History ComicBook / BatmanAndTheOutsiders

Eventually, the group left Batman (ironically, after he refused to help with a crisis in Markovia, busy with his own priorities) and the series changed its name to simply The Outsiders. (Batman later rejoined the League.)

''The Outsiders'' (not to be confused with [[Literature/TheOutsiders the novel of the same name]]) are a Creator/DCComics superhero team that has starred in its own comic book series several times. The group is best known as "Batman's own superhero team" since he formed it, though he's not always a regular member.

The first series, ''Batman and the Outsiders'', was launched after the cancellation of ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold'', Batman's own TeamUpSeries, in the early 1980s. Writer Mike W. Barr and artist Jim Aparo, both of whom had extensive experience with Batman, created the team and launched the series on the last issue of TB&TB, #200 (July, 1983).

In that story, Batman is angry at the Franchise/{{Justice League|of America}} for refusing to help him rescue his friend, Lucius Fox, from being caught in the middle of a military coup in the European nation of Markovia (because they didn't want to start an international incident). He quits the team and goes alone, ending up running into various other heroes while there, including:

A short lived relaunch had Geo-Force looking for heroes to defend Markovia against a vampire lord. These included Superman's AntiHeroSubstitute '''[[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman the Eradicator]]''', and the magic-user '''Faust''', [[RedeemingReplacement son of Felix Faust]]. Over the course of their first story Looker became a vampire, which is now seen as her status quo. They were also joined by '''Technocrat''', another PoweredArmor guy. There was also '''Wylde''', a bear-like beastman. This version lasted for 25 issues (November, 1993-November, 1995).

In August 2003, a new version of The Outsiders was launched, now led first by ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} (Batman's former protege Robin) and then by Arsenal (Speedy, ComicBook/GreenArrow's ex-partner) and Jade (Franchise/GreenLantern Alan Scott's daughter, former GL for a while and ex-ComicBook/InfinityInc). This version wasn't as popular as the first, and has something of a reputation for being composed of "heroes currently not being used by the League or the Titans" sort of like Marvel's ''ComicBook/TheDefenders''. Despite this, it went on to be the longest-running ''Outsiders'' title to date, making it to 50 issues up to November 2007 before being relaunched.

This version got two new directions in rapid succession, when Batman first recreated them as an "undercover" team that would be seen as borderline villains (a reflection on [[NiceJobBreakingItHero how successful the previous version had been]]), and then promptly [[ComicBook/FinalCrisis disappeared]], leaving Alfred Pennyworth to reassemble the original lineup, plus '''ComicBook/TheCreeper''' and '''Owlman''' (not the MirrorUniverse version, but a minor Gotham City detective wearing the same costume).

This version of the team then broke in half in the wake of ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'', when Geo-Force started treating them as Markovian special forces. Black Lightning, Metamorpho, Owlman and the Creeper split off, leaving Geo-Force, Katana, and Halo. When Markovia signed a non-aggression pact with New Krypton, they were joined by a new version of the Eradicator, while Black Lightning's team were joined by the bruiser '''Freight Train'''. The Markovian team is later bolstered by Looker and '''[[Franchise/WonderWoman the Olympian]]'''.

The "undercover" team was launched under the name ''Batman and the Outsiders'', running for 14 issues from December 2007 to February 2009. Following Batman's disappearance, it changed title to ''The Outsiders'', running for another 25 issues from April 2009 to June 2011, coming to an end with ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}''.

In 2018, DC announced a new ''Batman and the Outsiders'' series, featuring Batman, Black Lightning, Katana, '''Orphan''' ([[ComicBook/Batgirl2000 Cassandra Cain]]) and '''the Signal''' (Bat-ally Duke Thomas).

In 2023, a new version of the title debuted, as ''[[ComicBook/Outsiders2023 Outsiders]]'', featuring '''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}''', Luke Fox (formerly '''Batwing''') and '''Drummer''' (a new version of the character) operating as field agents for Lucius Fox. As the presence of Drummer suggests, this version draws inspiration from ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'' more than previous versions of the title.

