Chapter Summaries

Miaomiao and the Bat-kids revealed their secret plan to help Gotham move beyond Joker’s legacy, and Bruce learned how much they had already accomplished. After hearing their next target was the Ace Chemical Plant, Miaomiao asked whether he was angry, while Jason warned Bruce not to stop them.

• Bruce returned from patrol and confronted Miaomiao, Jason, and Tim about their secret activities.
• Miaomiao admitted that the children had been carrying out the Joker Forgetting Plan.
• The Bat-kids described their work, including clearing explosion damage, filtering Joker-related information, dismantling Joker Gang hideouts, sharing hopeful songs, and buying the abandoned amusement park to renovate it.
• Bruce listened as the children explained their efforts to free Gotham from Joker’s shadow and felt proud of them.
• Miaomiao named the Ace Chemical Plant as their next target and asked Bruce if he was angry; Jason threatened to take her to Crime Alley if Bruce tried to stop them.

Bruce praised his children for helping Gotham become safer, then discussed their plan to buy and redevelop the Ace Chemical Plant. The children revealed that the plant belonged to Janus, whose owner was Bruce himself.

• Jason snapped at Bruce, and the family refused to defend Bruce until he acknowledged that his children had done better than he had.
• Bruce reflected on how Gotham's citizens had adapted to danger and noticed that Jason and some villains were becoming more peaceful.
• The children argued over a recording of Bruce praising them before Bruce asked what problem they had run into.
• Jason and the others explained that they wanted to buy and redevelop the Ace Chemical Plant, and Miaomiao offered to help purify its polluted land with Pamela's plants.
• Bruce approved of the plan but warned that cleaning up the plant's pollution would be expensive and technically difficult.
• Miaomiao told Bruce that Janus owned the plant and that Bruce was Janus's owner, leaving him stunned.

Bruce agreed to help Jason and the others use the Ace Chemical Plant for their plan to make Gotham forget the Joker, then proposed a charity gala to shift the city’s attention. At the gala, the Wayne family waited on the red carpet for Jason, but Bruce eventually went inside without him.

• Miaomiao told Bruce that Harvey Dent’s good side was still fighting and suggested surrounding him with people and things he cared about.
• Tim confirmed that Bruce owned the Ace Chemical Plant through the Janus Company, and Bruce agreed to hand it over for the Joker Forgetting Plan.
• Bruce said they would also need a captivating public event to draw Gotham’s attention away from the Joker.
• Bruce organized a large charity gala for the Gotham Old Town Reconstruction Plan and arrived with Tim, Dick, and Damian.
• The Wayne family waited beside the red carpet for Jason, but Bruce checked his watch, spoke to his sons, and headed into the ballroom.

Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen attended a Gotham banquet where guests admired Bruce Wayne and his family. After Mayor Anthony gave a brief welcome, he introduced Bruce as the evening’s main speaker.

• Clark Kent attended the banquet as a Daily Planet reporter personally designated by Bruce Wayne, while Jimmy Olsen teased him about his old-fashioned suit.
• Guests discussed Bruce Wayne’s looks and wealth, and some praised Dick Grayson as well.
• Jimmy suggested Clark would attract more attention without his glasses and baggy suit, but Clark said he had Lois.
• Mayor Anthony gave a short welcome and introduced Bruce Wayne to the banquet guests.

Bruce announced Wayne Enterprises’ ten-billion-dollar Gotham reconstruction plan at a banquet, then revealed that his presumed-dead son Jason Todd had returned. He formally introduced Jason to the stunned crowd as they turned toward the side door.

• Bruce announced that Wayne Enterprises would invest ten billion dollars in projects to improve Gotham, beginning with the reconstruction of Old Town.
• Bruce explained that the investment would be funded gradually by the Wayne Foundation and said he wanted Gotham to become a safer, more livable city.
• Bruce told the banquet guests that his second son, Jason, had returned from the dead.
• Bruce formally introduced Jason Todd, and the crowd turned toward the side door.

