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Villains

League of Assassins

    Ra's al Ghul 

Ra's al Ghul

Tropes

  • 0% Approval Rating: His torture of Talia basically loses any consideration the heroes had for him, and Jason's Breaking Speech to the League of Assassins and subsequent defeat of Ra's destroys his cred amongst both his followers and fellow villains. Jason himself has no regets about killing him and solidly believes someone should've killed him years ago.
  • Abusive Parents: Tried to take over his grandson Damian's body to save his own life and tortures Talia for information after he finds out she helped Jason escape with Damian and Cass.
  • All Take and No Give: His relationship with his family, who he ultimately views as tools but espouses otherwise to keep them under his control. Talia in particular gave up everything for his ambitions — the man she loved, the son she adored, even the siblings she never really got to know. All she ever got in return was a broken heart. This led to her disowning him after his death.
  • Arch-Enemy: To Jason. The only thing Jason regretted about killing him was not destroying the League of Assassins afterward. The feeling is mutual, as Jason was the one member of Bruce's family that Ra's never approved of — because he knew Jason would kill him if given the chance, which he eventually did. Twice.
  • Believing Their Own Lies: Some part of him genuinely believes that all his terrible crimes are for the good of the world instead of his own self-serving aims.
  • Big Bad: After chapters of foreshadowing, he's confirmed to be this for one day at a time.
  • Broken Pedestal: Became this to everyone except Mara after his death.
  • Deader than Dead: Jason kills him with the Balance in the penultimate chapter, allowing Death to mark him and bar him from the mortal plane, ensuring he can never come back to life.
  • Dirty Coward: He is terrified of his own death and will do anything to avoid it. Jason later calls him out on it to goad him into a Duel to the Death.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Subverted. He likes to present himself as this, but Jason knows full well that when his back is against the wall, he'll devolve into whatever levels he needs to get what he wants.
  • Familial Body Snatcher: By choice, in fact. When his body was failing him he chose to pick a new one among his descendants. Damian got the shaft because he was a healthy male, which was the only criteria the chauvinistic Ra's had.
  • The Ghost: Mentioned, but has yet to appear in person. Until the very end of the first story.
  • Grand Theft Me: Attempted this on his grandson Damian after his body could no longer be healed by the Lazarus Pits, going as far as to hold Dick hostage to force Damian into it. The rest of the Bat-Family (sans Bruce, who was off-world at the time) saved them, with Jason killing Ra's to end the threat permanently.
  • Greater-Scope Villain: For one day at a time. He's The Man Behind the Man for both Lady Shiva and Deathstroke, but doesn't personally antagonize the heroes until the last arc of the story.
  • He Who Fights Monsters: How he's described by Jason when comparing him to Bruce. In fact, Jason believes the reason Bruce won't break the Rule is because it would be the first step for Bruce into becoming like Ra's.
  • Heir Club for Men: Jason point-blank states to Damian that the reason he is Ra's' heir and not his older and more capable mother is because his mother is a woman. Jason later notes in the narration that one of the reasons Ra's chose Damian's body to Grand Theft Me is because all his other living descendants were women.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He kills Jason by stabbing him with his sword. Jason promptly returns the favor after coming back to life again.
  • It's All About Me: When it really comes down to it, Ra's doesn't really give a damn about the world. Everything he's ever done is for himself, and he's just trying to justify it to absolve himself of any guilt.
  • It Amused Me: Jason reveals that he purposefully set his two grandchildren against each other for kicks. This is one of the reasons why Talia disowned him, because it led to both their premature deaths.
  • Immortals Fear Death: He tried to steal his grandson's body in order to avoid death a little longer.
  • Kick the Morality Pet: Killing Jason is one thing, but torturing Talia for information was the absolute last straw for just about everyone. Neither Damian nor Talia show any remorse for his death or hold it against Jason for doing the deed, and while Bruce doesn't like that Jason was the one to do it, he isn't losing any sleep over Ra's' death either and even expresses relief over it several times in the sequel.
  • Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: He claims his desire to cleanse the world is to better it, but Jason accuses him of just using that as an excuse to lash out at everything for his own tragedies.
  • Sorting Algorithm of Evil: While the Joker is unquestionably more evil, Ra's is the most dangerous threat of Bruce's Rogues Gallery. Fittingly, he's the Big Bad of the first story and the final villain the heroes face.
  • Villain Respect: To Bruce and Tim, who he both tried to make heirs of, then tried to get heirs from. He succeeded with Bruce as seen with Damian, only for Damian to reject him in favor of his paternal family.
  • Villainous Legacy:
    • His death eventually led to Damian's own after his grandson was caught in the crossfire of the Civil War between his cousin Mara and his mother Talia over control of the League of Assassins. It's implied that while Mara was the one technically responsible for Damian's demise, Jason blamed Ra's more. As it turned out, so did Talia, and she's the one who killed Mara.
    • Deconstructed. His legacy had such a negative effect on his daughter and surviving subordinates that they eventually rejected it, with Talia going as far as to forswore more children to ensure the al Ghul bloodline died with her.
  • Worthy Opponent:
    • Bruce. He sincerely apologizes to Bruce before trying to kill him.
    • His soul shows some grudging respect to Jason for defeating him in one-on-one combat before fading away into the afterlife.

    Talia al Ghul 

Talia al Ghul

Tropes

  • Adaptational Heroism: This Talia takes more from her original characterization than she does from her recent, darker portrayals (though the story does acknowledge some of the more villainous actions she committed, such as causing Damian's (temporary) death). For one thing, it's implied that Damian's conception was consensual in this continuity.
  • Amicable Exes: Ultimately with Bruce. The two acknowledge that they will always love each other, but that they aren't meant to be as a couple. The final chapter sees them parting ways as friends.
  • But Now I Must Go: After healing from her torture at Ra's' hands, she decides to leave Gotham and figure out who she is without him.
  • Dating Catwoman: The second great love of Bruce's life, and undeniably a villainess.
  • Disownment: The original Talia not only disowned her father after his death, she went as far as to forswore any more kids to end his bloodline and legacy permanently.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
    • In the end, she still loved Damian (even after the time she murdered him). His death devastated her and caused her to develop a bit of conscience.
    • She also deeply loved Bruce, and Jason implies that she remained in love with him even after his death.
    • The original Talia loved Jason like a son. While the current Talia isn't quite as close to him, it gradually becomes clear that she's come to care for him to some extent as well.
  • Even Evil Has Standards:
    • Project Batman Beyond disgusted Talia so much that the moment she found out about it, she ended it immediately by killing Lyla Michaels and the assassin she sent to murder Warren and Mary McGinnis.
    • Even she thinks the Joker is a monstrous madman who should have died a long time ago.
    • Any affection she has for Ra's dies after he has her tortured for information, and she tells Jason that she doesn't hold it against him from killing her father.
  • Give Him a Normal Life: Ultimately, she relents in front of Jason's arguments and entrusts Damian to him, to be brought to Gotham.
  • Heel–Face Turn: At the end of the first story, she elects to divest herself from the League of Assassins entirely and figure out who she is without her father or his legacy.
  • Heir Club for Men: The only reason she isn't her father Ra's' heir is because she's a woman. Otherwise, she's every bit as capable as him, if not more so.
  • It's All My Fault: She apologizes to Jason for spilling the beans to Ra's. Considering she was tortured into doing so, Jason obviously doesn't blame her.
  • Journey to Find Oneself: Talia has lived her entire life under the thumb of her father, living for his ambitions. After he's finally dead for real, she has no idea who she is anymore, and so leaves Gotham after healing from her injuries to figure out who that person is.
  • Like a Son to Me: Admits she came to see Jason as a son on his deathbed.
  • The Load: The boys' escape from the League is complicated by Talia, who was tortured by Ra's and is thus a complete invalid. None of them really have the heart to leave her behind (nor do their rescuers when they find out how she ended up in that state), so they take her along anyway.
  • Outliving One's Offspring: She didn't take the news that her niece Mara had just slaughtered her only son well, and murdered Mara in turn to avenge him.
  • Parents as People: For all her flaws, Talia does love Damian. But as Jason points out to both her and to Damian, her conflicting loyalties for her father and her beloved mean she's not really equipped to be the mother Damian needs. After Ra's is dead, she leaves him again, but this time to find herself, and promises Damian that she will visit him as much as she can.
  • Pet the Dog:
  • Sole Survivor: Of the al Ghul dynasty in the future.
  • We Can Rule Together: She was okay with the idea to share the League of Assassins with her niece Mara, but Mara was too greedy and paranoid to take her up on the offer.