Appearances in adaptations:
* A teenage version of The Outsiders (initially featuring only Black Lightning, Metamorpho and Katana) appeared in a few episodes of the cartoon version of ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold The Brave and the Bold]]''. A later episode added Geo-Force and Halo to the roster and showed Black Lightning and Katana in their traditional costumes.
* The Outsiders are also formed in the final episode of ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'', consisting of Batman, Katana, Alfred, Oracle, Metamorpho, and Man-Bat.
* Katana appears in ''Film/SuicideSquad2016''.
* A take on The Outsiders appear in Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'', which introduces the Markovian power struggle and adds Geo-Force, Halo, and Forager to the show's ever-expanding cast under the tutelage of Black Lightning. The ''actual'' team called the Outsiders bears closer resemblance to the ComicBook/TeenTitans, being created and lead by Beast Boy and comprised of Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark), Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Kid Flash II (Bart Allen), Static, and Geo-Force, with El Dorado and Cyborg both joining later on in the season. The end of the season sees Geo-Force leaving and being replaced with Forager, Superboy (Conner Kent) and Terra. The start of Season 4, ''Phantoms'', revealed not only that Robin (Tim Drake), Stargirl, [[AdaptationalHeroism Livewire]], Windfall and Looker had joined the Outsiders in-between seasons but also that Cyborg had left in-between seasons to join the Justice League.

''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' had an alternate universe version of the group, called Batman's Outsiders, consisting chiefly of the offspring of the WellIntentionedExtremist Justice Leaguers led by Superman.

* AbortedArc: The 2007 series had both its introductory arc (the giant gun built in secret by hypnotized astronauts) and its follow-up (the alien creature that escaped from its drug-dealing handlers) abruptly interrupted to have the book tie into ''[[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison Batman RIP]]''.

* AntiHeroTeam: Batman created them to be superhero black-ops team to take on missions the Justice League wouldn't normally do out in the open.

* TheAtoner: Indigo joined the team ostensibly to atone for her actions during the ''Graduation Day''. [[spoiler:She was actually a new version of Brainiac.]]

* AttackHello: Cassandra (Batgirl) Cain tosses Thunder through plate glass as a greeting to the group. (This is not followed up in the next issue, which has Cass peacefully co-existing with Thunder and no mention of how they met.)
%%* AwesomeBackpack: Worn by a villain called Cryonic Man.
* BackForTheDead: During Creator/JuddWinick's run on ''The Outsiders'', the old ComicBook/{{Shazam}} foe Sabbac (who hadn't been seen in ''years'') showed up just long enough for a Russian gangster to [[DyingToBeReplaced kill him and steal his powers]].
* BadSamaritan: Oddly enough, [[ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders the Outsiders]] villain NAMED the Bad Samaritan isn't an example of this trope, being outwardly villainous to the heroes from the beginning.
* BaseballEpisode: ''The Outsiders'' #6 (1986) has a back-up story titled "The Outsiders at the Bat"; a comical adaptation of ''Casey at the Bat'' featuring the Outsiders playing baseball against Kobra and his henchmen.
* BathroomBreakOut: One issue of the 2007 series opens with Metamorpho captured in France for [[ItMakesSenseInContext hijacking an ESA shuttle and ramming it into the International Space Station]]. He asks to go to the bathroom, and the prosecutor and two police officers escort him inside the bathroom (giving him enough privacy to do his business, of course)... But [[ElementalShapeshifter Metamorpho being Metamorpho]], he finds a creative way to escape.
* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler: It's revealed by issue 40 that the reason why Deathstroke had been masquerading as Batman and feeding intel to the Outsiders was because the villains they were taking down had plans that were in conflict with the Secret Society. THEN it turns out this was actually a plan by Dr. Sivana who had joined the Society specifically in return to set up his own plan.]]

* BigBad: [[spoiler:The overarching villain of the 2003 series turns out to be Dr. Sivana, who's been orchestrating most of the series events from behind the scenes.]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Indigo was a strange variation. She started off as a seemingly-homicidal robot, then got "reformed" into a cute RobotGirl, before finally being revealed as [[spoiler:the latest incarnation of ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}]].

