jax-Ur became the first and only criminal to be banished eternally to the Phantom Zone. This disaster also prompted the Science Council of Krypton to ban space flight completely.

A brilliant scientist, Jor-El served Krypton's ruling council loyally for many years. Among his many accomplishments was thwarting High General Dru-Zod's attempted coup d'état. When the space program was abolished after the destruction of the inhabited moon Wegthor, Zod attempted to take over Krypton. Zod created an army of robotic duplicates of himself, all bearing a resemblance to Bizarro. Conspiring with Non and Ursa, Zod was planning to overthrow the Kryptonian government and replace it with his own. Discovering intelligence of the uprising, Jor-El gathered a small force of militia and captured one of the rebel parties, using their communications equipment to send out a signal that disabled the rest of Zod's forces. The three were captured, and the council unanimously agreed to cast Zod, Ursa, and Non into the Phantom Zone. Before Zod is imprisoned, he attempts to persuade Jor-El to block the council's action, as it required a unanimous decision. Zod alters his plea with threats that he will attack the House of El with promises of prestige and unbounded political power "You could be a powerful voice in the new world order, second only to my own". A Phantom Zone portal descends upon the trio, signifying Jor-El cast his guilty vote, causing Zod to swear revenge.

Conducting research on a series of earthquakes rocking Krypton, Jor-El discovered evidence which he said predicted the planet's imminent destruction. Before sharing his findings with the Council, he prepared a rescue plan for the planet's population that required sending all of Krypton's populace into the Phantom Zone, allowing himself, traveling in a one-man spacecraft, to release them on a new planet. His proposal was unanimously rejected, with some councilmen scoffing at the absurdity of having all Kryptonians take up residence among convicted criminals.

Brainiac is the supercomputer that runs most of the day-to-day operations on the planet Krypton. He heeds Jor-El's warning about Krypton's imminent destruction. But rather than validate Jor-El's claims, he dismisses them as false while secretly working to save himself. As he contains Krypton's collective knowledge, Brainiac reasons that should he inform the government, they would put him to work to stop the inevitable and ultimately doom both parties. So his findings were deliberately dismissed by the supercomputer Brainiac who the Council decided to believe. Still unwilling to admit that he might be mistaken, Jor-El investigated, and found that Brainiac had deliberately lied in order to give himself time to escape. By then, it was too late, as Krypton was to explode in a matter of hours. Jor-El could only put his backup plan into effect: to use his spacecraft to save his son, Kal.

Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van built a spaceship they could use to save their unborn son Kal-El in his gestation chamber. Jor-El administered a serum that would prevent Kal dying due to the biological link with Krypton that the artifact called Eradicator had previously established in each of the inhabitants of that planet (the proximity to their planet was required for them to live; this was why Jor-El and Lara did not leave Krypton; the serum also supposedly would only work in fetuses). Jor-El wanted his son to reclaim the fullness in life denied him by the sterility of Kryptonian culture, a world where its inhabitants rarely had direct contact, and preferred to interact with each other virtually. Jor-El planned to send his son to a distant planet orbiting a yellow sun he had been studying for some time: Earth. Meanwhile, the view on a monitor of a Earthling working in a rural area startled Lara, who noticed he exposd his skin to the sun and stepping on unprocessed soil. Jor-El explained that exposure to the yellow sunlight would charge Kal-El cells into living solar batteries and gift him with incredible powers. Programming the ship to carry Kal to Earth, Jor-El offered to send Lara with him. She refused, saying that her place was with her husband. Before the ship departed, Jor-El and Lara recorded a message, telling their son that they loved him, and to always use his powers in a responsible way.

Kandor, the capital city of the planet of Krypton, home of the Council and the Temple of Rao. The city was shrunk and stolen by Brainiac. Brainiac had admired the beauty and architecture of Kandor and wanted to preserve the city from destruction. Brainiac's ship fired three lasers that pummeled the surrounding crust around Kandor and literally upheaved the city from Krypton's surface, apparently annihilating it to outside observers. A force field was then erected around the city which contracted, shrinking the city and its inhabitants and leaving only a smoking crater. Later on, out in deep space, some extraterrestrials retrieve the Brainiac satellite. Brainiac then kills the aliens and takes over their ship, linking himself online with their computer. Brainiac would amass quite a collection of bottle cities, as well as a veritable arsenal of hi-tech weaponry.

Jor-El and Lara watched the Kal's ship depart, and then kissed each other as their world ended around them.