Bruce Wayne publicly welcomed Jason Todd back as his son and explained that Jason had survived the warehouse explosion but lost his memories. As Jason stood beside him, reporters spun rumors about the Wayne family’s adopted sons, and Clark Kent found himself unwillingly drawn into their gossip.

• Bruce called Jason onto the stage, and Jason reluctantly joined him and returned his embrace.
• Bruce told the audience that Jason had been presumed dead after a warehouse explosion, then found years later with amnesia.
• Reporters questioned Bruce’s account and speculated that Jason’s return concealed something suspicious.
• The reporters circulated rumors about injuries to Bruce’s adopted sons and suggested that Dick Grayson had fled the family to escape Bruce.
• Clark listened to the gossip with growing interest despite wishing he could shut off his super-hearing.

Bruce Wayne announced that he had adopted the girl who saved him after his cruise ship accident, calling her an irreplaceable member of the Wayne Family. He explained that his fifteen-year-old daughter was absent from the event, then left with Jason as reporters scrambled to cover the announcements.

• Bruce Wayne said he would expand his charitable investments to honor Jason's return and bring blessings to his child.
• Bruce recalled falling overboard during the cruise ship accident and said a girl had saved him.
• Bruce announced that he had adopted the girl, who had saved him through kindness and courage.
• Bruce told reporters that his daughter was fifteen, absent that night, and an irreplaceable member of the Wayne Family.
• Bruce ended the question session, and Jason left the stage before Bruce followed him.

After the Wayne Family’s announcements set Gotham’s news outlets buzzing, Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen returned to Wayne Manor for an exclusive interview. Bruce discussed Jimmy’s knowledge of Clark’s identity, while Jimmy met Miaomiao and asked to photograph her, leaving her waiting for Bruce’s permission.

• The Wayne Family returned to the manor with Clark and Jimmy, while reporters rushed to publish news of the charity plan, Jason’s return, and Miaomiao’s adoption.
• Bruce warned Dick and the others not to underestimate Jimmy, explaining that he knew Clark was Superman and had kept his secret.
• Miaomiao read the new headlines and recognized Clark Kent’s article about the Wayne family’s announcements.
• Clark and Jimmy arrived in the drawing room, where Jimmy introduced himself to Miaomiao and learned she was the newly adopted Wayne daughter.
• Jimmy asked to photograph Miaomiao, and she looked to Bruce for his approval.

Bruce explained to Clark that Gotham needed more than Batman to improve life for its citizens, because the city lacked hope for the future. He reflected that he had once believed Harvey Dent could provide that hope, but Harvey had been broken by his childhood demons and an acid attack.

• Bruce realized that Miaomiao had never had proper photographs taken and allowed Jimmy to photograph her, asking him not to publish them.
• Bruce told Clark that his sudden public announcement was not prompted by an imminent danger but by his belief that he needed a different approach to helping Gotham.
• Bruce compared Gotham and Metropolis, arguing that Gotham’s ordinary criminals caused fewer deaths than the catastrophic threats Clark faced.
• Bruce explained that Batman and the Robins had reduced crime deaths but had not meaningfully improved the lives of Gotham’s poorest residents.
• Bruce said Gotham lacked hope and recalled that he had once expected Harvey Dent to inspire it, before Harvey was ruined by his childhood demons and an acid attack.

Bruce reflected on Harvey Dent’s abusive childhood and transformation into Two-Face, then explained to Clark how Gotham’s lack of hope could drive its residents to despair. The conversation left Clark confronting how deeply Gotham’s darkness affected ordinary people.

• Harvey’s father abused him with a two-headed coin, and Harvey later became a respected prosecutor who tried to suppress his own violent impulses.
• Sal Maroni scarred Harvey with acid during a trial, breaking his balance and bringing Two-Face to the fore.
• Bruce told Clark that repairing Harvey’s face could not heal his psychological wounds, and Clark asked what Bruce meant by saying Gotham lacked hope.
• Bruce asked what a Metropolis resident might do after losing his job, girlfriend, and home, and Clark said others or Superman would help him carry on.
• Jason and Dick explained that even one serious setback could push a Gotham resident toward despair or villainy, leaving Clark shocked by the city’s pervasive darkness.