* BollywoodNerd: Salah, who is probably Pakistani but fulfills this role as the tech expert and robotics engineer.
* BunkerWoman: The issue that introduces Owlman has him rescuing a little girl from a basement.

* ClonesArePeopleToo: ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}}'s clone Shift tries to live his own life as a member of the Outsiders, with the original Metamorpho's blessing. But when his android girlfriend gets corrupted by pre-existing evil programming, betrays the team, and dies, Shift says he can't bear to live any more and begs Metamorpho to reabsorb him, which he reluctantly does.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Chang Tzu tortured Captain Boomerang to force him to move at superspeed and let him get a reading (leaving him unable to stand) and started to vivisect the Black Queen (without, needless to say, anesthesia.)

* DirtyBusiness: In theory anyway. The Outsiders were made to handle situations too dirty for the League to handle. However, it doesn't quite work when their founder is one of the greatest moral paragons in comics. The worst act out of all the Outsiders teams was one brutal interrogation.
* DishingOutDirt: Brion Markov (aka Geo-Force). He is able to manipulate the Earth itself by vibrating and transforming it's crust (the ground). He can use this power to create earthquakes, tap into lava flows, and levitate or create shapes out of solid rock.
* TheDitz: Halo. Justified in that she had a childlike innocence about life.
* DominoMask: Katana in her current costume. In older incarnations, she wore fuller head coverings.
* DontYouDarePityMe: In Issue #13, ComicBook/{{Katana}} (who actually [[KatanasAreJustBetter Is Just Better]], by the way) is tracking a poisoned and delusional Franchise/{{Batman}}. She stops to save a civilian's life and thus, loses Bats. So she expresses her regret to substitute commander ComicBook/BlackLightning, prompting the following conversation:

* EverybodyKnewAlready: In one story, Batman is knocked out and in danger of death; the rest of the team decides to contact Bruce Wayne (who they know as their rich patron). To prevent them from wasting time, Alfred lets them in on the truth. Later, when Batman reveals his identity to the team, they pretend to be surprised.
* EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}'s original outsiders team had fairly standard-issue superheroes... and Katana, a steely-eyed female samurai.

* LadyOfWar: Katana is quietly composed and graceful as she fights enemies with her katana.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In 2018 series some of the speeches Lady Shiva gives to convince her daughter to abandon Batman's and Outsider's cause and seek her own destiny sound like she's reading common complaints about the way Cassandra Cain has been written in ''ComicBook/BatmanAndRobinEternal'' and ''ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth'' prior to joining the Outsiders. She brings up how the codename Orphan is nonsensical and borderline insulting, the fact Cassandra is not allowed to wear Bat symbol feels like a mockery and how it often feels she's being [[AdaptationalWimp held]] [[BadassDecay back]] out of fear she'd [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadow]] more "classic" Batfamily members, all things her fans were vocal about. She even says Batman will always see Cass as UnFavorite in favor of Barbara Gordon, which feels like an outright TakeThat at DC editorial, well known for holding that very sentiment.

* MasterSwordsman: Katana, though not her ''only'' skill set, you best believe she's good with a blade.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Both teams, to some degree.
* RainbowMotif: Halo's super powers each had their own color: heat blasts (red), force blasts (orange), bright light (yellow), a stasis beam (green), mirages (blue), a tractor beam (indigo), and violet (all of the other colors at the same time).
* RoguesGallery: Their most recurring foes tend to be teams, like the aforementioned Force of July and the Masters Of Disaster.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Geo-Force, since he is the rightful prince of Markovia and a superhero. The second Sabbac also becomes a recurring foe.
* SceneryCensor: A scene involving a nude Batgirl.

* SoulCuttingBlade: Katana's sword. It's powerful enough to absorb ''SABBAC'' body and all.
* SuperpowerLottery: Halo. She could project heat blasts (red aura), force blasts (orange), bright light (yellow), a stasis beam (green), mirages (blue), a tractor beam (indigo), fly (any color) or [[spoiler: all at the same time (violet).]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The restoration of the original Halo after the original Outsiders series ended.