    Mara al Ghul 

Mara al Ghul

Tropes

  • Arch-Enemy: To her cousin Damian.
  • Ax-Crazy: It is strongly implied that the original Mara was not the most stable person, judging by what she did to Merlyn. The Spin-Off implies that this is probably the result of excessive use of the Lazarus Pit.
  • Cain and Abel: Cousin variant with Damian. It was debatable who was who during their childhood, but by their adulthood she was the solid Cain.
  • The Ghost: She never appears in the first story, not even in flashbacks.
  • Hero Killer: She arranged the circumstances that caused the original Damian's Heroic Sacrifice.
  • Hypocrite: She murdered Merlyn for Choosing Neutrality during the civil war because she didn't want someone with such uncertain loyalties rejoining the League, and yet turned on her aunt Nyssa to take power for herself.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: She had Damian in her clutches and would've assuredly gained Talia's half of the League had she stuck with the original plan of holding him hostage. Instead, she tried to destroy Bludhaven out of lingering resentment for their childhood rivalry, causing his Heroic Sacrifice, which led to Talia killing her.
  • The Starscream: After the League Civil War started, she initially sided with Talia's older sister Nyssa. Then she assassinated Nyssa to take power for herself.
  • Sympathy for the Devil: Despite causing Damian's death, none of those closest to him really came to hate her. Talia, Damian's mother and Mara's own killer, still held some love for her after she died, while Jason outright pitied her. It's blatantly clear they blamed Ra's more for what happened, because Ra's engineered the childhood rivalry between them that led to those tragic events.
  • "Well Done, Daughter!" Gal: To her grandfather Ra's. She was desperate to please him and carry on his legacy long after he was dead, and it eventually led to her own death.
  • With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: As revealed in those good old days by Barbara and Stephanie, she was most likely suffering from a severe case of Pit Madness prior to her death. Apparently, Mara inherited Nyssa's personal Lazarus Pit after usurping her aunt for control of her half of the League of Assassins, and made extensive use of it during her war with Talia. As a person isn't supposed to use a Lazarus Pit repeatedly during such a short period of time, the excessive use eventually drove her insane.

