WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from "The Cradle" in Batman: The World #1 on sale now from DC Comics.
A trip to Turkey unveiled one of the darkest secrets of the DCU. Batman already knew that the Court of Owls' reach expanded across the world, but he never once suspected that there were other courts in existence working in conjunction with them. The Court of Eagles, revealed in the story "The Cradle" from Batman: The World #1 by Ertan Ergil, Ethem Onur Bilgic and Aykut Tanay, was based in Turkey, operating at the behest of the Court of Owls to distract Batman.
This new secret organization has its own version of the Talons, Dawn and Dusk, who are far deadlier and able to catch Batman off guard.
Batman had been tracking weapon shipments financed by unknown persons. He didn't know it at the time, but his investigation was leading him to discover a new court. And much like their American counterparts, the Court of Eagles embedded themselves within the history of the city they occupied, using its double-headed eagle symbol as their personal crest to represent their absolute power and authority. And while they only appeared briefly, it can be surmised that if they are anything like the Court of Owls, then they too have a great deal of power and money at their disposal.
But their reach is not limited to just politics and finances. The Court of Eagles possesses two highly trained assassins named Dawn and Dusk. Unlike the Owls, the Eagles seem to use living people as their warriors, but outfit them with advanced technology. Both assassins seemed to utilize some kind of repulsor technology in their boots, allowing them to literally run through the air, living up to their masters' choice of animal.
These two were skilled enough to catch Batman off guard, but their organization's play as a whole to keep him distracted was brilliantly executed. Unfortunately for them, it also put Batman hot on their trail. He began to ask the important question that their existence hints at: If the Court of Eagles is real, then are there other courts around the world?
It's a terrifying prospect, the idea that the Court of Owls have international offshoots that aren't simply extensions of themselves. And yet, there is some phrasing to suggest this isn't the case. The Court of Owls was in contact with the Court of Eagles, saying they served the owls well "as always," hinting that they have served the owls for a long time.
If this is the case, then perhaps the Court of Eagles is just another branch of the Court of Owls, but one that's been away from Gotham for so long that they've formed their own identity. Even the name suggests this. A group of eagles has many terms. Aerie, convocation, jubilee, soar, tower, but they are never called a court. That group terminology belongs to owls. If this is true, then that might mean the Court of Owls has many diverse branches all across the world, each taking up a different avian symbol, but ultimately belonging to the Court. It's a terrifying thought, but it's starting to seem more likely.