* WillTheyOrWontThey: While starting off as mutual confidants, a large part of Brian Hill's run explores this growing dynamic between Black Lightning and Katana. [[spoiler:By issue #12, Tatsu makes it clear that she's more than interested in a RelationshipUpgrade with him, but Jeff simply wishes to leave things as they are for personal reasons.]]
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: A particularly darker example given by Lady Shiva to her daughter Cassandra Cain and Duke Thomas. She firmly believes that Batman has no real plan for the young duo and that their status as his sidekicks squanders their potential to become more. She then goes on to encourage them to break away from Bruce's shadow so they can finally evolve as heroes.
-->'''Lady Shiva:''' ''"Neither one of you needs him. You should have your own cities to protect. Your own names. And '''your own''' symbols..."''

* ButchLesbian[=/=]LipstickLesbian: This very accurately describes [[spoiler:Thunder and Grace's relationship, with Grace being the butch and Thunder, the lipstick.]]

* CloneArmy: The "One Year Later" arc featured the team going on a mission to an African country in the middle of a civil war, where Monsieur Mallah and the Brain had gone into business selling clones of superheroes to the various belligerents.
* CloneDegeneration: The clone of Jay Garrick (the original Flash) created by The Brain, has to wear a suit that excretes a powerful anti-bacterial solution to keep his body from eating itself.

* CoitusUninterruptus: One issue had Starfire and Jade walking into Shift (a kind of clone of ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}}) and Indigo (a robot from the future) having very strange sex in the [[CoolAirship Pequod]]. Indigo sensed them [[{{Pun}} coming]], but didn't want to spoil the mood.

* ConsummateLiar: Two versions of this shows up. When trying to figure out which of the members is a traitor, Arsenal hooks them up to lie detectors. Nightwing points out that he's more than capable of beating a lie detector (to which Arsenal replies, "Not this one.") and alien member Starfire is completely immune. Arsenal uses his massive connections to procure an alien ''torture device'' that he modifies to work as a lie detector. Two other members of the team aren't even questioned because one is a robot and the other doesn't have a bloodstream. [[spoiler:The robot turns out to be a ManchurianAgent whose "Indigo" personality was a mask; her true self is actually ''[[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Brainiac]]'' version 5.0 from the future.]]
* CorporateSponsoredSuperhero: The team under ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'s leadership accepted sponsorship from a multimedia company called Optitron. The team has some doubts about the potential issues that could arise, but the funding is too good to pass up. Turns out they had good reason to be suspicious about the offer: [[spoiler:they discover that Optitron is actually a shell company owned by '''Wayne Industries'''. Dick is pretty pissed that Bruce went behind his back like this]].

* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: Dick Grayson alias ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} [[CallingTheOldManOut called him out on this]] in one issue after discovering that Bruce has been secretly funding the team through a subsidiary of Wayne Industries.
* DepravedBisexual: The brutal dictator of the African country the team infiltrates is revealed to be one of these when he forces Thunder (who's undercover as one of his military advisors) to sleep with him. Originally, she believed he was only into men, but one of the other advisors says that the dictator just has "specific" tastes that don't correspond to gender. [[spoiler:She never sleeps with him, instead Shift masquerades as her and douses him with a hallucinogen.]]
* DeathSeeker: The Brain is revealed to be one of these, having been driven nigh-suicidal by his existance as a disembodied brain. Worse, he cant really off himself anyway, and Mallah refuses to do it because he cant face life without his master.

* DrivenToSuicide: Shift effectively kills himself by remerging with Metamorpho after a botched prison break to rescue Black Lightning results in him accidentally killing 47 people at Iron Heights.
* DrowningMySorrows: Shift indulges in this after being forced to kill Indigo. Despite claiming that alcohol doesn't affect his physiology, he manages to get pretty damn hammered.

* EveryoneHasLotsOfSex: A frequent complaint about the Winick-helmed incarnation of the series was that there was a lot of focus on the characters' sex lives.

