Summary

• The Court of Owls is an ancient and wealthy secret society that controls Gotham City for their own amusement and profit.
• Talons, immortal assassins of the Court of Owls, are loyal only to the Court and are nearly indestructible due to powerful metals in their bodies.
• The Court of Owls reaches far beyond Gotham, manipulating events on a global scale, and has connections to Nightwing and even Multiversal events.

There are few things about Gotham City that Batman doesn't know, but the existence of the Court of Owls surprised even him. Batman is the World's Greatest Detective and has spent years solving crimes and battling secret societies. It's hard to imagine that any group would be able to escape Batman's notice, but the Court of Owls was so secret that Batman was completely unaware that they were real.

The Court of Owls first appeared in Batman #2 (2011) by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Initially, Batman completely dismisses them as nothing but an urban legend. But when the Court of Owls sends one of their assassins after him, known as a Talon, Batman is forced to confront the fact he doesn't know Gotham City as well as he thought he did. As he learns the hard way, the Court of Owls is very real.

When Bruce Wayne announces he intends to put billions into Gotham, he attracts the Court of Owls' attention. The Court thrives when Gotham is in chaos and often manipulates things to keep the city in a state of chaos and misery. Bruce's attempts to make the city better through charity go directly against their goals, so they decide to go after Bruce Wayne, which proves to be a massive mistake.

The Court Uses Talons To Kill Their Enemies

These ultra-wealthy people use their money and status to control Gotham City...

The Court of Owls is an incredibly old society, possibly as old as Gotham City itself. They are made up of the ultra-elite, people who are so wealthy that simply spending money is no longer enough. Instead, these ultra-wealthy people use their money and status to control Gotham City, allowing them to policies that either make them even more money or simply amuse them. While this seems pretty standard fair for a secret society, their reach and purpose extend much further than just Gotham City. The Court of Owls was even the main suspect for a young Bruce Wayne in the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, but ultimately, Bruce found there wasn't sufficient evidence to connect them or even prove the Court was real.

One of the most dangerous things about the Court of Owls is their use of Talons. Talons are incredibly durable and dangerous assassins who are completely loyal to the Court. They're essentially acrobatic zombies, with their bodies nearly indestructible due to the Electrum that's running through their bodies. Electrum is a powerful metal alloy that contains Dionesium. The Dionesium allows Talons to continually regenerate from all but the most brutal wounds. Dionesium also prevents aging, allowing the Talons to be functionally immortal. William Cobb is a Talon who's been active since 1901, and the Talon who attacks Bruce Wayne survives falling off a skyscraper with absolutely no ill effects.

Nightwing Is Deeply Connected To The Court Of Owls As Well

While most people would likely think the Court of Owls is primarily Batman-focused, considering they operate out of Gotham City, this isn't true. The Court of Owls has a major connection to Dick Grayson. The Court of Owls needs to continually recruit new people to transform into Talons, and one of the ways they've decided to do this is through the use of traveling circuses. Anytime the Court of Owls notices an especially skilled acrobat, they're brought in to be trained as Talons. This was the case in Hailey's Circus and Nightwing was originally destined to be a Talon for the Court of Owls.

The Court's influence has even expanded into Multiversal events. The Court of Owls, also known as the Tribe of Judas, is revealed to worship Barbatos, the dark god who orchestrates the events of Dark Nights: Metal. It's the Court of Owls that decides to expose Batman to several metals, such as Electrum, over the years. This exposure makes Batman the perfect gateway for Barbatos and his dark knights when he is finally ready to invade Earth. It's because of the Court of Owls that Barbatos is nearly able to plunge the entire Multiverse into the Dark Multiverse, making them one of the most dangerous societies to ever exist.

In Batman: City of Madness, the Court of Owls are also the guardians of the gateway to the Gotham Below, a twisted Lovecraftian reflection of Gotham City.

The Court Of Owls' Influence Is Far-Reaching

The Court of Owls has been part of Gotham City ever since the beginning. They are responsible for hunting down and killing Alan Wayne, Bruce's great-great-grandfather. Alan discovered the Court of Owls was real, and as such, he was promptly murdered by a Talon. The Court has had tons of over the centuries they've been active, and one of the most recognizable is Lincoln March, the supposed brother of Bruce Wayne. Lincoln March is one of Bruce Wayne's greatest adversaries as Owlman, a dangerous and twisted version of Batman who uses the Court to get revenge on his "brother."

Possibly the most terrifying thing about the Court of Owls is the fact the Court is actually just a small part of a larger force. The main organization is known as the Parliament of Owls, as seen in Robin War #2 by Tom King and Khary Randolph. The Parliament of Owls is a worldwide secret society made up of the richest people on the planet. This organization has come into conflict with Nightwing, Batman, and Green Arrow several times. What people thought was just a hidden society in Gotham City is really just a small part of a worldwide group that likely controls politics on almost every level.

The Parliament of Owls is a group simply too large to be beaten, as itted by Batman in Batman: City of Madness #2!

The Court Of Owls Is Much Bigger Than Just A Batman Threat

The leader of the Court of Owls is a mysterious man known as the Judge of Owls. The Judge of Owls has only been seen twice in comics: once in Doomsday Clock #6 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, and once in a story by Joey Esposito and Vasco Georgiev in Batman: Urban Legends #22. This naturally makes him extremely mysterious, and it's difficult to pin down exactly who he is or what his goals are.

Since the defeat of their original master, Barbatos, in Dark Nights: Metal, the Court of Owls hasn't been used nearly as much. Often they will simply pop as generic villains for Batman or Nightwing to fight against. If there's a conspiracy or something weird going on in Gotham City, it's likely the Court of Owls has a hand in it. But tracking them down and defeating them has always been difficult, especially as the Court has a habit of creating their bases in the homes of other people. Bruce Wayne discovers this in Batman #3 (2011) by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, when he finds a Court of Owls base on the thirteenth floor of a Wayne Enterprises building.

The Court Of Owls Will Never Truly Be Defeated

The Court of Owls is an immensely dangerous group, being a threat to not only Gotham City but the entire Multiverse. As much as Batman tries to fight against them, it's unlikely that Bruce will ever be able to truly defeat the Court of Owls. They're much more than a secret society, but a symptom of the evil and corruption that plagues the ultra-elite.

For as much charity as Bruce Wayne puts into Gotham, there will always be a dozen Court of Owls who are voting against Bruce's new policies, or putting just as much money into keeping Gotham citizens miserable. That's why, even with Batman fully knowing the history of the Court of Owls now, he'll never truly stop them, as they've become one of DC's greatest villain groups.