History ComicBook / BatmanEternal

* OffingTheOffspring: Cluemaster's first real act of note in the New 52 is to try and execute his unfortunate daughter with a HandCannon. Of course she escapes to play [[IncrediblyLamePun spoiler]] on his plans.

* AbsoluteCleavage: Catwoman combines this with a gender flipped ManOfWealthAndTaste look as the kingpin of Gotham crime.

* MythologyGag: In previous iterations of the character, Jason Bard has a knee injury, and was a love interest to Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. In ''Eternal'', he receives his injury at the hands of [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge a very angry Batgirl]] while trying to keep him from dying.

** During a Dr. Darrk induced hallucination, Bruce sees Terry [=McGinnis=] and Damien as Batman when Ra's speculates who might be Batman should he die. The Batman from Comics/KingdomCome and Comics/BatmanYear100 also appear.
* NervesOfSteel: Batman. For an example:

** During a Dr. Darrk induced hallucination, Bruce sees Terry [=McGinnis=] and Damien as Batman when Ra's speculates who might be Batman should he die.

''Batman Eternal'' is a weekly comic-book series running from 2014 to 2015 in the ComicBook/{{New 52}}, focusing on [[Franchise/{{Batman}} the eponymous Caped Crusader]], [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters his supporting cast]] and his RoguesGallery. Released to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Batman, the series plot was developed by popular writer Creator/ScottSnyder one of his proteges, James Tynion IV, with a cadre of other creators conrtibuting to individual issues Tynion IV, Ray Fawkes, Kyle Higgins, John Layman and Tim Seeley. Not to mention a veritable army of pencillers, inkers, colorists and letterers added to the fray.

* BedlamHouse: Arkham, [[SarcasmMode just for a change]]. But this time around, it's somehow managed to get even [[UpToEleven creepier]], with Professor Milo in charge, patients being dragged out of their cells, and the insane cult in the basement. Oh, and the Joker's Daughter running around.

* BodyHorror: Does not begin to describe what Batwing and Corrigan find underneath Arkham. But special note goes to the weird stuff in the air Batwing identifies as being ''[[{{Squick}} human spinal fluid]]''.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: While it already happened in the reboot thanks to ExecutiveMeddling, Cassandra Cain's lack of presence in the Bat-books becomes far more blatant by issue 20-21 when the Architect from ''Gates Of Gotham'' makes his return. Given Cass's role in the story (especially at the time[[note]]since the confusion from miscommunication between most of the Bat-Books' writers and Grant Morrison for Cass's role as Black Bat in ''Incorporated'' was supposed to come first, but was delayed, to the point that Cass's role in GOG was the most people had seen of her since her RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap but controversial mini several years prior[[/note]]), it raises the question of what happened if she wasn't there. Of course, Batman is the one who reacts with shock upon seeing him, despite not even being a player in the story, so exactly what happened is a mystery.

* ConflictBall: Stephanie trying to convince [[spoiler: Harper that Bruce Wayne is the one responsible for everything]] is this, and looks ready to stretch into ArcFatigue if it doesn't resolve itself. While its not been particularly long so far, it ''is'' frustrating to see the same scene played out twice, considering that it could easily be resolved by Harper just [[spoiler: pointing out that Bruce Wayne has recently lost everything and so couldn't be responsible for what's going on.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: [[spoiler:Hush]]'s obsession with Bruce Wayne has gone UpToEleven, as seen in the flashbacks of Issue 26.

* EvilPlan: Someone manipulates Gordon, a henchman, and the subway trains under Gotham to make it appear that Gordon [[MoralEventHorizon opened fire on an unarmed man, hit an electric box and somehow caused two trains to collide head-on.]] Gordon is then arrested and removed from being Commissioner of Police. [[spoiler:It's a minor villain who is responsible using tech derived from the Mad Hatter, but he's killed by a knife that links to Carmine Falcone, who states it was someone else pulling the strings. Bard is also working for Hush, who is working for the same person who got Falcone to return to Gotham.]]

