Court of Owls
| Court of Owls | |
|---|---|
The Court of Owls watching over as Batman is tortured by a Talon, while they also suggest how Batman should die.
Art by Greg Capullo. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Batman Vol. 2 #2 (October 2011) |
| Created by |
Scott Snyder Greg Capullo |
| In-story information | |
| Type of organization |
Organized crime Secret society |
| Base(s) | Gotham City |
| Agent(s) | The Talons |
| Roster | |
| See: List of Court of Owls members | |
The Court of Owls is an organized crime group and secret society appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. They have secretly existed since Colonial times in Gotham City. The Court kidnaps child performers from the circus, only to train and transform them into their assassins, known as Talons. As part of the 2015-2016 "Robin War" storyline, the Court of Owls had expanded internationally and is referred to as the Parliament of Owls.
The Court of Owls were created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo. They are first mentioned in Batman #2 (2011) and make their first full appearance in Batman #5 as part of The New 52, DC Comics 2011 reboot of their continuity.
The Court of Owls is a conspiracy that has controlled Gotham City for centuries. They are a violent cabal of some of Gotham City's oldest and wealthiest families who use murder and money to wield political influence throughout history. Their bases of operation are hidden in some of the city's oldest structures. A nursery rhyme describing them has been passed down through Gotham's generations:
Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,
Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.
They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed.
Speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head.
To carry out their interests, they employ a breed of highly trained assassins known as Talons. The leaders of the organization appear to be human and wear owl masks on their faces, but some lower-ranking members appear to actually be human-owl hybrids.
The earliest history of the Court of Owls dates back to Gotham's earliest days in the 1600s, and it has been involved in many criminal acts in Gotham over the years The Court of Owls took notice when billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne announces plans to rebuild and reshape Gotham City for the future. The Court sentences Bruce to death, and their assassin the Talon (William Cobb) attempts to murder him during a meeting with Lincoln March. They struggle at the top of Wayne Tower and the killer survives a fall from the top. Batman discovers that their society has secret headquarters throughout hidden rooms in every building established by the Alan Wayne Trust, created by Bruce's great-grandfather, Alan Wayne. Bruce recounts that as a child he believed the Court of Owls responsible for the death of his parents, and personally investigated the conspiracy before determining that there was no evidence. Batman is caught and tortured by the Court, but escapes.
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