"The Dark Detectives"
The story begins in the city of Bludhaven. Watching over Bludhaven is the vigilante Nightwing, who we see chase after a gang of taggers. Nightwing finds someone has already caught them and torn them to shreds. From the rooftops above, Nightwing sees a pointy-eared figure, draped in a black cloak. Batman has killed in his city.
Gotham's Mayor (Adam West) holds a banquet to celebrate The GCPD's successful year of crime fighting. Attending the banquet is Commissioner Jim Gordon and his daughter Barbara Gordon, Billionaire Bruce Wayne and his assistant Tim Drake, Humanitarian Kathy Kale and Arkham Asylum's head psychiatrist Hugo Strange. A ridiculous criminal named Killer Moth attacks the banquet with his henchmen and Bruce and Tim suit up and fight as Batman and Robin, but Killer Moth escapes with some jewelry. Killer Moth is chased by Nightwing who's also snuck into the banquet, but it's Professor Kirk Langstrom who is able to distract Killer Moth long enough for Nightwing to catch him. As Killer Moth is arrested, Nightwing runs off before Batman can catch up with him and Batman talks with Hugo Strange. As is turns out, after the events of "The Dynamic Duo" Hugo has been holding therapy sessions with Kirk and helping him kick is obsession with gene splicing.
Barbara Gordon is alone in her apartment when Nightwing appears in the window. Knowing he is Dick Grayson (the first Robin), Babs lets him inside. Before their conversation can go anywhere, Batman appears from the darkness of the room. While he is upset because Babs kept Batman hidden in the room, Grayson puts aside any resentment and tells Batman of an impostor killing criminals in Bludhaven. Robin is in the room too and is aching to ask Nightwing questions, keep in mind it's because of Dick Grayson that Tim found out who Batman was years ago and that he idolizes Dick Grayson. Nightwing hands Batman a vile of powder found on the murder scene and confirms that it's The Scarecrow's fear toxin. Nightwing leaves to do his own investigation, but Robin tags along and Babs activates her "Oracle Program", a computer that allows her to communicate with fellow heroes and help them from a afar.
Batman enters Arkham Asylum, he also walks by The Joker's empty cell and recalls how The Joker died in a helicopter crash after Jason Todd's death. Jonathan Crane was once a psychiatrist who used fear-enducing drugs on his patients to learn more about fear, a move that drove him into becoming a criminal. Scarecrow tells Batman that with him locked up, his many "Barn Houses" around Gotham could be open to anyone, but he also helps Batman come up with a remedy to this new fear toxin in exchange for his mask back. As he leaves, Batman thinks he hears The Joker whisper "Enjoy the Asylum".
Robin is pestering Nightwing with questions about villains he's fought and what growing up with Batman was like and what he did in Bludhaven. Nightwing finally shuts him up when Robin asks why Nightwing quit being Robin and Nightwing explains that Batman never told him Barbara was Batgirl back when Grayson was dating Barbara. When he found out he felt betrayed and moved to Bludhaven for a while, but after Barbara was shot by The Joker, Grayson was motivated to become a crime fighter again and thus Nightwing was born. Nightwing and Robin get word from Babs/Oracle that another Batman sighting was reported outside of a dance club. When they arrive, police surround the club and many deaths have occurred. Oracle is able to use sonar devices on Robin's belt to locate this fake. When they find this fake Batman, they discover a pale man wearing a Batman costume, but the costume is torn up and has no eye holes. The fake Batman fights the boys and sprays fear toxin from his belt, knocking them out.
Nightwing and Robin wake up in the Batcave, they deduce with Batman that this faker may be killing criminals, but is not attacking heroes. Alfred shows Grayson that his bedroom is still kept tidy while Batman and Tim talk about Grayson. They theorize that this fake may also be using Langstrom's strength formula. Bruce Wayne visits Langstrom the next morning at his labs, but enters to find the fake Batman attacking Hugo Strange. The fake runs off and Bruce runs to the roof, suits up in a less-functional Batsuit and follows the fake. It turns out Strange was faking his injuries and gets proof from his camera droid that Wayne is Batman. During Batman's fight with the fake he pulls off the fake's mask and it is actually Langstrom's former science partner and wife, Francine. A sonic signal produced by the camera drone activates a sound-triggered device in Fran's head and she dies in Batman's arms. Batman is also stunned by the sonic wave and passes out.
Oracle discovers all of the fake Batman's murders have been uploaded online, additionally the image of Batman standing over the deceased Fran has been sent to Kirk. Strange calls Kirk and it's here we learn Strange has been fooling Kirk into believing he is meant to be the new Batman, to seek redemption for his actions and revenge for his wife. While Kirk didn't know his wife was the fake Batman, he was providing strength drugs and altered fear toxin to Strange's new Batman. Kirk injects himself with a new formula that transforms him into Man-Bat.
Nightwing and Robin go out to track Batman, but are unable to recruit the GCPD's help as they are under heavy flack for the fake Batman's crimes. Batman wakes up without his mask, being diagnosed by Hugo Strange. We learn Batman has been Strange's obsession since he first appeared in Gotham, that the addition of children and involvement with the League has soiled what Batman was, but also added a new level of interest to him. Strange then shows devices set up all around Gotham that will release strength drugs & fear toxin to the populous.
Overhearing through Batman's coms, Oracle sends Robin, Nightwing and a masked girl to defuse the devices. Meanwhile, Man-Bat appears in Strange's lab and kills Hugo Strange for using Fran. He then plans on killing Batman/Bruce, but Oracle activates the sonics in Batman's belt to hurt Man-Bat. Batman escapes from his straps and fights Man-Bat. Nightwing and Robin come to his aid, they fight Man-Bat in the skies above while Batman summons his traditional suit via Batmobile.
The ensuing battle sees Robin being saved by Nightwing and the two being led by Oracle through the city, trying to get Man-Bat in a closed area. Once they get him inside an old church, Oracle sends samples of Langstrom's Man-Bat formula to Robin so they can work on a cure, the Batmobile provides the needed chemicals. Batman reappears with electrocuted gloves to fight Man-Bat and when they break through the ceiling and onto the roof, Nightwing swiftly follows and delivers the cure to Batman.
Once the cure sets in on Kirk, his body begins to give out from all the stress the formula put on him. As Kirk begins to die, he reveals the location where he and Strange first developed their plans. Oracle tracks down the location via computer and triggers a fire inside by overloading an electrical wire. She also links the camera drones back to Strange's bank account and uses that evidence to clear Batman's name of Hugo's instrumented murders. Bruce and Tim attend Kirk's funeral, as Grayson shares a romantic moment with Barbara. The story reaches Scarecrow, Kathy Kale and Clark Kent. Grayson and Bruce have a hardy handshake and Bruce reminds Grayson that he is sorry for the years before and will always regard him as his son. Grayson makes a mention of "The Titans" to Tim and rides off. In the Batcave, Alfred is cleaning up after the bats inside the cave. He spots a large brown bat and names it Kirk. After the credits, the masked girl returns to Oracle, who regards her undercover work in Gotham has been spotless. As reward to her secret student, Barbara Gordon gives the girl a new Batgirl costume, "Cassandra Cain, you are now Gotham's Batgirl".
Thanks for reading!
The legend of the Amazon continues with "Wonder Woman III".
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