Nightwing, Red Robin, and Wingman arrive in Gotham only to see Batman getting carried away by Man-Bat Commandos. Spidra and [[Traktir (Prime Earth)|Tra
Gotham's Most Wanted is a Batman storyline written by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham, with illustrations by Burnham. It is the conclusion to the multi-year Morrison's Batman saga, and the final arc of Batman Incorporated. This follows the arcs Leviathan Strikes and Demon Star.
Synopsis
Nightwing, Red Robin, and Wingman arrive in Gotham only to see Batman getting carried away by Man-Bat Commandos. Spidra and Traktir fight the League of Assassins in Yemen, where the League is trying to wipe out evidence of the whale that hatched the Heretic. The rest of Batman Inc. recuperates from their battle with the Heretic, and Squire grieves over the Knight's dead body. The Hood betrays Wingman and shoots him, declaring that Batman Inc. is over and his true loyalty is to Spyral. Talia al Ghul tells the Heretic that next they will activate Oroboro, completing the "ring of death around the world" envisioned by Doctor Dedalus. The GCPD are attacked by vicious child soldiers brainwashed by Leviathan. Talia and the Heretic take over Wayne Tower with an army of Leviathan soldiers. They put Batman in a safe and throw him into a pool, so he will know that Gotham burned because he could not escape a trap quickly enough. Robin refuses to stay confined to the Batcave, and Alfred lets him leave to help his father.[1]
Batman escapes the trap by throwing up a lockpick he had swallowed. Red Robin goes to help Batman while Nightwing and Robin battle soldiers in the lobby of Wayne Tower. The Heretic arrives and knocks Nightwing out by throwing him against a wall. Robin calls for his mother Talia to stop the monster, but she does not hear him. The Heretic tries to kill Ellie, a lobby secretary who picked up the Oroboro device, and Robin defends her by trying to kill the Heretic. Robin deals numerous deadly blows to the Heretic, but is unable to kill him. Finally the Heretic grabs his sword and impales Robin, killing him. Batman arrives in time to see this, and holds his son as he is dying. Talia al Ghul is visibly effected by this, and tells a subordinate she is having a "moment of weakness."[2]
The Heretic brags to Batman that he killed his son, and has already beaten him once this night. Batman and Nightwing savagely attack the Heretic, but it throws Batman out into the streets. The Heretic declares that he is the new Batman, only better and stronger. There is chaos in Gotham as the streets are filled with child soldiers, terrorists, and street gangs running amok. Mayor Hady gives in to the demands of Leviathan, and declares that Batman is no longer welcome in Gotham. Talia later reprimands the Heretic for killing Damian when he is not allowed to make his own decisions. Bruce holds a private funeral for Damian with Alfred, Dick, and Tim attending. He swears that Damian will be avenged. The Knight has a huge public funeral in England. Squire decides to take up his mantle, and she becomes the new Knight. Batman Inc. now has the Oroboro device, but they do not know where Talia's bombs are. Wingman wakes up surrounded by Spyral's Death Girls. Batman patches himself up in the Batcave, and lets out an anguished scream over his son.[3]
Batman visits Azrael and asks for his help, as he is going to war. Talia visits Ra's al Ghul, who says he is impressed, but taunts her that she forgot an important detail. Gotham puts up giant "Wanted" posters with Batman's face, and police officers smash the Bat-Signal. Lucius Fox tells Bruce Wayne that Wayne Enterprises has to cut their funding, and even the Batman Robots are getting decommissioned. Talia calls Mayor Hady and demands that Batman surrender himself, then she has every police car in the city disabled. Dark Ranger and Knight find where Spyral is holding Wingman. The Hood insists they are all on the same side, and Wingman tells them to listen to the mysterious Headmistress. Talia has the Heretic execute every soldier involved in the fight where Damian died. The Heretic gets angry that he cannot act on his own, and threatens Talia, but she teaches him to obey with a device that sends painful shocks through his spine. Kirk Langstrom agrees to make a special Man-Bat Serum for Batman. Batman takes the serum and sits in his cave wearing the Suit of Sorrows until he transforms. Talia prepares to destroy Gotham if Batman does not surrender. Batman flies to Wayne Tower as a monstrous bat-creature with an army of bats behind him, wearing the Suit of Sorrows and a powerful exo-skeleton designed by Lucius. His internal monologue repeats his thoughts when he first became Batman. "Yes, father. I shall become a bat."[4]