    Lady Shiva 

Sandra Wu-San | Lady Shiva

Tropes

  • Abusive Parents: She repeatedly sought out Cassandra to force her into a duel to the death, even as she knew Cass had been completely traumatized by her first murder. Jason believes this is because, deep down, Shiva blames Cass for Carolyn's death, and can't drum up any affection for her because of that.
  • Angsty Surviving Twin: A big part of why Sandra Wu-San created Lady Shiva was her sister Carolyn's murder, and she's ready to do anything to ensure this legacy will remain untainted — including being struck down by a superior warrior, instead of dying of old age.
  • Arc Villain:
    • Of the first flashback arc. Her slaughter of Cassandra's numerous international contacts (including friends Harper and Cullen Row) drove Cass into hiding, which forces Jason to leave Gotham in search of his sister. After Cass and him reunite, their new objective turns to stopping Shiva's rampage.
    • She then becomes this in the following arc, which takes place in the present timeline, by kidnapping Stephanie to force Cass into a Duel to the Death.
  • Arch-Enemy:
    • To Cassandra Cain, a dynamic she deliberately invoked to force her daughter to kill her. This eventually culminates in her challenging Jason to a Duel to the Death, believing that killing him would finally drive Cass to grant Shiva her wish.
    • To Richard Dragon. When they see each other again for the first time in what is implied to be years, Shiva is briefly stunned and then immediately infuriated.
  • Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: The Ur-Example. Despite knowing full well that Cass had surpassed her long ago, Shiva constantly addressed her as "little girl" and talked down to her. She also scoffed at the idea that Jason could defeat her in one-on-one combat, and regarded his death in their duel a foregone conclusion. She was right — Jason is a master martial artist in his own right, but his skills in unarmed combat ultimately don't measure up to Shiva's, even in her old age. So he cheated and used a knife during the duel, wounding her badly; the only reason he didn't kill her is because Cass stopped him and convinced him not to.
  • Awesomeness Is a Force: She only has to walk into the room to completely terrify Stephanie.
  • Beauty Is Bad: Stephanie describes her as one of the most beautiful women she has ever seen — and inarguably the most dangerous person she has ever met.
  • Blood Knight: To such an extent that Jason found it strange she didn't take part in the League Civil War. He speculates it was because Shiva was finally beginning to weaken with age and didn't want anyone to know.
  • Choosing Neutrality: Refused to get involved in the League Civil War and choose a side. It went better for her than it did Merlyn because she was Lady Shiva.
  • Cynicism Catalyst: As in canon, Carolyn's death. Jason, however, believes it was more than just the murder itself — it was also the fact that after said sister died, Shiva not only did not avenge her, but also slept with her murderer and conceived a child with him in exchange for her own life.
  • Dating Catwoman: With Richard Dragon. Subverted in that they used to be in a relationship, but Shiva's Face–Heel Turn and obsessive Blood Knight tendencies caused them to drift apart. Even so, it's strongly implied that they still love each other, but their current paths won't allow them to reconcile.
  • Death Seeker: In line with her general comic book depiction, Lady Shiva wants to be stricken down by a stronger, more skilled opponent. Jason would have no problem with that if Shiva hadn't decided Cass was the perfect accomplice for it.
  • The Dreaded: She's flat out the most feared character in the story, after the Joker. While Jason hates her for all the pain she'll cause Cass, he doesn't actively antagonize her and would rather have his family avoid her attention altogether.
    • Hearing her name is enough to terrify Damian into silence. Up until then, Damian had been his usual arrogant and snobbish self. However, the very moment Jason revealed Cass was Shiva's daughter, he was rendered completely mute in fear.
    • In the flashback, the moment her name is mentioned to a particularly nasty matchmaker for an illegal fight club in Vietnam, the man loses all of his hubris and refuses to divulge any information on her without a sufficient trade.
    • Unlike Merlyn, nobody hunted her down for choosing to stay neutral during the League Civil War because she was just that terrifying.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Her sister Carolyn, who she mourns even decades after her death.
  • Evil Former Friend: To Richard Dragon, and that's ultimately why he cannot give her the death she craves with such intensity.
  • Evil Mentor: What she was to Tim. Jason intends to keep them very, very far away from each other.
  • Feeling Their Age: Jason speculates she was beginning to undergo this during the League Civil War — it's one of the only plausible explanations for why a Blood Knight like her wouldn't take part. It's also implied to be one of the reasons why Jason was able to get the drop on her with his knife during their duel, and why Cain was able to catch her off guard and shoot her from the back.
  • Foil: To Jason and Cass. She is what they would have become had they lost each other and/or allowed the losses of the rest of their family consume them. Shiva even intended to invoke it by challenging Jason and killing him; she believed that the loss of Cass' last remaining brother would finally drive her daughter to kill her.
  • I Have Your Wife: Rather fond of the strategy. She threatened to kill her daughter's remaining friends and family in the prime timeline, and decided to steal Stephanie away to flush Cass out of Wayne Manor.
  • In Love with Your Carnage: Her relationship with Dragon is fucked up, but she does feel attraction and longing for him. Word of God reveals it's due to his ungodly capacity for violence when he truly lets loose.
  • Irony: After years of searching for a worthy opponent to die at the hands at and trying to force her own daughter into the role, Shiva finally died after being unceremoniously shot through the heart by David Cain.
  • Morality Pet: Dinah Lance, aka the Black Canary, who is proof she is not entirely incapable of affection. This might be why she never went after Connor Hawke (Dinah's stepson) as a potential opponent when she started getting older. According to Jason, however, Connor would've never killed her regardless.
  • No Badass to His Valet: Lady Shiva is an object of abject terror and sheer awe for everyone meeting her, except to Richard Dragon who still calls her by her real name Sandra (which she loathes) and bluntly tells her she's wasting her life and skill with her murderous path.
  • That Man Is Dead: She sneeringly declares Sandra Wu-San died with Carolyn. Dragon doesn't buy it.
  • The Rival: To Richard Dragon.
  • Shut Up, Kirk!: Shiva completely blocks every one of Dragon's attempts to appeal to her better nature, telling him she considers Cass a mere investment and that the woman he's trying to appeal to died with her sister.
  • Suicide by Cop: She seeks to achieve this with Cassandra as the cop. Cassandra would rather decline the honor, thank you very much.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Stephanie quickly identifies her as related to Cassandra when she sees the terrifying Asian woman has the same face as her friend, as did her long-time rival and former lover Richard Dragon upon meeting Cass. Cass herself quickly realizes who Shiva is to her upon their first face-to-face meeting, and forces Jason to confirm it for her.
  • Tragic Villain: When it really comes down to it, Sandra Wu-San is a broken woman who is still mourning the loss of her beloved sister and trying to attach some meaning to her death. Despite the threat she poses to his own sister, Jason can't help but sympathize with her because of their similar situations.
  • Undignified Death: She spent years searching for a Worthy Opponent to kill her in fair combat. Her last moments see her final duel cut short by her opponent cheating and stopped from killing her by his sister (her own daughter), ranting about getting revenge on them both only to be shot from the back, through the heart, by the man who murdered her sister (who is incidentally the father of her daughter). Jason is fully aware of how ignominious her death was and promptly taunts her current self about it in the penultimate chapter of the story.
  • Villainous Breakdown: The older she got, the more unhinged she became. By the time Jason and Cass faced off against her in the flashback, she was in the throes of complete desperation and was just barely managing to hide it. When it became clear that neither of them were going to kill her, the mask breaks completely, revealing the broken woman underneath.
  • Villainous Legacy: Deliberately enforced. Shiva is obsessed with her legacy because she also sees it as her sister's legacy and the only way to honor Carolyn. Hence, her obsession with being the best and finding a Worthy Opponent to end her, because she thinks that is the only way she can die without besmirching her sister's memory. Ironically, it's subverted completely thanks to Cain killing her and then himself; not only did Shiva not get the honorable death she had been searching for, but her name died with her, as her daughter Cassandra had no inclination to succeed her.
  • We Used to Be Friends: With Richard Dragon, who is the only man she has ever truly loved. While Dragon hates how she's turned to murder and violence to cope with her sister's death, Shiva resents the fact that the only man in the world that she can call her equal would rather spend his days living up in mountain shacks like a hermit instead of using his skills to their full potential.
  • Worthy Opponent: She's obsessed with having one. Confirmed ones include Cass, Richard Dragon, Bruce Wayne, Dinah Laurel Lance, and Jason himself.
  • World's Best Warrior: The greatest martial artist in the world, bar none. Cass is one of the only people alive that has the potential to surpass her, which is why Jason is so desperate to have his sister avoid her attention.

    David Cain 

David Cain

Tropes

  • Abusive Parents: While he genuinely loves his daughter, his treatment of her can't fall under any other category but this, no matter how much emotional support he gives her.
  • Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: He's the one that killed Lady Shiva in the previous timeline.
  • Create Your Own Villain: Jason calls him "the man who created Lady Shiva", which is completely accurate. Shiva would've never come to be had Cain not killed Carolyn Wu-San.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: For all his faults, he loves Cass. Ultimately, he sacrificed himself to save her and Jason from Shiva cultists in the previous timeline.
  • His Story Repeats Itself: Decades ago, he killed Carolyn Wu-San to "free" her sister Sandra, unleashing her potential and setting her down on the path that would see her become Lady Shiva. Decades later, he killed Lady Shiva to "free" their daughter Cassandra from the path they had tried to set out for her, allowing her to live a life away from their legacy.
  • How the Mighty Have Fallen: By the time Jason and Cass find him, he's reduced himself to getting his ass kicked in cage fights for money. Even Jason, who has very little sympathy for him, can't help but cringe at how far he's fallen.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Platonic variant. He initially allied himself with Shiva and brought Cass and Jason to her so the former could finally fulfill her "destiny" as the world's greatest martial artist and assassin. However, after seeing how much Cass didn't want this, along with Jason's love for her, he turns on Shiva, killing her and then sacrificing himself to stop her cultists, finally freeing Cass from them both and implicitly giving her his blessing to live her own life.
  • Jaded Washout: In the previous timeline, he eventually devolved into this, spending his days Fight Clubbing and his nights drinking.
  • Parents as People: A very nuanced example. While there's no question he was horrifically abusive to Cass, he still provided her plenty of emotional support and expresses genuine love for her. Tellingly, Cass returns his love and is fully willing to forgive him if he asks for it. Ultimately, the reason why he sided with Shiva at first was because he genuinely believed that becoming Shiva's successor was the best for her. When he realizes that this isn't the case and that Cass is truly happier with Jason in Gotham, he turns on and kills Shiva and gives his life to save his daughter, finally freeing her.
  • Redemption Equals Death: This is how he ultimately atones for creating Lady Shiva and completely destroying Cassandra's childhood — by killing Shiva and sacrificing himself, he gives Cass a life free of her parents' influence.
  • Vicariously Ambitious: He wishes for Cass to become the greatest assassin in the world, going as far as to betray her and Jason to Lady Shiva to force her into it. As Cass points out, that's what he wants, not her.

