Chapter Summaries

Miao Mu and Deadshot fought off the Talons attacking them on the streets of Arkham. Deadshot blasted a fleeing Talon from the rooftop, while Miao Mu unleashed the Holy Flame Hammer’s power and tore through his attackers.

• Miao Mu and Deadshot battled waves of Talons, with Deadshot shooting them from the Arkham Asylum rooftop and Miao Mu fighting them with his claws.
• Deadshot used the Talons as cover and fired both pistols until only one remained on the rooftop.
• The last Talon threw Deadshot’s sniper rifle away and leapt from the roof using his coat to glide, but Deadshot hit him with a grenade.
• Miao Mu dodged blades and darts as the Talons attacked him from several directions.
• Miao Mu ignited the Holy Flame Hammer, covered himself in white holy flames, and killed the Talons with blazing strikes.

Miao Mu helped expose the Court of Owls to Metropolis newspapers while construction began on a school using Talons as foundation piles. As the revelations spread, Bruce faced the newly public possibility that the Court had caused his parents’ deaths and decided it was time to become Batman.

• Gordon worked to wrap up the previous night's events as Gotham returned to its usual routines and construction began in Arkham District.
• Miao Mu oversaw the school’s foundation work, where Croc-Man and WM Security Company used Talons as concrete piles.
• Nygma told Miao Mu that Metropolis reporters had learned about the Court of Owls, while Lois, Clark, and Nygma raced toward Gotham for the story.
• Miao Mu explained that Nygma had sent reporters revelations about the Court’s secret rule over Gotham and its possible role in the Waynes’ deaths.
• Bruce read the reports Alfred had gathered, considered the evidence linking the Court to his parents’ deaths, and decided to put on the mask.

After the Court of Owls was crippled, Gotham’s police arrested its remaining members while Brucie gathered the city’s powerful nouveau riche for a dinner that revealed the business empires of prominent families. The guests stayed to join her, leaving Gotham’s new balance of power poised to take shape.

• Gotham’s Major Crimes Unit arrested Mrs. Boris and other Court of Owls members as the Boris Family faced ruin.
• Brucie hosted Lucius Fox, Maxie Zeus, and Gotham’s wealthy business figures at the Zeus Grand Hotel.
• Brucie had the attendants reveal plates bearing the Powers, Fike, and Tifalino family names alongside documents detailing their publicly known assets.
• A young man at the table hoped the Falcone Family might regain its former position, while Lucius looked at Brucie with surprise.
• Brucie invited only friends to stay and help change Gotham, and none of the guests left.

Miao Mu tightened his campaign against the Court of Owls while Nygma discussed a future meeting with Mrs. Kane. At Belle Reve, Oswald and Nanaue escaped through a tunnel, only to encounter Aquaman and lose their freedom again.

• Miao Mu stationed his people at Arkham Asylum and offered bounties on escaped Court of Owls members.
• Nygma asked Miao Mu how he planned to meet Mrs. Kane, and Miao Mu said he would go through her great-nephew.
• Oswald and Nanaue dug through the beach beneath Belle Reve and escaped into the sea as the rising tide collapsed the sand above them.
• Nanaue carried Oswald across the water until he detected a sound and dove toward the seabed.
• Oswald saw Aquaman, Arthur Curry, and sank in despair as Aquaman stared at him and Nanaue.

Bane and the Copperhead team killed wealthy Gotham targets and claimed half of their assets under the bounty system, while Alberto Falcone watched Gotham’s surging wealth flow through his criminal empire. Bane considered establishing a base in Gotham as the killings and money-making continued.

• Bane captured Miss Hesta, scanned her assets, and killed her after she offered to pay him to let her go.
• Bane photographed Miss Hesta and the scene, reported the location to the police, and calculated the profits from his Gotham mission.
• Bane’s men found another wealthy target, and Bane went to inspect the opportunity himself.
• Copperhead’s team lined up their victims, assessed their assets, and realized their payouts could let them retire.
• Alberto Falcone’s criminal businesses processed Gotham’s wealth at full capacity, while he credited his investment in WM Group with helping fuel his profits.

Nygma, Gordon, and Bruce grappled with the aftermath of a scheme that turned the Court of Owls’ destruction into a citywide cycle of killings, seized wealth, and charitable payouts. Bruce discovered that a mysterious corpse was not another version of himself but his son, Bruce II.