* EvilLuddite: An interesting version. [[spoiler: Dr. Sivana's grand plan, specifically named after Ned Ludd, turns out to be to destroy all technology on Earth with a device that will also wipe the memories of every intelligent being on the planet, leaving them all blank slates for him to mold and rebuild in his own image, and let him shape a new technological foundation.]]
* FanDisservice: When Sabbac gains control over the Seven Deadly Sins in the 2003 series, he promptly unleashes Lust on the Fearsome Four, leading to the reader getting an eyeful of Shimmer and Psimon getting it on, and Mammoth and Jinx hooking up, along with the entire prison and staff of Alcatraz.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Rather than taking the African dictator to the World Court or something, the Outsiders end up dumping him on a small, barren island hundreds of miles from anything. There's just enough resources to barely survive, but basically no shelter.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The opening panel of the [[{{Cancellation}} final issue]] of the 2003-2007 run depicts Grace (restrained by [[ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}} Rex]] and [[ComicBook/MartianManhunter J'onn]]) angrily declaring to the reader that they've "killed the Outsiders!" ...only, as we switch perspective, it is revealed that she was actually yelling at Franchise/{{Batman}}.
** in 2018 series some of the speeches Lady Shiva gives to convince her daughter to abandon Batman's and Outsider's cause and seek her own destiny sound like she's reading common complaints about the way Cassandra Cain has been written in ''ComicBook/BatmanAndRobinEternal'' and ''ComicBook/DetectiveComicsRebirth'' prior to joining the Outsiders. She brings up how the codename Orphan is nonsensical and borderline insulting, the fact Cassandra is not allowed to wear Bat symbol feels like a mockery and how it often feels she's being [[AdaptationalWimp held]] [[BadassDecay back]] out of fear she'd [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadow]] more "classic" Batfamily members, all things her fans were vocal about. She even says Batman will always see Cass as UnFavorite in favor of Barbara Gordon, which feels like an outright TakeThat at DC editorial, well known for holding that very sentiment.

* MaterialMimicry: Shift was originally an accidental clone of Metamorpho, but eventually he underwent DivergentCharacterEvolution, gaining the ability to absorb and mimic almost any substance he touched.

* ModestyBedsheet: In Issue #28, ComicBook/{{Starfire}} and ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} are laying post-coital in bed, and the bedsheet covering seems to be strategically placed as to cover their naughty bits but still showing as much bare skin as the artist could get away with.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:Indigo, aka Brainiac 8]] in the Nightwing incarnation.

** In the 2003 series, they end up encountering the old ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' villains the Fearsome Five (later Four) several times.

* SceneryCensor: A scene involving a nude Batgirl. Also, in 2003 series, [[http://static2.comicvine.com/uploads/original/0/8190/250873-174481-shift.jpg this scene]] involving Shift and Indigo.

* StatuesqueStunner: Grace. She stands at an imposing height of approximately seven feet tall.

* SummonBiggerFish: [[spoiler: Katana releases Sabbac from her sword, in return for him destroying Sivana's lab]]
* ThisIsNoTimeForKnitting: Devils are boiling out of a gate, Thunder swears, and her father, Black Lightning, rebukes her. She wonders that he worries about her language then, and he says that fighting demons is exactly when you don't want to offend Heaven.

* VerySpecialEpisode: The Outsiders once team up with John Walsh (yes, ''[[Series/AmericasMostWanted that]]'' John Walsh) to go after a child trafficker who has kidnapped Lian Harper.

* WhatTheHellHero:
** Nightwing was pissed to discover that [[spoiler:his team, which was supposed to be free of Batman's influence, was being sponsored by a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises.]]
** In later issues, Geo-Force became increasingly warlike and distant, seemingly viewing the team as an adjunct to the Markovian military, until Black Lightning finally snapped.

* YouAreInCommandNow: In the 2003 incarnation, seeing the team was going to nowhere because of Nightwing (who ''wasn't'' in the team enough to command it) and Arsenal (severely damaged and unable to replace Nightwing), Jade takes the leadership of the group. That, until she goes to fight in the [[ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis Rann-Thanagar War]] and dies in the middle of the war.

In 2023, a new version of the title debuted, as ''The Outsiders'', featuring '''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}''', Luke Fox (formerly '''Batwing''') and '''Drummer''' (a new version of the character) operating as field agents for Lucius Fox. As the presence of Drummer suggests, this version draws inspiration from ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'' more than previous versions of the title.