Gotham Criminals

    The Joker 

The Joker

Tropes

  • Arc Villain: For the Post-Gala arc.
  • Arch-Enemy: To the entire Bat-Family, but especially to Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon, and, most of all, to Jason Todd. Jason point-blank states that if he could kill the Joker without causing the creation of a new one, he would, and wouldn't regret it even for a moment. He later also earns Tim's eternal hatred after he murders Jack Drake, with Tim willing to impulsively and recklessly attack him on his own in revenge
  • Ax-Crazy: All of them, but especially Joker IV. He reveled in mindless violence and was the culprit of the Arkham Massacre, which saw him slaughter almost all of Bruce's original Rogues Gallery.
  • Bad Boss: Jason lampshades his tendency to kill his henchmen on a whim, and genuinely wonders why anyone would want to work for him.
  • Berserk Button: In the sequel, he's furious to learn about Jason's resurrection as it ruined the "greatest joke" he played on Bruce. Batman Jason doesn't care, and knocks him out in two moves.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He tends to violently and cruelly murder anyone he works with. Jason also lampshades this, and it's noted to be one of the reasons why even the most crooked cops don't want anything to do with him.
  • Crazy Jealous Guy:
    • Joker III to Harley Quinn. He was willing to tolerate Harley's relationship with Poison Ivy because Ivy was a fellow Batman rogue and usually a stronger villain than him. When Harley started sleeping with Deadshot too, Joker lost it and tried to murder all three of them. He succeeded with Harley and Deadshot but failed with Ivy, causing her Heel–Face Turn.
    • Also to Batman I, in a platonic variant (maybe). A Death in the Family specifically happened because he hated sharing Batman with his adoptive family. It's implied the Arkham Massacre happened because Joker IV also hated sharing Batman with his other rogues.
  • Decomposite Character: Jeremiah Valeska, Jack Napier and Arthur Fleck were all the Joker at one point.
  • Demonic Possession: The Joker Curse is described as this, since it twists someone into a monster.
  • Domestic Abuse: To Harley Quinn. He treated her horribly, slapped her around and considered her little more than a competent meat shield. It got so bad that she eventually left him for Poison Ivy and Deadshot. That still didn't stop him from being possessive of her, and murdering her after she got together with the latter of the two.
    Jason: ...[C]ompared to the Joker, a suicidal sociopathic sniper and a seductive ecoterrorist with a god complex were both steps up.
  • The Dreaded: Perhaps even more so than Batman himself. The first time Jason well and truly loses his cool since his confession to Bruce is when he finds out the Joker has escaped from Arkham.
  • For the Evulz: Which is why he's considered the worst of Batman's rogues, and only comparable to Ra's al Ghul. Even then, Jason (who doesn't have the highest opinion of Ra's, mind you) still thinks he's worse, even if he considers Ra's more dangerous.
    Jason: He's not like your mother's family, Damian. He's not pretending to be some grand visionary. He just wants to watch the world burn.
  • The Ghost: He's been mentioned but has yet to actually appear. Until Chapter 28.
  • Gotta Kill 'Em All: Joker IV murdered nearly all of Bruce's original Rogues Gallery in the Arkham Massacre. The only known survivors were the Penguin, Poison Ivy, Catwoman and Black Mask I.
  • Go Mad from the Revelation: Jake Chill already had a pretty twisted morality, worshiping criminals and all, but learning that his ancestor Joe Chill was responsible for creating Batman drove him insane and directly facilitated his own transformation into the Joker.
  • Greater-Scope Villain: Though not by choice, he's the one villain that never left Jason's life. All the others died or reformed; even Ra's' influence ended with Damian's death. But the Joker, even after Jason killed him, is the one villain that kept coming back no matter what. Nearly every major decision Jason has made, both before and after he became Batman, ultimately tied back to him: taking on a Robin, deciding to stay on as Batman, and even choosing a successor instead of letting the mantle die with him like he originally intended.
  • Hated by All: As corrupt as Gotham is, it's mentioned that one thing that no one in the city will tolerate is association with the Joker. With the exception of fanatics like the Jokerz, everyone hates him and more than one person wishes that Batman or the police would kill him already. That didn't change in Jason's timeline, with many coming to treat a potential Joker attack as a city-wide, apocalyptic threat.
  • Hero Killer: On top of the canonical feats of paralyzing Barbara and murdering Jason, the fourth Joker also murdered Bruce. Joker V nearly killed Jason numerous times (it's confirmed she's the villain Carrie Kelley saved Jason from) and was directly responsible for the creation of an entirely new Rogues Gallery that Jason had to fight. Joker VI almost killed Terry McGinnis and Jason as well.
  • Joker Immunity: Actually justified. Because every time the Joker dies, the curse will create another one, who is much more violent and crazy.
  • Legacy Character: Every time a Joker is killed, a new one will rise to replace them. By the time Jason died, there had been six Jokers, each worse than their predecessors; those good old days reveals Jake Chill (Joker VI) eventually committed suicide to spite Terry and create a seventh, who died less than a year via getting hit by a car, and that the resulting Joker VIII was later incarcerated in a high-security JL prison on Mars.
  • Life Will Kill You: Deliberately invoked with Joker V, the first female Joker, who died from breast cancer during her incarceration. The purpose of the incarceration was to protect her as much as it was to protect the city, since nobody wanted to deal with the next Joker, who was inarguably going to be worse.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Joker III. At one point he made Jason believe that the Joker had manipulated his entire life so he could be murdered as Robin to hurt Bruce, to drive a (bigger) wedge between his father and him. It took Jason a while to realize that this was complete bullshit.
  • Nothing Is Scarier:
    • The worst part about the Joker Curse is that nobody knows what's causing it. Jason spent the last thirty years of his life trying to piece it all together and is no closer to finding the source now than he was when he first started.
    • Joker IV, Robert Song, is the most extreme case of this. Even after reconstructing the last month before his transformation, hour by hour, none of the Bats were able to figure out what caused him to break. It was like one second he was normal, and the next he was insane enough to throw himself into a vat of chemicals and become the Joker.
  • Patient Zero: Jason is desperate to find Jeremiah Valeska's remains, hoping it will give him a clue to prevent the curse from moving to another host.
  • Save This Person, Save the World: Jason (of all people) is desperate to make sure he never dies. Because they're currently on the second Joker and as bad as he is, Jason knows from experience that the next ones will be much, much worse.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: Things with Joker V became so bad that the city resorted to stuffing her in a maximum-security cell beneath Arkham where she was watched 24/7 and literally couldn't even breathe without Jason knowing. This was both to make sure she couldn't commit more crimes and to make sure no one would be tempted to kill her and unleash another Joker onto Gotham. It's implied that Joker VI was also sent to that cell after he was captured for the same reason, but unlike his predecessor, he broke out; those good old days reveals this was taken a step further with Joker VIII, who was incarcerated in a high-security JL prison on Mars and still there when Cass had her fatal stroke.
  • Serial Escalation: He's gone from a psychotic murderer with a clown getup to a potentially apocalyptic threat. Jason himself states that when it comes to the Joker, it's no longer a question of "morality", but rather "safety" — he honestly believes that the longer the Joker sticks around, the less likely Gotham will survive to the next century, and from what we've learned so far, he's probably right.
  • The Smurfette Principle: Felicia Bell is the fifth and only female Joker recorded in one day at a time and the superhero game; the spinoff those good old days reveals this was eventually subverted, as the eighth Joker was also female.
  • Sorting Algorithm of Evil: Every Joker is worse than the last one. Joker VI nearly murdered Robin VII, released Batman III's Rogues Gallery and forced him to face them gauntlet-style, and plotted to launch the city into space within his first month of becoming the Joker. It's implied that had he remained free any longer, it would've only gotten worse from there. One of the reasons why Jason was so desperate to get rid of them was because he had no idea if the city would survive another Joker at the rate things were going.
  • Sucksessor: Implied with Joker VII. Joker VI committed suicide to trigger the curse and create a worse Joker, but his successor barely lasted a year before getting randomly hit and killed by a car during his first break-out.
  • That One Case: For Jason. He outright admits that never solving the Joker Curse was one of his greatest regrets.
  • Tragic Villain: Poor Felicia Bell's husband was murdered by Joker IV, so she decided to do what Batman failed to do for years and kill the Joker. She succeeded — and was rewarded by becoming the next Joker.
  • Trauma Button: For Jason and the Bat-Family in general. Despite the obvious impact he's had on Jason's life, Jason does not like to talk about him at all, and his family has noticed.
  • Villainous Legacy:
    • It's confirmed Jason killed him in the previous timeline, but not before he murdered Bruce. This led to Dick and eventually Jason himself becoming Batman. Except it wasn't that simple. Jason actually killed the Joker before Bruce's death. The next Joker is the one who murdered Bruce.
    • Joker IV killed his Joker V's husband during one of his rampages, which directly led to her killing him and becoming his successor.
    • Joker VI is Jake Chill, the great-grandson of Joe Chill. Learning about Joe's part in creating Batman caused Jake to turn to crime and led to him becoming the Joker.
    • The spinoff those good old days reveals that two further Jokers came along before Cass died, the seventh after Jake Chill figured out the curse and committed suicide to spite Terry and the eighth after her predecessor was killed in a car accident.
  • Walking Spoiler: Everything about the Joker, including his actions in the previous timeline, will change your perspective of the entire story upon a re-read.
  • The Worf Effect: The fact that Batman Jason doesn't show his typical apprehensive demeanour when near him is a clear indicator of how worried Jason is about Kyle.