• Nygma reviewed the intelligence and prepared for danger as Miao Mu slept, confident that he would take only a small share of the wealth.
• Gordon received reports of more than a hundred bodies and found that the victims were wealthy family members whose murder bounties came from their own assets.
• The killings and money laundering fed Gotham’s banks, charitable foundations, and benefit funds, while Gordon found no way to identify or stop the people responsible.
• Bruce pieced together how Gotham’s factions were profiting from the Court of Owls’ destruction and examined a young corpse resembling him.
• Alfred told Bruce that the corpse was his son, Bruce II, rather than another-world version of Bruce.

Miao Mu visited the Kane estate with Bruce Wayne to meet the Kane Family, bringing a gift of confiscated antiques while navigating heavy CIA surveillance. Mrs. Kate confronted him with photographs from Hellgate and said someone wanted him to return something extremely important.

• Lois and Clark exposed the Court of Owls’ atrocities, leading to the confiscation of its bones and Talon coffins.
• Miao Mu supervised workers as they encased the sleeping Talons in concrete piles at the Arkham District construction site.
• Miao Mu traveled to the Kane estate with Bruce Wayne, while Croc-Man and Deadshot acted as bodyguards and Alfred drove Bruce’s antique car.
• Bruce warned Miao Mu that CIA agents were monitoring the estate and that he should speak plainly if he had anything to say.
• Mrs. Kate showed Miao Mu photographs from Hellgate and said a man in them had asked the CIA to find him and demand the return of something important.

Miao Mu learned that Professor X had contacted the government about something taken from his universe, then offered to sell information about crossing between worlds. As Miao Mu left, Croc-Man and Deadshot warned that a large force surrounded them.

• Miao Mu identified Charles Francis Xavier, or Professor X, as a telepath who could alter memories and kill people through Cerebro.
• Mrs. Kane told Miao Mu that Professor X wanted him to return something important taken from their world.
• Miao Mu claimed that a set of coordinates could open a gateway between universes and offered to provide information through WM Group's inquiry service.
• Miao Mu left the room while considering the government's interest in colonizing another universe.
• Croc-Man and Deadshot escorted Miao Mu to the car and said a large number of people, including special units, were surrounding them.

Miao Mu weighed how to divert attention from the Congress bigwigs while Oswald learned from a newspaper that Gotham’s wealthy were dying and decided to return. Batman later confronted Miao Mu about Gotham’s chaos, and Miao Mu said the struggle over interests was already over, leaving Wayne Enterprises with the largest share.

• Miao Mu tried to figure out how to pass a troublesome bone to someone else and distract the Congress bigwigs.
• At Arthur Curry’s lighthouse, Nanaue ate Arthur’s roast pig and began chewing on an antique cabinet while Oswald thanked Arthur for rescuing him.
• Arthur asked Oswald about Gotham and requested stock recommendations, but Oswald saw the newspaper’s list of dead wealthy Gothamites and resolved to return.
• Batman arrived at Miao Mu’s home, interrupting his evening with Brucie, and asked when Gotham’s chaos would end.
• Miao Mu told Batman that the division of interests was already complete and Wayne Enterprises had received the biggest share.
• Batman said Wayne Enterprises would take responsibility and restart the Gotham Renewal Fund, but Miao Mu reminded him that he lacked authority over the company.

Miao Mu and Batman investigated a young Bruce corpse that resembled a clone and discussed the danger posed by collapsing parallel worlds. At the Batcave, Miao Mu’s Hyper-Adapter reacted to the corpse’s Omega Energy, and they prepared to travel to its world.

• Batman told Miao Mu he had found another corpse resembling one of his own, and Miao Mu agreed to inspect it.
• Miao Mu and Batman drove through a heavily policed Gotham while discussing the Dark Multiverse and the risks of investigating parallel worlds.
• Miao Mu offered to take Batman to another world, warning that the journey could be dangerous and might leave them unable to return safely.
• At Wayne Estate, Batman led Miao Mu down to the Batcave and showed him two refrigerated corpses, including a young Bruce who looked like a clone.
• Miao Mu brought the Hyper-Adapter near the young corpse, and its Omega Energy reacted.

