The addition of the Court of Owls to the mythos of Gotham City marked a departure from the long-held tradition of emblematic individual villains. In the eighty years since the introduction of the Batman franchise, the advent of the Court of Owls suggests a new approach to villainy that may sustain and reinvent existing story arcs. With an acute combination of history, mystery and omnipotence, the Court of Owls may very well be the new icons of Gotham City.

DC's Batman universe is one that has held to a tradition of eccentric and iconic villains. Each of these adversaries has undergone different, equally unique interpretations throughout alternate universes of Gotham City. From Jim Carrey's comical portrayal of the Riddler to Heath Ledger’s sadistic Joker interpretation, each Gotham villain’s essence has been left open to interpretation.

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The Court of Owls is a secret society shrouded in mystery, an omnipresent and seemingly invincible foil to both Batman and Bruce Wayne. With a supernatural army of assassins known as Talons comprised of the undead preserved throughout the centuries of Gotham’s history, the Court of Owls covers both natural and supernatural ground, the seen and the unseen. What separates this nefarious group even further from most villains in Batman stories is how closely intertwined they are with the histories of the Wayne and Grayson families. The original Talon that Batman faces in 2011's Batman Vol. 2 #3 is a reanimated William Cobb, Dick Grayson’s great-grandfather. The organization is also responsible for the murder of Alan Wayne, Bruce’s great-great-grandfather, and allegedly had a hand in the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce’s parents.

First introduced in 2011’s Batman #2, the Court of Owls acts as Gotham City’s shadowy puppetmaster composed of the city’s ruling elite and exercising control over all aspects of government and circumstances surrounding the city. Fox's Gotham presents the organization's diabolical control of events and circumstances when the court makes a unanimous formal vote to let Gotham fall for the good of the city. The group first emerges in Gotham Season 2, reprimanding Hugo Strange for failing to achieve the reanimation of the dead with invincible characteristics and memories intact. Strange denies the rebuke with claims of having achieved this, an allusion to the Court’s Talon assassins.

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What makes the Court of Owls so appealing is a combination of their appearance, marked by white masks with owl-like features and a style of dress suggesting modern aristocracy. The introduction of the group plays on a modern infatuation with secret societies and a distrust of ruling elites. They are a longstanding institution within Gotham City, one known canonically as an urban legend, existing only in nursery rhymes. With a history dating back to the roots of Gotham, the story of the Court of Owls is one intertwined with Bruce Wayne’s own story. Throughout their appearances in the Batman comic books, Bruce Wayne unravels a series of hints and allegations surrounding his own family’s involvement with the organization. Even more unnerving is the presence of Talon lairs hidden on the thirteenth floor of each of Alan Wayne’s buildings.

An omnipresent evil force in Gotham City that predates even the Joker, the Court of Owls may be Gotham’s new icon for evil. Their presence in DC Comics canon may even have led to the emergence of a similar group within Marvel’s X-Men. The mystery and visual imagery surrounding the Court of Owls is enough to solidify their place at the top of Gotham City’s underworld food chain. The group is a formidable adversary for Batman in overseeing Gotham’s darkest nights.

As for what the future holds for the Court of Owls in the universe of Gotham City, the group is alleged to be the focal point of the next Batman video game. This speculation, fueled by swiftly-deleted game concept art, marks a serious milestone in the continuing canon of the Dark Knight's franchise. Still, the emergence of this secret society is one that fans will enjoy seeing come to light.

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