Bruce and Clark learned how the Batfamily planned to weaken Joker’s hold over Gotham, with Miaomiao’s Illusion Song helping them. The children’s repeated offers of warm milk left Clark silently enduring several glasses.

• Bruce reflected on Gotham’s deep-rooted problems and explained that Miaomiao had given him new hope.
• Alfred invited Clark to stay at Wayne Manor and served Bruce warm milk.
• Dick, Damian, and Tim revealed that they had destroyed Joker hideouts, altered online information, bought the Abandoned Amusement Park and Ace Chemical Plant, and begun the Joker Forgetting Plan.
• Bruce explained that the plan aimed to erase Joker’s influence and free Gotham from its fear of him.
• Dick praised Miaomiao’s Illusion Song for hypnotizing Joker and restoring Gotham’s faith in the future.
• Bruce repeatedly swapped his milk for Clark’s, and Dick, Jason, and Tim kept offering Clark more until he drank several glasses.

Miaomiao enjoyed a photography session with Jimmy, who stayed overnight at Wayne Manor while Alfred sent the household to bed and Clark helped Bruce patrol Gotham. The next morning, Gotham fixated on Bruce Wayne’s three major announcements: a ten-billion-dollar reconstruction plan, Jason Todd’s return, and his adoption of a mysterious girl.

• Miaomiao and Jimmy took photos together, exchanged contact information, and shared photography tips.
• Alfred escorted Jimmy to his guest room and ordered the Bat-kids to rest, assigning Clark to help Bruce patrol instead.
• Alfred reminded Bruce and Clark to return within two hours, and the pair sped through Gotham, arresting criminals across the city.
• Gotham’s news outlets and social media erupted over Bruce’s reconstruction plan, Jason’s return, and the newly adopted girl moving into Wayne Manor.

Tim and the others used stories about Bruce Wayne and his family to dominate Gotham’s online trends and shift public attention away from negative news. Their banter and roughhousing stopped when Clark and Jimmy came downstairs.

• Tim announced that Bruce Wayne-related stories had swept Gotham’s search rankings and pushed negative news off the charts.
• Dick, Jason, Damian, and Tim discussed why Gotham residents were drawn to gossip and how it served as entertainment and social currency.
• Dick teased Damian and held him until Damian pulled a knife and chased him around the manor.
• Jason warned that Alfred might catch them, making Dick and Damian pause before they resumed their chaos.
• Clark and Jimmy came downstairs, and Dick and Damian quickly stopped fighting and greeted them.

Bruce asked Jimmy to take a new Wayne family portrait, drawing attention to Jason’s absence from the photograph already hanging in Wayne Manor. The chapter left Jason standing silently apart as he remembered that, though he had returned to Gotham nearly two years earlier, his official identity was still dead.

• Bruce joined the others for breakfast after Alfred woke him, and Jimmy took a photograph of him on the stairs.
• Bruce allowed Jimmy to keep the picture as long as he kept it private.
• After breakfast, Bruce asked Jimmy to take a family portrait for the Waynes.
• Jimmy noticed that the portrait on the hall wall included Bruce, Dick, Tim, Damian, and Alfred but not Jason or Miaomiao.
• Bruce looked toward Jason, who stopped spinning his Butterfly Knife when he heard the request.
• Jason remained silent as he recalled that his official identity had died in the warehouse explosion and that his gravestone stood at Wayne Manor.

Bruce apologized to Jason for excluding him from the previous Wayne family portrait and promised to publicly acknowledge that Jason was alive. Jason accepted the apology and joined his family for a new portrait.

• Jason remembered being left out of the previous Wayne family portrait and stood apart as everyone prepared for a new one.
• Bruce apologized for excluding Jason, explaining that he had feared exposing him to danger and had used Jason's official death to hide from his own grief.
• Bruce told Jason he planned to announce that he was alive and wanted him to stand openly beside his family.
• Jason joked about Bruce's apology, then agreed to join the portrait and thanked him quietly.
• Jimmy arranged the family members for the photograph, with Jason standing beside Bruce.