    Catwoman 

Selina Kyle | Catwoman

Tropes

  • Classy Cat-Burglar: The Ur-Example. Unfortunately, she was so good at it that Black Mask II decided he wanted her either under his thumb or dead.
  • Dating Catwoman: Deconstructed. Because their relationship revolved around this dynamic, she and Bruce had no idea what it would be like without it after they finally committed to each other completely. This fear eventually caused Selina to leave Bruce at the altar, an act they, as a couple, never fully recovered from.
  • Death by Origin Story: Her death at the hands of Black Mask II was this for her daughter Helena. It forced Jason to take his sister in and raise her as his daughter, which led to Helena becoming the sixth Robin and the second Huntress, with a serious chip on her shoulder regarding organized crime.
  • Deliver Us from Evil: What ultimately convinced her to put burglary behind her was learning she was carrying Bruce's posthumous child.
  • Family Eye Resemblance: While Helena inherited a great deal of her beauty from her, the most significant feature was Selina's 'cat-like green eyes'. Jason is immediately stricken by them when meets Selina at his gala, because they instantly remind him of Helena.
  • Good Parents: From Helena's accounts, Selina was a great mother who just wanted for her daughter to live a long, safe, and happy life.
  • One True Love: The love of Bruce Wayne's life, as Jason himself attests to. Notably, that did not mean their relationship worked out in the end.
  • Open-Minded Parent: The original Selina does not resent Jason or Helena herself for the latter becoming a vigilante, despite wanting to keep her daughter out of that life when she was alive.
  • The Perils of Being the Best: Selina was the best thief on the planet, which was why Black Mask II wanted her under his employ. When she refused, he hunted her down instead.
  • Reformed Criminal: Bruce's death and Helena's conception is what finally made her go straight. She fenced all her remaining goods, left Gotham, and lived normally until her death.
  • Someone to Remember Him By: She fell pregnant with Helena the last night she and Bruce spent together. A month later, Bruce was killed by the Joker.
  • Together in Death: With Bruce. One of the last things Jason sees in his Near-Death Experience is them lacing their hands together, implying they reconciled when they met again in the afterlife.

    Cluemaster 

Arthur Brown | Cluemaster

Tropes

  • Abusive Parents: Strongly implied to be this to Stephanie. Stephanie, for one, isn't looking forward to the day when he finally gets out of jail.
  • Archnemesis Dad: Serves as this towards his daughter, Stephanie.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: His plan would've made him a genuine threat, but in the end he's C-List Fodder and his daughter was Batgirl. He never really stood a chance.
  • C-List Fodder: Deconstructed. He's acknowledged as this and constantly put down because of it, but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous.
  • The Ghost: Is only mentioned for the moment in relation to his daughter, as a result of being currently imprisoned in Blackgate.
  • Not-So-Harmless Villain:
    • Zigzagged and deconstructed. Though Arthur was on the verge of setting the events of Eternal into play, he was foiled by Harper Row stumbling onto his plan, with it being explicity noted that while Brown and his fellow C-listers are dangerous, they still aren't as competent as the likes of A-listers like Riddler or Penguin. When Harper went to his daughter Stephanie Brown (as Batgirl) for help, the result was a Curb-Stomp Battle in Stephanie's favor.
    • It is however implied by Jason that Cluemaster was one of the first to figure out the existence of the Court of Owls with them briefly becoming suspects in his daughter's kidnapping as a result. This is later confirmed to be true in the sequel, though Jason clarifies that Riddler could've figured it out even sooner if he wasn't so obsessed with riddles and Batman.
  • Overshadowed by Awesome: Arguably Arthur Brown's greatest accomplishment isn't anything he's done as Cluemaster, but his daughter Stephanie, who became a successful and well-respected vigilante before her retirement. This is made all the more obvious when it's revealed that Stephanie (as Batgirl) easily crushed his grand plan to take over Gotham before it could even get off the ground.
  • Uncertain Doom: With the majority of the Gotham Rogues killed in the Arkham Massacre, leaving only Penguin, Catwoman and Poison Ivy alive; Cluemaster's status as A) cured of his mental compulsions, and B) usually imprisoned in Blackgate makes it very likely something killed him beforehand. The sequel later confirms that he died in a prison riot orchestrated by the Court of Owls.