Miao Mu and Batman departed the Batcave for the Dark Multiverse, equipped for a dangerous encounter and leaving Brucie with instructions in case they did not return. After a rough jump, they arrived on a familiar Gotham road and realized they had crossed into the world of Bruce II when they spotted his SUV.

• Miao Mu loaded himself with weapons and protective gear while Batman prepared a backup suit and armored Batmobile.
• Miao Mu said goodbye to Brucie and told her to give Lex Luthor their coordinates if he failed to return within a month or two.
• Batman and Miao Mu activated the Hyper-Adapter and vanished from the Batcave as Brucie prayed for their safe return.
• The Batmobile landed on a familiar Gotham road, but the violent trip had left their devices and vehicle systems damaged.
• Batman spotted a black SUV, and Miao Mu urged him to pursue it, believing it belonged to Bruce II.

Batman and Miao Mu pursued the Grim Knight, a heavily armed Batman from this world, but his ambush wrecked their Batmobile and left them fighting for survival. Miao Mu and Batman teamed up to attack him, ending with Miao Mu charging in with a punch.

• Batman and Miao Mu chased a black SUV until the Grim Knight ambushed them with an RPG and flipped their Batmobile.
• The Grim Knight held Miao Mu at gunpoint and tried to force a grenade into his mouth, but Batman grabbed it and Miao Mu smashed the Grim Knight’s rifle.
• The Grim Knight fled while tossing grenades and firing at Miao Mu, who hurled one grenade into the sky and took cover behind the Batmobile.
• Batman and Miao Mu attacked together, but the Grim Knight shot Batman’s Batarangs out of the air.
• Miao Mu charged the Grim Knight and swung a punch at his cheek.

Batman and Miao Mu captured The Grim Knight and disguised themselves as him to enter Wayne Estate. After discovering the estate’s weapons stockpiles, Miao Mu joined Batman in the Batcave, where Gordon was hunting The Grim Knight.

• Batman tackled The Grim Knight, and Miao Mu knocked him unconscious before they cuffed and anesthetized him.
• Miao Mu and Batman fled the approaching police in The Grim Knight’s SUV, and Batman put on his helmet to impersonate him.
• Batman tricked Alfred into helping carry The Grim Knight into Wayne Estate while Miao Mu explored the grounds.
• Miao Mu found weapons and explosives around the estate and disabled one of the explosive wires.
• Miao Mu reached the Batcave and found Batman securing The Grim Knight to an operating table; Batman said Gordon was hunting him.

Batman showed Miao Mu evidence that The Grim Knight had executed Gotham’s criminals and explained the vigilante’s extreme, law-based code. After Batman left to gather information, Miao Mu kept The Grim Knight restrained and asked whether he had ever killed Joker.

• Batman showed Miao Mu photos of The Grim Knight’s victims, including Penguin and his associates.
• Batman explained that The Grim Knight had killed criminals according to an old law book’s death-penalty statutes and had rigged missiles to detonate if he died.
• Batman asked Miao Mu to get information from Alfred while he handled The Grim Knight, then left the Batcave.
• The Grim Knight woke and demanded to be released, but Miao Mu reinforced his restraints with an iron chain.
• Miao Mu asked The Grim Knight whether he had ever killed Joker, and The Grim Knight said he did not know who Joker was.

Miao Mu showed the Grim Knight information about Batman Who Laughs and persuaded him that the threat endangered his world. The Grim Knight agreed to consider the danger but was interrupted by Gordon’s arrival while pursuing a cloning criminal.

• Miao Mu drew a sketch of the Joker, and the Grim Knight identified him as a man he had killed at ACE Chemicals.
• Miao Mu showed the Grim Knight a video about the Multiverse, Batman Who Laughs, and Barbatos, then urged him to protect his world.
• The Grim Knight agreed to help but said he still had to stop someone using cloning technology; Miao Mu freed him from his restraints.
• An alarm warned the Grim Knight that Gordon had arrived, so Miao Mu ordered Batman to remove his gear and pretend he was not the Grim Knight.
• The Grim Knight contacted Alfred through his radio and told him to let Batman proceed.

Gordon visited Wayne Manor to question Bruce Wayne about a killing, but Bruce and Alfred turned him away. In the Batcave, The Grim Knight explained that Hugo Strange had made clones from his blood, and Miao Mu and Batman prepared to join him in dealing with them.