The Wayne family posed for a playful portrait at Wayne Manor before Clark and Jimmy left with plans to send the photos. The family then discussed keeping Gotham’s attention focused on positive news, ending with Miaomiao suggesting celebrity gossip and leaving Bruce struggling to explain why she should not learn that.

• Dick, Jason, and Tim pulled Alfred into the family portrait, while Dick teased Damian by hugging Bruce and Miaomiao joined the growing pile of family members.
• Jimmy photographed the family together before he and Clark said goodbye and left Wayne Manor.
• Tim, Dick, Jason, and Bruce discussed sustaining public interest in the charity fund, Jason’s return, and Miaomiao’s story as the initial buzz faded.
• Damian suggested Bruce’s rumored girlfriends as future gossip, and Bruce decided to monitor public opinion and release positive news when interest declined.
• Miaomiao proposed celebrity gossip as a way to keep people talking, leaving Bruce and the other boys speechless.

Bruce's longtime friend Tony Stark arrived at Wayne Manor from New York, angry that Bruce had kept Miaomiao's adoption from him. After meeting Miaomiao and hearing that she was not an ordinary person, Tony asked what she really was.

• Bruce ignored Tony's calls until Tony breached Wayne Manor's firewall and announced he was already on his way.
• Tony flew to Wayne Manor in his Iron Man armor and confronted Bruce for repeatedly keeping major events in his life from him.
• Alfred invited Tony inside for tea and blueberry cookies, and Jason brought Miaomiao in from the courtyard.
• Bruce introduced Miaomiao to Tony, who guessed she might be Bruce's biological daughter and questioned how she had saved him from the sea.
• Bruce told Tony that Miaomiao was not an ordinary person, and Tony asked whether she was a mutant, metahuman, or something else.

Tony pressed Bruce to reveal what made Miaomiao unusual, and she introduced herself as an Eastern Merfolk. Tony summoned J.A.R.V.I.S. to explain merfolk and introduce himself to Miaomiao as a virtual assistant.

• Tony listed the unusual people he had met and guessed at Miaomiao’s nature, but she shook her head at each suggestion.
• Bruce hesitated to reveal Miaomiao’s identity because he did not want to involve Tony in danger, but he agreed after Tony insisted.
• Miaomiao told Tony she was one of the Eastern Merfolk.
• Tony summoned J.A.R.V.I.S., who displayed information and illustrations about Eastern Merfolk.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. introduced himself as Tony’s artificial-intelligence butler and projected a virtual image for Miaomiao.

Miaomiao met J.A.R.V.I.S. through Tony's Iron Man armor and shook the AI's metal hand. Tony's scientific curiosity about Merfolk drew a warning from Bruce, but he apologized and welcomed Miaomiao as a friend, leaving her to call him Uncle Nini.

• Miaomiao tried to shake hands with J.A.R.V.I.S.'s projection, but her hand passed through it.
• Tony authorized J.A.R.V.I.S. to control his armor, and the AI walked inside to let Miaomiao shake its metal hand.
• Dick joked that Tony was favoring Miaomiao, and J.A.R.V.I.S. offered to let him try the armor if he promised not to fly off.
• Tony questioned Miaomiao about Merfolk, and Bruce stepped in to insist that she was not research material.
• Tony apologized to Miaomiao and said he hoped they would become friends, and Miaomiao called him Uncle Nini.

Tony gave Miaomiao a powerful gadget as a first-meeting gift and learned about her strength and abilities. Miaomiao transformed into her merfolk form and began making a gift for him.

• Miaomiao called Tony "uncle," and Tony gave her a weapon disguised as a small rod because he had arrived without a present.
• Miaomiao told Tony she had torn apart Bruce's armor with her bare hands and explained that her nails carried a paralyzing toxin and her voice could affect mental power.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. showed Tony reports about Miaomiao's exploits in Gotham, including her fights against Bane and other dangers.
• Miaomiao entered her aquarium, transformed her legs into a blue-purple fish tail, and amazed Tony.
• Miaomiao thanked Tony for his gift and began shaping threads of water to make him one in return.