William

Biodata

Power Progression

William’s documented progression consists of system access, relationship milestones, and new functions rather than named cultivation realms or combat ranks.

Background / History

Before arriving in Gotham, William was a forensic pathologist who had dissected well over a hundred bodies. He awakens in the body of a rookie officer with the same name and initially conceals his previous profession behind improvised explanations for his expertise 1 2 5.

The original William had been placed in the police department through mob influence. His estranged father, Sal Maroni, intended him to collect evidence of Commissioner Norman Steele’s corrupt dealings with Falcone. William recognizes the short-term usefulness of exposing Norman but also understands that his inherited family ties could make him a target for Gordon or Batman 6 8.

Vanessa Hans, his mother, was a famous opera singer. Alfred later reveals that Maroni pursued her and abandoned her during pregnancy, and that Alfred unsuccessfully sought custody of William. Because William is a transplanted soul, he receives this family history with more emotional distance than the body’s original owner might have 49.

Appearance

William is a tall, handsome young man whose face strongly reminds Alfred of Vanessa Hans 8 49.

• Height: Six foot one 8.
• Hair: Buzz cut 49.
• Build: Substantial enough that Stuart’s ability to lift him one-handed is particularly striking 8.
• Facial resemblance: Alfred remarks on his resemblance to his mother and describes an “ocean” in his eyes 49.

Personality

William prioritizes survival, comfort, and control over his own circumstances. He approaches Batman partly because restoring Gotham’s protector would make the city safer for him to inhabit. When threats become direct attacks, however, he shifts from cautious investigation to actively dismantling the people endangering him 2 11 26.

He is calculating without being consistently coldhearted. He deceives Zsasz to escape captivity, performs loyalty for Norman, and keeps crucial information from Maroni. Yet he also gives a grieving mother $50,000 from his own savings, places himself between Stuart and Maroni’s gun, and warns Deathstroke about the Talons even after their friendship deteriorates 5 19 26 29 48.

His humor is sarcastic and frequently shaped by his knowledge of DC fiction. He complains about Little A’s absurd prompts, teases Gordon, and initially treats Gotham’s chaos as something he can enjoy. Even with another assassination attempt approaching, he refuses to sink into despair and takes Stuart out for a French meal 1 8 9 34.

William also wants wealth and independence. Harold’s offer of Wayne Enterprises shares genuinely tempts him, but he concludes that accepting would leave him vulnerable to being silenced. By the time he learns his family history, inheriting Maroni’s empire has become his preferred route out of his shabby apartment 36 37 49.

Abilities & Skills

City of Passion System

William has access to a dating-game system administered by Little A, whose interpretation of Gotham is frequently wrong 1.

• Issues quests, distributes rewards, stores items, and provides character information 1 3.
• Can misidentify a male murderer as “Miss Vinnish” and describe violence as romantic interaction 1.
• Distributes items capable of overriding ordinary circumstances, including a party pass that compels VIP treatment 22.
• Prevents William from leaving Gotham 8.
• Does not reliably recognize danger: Little A initially rejects the idea that its user could die while “playing” 28.

Marking Beacons and Thought Reading

Marking eligible characters gives William access to their coordinates, affection ratings, opinions of him, and visible thought bubbles 3 4 8.

• Reads Zsasz’s murderous intentions and adapts his performance to appear valuable alive 4.
• Monitors Gordon and Zsasz remotely through changing coordinates 8.
• Uses Maroni’s thoughts and fluctuating affection to assess how to survive confrontations with him 19 26 27.
• Can track ineligible targets, but receives no affection rating or thoughts for them 21 35.
• Some prominent characters can gain affection without an associated quest, but provide no quest rewards 19.
• Beacons are consumable; William hesitates to spend them without a way to replenish his supply 21.
• Thought displays are not always informative: Bane’s bubble appears completely blank 33.

Saving and Reloading

The save function allows William to return to an earlier point in time 25 28.