* CloningBlues: Recruited first as an amnesiac ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}}, later was faced by the original one and stated as a clone of him. After that he renamed as ''Shift'' and stayed in the team until he's going DrivenToSuicide and remerged with Metamorpho.

* BoobsOfSteel: Grace Choi is an AmazonianBeauty with superhuman strength and a large bust.

* A take on The Outsiders appear in Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'', which introduces the Markovian power struggle and adds Geo-Force, Halo, and Forager to the show's ever-expanding cast under the tutelage of Black Lightning. The ''actual'' team called the Outsiders bears closer resemblance to the ComicBook/TeenTitans, being created and lead by Beast Boy and comprised of Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark), Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Kid Flash II (Bart Allen), Static, and Geo-Force. The end of the season sees Geo-Force leaving and being replaced with Forager, Superboy (Conner Kent) and Terra.

* '''Metamorpho''', an [[HiredGuns adventurer]] transformed into a chemical shapeshifting creature by an ancient artifact.

* BladeBelowTheShoulder: The Outsiders once fought a villain named Nunchuku, who instead of hands, had, well... [[FightingWithChucks what do you expect]]? He was arguably one of the ''less'' silly opponents The Outsiders faced.

* DarkSkinnedBlond: African-American superhero Thunder wore a blond wig for a while (to hide her identity), but she has since eschewed it.

In 2018, DC announced a new ''Batman and the Outsiders'' series, featuring Batman, Black Lightning, Katana, '''Orphan''' ([[ComicBook/{{Batgirl2000}} Cassandra Cain]]) and '''the Signal''' (Bat-ally Duke Thomas).

* A take on The Outsiders appear in Season 3 of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', which introduces the Markovian power struggle and adds Geo-Force, Halo, and Forager to the show's ever-expanding cast under the tutelage of Black Lightning. The ''actual'' team called the Outsiders bears closer resemblance to the ComicBook/TeenTitans, being created and lead by Beast Boy and comprised of Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark), Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Kid Flash II (Bart Allen), Static, and Geo-Force. The end of the season sees Geo-Force leaving and being replaced with Forager, Superboy (Conner Kent) and Terra.

* AbortedArc: The 2007 series had both its introductory arc (the giant gun built in secret by hypnotized astronauts) and its follow-up (the alien creature that escaped from its drug-dealing handlers) abruptly interrupted to have the book tie into ''Comicbook/BatmanRIP''.

* BackForTheDead: During Creator/JuddWinick's run on ''The Outsiders'', the old Comicbook/{{Shazam}} foe Sabbac (who hadn't been seen in ''years'') showed up just long enough for a Russian gangster to [[DyingToBeReplaced kill him and steal his powers]].
* BadSamaritan: Oddly enough, [[Comicbook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders the Outsiders]] villain NAMED the Bad Samaritan isn't an example of this trope, being outwardly villainous to the heroes from the beginning.

* BunkerWoman: * The issue that introduces Owlman has him rescuing a little girl from a basement.

* DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou: Dick Grayson alias Comicbook/{{Nightwing}} [[CallingTheOldManOut called him out on this]] in one issue after discovering that Bruce has been secretly funding the team through a subsidiary of Wayne Industries.

* AssPull: Creator/JuddWinick's first issue of ''The Outsiders'' introduces us to ComicBook/BlackLightning's daughter Anissa, who ends up becoming the heroine Thunder. [[RememberTheNewGuy His 20-something-year-old daughter who had never been seen or mentioned in any prior series featuring Black Lightning, despite his wife being a fairly prominent figure in many stories]]. Creator/GeoffJohns then took this even further in his [[ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica JSA]] run by introducing us to ''another'' previously-unseen daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer had been foreshadowed in the BadFuture story ComicBook/KingdomCome; this still qualifies as an ass pull by virtue of Black Lightning having no references to children just a short time before this, and his age in [[ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders The Outsiders]] comics previously being about Batman's age at the oldest. [[ComicBookTime He'd have already had to father these women by the time of his introduction.]]