Zor-El and Alura In-Ze lived in Argo City together with their daughter Kara Zor-El and for a while Alura's father. When Kara was a teenager, Brainiac stole Kandor. Zor-El and his wife heeded Jor-El's warnings, and using an android left behind by Brainiac, and managed to recreate his force-field technology to build a dome which protected Argo City when Krypton exploded.

Kal's ship crash-landed on Earth in an open field outside of Smallville, Kansas. It was there that the spaceship and the young Kal-El were discovered by small land farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent. Upon finding the young boy, Martha became attached to Kal-El while Jonathan elected to have the child's true family found. Martha persuades Jonathan to keep the boy as their adopted child, naming him Clark.

Years later while playing football, a young Clark Kent accidentally breaks Pete Ross's arm. The next day, Clark panics when he discovers x-ray vision and nearly burns his school down with his heat vision upon kissing Lana Lang. Clark's parents Jonathan and Martha Kent realize it is time and they show him the rocket that brought him to Earth. The rocket reveals a holograph of Jor-El and Lara, who tell him about themselves and the planet Krypton, and that he is not one of "them." Elsewhere in Smallville, a young Lex Luthor discovers a chunk of Kryptonite and takes it to a street fair the next morning where he is selling his stuff. There he meets Clark, who is now wearing glasses. After Clark becomes weak and almost damages the Kryptonite, a tornado appears without warning and he rescues Lana while learning he can fly.

Later, he tells his parents what happened and that he wants to help people; Martha determines he will need an outfit and makes one with the "S"-like shape based on the image from his spaceship. Clark tries it on and swears that he will never wear it again. A drunken Lionel Luthor, Lex's father, drives off a cliff but is rescued by Clark. Because he is embarrassed by the costume, no one sees the rumored "flying boy." After Lex refuses to be friends, Lana leaves because Clark wants to be just friends, and overhearing other kids teasing him, a depressed Clark is amazed to meet Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Chameleon Boy of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

The Legion told Clark of their origins and that he was destined to become a great hero. They needed his help in the 31st century to stop an onslaught by a group of villains called the Fatal Five. Reluctantly, Clark agreed. When he arrived in the 31st century, he learned of his future legacy and that he was destined to become Earth's greatest champion Superman. Donning a red and blue costume, he joined the ranks of the Legion and helped to defeat the Fatal Five. At this stage in his life however, he was only just beginning to develop his super-powers and was still having difficulty adjusting to his new abilities, particularly flight. In short order however, he begins to master his unique talents and became one of the Legion's most valued members. Meanwhile, Lex upon hearing his father died from heart failure, plans to use Lionel's insurance policy to go to Metropolis. After travelling to the future, young Clark assumes the identity of Superboy and gradually learns to control his abilities, becoming the hero he is destined to be. Brainiac 5 angrily reminds them of the consequences of their actions and the Legionnaires return Clark to the present. They leave Clark with a Legion flight ring to which to communicate, though agreeing telepathically not to tell him about his future. He returns to the present around the same time he left.

Jumping forward to Clark’s years in high school, he re-discovers that he has extraordinary speed, strength, and can even see through walls. He uses his super powers to rescue a family in a gas station accident, and his girlfriend Lana Lang is surprised that he emerged unscathed. Clark uses his heat vision, and after demonstrating to Jonathan that he can melt metal with his eyes, he expresses concern about how abnormal he is. Jonathan realizes it is time to tell Clark the whole truth. He reveals Clark’s extraterrestrial origins, shows him the spaceship, and gives him access to a recorded message from Jor-El and Lara.

At 18, soon after Jonathan's death from a heart attack, Clark hears a psychic "call" and discovers a glowing green crystal in the remains of his spacecraft. It compels him to travel to the Arctic where it builds the Fortress of Solitude, resembling the architecture of Krypton. Inside, a hologram of Jor-El explains Clark's true origins, and after 12 further years of educating him on his powers and his reason for being sent to Earth, he leaves the Fortress wearing a blue and red suit with the House of El family crest emblazoned on his chest.