• Supports manual loading and passive activation under specified conditions 28.
• His configured death trigger activates after Deadshot shoots him, returning him to three days earlier 30.
• Retains his memories of the discarded timeline, allowing him to investigate the shooter before the attack recurs 31.
• Initially receives only one use as a quest reward 25.

CG Memory Viewing

William can use a CG item to experience another character’s memory rather than merely watch it 50.

• Enters one of Slade Wilson’s available memories through his system portrait 50.
• Experiences the memory’s physical sensations, including severe injuries 50.
• Can ask Little A to disable or restore sensory nerve synchronization 50.
• The viewed memory ends abruptly; William cannot assume it provides the complete story 50.

Forensic and Medical Expertise

His pre-transmigration training is one of his most dependable advantages 2 5 29.

• Reconstructs a murder using blood spatter, drag marks, footprints, and broken ceramic fragments 2.
• Uses detailed anatomical knowledge to convince Zsasz that they share an interest in killing 4.
• Dissects a corpse under coercion and treats Zsasz’s bullet wound while preparing his escape 5 6.
• Supplies concise investigative deductions during assignments with Gordon 29.
• Acknowledges that preliminary deductions do not replace a thorough examination or autopsy 29.

Combat and Driving

William benefits from the original body’s police training, but he is not comparable to Gotham’s strongest fighters 1 3 32.

• Subdues his first attacker with strikes, a shoulder throw, and a shot to the knee 1.
• Defeats Falcone in a brief duel 22.
• Improves his crowd-fighting technique after Stuart teaches him to relax and break through the weakest part of an encirclement 32.
• Drives pursuit vehicles through rainy Gotham traffic 10 35.
• Requires help against superior opponents such as Zsasz and Talon; his shots fail to stop Talon, and one accidentally strikes Casey 3 43.

Deception and Negotiation

William survives by tailoring his behavior to the person controlling the situation 3 5 26.

• Persuades Zsasz to escape in a police car disguised as a wounded officer 3.
• Feigns shared interests to gain Zsasz’s trust 4 5.
• Presents himself as an ambitious subordinate to Norman while withholding his real plans 26.
• Coaxes Bruce Wayne’s double into revealing Harold’s operation using a fabricated radio report 41.
• Recognizes that apparent defiance can increase Maroni’s respect when paired with a claim of loyalty 27.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Police badge and handgun — His initial tools for asserting authority and defending himself 1 7.
• Marking Beacons — Consumable system items used to mark and track people 1 3.
• High-Society Party Invitation — Single-use pass granting access and VIP treatment at any cocktail party; expended during the Falcone infiltration 3 22.
• Mosaic Fireworks — Custom fireworks obtained by negotiating a free gift from Little A 17.
• Pager — Used for messages and scheduled safety check-ins with Stuart 30 43.
• Cash and gold bars — Supplied by Maroni after the arrest of Zsasz 6.
• Recovered Batman equipment — Collected from harbor scavengers and later used to outfit Stuart as Batman 7 15.

