WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman: The Adventures Continue Season II #1, by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Ty Templeton and Monica Kubina, on sale now.

In Batman: The Adventures Continue Season II #1, the Court of Owls has made its way into the DC Animated Universe that began with Batman: The Animated Series. The Court of Owls is known for its members' schemes of murder and manipulation in the hidden corners of Gotham City and their lethal assassins, the Talons.

In their DCAU debut, the Court of Owls makes a striking first impression by using a Talon to assassinate Gotham City Mayor Hamilton Hill.

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Batman the Animated Series Mayor Hamilton Hill

Throughout the duration of Batman: The Animated Series, Mayor Hill was Gotham's mayor, and he worked alongside Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock to make the city safer. Even though he wasn't always Batman's biggest fan, Mayor Hill was rescued by the Dark Knight on several occasions.

Most notably, Hill indirectly created the Clock King by giving Temple Fugate advice which made him late for an important court appointment. As the Clock King, Fugate tried to murder Mayor Hill on two separate occasions during the series, and Batman saved him both times. Similarly, Mayor Hill was kidnapped in "Harlequinade" and his son, Jordan, was kidnapped by the Joker in "Be a Clown." Both times, the Caped Crusader saved the day. Mayor Hill was named after his comic book counterpart, who was introduced in 1981's Detective Comics #503, by Gerry Conway and Don Newton. Despite sharing a name and title with the original Hill, the DCAU mayor was more benevolent and less corrupt than his counterpart.

Even so, in Batman: The Adventures Continue Season II #1, by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Ty Templeton and Monica Kubina, Mayor Hill's term just ran out.

At the beginning of the issue, Hill is returning from dinner with his wife, Maureen. When closing an open door, Hill looks through the glass, seeing the reflection of a Talon. Right then and there, Hill is murdered, a move that reveals the resurgence of the Court of Owls. Within the DCAU, Hill's death is largely impactful, due to his family's longstanding history in Gotham.

More importantly, people like Commissioner Gordon point out how it's hard to remember a time when Hill wasn't Gotham's mayor. This is a good point, which might also be a meta-commentary on Hill's presence throughout Batman: The Animated Series. Killing off Mayor Hill is similar to killing off any of the other recurring characters in Batman: The Animated Series, like Summer Gleeson or Veronica Vreeland. Even if they were rarely the focus of stories, they were established parts of the show's world.

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Batman Mayor Hamilton Hill Talon

With Hill's death, Batman: The Adventures Continue has made its biggest change to the DCAU's version of Gotham so far, making the world feel very different. The stakes are even higher, since recurring figures such as Mayor Hill can be removed from the board.

Crime-fighters like Batman and Commissioner Gordon knew what to expect from the mayor's office, making their jobs a little easier. With Mayor Hill gone, the crusaders of Gotham will need to deal with a new civic leader who may not look kindly upon Batman or his allies. This change doesn't just affect Batman, it also impacts what the DCAU's Gotham will look like going forward, reframing the name of Batman Beyond's Hamilton Hill High School as a tribute to the late politician.

Batman: The Adventures Continue has made a few changes to the DCAU Dark Knight's world by adding new players such as Deathstroke, Azrael and the Red Hood. However, none of these changes had a major impact on Gotham's political landscape in the same way that Mayor Hill's death leaves a big void in Gotham. Considering Mayor Hill's importance to Gotham City, the next person to sit in the mayor's chair will likely play a crucial role in Batman's world as his adventures continue.

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