Years later, a now adult Clark Kent walks around Metropolis, awestruck. Arriving at the dilapidated Daily Planet, he meets Rudy Jones, the janitor, as well as the staff that consists of Ron Troupe, Steve Lombard, Cat Grant, photography intern Jimmy Olsen, and finally Lois Lane and Perry White. Because billionaire and businessman Lex Luthor nearly killed the Planet financially because of a story they had about him, Perry forbids Lois to get involved with Luthor. Ignoring the warning, Lois takes Clark, her new partner, to Lexcorp. Lois disguises herself and sneaks inside Lexcorp while Clark distracts the guards as Planet reporters are not welcomed. Lois watches as Lex unveils Metallo, his powered exoskeleton battlesuit, but is found by the security guards. She flees, but a mistake sends her falling from the roof. Clark sneaks into an alley, changes into his costume, and rescues her, revealing his superpowered self to the public. While in awe over the "flying man", others are scared and the police question him. Clark flees, fearing that he has made a "big mistake."

Lex's daily tradition is to select someone from a crowd around his tower, and provide them with a new life; the newest member happens to be Rudy. Rudy is brought in and offered all he can eat. He eats a donut that was dropped in bio-waste, which causes him to turn into something hideous. Curious about the "flying man", Lex meets with Lois and Clark. Clark goes and changes into Superman uniform then leaves to confront Rudy as the Parasite. Clark manages to get Parasite out of the building and freeze him. The people are grateful but don't know what to make of Clark. It becomes worse when Lex arrives and claims the "flying man" isn't even human. Clark leaves and on the roof of the Daily Planet, sees Jimmy on the ledge. They talk about how they're currently feeling, with Jimmy thinking of returning to home. Clark persuades Jimmy to stay, since he's his "only friend" in Metropolis, and lets Jimmy take his picture. The next issue of the Daily Planet runs with Lois's story and Jimmy's picture, naming "Superman" as the city's new savior. Lex, furious, declares a personal war on Perry White.

The leader of Intergang, Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim, sits in his boardroom on the 95th floor of his skyscraper in downtown Metropolis awaiting the arrival of his top lieutenants. He has a plan to make sure that superman can't stop their operations. Mannheim plans to build a car that can drive thru buildings, walls and bank vaults. It will have armor, guns, nitro boost and a four-man crew to go along with the car.

The group of dangerous terrorists- that will be known only as The Bulleteers- are destroying Metropolis' city landmarks and utilities. They issue a ultimatum: unless the Mayor and city officials turn over the entire contents of the city treasury within 48 hours, the Police building, power systems and other city services will be destroyed. Of course, the Mayor and the city officials have no intention of giving in to the extortionists; they prepare themselves and the city for attack. The clock strikes midnight. A strange, bullet-shaped rocket-car blows right through the police department, leaving an explosion in its wake. After reading (in the Daily Planet, of course!) of the city's refusal to give in to their demands, the angry Bulleteers take off in their BulletCar for an all-out assault on Metropolis.

Perry White calls Lois Lane and Clark Kent into his office. Just as he is explaining the report, on all channels a pirate broadcast comes on with the announcement that this reign of terror will continue until their demands are meet and that they'll contact someone with information on how to pay the ransom. The leader of the "Bulleteers", as Lois later calls them, is shown laughing from his hideout atop a hill outside of town. Over the TV, Clark, Lois, and the rest of the town hear it: Turn over the city treasury or other municipal buildings will be next as their last warning!

Later that day, Lois asks the mayor what he is doing about the problem. The mayor announces that he will not be swayed by criminals. That day, Maggie Sawyer, Dan Turpin and other policemen all over town setup sandbag fortifications for their machine guns and searchlights in preparation for the Bulleteers. At midnight, the gang strikes again, first destroying the town's power plant, bullets from defending policeman bouncing harmlessly off the bullet-car's sleek surface. The attack is merciless- even the Daily Planet's presses are wrecked. When Lois Lane drives off to the scene of the Bulleteers' latest attack, Clark Kent heads for the service entrance of The Daily Planet, and, making sure that he is not seen, he changes to his secret identity. In a Suicide Slum bar called the Ace o' Clubs. When Superman comes in looking for information, Bibbo, thinking this is "some clown in a Superman suit", punches Superman, damaging his hand. He gains respect for the Man of Steel. He would later refer to Superman as his "fav'rit" hero.

The Bulleteers take aim now at the city's treasury building, but Superman steps in front of them and knocks the rocket-car off course. As they struggle to regain control, he leaps in the air and grabs its front trying again to force it off-course, but the Bulleteers, through wild maneuvering, manage to shake him off the car to the ground below. Superman lunges to keep them from the treasury, only to arrive too late. Piles of rubble from the explosion bury him.