* HowWeGotHere: The story opens on "The End", where Bruce is chained to a broken Bat-Signal with the bat-logo carved into his bare chest as the city burns around him and the BigBad[[spoiler:(Cluemaster)]] taunts him.

* WhamShot: While the character's return had been announced earlier, fans wary of any [[ExecutiveMeddling Smallville comic hijinks]] were thrilled with the last page of Batman #28: Stephanie Brown in a Spoiler costume, as the LivingMacGuffin Batman had assaulted the Egyptian to recover.

* NotSoDifferent: James Gordon Junior reappears to tell his father this.

* SigilSpam: It's confined largely to himself and his subordinates, but [[spoiler: Carmine "The Roman" Falcone]] seems to have adopted a red rose as his symbol. He wears it on his chest and his henchman have it tattooed on their heads. [[NotSoDifferent Ironically, this resembles the tactics of the "freaks" he's fighting.]]

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Forbes has one of these after it becomes apparent he's just a tool of the Roman. [[spoiler: It happens to Jason Bard ''even worse'' when the Gotham City police department watch him try to kill the Batman. ''No one'' wants to work with him anymore and it cripples the GCPD worse than under Forbes.]]

* InTheBlood: Rex Calabrese, and later [[spoiler:his daughter ''Selina'', are both crime bosses in Gotham.]]

* AndIMustScream: See "FateWorseThanDeath" below.

* FateWorseThanDeath: The villain got this. [[spoiler: Lincoln March is captured by Court of Owls and is being put into a coffin with cooling tech similar to one that sustained Talon in Batman's cave... this tech completely paralizes him, but he still can see, and hear, and think... and they joke that they may return to him, in a decade or so. Bonus points to horror: as a child, Lincoln was paralized and tormented to see world, while unable to move... and he is going back to this state, only in eternal darkness]].

* WeCanRuleTogether: Cluemaster tries this when he attempts to get Stephanie to stand down, saying they could have been "Cluemaster and The Pointer". Steph's response? To groan and point out that a Pointer is a dog. GettingCrapPastTheRadar, much?

* EvilVsEvil: The man behind Gordon's disgrace specifically mentions that he'll be targeting the Penguin as well as Batman. By issue #7 he's destroyed Penguin's casino and legacy.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Subverted. Jason Bard looks like he's going to become one of these for helping save the city but Vicky Vale makes it clear she's going to expose all of his crimes, including participating in destroying the city's infrastructure as well as framing the Batman as well as Wayne Enterprises for negligence. Bard agrees to collaborate everything she's saying, in effect dooming him to a very lengthy prison term.]]

* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: Really, all [[spoiler: Lincoln March]] had to do to see to it Batman was finally killed was hand out in the background a few more seconds and let [[spoiler: Cluemaster]] just finish him off. But no, he had to invoke TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou.

* BelligerentSexualTension: Since Catwoman's new role as a criminal kingpun seems to refute her and Batman's old school FoeRomanceSubtext and DatingCatwoman status quo, their relationship is more this and FriendlyEnemy; she refuses to take his crap about her new job and explicitly tells him "No more {{Double Entendre}}s" while [[RomanticizedAbuse choking him with her whip]], but helps him find Stephanie Brown.

* BelligerentSexualTension: Since Kingpin!Catwoman seems to refute her and Batman's old school FoeRomanceSubtext and DatingCatwoman status quo, their relationship is more this and FriendlyEnemy; she refuses to take his crap about her new job and explicitly tells him "No more {{Double Entendre}}s" while [[RomanticizedAbuse choking him with her whip]], but helps him find Stephanie Brown.

* CListFodder: ExploitedTrope. See TheDogWasTheMastermind and BeneathSuspicion.

* [[DarkerAndEdgier Darker And Crazier]]: [[spoiler:Hush]]'s obsession with Bruce Wayne has gone UpToEleven, as seen in the flashbacks of Issue 26.