    Hush 

Thomas "Tommy" Elliot | Hush

Tropes

    The Penguin 

Oswald Cobblepot | The Penguin

Tropes

  • All of the Other Reindeer: Despite being a descendant of the First Families, he's not accepted by the rest of Gotham's high society. Ironically, it's not because of his looks (which are easily overlooked when there's a lot of money on the line), but because he made his family's fortune back as a crime boss.
  • Big Bad Wannabe: What he ultimately proved to be. Jason thought he would be his Arch-Enemy but the chaotic downslide his life went into after Bruce's death made him care less and less about Penguin and made him realize that Cobblepot wasn't much of a threat compared to everything else he had to deal with. By the time he died Jason hadn't paid so much as a thought to him in years.
  • Blue Blood: A direct descendant of the First Families.
  • Last of His Kind:
    • When he was finally killed, he was the last member of Batman's original Rogues Gallery still alive and active. The rest had been killed in the Arkham Massacre some time before.
    • He's also the last surviving member of the Cobblepot Family. When he died, the Cobblepot name died with him. It's heavily implied he murdered his family for abusing him and squandering the family fortune.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: After things start going pear-shape at Infinity Island, he ditches the battle entirely. Batman Jason muses that he's probably the smartest person there as a result.
  • Make Way for the New Villains: On the receiving end, as Ricky Sionis wanted to prove he was playing for keeps.
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: This and money are the reasons why he isn't convicted as nearly as often as Batman's other rogues. Since he's both a Cobblepot and filthy rich, he practically owns every court in Gotham. Though, it's not enough to protect him if he's found associating with the Joker.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: One look from Batman Jason sends him screaming in the opposite direction.
  • Self-Made Man: The Cobblepots used to be Old Money but by the time Oswald was born they had squandered most of it away and had to sell their ancestral home. Penguin made the fortune back by going into crime, but this shamed his family's name permanently and ensured they'd only ever be remembered as crooks.
  • Super Mob Boss: In both timelines. In Jason's timeline he was the only supervillain in Gotham besides the Joker for close to a decade after the Joker murdered the rest in the Arkham Massacre. Pamela Isley and Selina Kyle both elected to retire and go straight around that time, leaving Cobblepot as the only holdover and the undisputed ruler of Gotham's remaining organized crime — at least until Ricky Sionis showed up and murdered him.

     Black Mask 

Roman Sionis | Black Mask I

Tropes:

  • All the Other Reindeer: Like Cobblepot, Sionis is viewed as a embarrassment to Gotham's upper-class, but unlike Cobblepot, Word of God states he doesn't really care.
  • Blue Blood: Though his general sadism and criminal activities made him an outcast amongst Gotham's elite families, the Sionis bloodline used to be relatively well-respected in Gotham.
  • The Ghost: Has only been alluded to so far, and neither himself nor his son have appeared.
  • Malevolent Masked Man: An unrepentant criminal named after the mask he wears.
  • Mob War: those good old days reveals that he died in a gang war between himself and Penguin.
  • Super Mob Boss: He occasionally hires supervillains for his schemes and has dipped into advanced technology such as AMAZO androids. Alongside the Penguin, he's the last proponent of organized crime in Gotham since the downfalls of Carmine Falcone and Sal Maroni.
  • Villainous Legacy: Black Mask was later succeeded by his son after his death, who murdered Oswald Cobblepot, one of the last of the original Gotham Rogues, to take over Gotham's gangs. Said son also murdered Selina Kyle, forcing Jason to take in her daughter Helena, paving the way for her to become the sixth Robin and the second Huntress.

    The Court of Owls 

The Court of Owls

Tropes

  • Ancient Conspiracy: They've secretly ruled Gotham from the shadows for close to four hundred years.
  • Arch-Enemy: To Dick Grayson. They wanted to brainwash him into a Talon and killed two affiliates of the Bat-Family — Kate Kane and Renee Montoya — so he dedicated most of his tenure as Batman to their downfall. It's also later revealed that they arranged the murders of his parents with the intent to make him their newest Talon. It's fully cemented when it's reveal that Dick is the last descendant of their original ruling family. It's suggested that one of the reasons why the Vanaver-lead Court was so obsessed with Dick was so they could have the last Crowne under their thumb as Talon, debasing his status and preventing any of their enemies from trying to supplant them using him as a Puppet King.
  • Aristocrats Are Evil: They fancy themselves Gotham's rulers and practice corruption and slavery.
  • Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work:
    • They killed Cluemaster in the previous timeline to silence him from revealing their existence.
    • In the Bludhaven arc in the sequel, their Talons, under the direction of Raptor, murder Blockbuster and all the major figures of his organization (including corrupt city officials and dirty cops). This is later deconstructed, because they mostly left the lower gangs and the grunts alone, which is posed to plunge Bludhaven into a massive Mob War.
  • Decadent Court: Even by the standards of Gotham, they're a deadly variant. Their history, as illustrated by Jason, shows many hallmarks of court intrigue, including backdoor deals and backstabbing.
  • Enemy Civil War:
    • Near the end of the Bludhaven arc, half the Court (including the current Grandmaster Samantha Vanaver) is slaughtered while the other half are revealed to have fled Gotham over the course of the past three months. The Bats quickly realize that this isn't a coincidence, and that the half that have fled have performed a coup.
    • The following chapter reveal this isn't the first time this has happened. Over a century ago, the Vanavers supplanted the original founding family of the Court by killing the last one to officially bear their name: Burton Crowne.
  • Greater-Scope Villain: To Gotham. Basically, most of the city's corruption stems from them, and the biggest development during Dick's tenure as Batman was finally removing them from the board. Once they were gone, the Bats were able to finally make a real dent in Gotham's crime rate.
  • Villain Takes an Interest: Jason refuses to let them approach his brother Dick, fearing they will seize the first opportunity to abduct him and mold him into a Talon.

    SPOILER 

Future Tim Drake | Robin III | Red Robin | (Alternate) Batman III

An alternate version of Tim Drake that appeared in the original timeline to antagonize the original Bat-Family. He came from a Bad Future where the supervillain Blight suffered Power Incontinence and ended up destroying half of Gotham, killing thousands. This lead to the indirect death of Dick Grayson, who was killed trying to contain the aftermath. Tim, who had advocated killing Blight before this could happen only for the solution to be rejected by his family, promptly went insane, murdered Damian for the Batman mantle and then murdered the rest of the Bat-Family for opposing him. After the Justice League started hunting him down, Tim went back in time to implement his plan of using Brother EYE to brainwash the world into becoming a crime-free utopia.