Lois Lane arrives at the scene in time to see the gang throwing bags of money into their car. She sneaks into its cockpit and tries to smash the controls with a wrench, but the gang returns, taking off with her. Superman, meanwhile, emerges from the rubble and chases after the car, grasping it by one of its retractable wings, and then by its tail-fins to throw it off course. As it spirals downward, he claws his way to the cockpit, rips it open, and pulls Lois and the three gangsters out. The car crashes to the ground far below.

The newspaper next day reports Superman's heroic feat and the gangsters' arrest for their rampage. Reading it, Clark remarks, "Nice going, Lois. Another great scoop for you." Lois replies, "It was easy, thanks to Superman."

After Superman puts out a fire in the Daily Planet’s main warehouse, he tells Jimmy and Lois that the fire was arson, part of an attack on Planet. While still wary, public opinion is improving on Superman thanks to the Planet, and their circulation rises by 700%. Lex calls upon General Wade Eiling and General Sam Lane, Lois' father, who agrees to help Lex in exchange for weapons technology. Lex reveals that Superman is an alien, and can likely be stopped by the kryptonite rock Lex has, which also powers the Metallo battlesuit. Lois is greeted by Sgt. John Corben, with whom her father prefers she has a relationship. Lois refuses to date him, but John persists, and Clark steps in when Corben gets abusive.

John leaves to meet Lex and Sam and agrees to pilot Metallo. Clark takes Lois to lunch, where she continues to notice that he's not all he seems to be. Clark hears an explosion and leaves to become Superman but the explosion was a fake; Sam Lane had caused it in order to meet Superman. Sam accuses him of being an alien and wants to know what his goals are, particularly with Lois. Superman, feeling as if he is being interrogated, and tries to leave, but Sam tells Superman that if he leaves he'll be declared an enemy. Superman leaves anyway, and Sam orders the Army to attack. The soldiers do little to Superman, but John, in the Metallo suit, manages to weaken him by exposing him to the kryptonite. Ricocheting bullets hit the kryptonite, which explodes and injures John and allows Superman to escape. Sam and his troops arrive at the Daily Planet, and orders it shut down until they can get definitive answers about Superman.

Lex takes John into surgery and replaces his heart with a kryptonite generator, turning him into Metallo. Sam reveals to Lois, Perry, and the Daily Planet staff that Superman is an alien. While Jimmy distracts the soldiers with his camera, Lois escapes. Soldiers find Superman in the sewers and the battle erupts onto one of the main streets of the city. Metallo enters the fight, injuring his own soldiers in order to get to Superman. Lois arrives to warn him about the kryptonite and tells him to leave, but he refuses to give up. Metallo attacks Superman with a kryptonite ray, threatening the bystanders. Superman melts a manhole to cover the kryptonite and flies Metallo into space until the lack of oxygen knocks him out. Sam arrives and orders Superman and Lois arrested.

The crowd turns on the Army, and Superman orders the crowd to stop, telling them that they are meant to be Metropolis's saviors. Not the Army, not Lex Luthor, nor Superman himself. Superman meets with Lex and tells him Metropolis does not belong to him anymore. Lex angrily objects since Superman is not from Earth. Superman replies, "This is my home," and leaves. Later, Lex goes to pick another person from the crowd to give a new life, only to find no one there. The Daily Planet celebrates becoming the top-selling newspaper in the city and now the nation. Superman visits Lois atop the Daily Planet building and thanks her for making him feel like he belongs there. He starts the Planet’s rusty globe spinning again. Lois asks, "Are you a man or an alien?" His response is, "I'm Superman, Lois" and then flies across Metropolis.

Bruce Wayne is born to Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha, two very wealthy and charitable Gotham City socialites. Bruce is brought up in Wayne Manor, and leads a happy and privileged existence until the age of eight. The night that changed the lives of Bruce and his family happened when Dr. Thomas Wayne wore the costume of a Batman to a charity costume party and was later taken hostage by a group of thugs looking for a doctor. He was taken to see their boss, bank robber Buzz Bronski, who had been shot and needed the doctor to remove the bullet. Instead, Dr. Wayne attacked the thugs and defeated them. He turned them over to the police, including then-Lieutenant James Gordon. Wayne was going to testified against Bronski, who was going to be convicted and sent away for years. Bronski then plotted to have his revenge against Wayne.

