It’s not surprising that Batman has a diverse group of foes that enjoy working together, but the Court of Owls will always hold a special place in the hearts of the other criminals of Gotham City, and for a good reason.
The new Batman/Spawn miniseries features the titular heroes teaming up for the first time since the 1990s in a crossover that fans have longed for. The Court of Owls and Talon, their signature assassin, are this time’s principal antagonists. Batman thinks that Spawn’s Court of Priests and the Court of Owls have been faking time, so both Batman and Spawn think their loved ones—parents Batman’s and Spawn’s wife—died in the same instant. The two heroes are pitted against one another because both accuse the other of their loved ones’ deaths, despite the fact that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Eventually setting aside their differences, Batman and Spawn cooperate to bring the Court of Owls and everyone associated with them to justice in Todd McFarlane and Greg Capullo’s Batman/Spawn #1. However, while Spawn isn’t as hesitant to kill as Batman, their methods of doing it are vastly different. They ultimately bring Talon to Arkham Asylum, where Batman threatens to free every prisoner. Talon boasts of how the Court of Owls planned the deaths of Bruce’s parents, which led to the development of Batman, even if everyone despises him. Batman concludes as a result of this that every villain Talon would unleash will loathe him almost as much as himself.
Batman Was Created By The Court Of Owls
This statement concerning Talon’s interactions with Batman’s previous foes is quite telling. Batman’s villains, but all of the DC bad guys, are infamous for cooperating. That implies that in Gotham’s underworld, villains have their small social clubs. Despite his anarchism and madness, even the Joker is frequently used in their plans. But this exchange makes clear that Talon wouldn’t be a part of a villain team-up.
Additionally, given the kind of villain Talon is and the organization he serves, this makes a lot of sense. No one in the Court of Owls views them as villains. They saw themselves as the real architects and judges of Gotham. Their plans don’t directly include villainy. Simply put, they believe they are above the law and vigilantism. It is why they wouldn’t debase themselves to the minor mischief of bad guys like the Riddler and Penguin. Talon would be a Batman villain who is quite content operating alone because the Court of Owls is a higher class of criminal.