• Gordon questioned Bruce about where he had been the night of the Waynes' death anniversary, but Bruce and Alfred dismissed him and sent him away.
• The Grim Knight told Miao Mu that he had slaughtered members of the Court of Owls the previous Wednesday night.
• The Grim Knight showed footage of identical bald robbers and said Hugo Strange had created clones using blood taken from him.
• Miao Mu agreed to help investigate Strange's hideout, where they expected to encounter Batman Who Laughs.
• Batman arrived, and The Grim Knight warned him not to interfere before heading out with Miao Mu.

The Grim Knight, Batman, and Miao Mu broke into the Indian Hill research institute and fought their way toward its secret laboratory. Batman and the Grim Knight clashed over the Grim Knight’s lethal methods, and Batman killed an attacker before the Grim Knight finished him off.

• The Grim Knight rammed the Batmobile through Indian Hill’s barricades, then fired a concussion rocket into the research building while Miao Mu armed himself with modified RPG launchers.
• A Man-Bat flew from the building and the Grim Knight shot it dead; Batman then struck an invisible researcher with Batarangs, but the Grim Knight shot the man in the head.
• Batman challenged the Grim Knight over his killings, but Miao Mu interrupted them and urged them to deal with the institute first.
• The Grim Knight led the others through the dark building, killing attackers with grenades and a steel-ball grenade as Batman followed.
• Batman punched a knife-wielding attacker unconscious, but the Grim Knight shot the man in the head, prompting Batman to glare at him in anger.

Batman and The Grim Knight fought in a corridor until their weapons struck someone emerging from an elevator. Elsewhere, Miao Mu encountered The Devastator, a monstrous Batman-Doomsday fusion, and prepared to confront whoever had brought it there.

• Batman and The Grim Knight exchanged brutal blows, matching each other’s fighting skills and resolve.
• Batman and The Grim Knight threw their weapons toward an elevator as its doors opened, killing the person inside.
• Miao Mu descended to the first basement level and blasted apart the elevator doors when a huge hand reached through them.
• Miao Mu fought the flame-resistant Devastator, identified him as a Batman-Doomsday fusion, and survived his attacks with Demon Armor.
• Miao Mu detonated explosives to knock The Devastator back, then prepared to confront the person who had brought him there.

Miao Mu confronted Batman Who Laughs in the biological laboratory, but discovered the villain had set a trap at Wayne Estate involving Alfred. As The Merciless attacked him, Miao Mu was knocked back into the laboratory.

• Miao Mu reached the laboratory and found Batman Who Laughs waiting with The Merciless as his bodyguard.
• Miao Mu fired at Batman Who Laughs, but The Merciless blocked the shots with his shield.
• Miao Mu used grenades to distract The Merciless and punched Batman Who Laughs's head apart, only to learn the real villain was appearing on a computer screen from Wayne Estate.
• Batman Who Laughs showed Miao Mu that Hugo Strange was operating on Alfred and threatened to put another explosive in his head.
• The Merciless charged Miao Mu and drove him into the wall before Miao Mu struck at his helmet and was thrown back through the laboratory door.

Miao Mu, Batman, and The Grim Knight fought The Merciless and The Devastator in the laboratory, using explosives and improvised attacks to keep the gods at bay. Batman injured his arms blocking the Sword of Vulcan, while Miao Mu struggled to restrain the recovering Devastator and called for help.

• Miao Mu used the blast and The Merciless’s grip on the wall to break free and unleash a flurry of attacks.
• Batman and The Grim Knight struck The Merciless with gunfire, Batarangs, grenades, and a rocket while Miao Mu ignited the Holy Flame Hammer and forced him back.
• Miao Mu kicked The Devastator’s head inward, while Batman smashed a fire extinguisher over The Merciless’s head and covered him with powder.
• The Merciless summoned the Sword of Vulcan and struck Batman, whose alloy bracers blocked the blade but left his arms injured and bones cracked.
• The Grim Knight bombarded The Merciless with explosives as Batman rolled clear and Miao Mu tried to strangle the recovering Devastator with rebar.
• Miao Mu shouted for Batman to help restrain The Devastator, whose increasingly tough body resisted the rebar.