Several weeks later, A family outing to the cinema ended in tragedy for young Bruce Wayne. Walking homeward, Bruce, his father, Thomas, and mother, Martha, accidentally ventured into Gotham City's notorious "Crime Alley" and were accosted by a mugger. Not content merely to rob the wealthy family, the hoodlum Joe Chill shot Dr. Thomas and Martha Wayne dead before fleeing into the darkness. As he knelt beside his parent's bodies, Bruce swore to avenge them. After the police arrived, Bruce was comforted by Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

Leslie and Alfred helped arrange matters so that Gotham's Social Services would not take Bruce into care. A few years before John Zatara came to Gotham and befriended the Wayne's, so just after their death Zatara left Gotham City, blaming himself for being unable to stop the orphaning of young Bruce. Eventually, in Europe, Zatara would meet and wed Sindella, who gave birth to their daughter, Zatanna. Sindella seemingly died after giving birth to Zatanna, prompting Zatara to become a depressed drunk. Those who looked after Bruce following his parents' deaths were Leslie Thompkins, Mrs. Chilton - housekeeper of Bruce's uncle, Philip Wayne (who had been appointed Bruce's guardian, but was seldom at home as his work required him to travel quite a bit). Unbeknownst to Bruce but known to his butler, Mrs. Chilton was Joe Chill's mother.

Young Bruce dedicated his life to bringing his parents' killer to justice and waging war against all criminals. He studied and trained hard, and followed the career of a police detective named Harvey Harris. Bruce created a costume (that of the original Robin) to hide his identity and set out to meet Harris. Bruce happened upon a criminal waiting to attack Harris, and managed to thwart the would-be attacker. To repay him, Harris taught Bruce everything about the art of detecting, and gave him the name "Robin". After many talks with Harris, Bruce decides to travel the world and learn how to confront injustice, trains himself in combat and to understand criminal minds.

At age 14, Bruce embarked on a journey that took him to every continent as he sought to learn all the skills he would need to keep his vow. He studied criminology, forensics, and criminal psychology, and learned from man-hunters and martial artists, mastering every fighting style. Bruce Wayne began his global sojourn, attending courses at Cambridge, the Sorbonne, and other European universities. However, he never stayed long and would often drop out after one semester.

The first real teacher Bruce had was Zatara, who was to teach him to become an escape artist and illusionist. Bruce's appearance prompted Zatara to address his alcoholism. While he trained with Zatara, he and his mentor's daughter Zatanna would become very close. After learning from Zatara, Ted Grant would be the next person to teach Bruce. Grant runs the "Wildcat Gym" as a place to help kids on the streets by helping to steer them right by training them to box. After Bruce learns to box and shows Ted that he is a very fast learner, Ted shows Bruce that he is also highly skilled at other martial arts, such as Capoeira, Hapkido, Kickboxing, Krav Maga, and Muay Thai. Which he then teaches to Bruce.

It is during this time with Ted Grant that Bruce meets Harvey Dent for the first time. Both were learning to box under Ted. Harvey Dent is depicted as having had an unhappy childhood; his mentally ill father, Harry, beats him regularly often deciding whether or not to brutalize his son based on a flip of his lucky coin. The abuse instills in Dent his lifelong struggle with free will and his eventual inability to make choices on his own, relying on the coin to make all of his decisions. Dent is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia at a young age but manages to hide his illnesses and thanks to an unyielding work ethic, rises up through the ranks of Gotham City's district attorney's office until, at age 26, he becomes the youngest DA in the city's history.

After training in hand to hand combat Bruce goes to Japan to learn sword fighting, Karate, Judo and Ninjitsu. Bruce enrolled himself in Yoru's dojo for an extended period to learning numerous martial arts. He rose to become one of the dojo's best students. The only other student able to consistently defeat him was Kyodai Ken. Yoru was concerned that Bruce was practicing out of fanaticism and counseled him to learn from his mistakes and turn them to his advantage by pointing out that sometimes losing can be more profitable than winning. Bruce still believed that one slip would be too many and Yoru likely did not know the true purpose of his training. When Kyodai was caught trying to steal an ancient samurai sword it was Bruce who confronted him to which Kyodai challenged him to a death-match. Bruce gladly accepted but the forthcoming fight was broken up by Yoru, who took back the stolen sword and said the punishment was expulsion instead of trial by combat.