Tropes:

  • Arch-Enemy: To Dick Grayson. This Tim never forgave Dick for taking Robin away from him and giving it to Damian, and let it fester until it turned him into a monster.
  • Beyond Redemption: He slaughtered his own family, and went back in time to both Take Over the World and to murder the one member of his family he didn't kill (because said family member died before he could). The last straw, however, is when he uses the gun that murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne to try and murder Dick — after that, even Dick recognizes that he can't be saved.
  • Cain and Abel: To the entire Bat-Family, but particularly to Dick and Damian.
  • Disproportionate Retribution:
    • Lampshaded by Jason. Normally, when preventing a Bad Future you would go after the villains that directly caused that bad future. While Future Tim did plan to do that, he also went directly after the past versions of his family and tried to murder them for no other reason than because their future counterparts disagreed with him on a plan and then opposed him after he went murderously insane.
    Jason: So you come back in time to murder us just for disagreeing with you? What the hell, Tim?
    • The source of his resentment in general. In the end, this Tim did everything he did because he never got over Dick taking Robin away from him and giving it to Damian. While what Dick did was unnecessarily cruel, in the end it's no reason to do, well, anything Future Tim did.
  • Dying Curse: After his timeline is no longer rendered viable and he begins to disappear into nonexistence, he tells the Original Bat-Family that he hopes they die choking on their own blood.
  • Eviler than Thou: To Jason (during his villain days), as lampshaded by Dick. At least Jason never tried to take over the world, or even thought of trying to take over the world.
  • The Extremist Was Right: Claims he was this. Whether or not he was correct is actually unclear, due to his Unreliable Narrator status. Original Tim implies that he was, though it's doubtful even he knows the full story considering his information came from Future Tim's rants.
  • Fallen Hero: Once the kind and genuinely heroic Tim Drake, now a paranoid, self-obsessed madman.
  • Foil: To Jason. They were both younger brothers of Dick Grayson who eventually succeeded him as Batman in the wake of his tragic death. However, that's where the similarities end. There are great many differences between them, but how their lives ended illustrates things well enough: Jason, despite his past crimes, eventually became a well-respected and well-beloved superhero, and when he died, it was in his sleep, surrounded by many loved ones. Tim started out as a well-beloved hero, only to destroy his reputation in his madness, culminating in him being hunted down by his Justice League, and ultimately died by ceasing to exist after his timeline was rendered unviable, surrounded by people he came to hate and cursing them with his last breaths. In short, Future Tim is everything Jason could've become if he hadn't managed to let go of his bitterness against his family and moved on with his life.
  • Future Me Scares Me: The Ur-Example of the story. He's basically the reason why Tim never became Batman. The entire incident was so traumatic to Tim that in the immediate aftermath he asked Dick to take him out of the succession. Dick refused, on the basis that they needed as many potential successors as possible, but in the end it still provided the fodder Tim needed to refuse the mantle when Jason tried to foist it on him.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Towards Damian, for supposedly 'supplanting' his place in the Family.
  • It's All About Me: His defining trait. He slants every slight (unintended or not) as an attack against him, and insists that he, and only he, knows best.
  • It's Personal: Whereas he dumps the rest of the Bat-Family into situations of lethal danger, he sends his younger self to murder Damian while he duels and tries to murder Dick, specifically because he held the two of them responsible for pushing him out of the family by taking Robin away from him.
  • More than Mind Control: This was how he controlled Original Tim — by using Brother EYE to subtly influence his actions to benefit his plans. He never took complete control of Tim's mind until he sent him to kill Damian.
  • Sanity Slippage: It quickly becomes obvious that this Tim Drake has got more than a few screws loose.
  • Selective Obliviousness: He calls Jason a hypocrite for opposing his plan to kill Blight due to Jason's own past as a killer. He completely ignores the fact that Jason has every reason to want to avoid killing again; all his previous kills were criminals who (sans Ra's al Ghul and the Joker) were nowhere near the threat level Blight was, and who Jason fully admits he should've never killed. Combined with the fact that the death of the last person Jason killed indirectly led to the death of their adoptive father, it's no wonder Jason wouldn't want to kill again unless it was literally the only option left.
  • Set Right What Once Went Wrong: His ultimate goal. Unfortunately, his methods involve mass brainwashing and murder.
  • Underestimating Badassery: How he's ultimately defeated. He's so intent on having his 'poetic justice' against Dick that he completely underestimates the other members of the Bat-Family. Damian managed to defeat the brainwashed Original Tim, who then proceeds to undo his plan entirely by freeing Barbara's systems of Brother EYE and then rescuing and sending Stephanie and Duke to relieve Jason and Cass, allowing them to escape and aid Dick. Finally, Original Tim manages to figure out that he used the Red-Computer as the origin point for his program, and uses the in-built self-destruct to wipe the drive entirely, stopping the spread of the virus.
  • Unreliable Narrator: During his Motive Rant, he slants everything his family ever did after Dick took Robin away from him as some kind of slight against him. Many readers note that while everything he says is technically true, he's deliberately ignoring or twisting much of the context those actions were taken in. It makes his rant about the Bad Future itself suspect, because it's entirely possible he's omitting something about that situation as well.
  • Villainous Breakdown: After his younger self turns on him and foils his plan.
  • Villainous Legacy: He's basically the reason why Jason became Batman. While Dick may have named Jason as his successor in his will and Jason was ahead of him in the line of succession, basically everyone, including Jason himself, fully expected Tim to be Dick's successor. But the entire incident with Future Tim was so traumatic to the Original Tim that he swore off ever becoming Batman, and Jason ultimately didn't have the heart to force the position on him. It's implied that he's also why Jason is much more supportive of Current Tim than he was of Original Tim.
  • You Kill It, You Bought It: He became Batman by murdering Damian, the only other potential successor in his timeline.

Dakota City

    Ebon 

Ivan Evans | Ebon

Tropes:

  • Arch-Enemy: To Static, being his most dangerous and consistent enemy ever since Static debuted.
  • Cain and Abel: With his brother Adam, aka Rubberband Man. He's perfectly willing to kill the latter, since Adam chose to be a hero rather than side with his villainous brother.
  • If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten!: Bruno Mannheim orders him to kill his brother Adam, AKA Rubberband Man, before he can join Bruno's master. Ebon ultimately chooses to do so, since Adam has chosen to ignore their blood ties and work with the heroes instead. Fortunately, the person he stabs is actually a Body Double with a Healing Factor.
  • Oh, Crap!: He's stunned to find that instead of killing Adam like he intended, he actually stabbed a shapeshifted M'gann.

    Hotstreak 

Francis Stone | Hotstreak

Tropes:

  • Arch-Enemy: Tied with Ebon for Static's most persistent enemy. He also has a more personal connection to Static, having been the bully to his civilian identity before he became a criminal.

    Control 

Madelyn Spaulding | Control

Tropes:

Other Villains

    Vandal Savage 

Vandal Savage

Tropes:

  • And I Must Scream: He was sealed within a pocket dimension within the Phantom Zone, isolating him from even the other prisoners. For 30,000 years. No wonder he went insane.
  • Big Bad: Of the superhero game, and of the series as a whole. He was the one responsible for sending the Era 2 Justice League Council to another universe after their respective deaths.
  • Evil Is Petty: Lampshaded by Jason. He somehow managed to gather enough magical energy to not only clone the universe but also rewind its timeline and alter it. Why did he do all that? To get revenge on the Era 2 JL for sealing him into the Phantom Zone. With that amount of energy, he could literally do anything.
  • Greater-Scope Villain: For one day at a time. As the one responsible for sending Jason and the others to the new universe, he's indirectly the cause of all the events that occurred in the first story.
  • Noodle Incident: The incident that caused him to be sealed into the Phantom Zone. Whatever happened, it was enough to disturb the entire superhero community.
    Multiple People: I didn't even know the human body could twist so many ways.
  • Sadist: He brainwashed the Era 2 JL and transformed them into their primes for the sole purpose of forcing them to murder their respective families. Considering that most of the trauma the Era 2 JL went through was related to losing those people in the previous timeline, that is especially cruel.

