Court of Owls

The Court of Owls is a fictional secret society who serve as recurring antagonists featured in comic books published by DC Comics. They are part of the "New 52" era of DC's publishing continuity and are associated with the Batman line of comic titles. They first appeared in Batman, Volume 2 #2 in December, 2011. The Court of Owls were prominent in the first major storyline from the series, which took place in issues #1-7. A sequel story, "Night of the Owls", was published in issues #8-9, as well as had tie-in issues throughout the other related titles released that year. The Court of Owls also appeared in season three of the FOX Network television series Gotham. They first appeared in the form of the group's leader, Kathryn in the season premiere, "Better to Reign in Hell", which is part of the "Mad City" storyline.

Overview
The Court of Owls is an ancient conspiracy that has controlled Gotham City for centuries. They are a violent cabal who use architecture and murder to wield political influence throughout history. Their legend is told only through whispers and a nursery rhyme that bears their name. To carry out their interests, they employ a breed of highly-trained assassins known as Talons. The leaders of the organization appear to be human and wear owl masks on their faces. The rest of the court, on the other hand, are mutated and appear to actually be human/owl hybrids. Their owl-like distorted faces, long claws, and their eating style prove this.

Gotham
The Court of Owls is a secret society that operated out of Gotham City. Its hierarchy consisted of the oldest existing families in Gotham, and has been secretly manipulating events as high stakes puppet masters for centuries. In the modern era, the Court of Owls was led by a woman named Kathryn. The Court of Owls were responsible for the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne.

Kathryn blackmailed young Bruce Wayne into signing over control of Wayne Enterprises to her in order to keep Alfred Pennyworth safe. She also imposed a gag order on him, forcing him to cease investigation of his parents' murder.

Another member of the group was Frank Gordon, who was the uncle of GCPD detective James Gordon. Frank was responsible for covering up the murder of Jim's father, which was perpetuate by the Court of Owls. Wracked with guilt, Frank eventually betrayed the Court, and advised Jim Gordon on how to combat them. He paid for this effrontery with his life.

The Court of Owls decreed that Gotham was in need of a cleansing, so they planned to use a bomb filled with the Tetch Virus that would drive everyone insane. One of Kathryn's agents was former police captain Nathaniel Barnes, who was already driven violently insane by the virus. Kathryn's plan was to use Bruce Wayne to detonate the bomb. Although she succeeded in having one of her agents brainwash Bruce Wayne into activating the weapon, the blast only affected a percentage of people. During the course of events, Jim Gordon waged war against the Court, taking down several of Kathryn's assassins.

Kathryn was arrested, but while at Gotham City Police Headquarters, she encountered Nathaniel Barnes, and referred to his violent crusade of justice as "nonsense". Barnes was infuriated and cut Kathryn's head off with a large blade. With Kathryn's death, the Court of Owls came to an end.

DC Universe

 * Alexander Staunton
 * Alton Carver
 * Calvin Rose
 * Ephram Newhouse
 * Henry Ballard
 * Lincoln March
 * Mary Turner
 * Sebastian Clark
 * Uriah Boone
 * William Cobb

Gotham

 * Bruce Wayne - Brainwashed associate
 * Bruce Wayne clone
 * Frank Gordon - Former member; defector
 * Hugo Strange - Associate
 * James Gordon - Undercover initiate
 * Nathaniel Barnes - Associate
 * Kathryn - Leader
 * The Shaman - Associate; possibly a member

Notes & Trivia

 * The Court of Owls made a behind-the-scenes appearance and were referenced in Batman, Volume 2 #1, but they did not make their first full appearance until issue #2.


 * The Court of Owls also appeared in the 2015 direct-to-video animated movie Batman vs. Robin. Characters of note who appeared in this film include Samantha Vanaver, the Headmaster, a lieutenant, and Talon.
 * The Court of Owls were referenced in the 2013 video game Batman: Arkham Origins.


 * Actors Andrew Haserlat and Jeff Williams both played unnamed court members on Gotham.