Bruce decides to try a different approach to fighting injustice. He associates with criminals to learn their ways and is thrown in a Bhutanese prison by police for theft, ironically of Wayne Enterprises property. After a prison brawl, an enigmatic man who identifies himself as Henri Ducard invites Bruce to join an elite vigilante group, the League of Assassins, under the leadership of Ra's al Ghul. Bruce is freed the next day and travels to the top of a Tibetan mountain to begin his combat training with the League. The League apparently had an inner circle of elite fighters as well as a large number of warriors trained in the martial arts and modern military special forces tactics. 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, Bronze Tiger and Merlyn. For much of its current history, any member who failed in an assassination was in turn targeted by the League. Bruce rejected the League when he was ordered to kill a criminal to prove his commitment to justice and he learned that the League wanted him to lead a mission to destroy Gotham City. The League's base in Tibet was destroyed in the subsequent battle as Wayne fought Ra's al Ghul and left him for dead.

Bruce made his way to the United Kingdom to find a bounty hunter by the name of Jason Blood. Bruce finds Jason in London and offers Jason lots of money to train Bruce how to be as good a manhunter as he is. Blood tells Bruce that he uses magic to find is prey. After a long night of drinking Jason finally agrees to show Bruce a few things but nothing magical. A few months later Jason alongside Bruce are attacked by Morgana Le'Fey. Jason Turns into Etrigan for the first time in front of Bruce and then escapes from Morgana.

Once safely away Jason tells his story; In the waning days of Camelot, Merlin merges his demon familiar Etrigan with a man, Jason Blood, as part of a last-ditch effort to defend the kingdom against Morgana le Fey's assault. Blood had been an ally of le Fey and is bonded to Etrigan as penance. He and Morgana become enemies henceforth. Following the fall of Camelot, Morgana continues to practice her dark arts and retains her youth for many centuries, always seeking more power and a new kingdom to rule. By the 20th century, Merlin has arisen anew and tricks Morgana, causing her to lose her youth and beauty which she had preserved using her magics. She wishes to replenish her youth with Merlin's secrets and that is why she wants them, so they can lead her to Merlin. As Jason and Bruce sit and talk, Morgana is working a spell that will lead her to Etrigan. Once she finds them she bring the amulet of a Lord of Chaos with her to the meeting. Once Morgana catches up with Jason she finds a black cat near by and places the amulet on the cat. Instantly the cat transforms and a portals opens up. Out of the portal comes Klarion. Once fully on this plane, Klarion looks around and at once see's the touch of destiny on Bruce so he takes the childhood form of Bruce. At once a blinding light fills the room and Doctor Fate comes threw his Ankh Teleportation spell. After a hard fought battle Klarion has to retreat with Morgana or face expulsion from this Earth once again. Now that Bruce has meet and fought alongside Doctor Fate, Fate teaches Bruce how to detect certain things about magic without using magic itself.

Bruce Wayne, age 25, returns home from training abroad in martial arts, man-hunting and science for eleven years. His Uncle Philip had pasted away and he was need back home. At this point, Bruce has reavowed to avenge his parents' murder by dedicating his life to fighting crime. Once in Gotham, he bides his time, waiting for the right moment to strike, all the while preparing himself. Bruce attempted to join the FBI, but after learning about its regulations and conduct, Wayne deducted that he would never be able to completely oppose crime while working within the legal system. Later, wearing a ski mask, Bruce thwarts an armored car robbery. However, when Alfred asks how the fight went, Bruce is discouraged that the robbers considered him a clownish vigilante at first, and realizes he needs to adopt a persona that will strike fear into the hearts of wrongdoers.

Bruce discovered a cave by accident when testing the floor of an old barn on the rear of the property and the floor gave way. Upon his initial foray into crime-fighting Wayne used the caves as a sanctum and to store his then-minimal equipment and the only things inside are a small workshop and a storage space for the Batsuit and its accessories, a medical area, and the Batmobile. The entrance and exit for the Batmobile are behind a waterfall. Alfred reveals to Bruce that during the Civil War, the Wayne's used the vast cavern system as part of the Underground Railroad. They discover a hidden Civil War-era mechanical elevator which is still functional and leads to a hidden entrance in the mansion through a secret door behind a grandfather clock which unlocks the secret door when the hands are set to the time that Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered, 10:47 pm. 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.