    Deathstroke 

Slade Wilson | Deathstroke "The Terminator"

Tropes

  • Abusive Parents: He infamously pumped his daughter full of drugs to ensure her compliance, and stuck a bit of Kryptonite into her empty eye socket. He is such a bad father that Jason calls him out on it twice, with his "Reason You Suck" Speech directed at Rose being more focused on just how awful a parent Slade is to her than anything else, up to almost causing her to contract cancer in the other timeline thanks to the aforementioned Kryptonite. The sequel reveals that Rose ditched him over this.
  • Arch-Enemy: He already was this to Nightwing, but it's worsened here by Deathstroke going after Dick's younger brother — the same younger brother who died and only recently settled back with the family. While their rivalry is more professional than most, the two still tend to go directly after each other every time they're in the same fight.
  • Destroy the Villain's Weapon: Jason, with his flaming sword, cuts off the blade of Slade's sword, leaving it a hilt with some melted steel attached.
  • It's Personal: He finally gets personal with Jason after the latter caused Rose to ditch him (something Jason doesn't regret in the least). Unfortunately, by that point Jason has been aged to his prime and has his old suit and weapons back, allowing him to easily curb-stomp Slade.
  • Nothing Personal: His behavior towards Jason when targeting him, and when he's fighting the Bats later — to Deathstroke, that's only business. He's more amused than anything by their hostility.
  • Oh, Crap!: Has a Jaw Drop after Jason destroys his sword.
  • Parental Betrayal: The original Deathstroke murdered Rose's boyfriend for a job. Rose already hated him for everything detailed in Abusive Parents above, and this final act is what pushed her into finally killing him.
  • Prestige Peril: Deathstroke is the mercenary, and everyone knows it. By everyone, it means the Justice League and every law enforcement agency on the planet, so hiring him means someone is either completely sure they can't be tracked back to him or is dangerous enough on their own for it not to matter if they are.
  • Villain Takes an Interest: When Jason revealed himself to be much more skilled than Deathstroke anticipated, Slade looked to be very appreciative. Jason, who is perfectly aware of what happens to kids that pique Slade's interest, does not reciprocate said interest in the least.
  • The Worf Effect: Ruthlessly and unceremoniously curb-stomped to show how much more dangerous Batman Jason is.
  • Would Hurt a Child: He feels no qualms abusing his blood children and students while accepting contracts for killing minors, so yes.

    Ravager 

Rose Wilson | Ravager

Tropes

  • Butt-Monkey: Nothing ever goes right for Rose.
  • Daddy's Little Villain: She's completely devoted to being her father's henchwoman, though it is made clear that her Ax-Crazy behavior is not voluntary.
  • Freudian Excuse: Slade's abuse and secret drugging of her with a Psycho Serum, is the reason for her Ax-Crazy behaviour. It also eventually contributed to her committing Patricide after he killed her boyfriend for a job.
  • Lady Swears-a-Lot: Rose's vocabulary isn't the cleanest.
  • Patricide: The original Rose decapitated her father and dumped his body off a waterfall after he murdered her boyfriend for a job.
  • Running Gag: Every time she gets into a fight, expect her to get her ass kicked in a quick, humiliating fashion.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The sequel reveals that she ditched her father after learning about Slade's abuse of her in both timelines.
  • Unknown Rival: To Jason. Jason is actually completely aware of who she is, but compared to her original self, this Rose is absolutely no threat to him at all, so he never really acknowledges her like he does her dad.
  • The Worf Effect:
    • During their fight in Bludhaven Jason takes her out in less than a minute once he bothers to fight back and it's blatantly clear he could've done that at any point. The only reason he stretched it out so long is because he wanted to avoid fighting her father as much as he could.
    • When they meet each other again during Stephanie's rescue, Jason completely ignores her for Merlyn and leaves her to Cass, who promptly kicks her ass.

    Merlyn 

Malcolm Merlyn / "Arthur King" | Merlyn

Tropes

  • Arch-Enemy: To Green Arrow, though their rivalry isn't nearly as bitter as the many other examples on this page.
  • Consummate Professional: Is a professional hit-man, and like Deathstroke he doesn't allow his targets to become personal.
  • Neutrality Backlash: The original Merlyn chose to stay neutral in the League Civil War. Mara al Ghul promptly hunted him down and killed him because she didn't want someone with such uncertain loyalties in the League.
  • Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Jason mentions Merlyn is more likely to fight with the Arrows so didn't expect to fight him in Gotham. That being said, he's also a well-known member of the League of Assassins, and the League typically tangles with the Bats.

    Dark Angel 

Donna Troy of Earth-7 | Dark Angel

Tropes

  • Arc Villain: Of Donna's introduction arc in the second story.
  • Arch-Enemy: Of her Alternate Self, the main Donna Troy.
  • Fusion Dance: How she's ultimately defeated — Donna forcibly fuses her back into her soul and subsumes her powers.
  • Kick the Dog: She planned to take away Jason's memories of his relationship with Donna in the previous timeline, framing at as a merciful act since he would never reunite with his Donna.
  • Sadist: Oh, very much. She removed all traces of Donna's existence from the timeline for no other reason but to drive her enemy insane before she killed her.

    Raptor 

Richard ??? | Raptor

Tropes:

  • Arch-Enemy: To Dick Grayson. Raptor hates the fact that Dick has been taught to follow Bruce's ideals, while Dick is disgusted by Raptor's obsession with his deceased mother.
  • Just Like Robin Hood: He prides himself as a champion of the poor and impoverished, like Green Arrow. Unlike Green Arrow, he's very much The Unfettered and has no issues instigating a Mob War to wipe Bludhaven off the map, viewing the city as unsalvageable.
  • Stalker with a Crush: For Mary Grayson, Dick Grayson's mother.
  • Stalker without a Crush: After Mary died, he became obsessed with Dick, who is the last living piece of her. He intends to take Dick under his wing and teach him to be Just Like Robin Hood, like Raptor and Mary were in their youth — or, failing that, kill him.
  • The Unfettered: He shares the same goal of taking down the Court, like the Bats, but unlike them is willing to go to any length to get rid of them.

    Larfleeze 

Larfleeze | Agent Orange

Tropes:

  • Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: He killed Mongul II when the latter tried to make him an ally or slave.
  • Person of Mass Destruction: As the sole Orange Lantern, he's one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Kyle outright confirms he's destroyed at least one planet, and his cave home on Okaara is filled with the remains of those who have gotten on his bad side.
  • Wild Card: Because his only interest is satiating his immense greed and keeping what he considers his from others, he's fairly unpredictable. That's one of the reasons Kyle justifies seeking him out — someone as dangerous as him can't go unmonitored any longer, not with all the dangerous threats the superheroes are going to be rocked with in the next couple of years.

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