That might sound pretty basic - that an 'Owl' organization would have henchmen called 'Talons' - but these aren't the type of inept minions employed by other Gotham City villains. The Court of Owls uses Talons to do its dirty workĪrt from Greg Capullo's cover to 2012's Batman #8 (Image credit: DC) But even when the Court is defeated, the organization always seems to survive secretly in Gotham to powerfully re-emerge another day.

They meet in hidden rooms planted throughout the city, and when they hold court, they wear ghoulish-looking, white owl masks over their faces.Īlthough the Court had been aware of Batman for years, the costumed crime-fighter was so insignificant to their immense power and influence that they didn't bother interacting with him.Īnd they were so adept at staying hidden that, even though young Bruce Wayne had heard about them, he couldn't prove their existence - until the Court finally decided to assassinate Bruce Wayne after he announced plans to revitalize the city.Įventually, Batman and the entire Bat-family ended up fighting against the Court of Owls.

The members of this Illuminati-like organization are from Gotham's wealthiest, most ancient, and most powerful families, and they've been controlling the crime in Gotham for centuries. There's even a creepy old nursery rhyme that children in Gotham City recite, describing the Court as all-seeing and all-knowing. But the Court of Owls takes that one step further - it is a super-secret crime organization that has existed since colonial times in Gotham City, woven into the framework of the city's institutions and buildings.

Batman noir the court of owls