While he is laying the groundwork for crime-fighting, Bruce is also dating Andrea, and doing things with her such as visiting a future exposition, which contains a car prototype that catches Bruce's eye. He also meets Andrea's father Carl Beaumont, who is a businessman and Arthur Reeves, who worked as Beaumont's legal adviser at the time. In his study, while talking to portraits of his parents, Bruce wonders what his parents really want for him; to avenge their deaths as a crime fighter or to continue the Wayne bloodline by marriage and fathering children? Later, Bruce tells Alfred he has made his choice: he will abandon his crime-fighting career and focus solely on his work at Wayne Enterprises, and has also bought an engagement ring for Andrea. However, Andrea mysteriously leaves Gotham with her father, ending her engagement to Bruce in a Dear John-style letter. Believing that he has lost his only chance of having a normal life, Bruce proceeds with his other choice, to avenge his parents' murder and spare other families his pain. After seeing a bat fly in the night sky, Bruce realizes he has the perfect image of terror for wrongdoers, and finally dons the mask of Batman.

Wayne's tactics to oppose crime as a vigilante at night proved successful leading him to become an urban legend in Gotham City. Wayne's first ally was assistant district attorney Harvey Dent. Most of the Gotham City Police Department was sent in force to capture him. He gained his most powerful ally when he met police Lt. James Gordon, one of the few honest cops on the force. The two developed a working relationship operating outside of the law when they needed to. Gordon tries to clean up G.C.P.D., but on the orders of the corrupt Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb, he is threatened by fellow officers.

After reestablishing his connections to his father's company, Wayne Enterprises, Bruce is able to acquire, with the help of former board member Lucius Fox, a prototype armored car and an experimental armored suit. He augments the suit with the League of Assassins armor, and a special cape that can become a rudimentary hang glider. Lucius Fox was a research head and a friend of Dr. Thomas Wayne who was demoted by Wayne Enterprises CEO, William Earle to overseeing the supplies of Wayne Enterprises' aborted research projects and prototypes in the Applied Sciences Division.

Upon returning to the business, Bruce Wayne struck up a fast friendship which allowed him to all but recruit Fox as his armorer for Batman's activities. Lucius and Bruce became friends almost immediately after Bruce returned to the family business. At first, Bruce "worked" with Lucius in the Applied Sciences Division. But, this job was an excuse to gather the equipment Bruce needed to become Batman. Lucius caught onto the fact that Bruce was up to something else entirely and told Bruce that much and not to treat him like an idiot. This impressed Bruce greatly and Lucius allowed Bruce free access to necessary equipment. The trust and friendship between them made Bruce appointed Lucius Fox the company CEO and trusted him with day to day business matters.

One night, when the corrupt city leaders and gangsters like Carmine Falcone gather for a dinner party, Commissioner Loeb explains why Batman is politically advantageous to themselves, assuming he would never bother them; meanwhile, Batman sneaks onto the grounds, puts the guards to sleep and sets up stage lights around the window that comprises one of the dining room walls. He cuts the electricity, throwing the room in darkness, blows a hole in the outside wall and then activates the lights. He gives the men and women a dire warning that he is just as determined to deliver them to justice as well, then leaves. The police try to capture Batman numerous times, but Bruce is too elusive and alert to fall for their traps.

Months pass and Batman overhears the local mafia boss, Carmine Falcone, planning revenge against Gordon. Falcone orders an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap Detective Jim Gordon's family. At the same time Dr. Jonathan Crane uses his position as professor of psychology at Gotham University and as resident psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum to conduct his experiments in fear. Crane smuggles the hallucinogenic chemical ingredient for his "fear gas" into Gotham through the connections of mob boss Carmine Falcone. Falcone virtually runs Gotham City, with the mayor, the city council, Commissioner Gillian Loeb, and Detective Arnold Flass in his pocket.

His power comes under attack with the arrival of the mysterious vigilante Batman. Despite Loeb's desperate attempts to stop him, Batman's attacks on Falcone's organization become even more brazen. Humiliated, Falcone orders Batman killed. Gordon vows to bring him down and his main rival Sal Maroni is encroaching on his territory. Falcone enlists small-time criminal Oswald Cobblepot to help him destroy his enemies.

Oswald Cobblepot first appeared in Gotham City as a skilled thief, sneaking a priceless painting out of the museum by hiding the rolled-up canvas in the handle of his umbrella. Cobblepot later used the canvas as proof of his intellect to Carmine Falcone, which he was then allowed to join. With Cobblepot's help, the mob pulled off a string of ingenious heists, but the mob's leader and the "be-monocled bird" eventually fell out, leading Cobblepot to instigate a turf war between Falcone and Maroni.