Relationships

• James Gordon — Mentor and investigative ally. Gordon admires his determination and protects him, but worries about his unexplained knowledge and hidden connections 2 8 10 12.
• Sal Maroni — The body’s biological father and mob patron. Their relationship combines financial support, coercion, abuse, and William’s plans to secure a possible inheritance 6 19 26 27 49.
• Vanessa Hans — The body’s mother, a famous opera singer whose history William learns from Alfred 49.
• Charloes Maroni — Half-brother and potential inheritance rival. Charloes treats William’s illegitimacy as grounds for contempt 18 27.
• Stuart / Slade Wilson / Deathstroke — An amnesiac boxer William mistakenly recruits as Batman. Their working arrangement becomes genuine friendship; after recovering his identity and leaving, Slade returns to sleep at William’s apartment 15 19 45 48 49.
• Bruce Wayne / Batman — The missing protector William tries to restore. The real Bruce thanks him for diverting Harold’s attention but remains wary of him 45 48.
• Alfred — Rescuer and source of crucial intelligence. Initially suspicious of William, he ultimately helps because he has known him since infancy 43 44 48 49.
• Victor Zsasz — Captor turned devoted “friend.” William exploits his affection to arrest him; Zsasz protects William’s account and continues requesting his company from Arkham 5 6 41 42.
• Kathy Kane / Casey (Batwoman) — Initially believes William is an evil scientist controlling Batman. He later seeks her protection, and she fights alongside him against Talon 25 37 43 45.
• Kate Kane — Kathy’s twin sister and the pianist William praises at Falcone’s reception. She later brings him food and an invitation to her theater performance 21 25 49.
• Floyd / Deadshot — His would-be assassin, later recruited to scout an estate and guard Bruce’s double after the contract is canceled 29 30 38 45.
• Norman Steele — Corrupt police superior. William performs loyalty while investigating his dealings with Falcone 17 26 29.
• Harold Wayne — Principal adversary in the Wayne conspiracy. Attempts to buy William’s cooperation with a blank check and a 3.5% stake in Wayne Enterprises 35 36.
• Little A — System assistant whose dangerous misunderstandings frustrate William, though he successfully negotiates with it for useful functions and items 1 17 28.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arrival and Zsasz’s Arrest

• Awakens in Gotham, breaks through his bathroom wall, and arrests a murderer while completing the system’s beginner mission 1.
• Is taken hostage during the Sugar Mill operation and uses Zsasz’s thoughts, medical knowledge, and deception to survive 3 4 5.
• Captures Zsasz alive, then discovers his inherited connection to Maroni 6.

Recruiting the Wrong Batman

• Follows harbor accounts of an unconscious Batman and purchases stripped equipment from scavengers 7.
• Mistakes the amnesiac Stuart for Bruce Wayne and brings Gordon into the investigation 8 12.
• Hires Stuart to operate as Batman for $200 per night, temporarily helping reduce street violence 15 20.

Falcone’s Documents and Competing Loyalties

• Accepts Norman’s order to steal documents while privately informing Gordon 17.
• Infiltrates Falcone’s reception and uses the party invitation to bypass security 21 22.
• Earns save access by stopping Stuart from hurting Batwoman 25.
• Delivers the unopened envelope to Norman, gaining his trust but provoking Maroni’s accusation of betrayal 26.

Assassination and the Wayne Conspiracy

• Dies during Deadshot’s attack and reloads three days into the past 29 30.
• Searches No Man’s Land for Floyd and subsequently exposes Harold’s use of a Bruce Wayne double 31 33 35 36.
• Organizes a substitution operation, recruits Floyd for reconnaissance, and obtains the double’s testimony 37 38 41.

Talon and the Identity Revelation

• Survives Talon’s ambush with Casey until Alfred intervenes 43.
• Learns that Stuart is Deathstroke and finally meets the real Bruce Wayne 44 45.
• Helps Bruce’s group prepare another impersonation operation, then attempts to preserve his friendship with Slade 45 48.
• Learns Alfred’s connection to his mother and later explores Slade’s past through the CG function 49 50.

Notable Quotes

“I just think Gotham still needs Batman...” 7

“I just want to live comfortably and eliminate every faction that might threaten me. As for why I approached Batman, it's because that guy poses absolutely no threat to me.” 26

“Don't go after Talon. They're an organized legion of undying soldiers. You can beat one, but you can't beat a whole group.” 48

Trivia

• William is a DC fan, but his familiarity with the setting does not prevent him from mistaking Deathstroke for Batman 8 45.
• Gotham’s setting is 1991; he particularly misses having a phone to scroll through 9 17.
• Buys a Nintendo Entertainment System intending to play Street Fighter II with Stuart, then leaves it boxed after Stuart’s departure 49.
• Forgets that he praised Kate’s piano performance and instead suspects her interest in him is based on his looks 21 49.