Batman Japan goes on a date with Crazy Shy Lolita Canary. They are interrupted by an alert signal when the Teen Tiger Team begin slaughtering innocents in the streets. The villains escape Batman Japan and report to Lady Tiger Fist, their superior in Leviathan. Batman Japan and Crazy Shy Lolita Canary track down their hideout, and they convince Teen Tiger Team to stop working for Leviathan. Lady Tiger Fist is defeated and sent to the police. Batman Japan and Crazy Shy Lolita Canary are able to finish their date.[5]
Talia sends her Man-Bat Commandos to stop Batman, but his bats are carrying an antidote and the Man-Bats fall from the skies. Batman swoops down and delivers a brutal beating to the Heretic across the rooftops. Nightwing and Red Robin track down Wingman, where Spyral is holding him. Hood explains that the international intelligence community cannot allow Bruce Wayne to have his own global private army. The Headmistress of Spyral explains that this is bigger than Batman, but they still need Batman Inc. to stop Oroboro. They arrive to help Batman fight the Heretic, beating him to the ground, and the Heretic is revealed to have Damian's face. This sickens Batman. The Heretic is defeated and runs into Wayne Tower, which is sealed by the falling "W" in the Wayne sign. He yells at Talia for mistreating him, and Talia responds by cutting off his head with a sword. Talia gets on her helicopter to leave, and detonates a bomb destroying Wayne Tower. The helicopter lands on top of Wayne Manor, where she puts on a "bat" costume and enters the Batcave for a final confrontation with Batman.[6]
Talia explains that she became a flamboyant enemy to match Batman, with Leviathan as an idea idea to match the symbol of the bat. Talia explains that Leviathan will release the city if she does not return, so Batman must kill her and save his city or be killed by her as the city is destroyed. There is a new poison on the blade, and Talia tells Batman that he has ten minutes to live. Batman collapses to the floor, and Talia tells him to beg for the antidote. Wingman arrives to hand over the Oroboro device in exchange for Batman's life, and Batman begs him not to. Talia gives Wingman the antidote and tries to activate Oroboro, but it does not work. Wingman explains that Batman Inc. disarmed Oroboro five minutes ago. The Headmistress of Spyral arrives and reveals herself as Kathy Kane, then shoots Talia in the head. Kane thanks Batman for helping Spyral catch Talia, and tells him not to look for her because she does not exist. Batman is left standing alone in the Batcave. Bruce Wayne is later arrested by the GCPD, and taken in to be personally questioned by Jim Gordon. Gordon tells Bruce that the government is talking about a murder investigation and possible terrorism charges. Bruce tells Gordon that Batman is dead. Gordon receives a message from the Mayor saying that Bruce Wayne has been cleared of all charges by a "mystery woman." Gordon tells Bruce that he does not know if Batman is dead, but the city needs Batman more than ever, and he hopes that he can contact Batman in the future. Alfred is waiting outside, and he takes Bruce to the cemetery, where Damian's corpse has been stolen. Elsewhere, Ra's al Ghul begins reconstructing the League of Assassins, and swears revenge on Batman for the death of his daughter and grandson. It is revealed that Ra's has an army of Damian clones growing in tubes.[7]
In the aftermath of these events, Batman reviews the most recent cases investigated by Batman Incorporated. Batman Japan reports teaming up with Crazy Shy Lolita Canary to defeat Doctor Inside-Out. The Knight reports a recent encounter with Springheeled Jack after her mentor died. This victory is what inspired her to take the Knight's mantle. Raven Red reports defeating a Leviathan agent named Coyote. Dark Ranger and Nightrunner teamed up with El Gaucho in Buenos Aires to stop a villain called La Muerte en Vida. Bat-Cow stopped several armed thugs during a car chase, and returned a kidnapped baby to its mother. Batman decides not to archive the files of Batman Inc., as they are still ongoing.[8]
Issues
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2) #7 -- Belly of the Whale
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2) #8 -- The Boy Wonder Returns
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2) #9 -- Fallen Son
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2) #10 -- Gotham's Most Wanted
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2) #11 -- Interlude: A Bird in the Hand
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2) #12 -- Fatherless
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2) #13 -- The Devil's Daughter
- Batman Incorporated Special #1 -- Never the End
Recommended Reading
Links and References
  This event or storyline is specifically related to Batman, or to members of the Batman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Batman Storylines category. |