Eventually, investigations led by Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, with some secret assistance by Batman, restore law and order to Gotham: Loeb is forced to resign and Falcone's power is put under threat by the new opposition he faces. Falcone blames his nephew Johnny Viti for the foiled plot against Gordon and tries to order a hit; Johnny survives and Falcone finds himself at odds with his sister Carla, the head of the Viti crime family in Chicago. After Loeb resigns, Gordon is promoted to captain of G.C.P.D.'s major crimes unit. Batman's presence in Gotham City generated a new breed of criminals, no longer the simple thugs and gangsters involved in Gotham Organized Crime, but more dynamic personalities.

A gang called the "Red Hood Gang" appears in Gotham City. The Red Hood Gang is started by mob boss Salvatore Valestra to fight this new threat to the Gotham Underworld, called the Batman. Valestra uses his top hit-man Jack Napier to become the Red Hood. Bruce gets involved when the Red Hood Gang plans to sink a pickup truck full of men. During this encounter, it is revealed that the Red Hood Gang's ranks have expanded. It turns out their leader had since begun blackmailing innocent Gotham citizens into joining the group, threatening violence against them if they refused to be his henchmen. They eventually steal an airship belonging to G.C.P.D. and finds the gang used several weapons from Wayne Industries. Bruce discovers that the Red Hood Gang has been doing business with William Earle, who was selling them weapons after being forced to join the gang.

The motivation of the Red Hood Gang comes to light, and it was revealed that they had been inspired by the impact that the murder of Bruce's parents had upon the city. The murders of the famous and beloved Doctor and Mrs. Wayne had made the residents of Gotham fearful, since if even the rich and powerful could be gunned down by a random criminal, no one was safe from being harmed by crime. Embracing nihilism the Red Hood Gang killed, robbed, and caused suffering in order to make the average citizen know their lives are worthless and can and will be murdered at any given moment.

The culmination of the Red Hood Gang's campaign of terror was their plan to take over the Ace Chemical Plant and use its resources to create a flesh-eating bacteria. Mob boss Salvatore Valestra, who has already been targeted by Dent and Gordon, discovers his mistress Alicia is involved with his hit-man Jack Napier. With the help of corrupt police lieutenant Max Eckhardt, Valestra engineers Napier's death in a raid at Ace Chemical Plant. However, Valestra's plan is foiled with the sudden arrival of Captain Gordon, the major crimes unit and SWAT officers, who wants Napier captured alive. In the ensuing shootout, Napier, who has realized he was set up, kills Eckhardt. Batman arrives and, in a struggle, Napier is knocked into a vat of chemicals. Batman escapes and Napier is presumed dead.

The League of Assassins started a large killing spree across Europe, which soon became target of investigation by the Interpol. When the pattern was clear Interpol warned Gotham City's Major Crimes Unit about the next target of the murder trail as a shipping magnate, then located in Gotham. Gordon tried to provide police protection but when refused, he contacted Batman, who thwarted the killing of the magnate and captured the assassin Amba Kadiri. It was during this case, that the League first became aware of Batman's existence and activities.

Batman meets one of his underworld informants atop Gotham's Statue of Justice. The informant says he's been running errands for a mysterious organization, The League of Assassins. He mentions that they are planning a heist of a high-tech weapon and their leader goes by the name "Red Claw". Just then two agents of the League appear and attack. In the fight, the informant is thrown off the statue's head into the sea. Batman overcomes the two agents but before he can interrogate them, they release gas canisters in their masks, sending them both into catatonic states.

Batman appears at the firing range at Gotham Police Headquarters, where Gordon is practicing alone. Batman relates the night's events, then guesses that the target of the planned heist is Wayne Enterprises' new ultrasonic drill, being delivered that night by train. At the rail station, when the drill is unloaded Lucius Fox and the entire security detail is disabled by sleeping gas. As Red Claw's men take the drill, Batman appears and tries to intervene, but is likewise overtaken with the gas. Red Claw then flees with the drill.

Red Claw works with a real estate company, Multigon, to purchase a piece of land in order to have a place to use the which she intends to use the ultrasonic drill to hold Gotham City ransom for one million dollars in gold bullion. While making preparations, Red Claw captures Batman and she reveals to him that she never truly intended to unleash the weapon but wanted to draw out and kill him. Batman escapes and destroys the facility along with the drill.

The Court of Owls is an ancient conspiracy that has controlled Gotham City for centuries. Their legend is told only through whispers and a nursery rhyme that bears their name. The Court of Owls takes notice when billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne announces plans to rebuild and reshape Gotham City for the future. He is sentenced to death...

The End