10 Times The Past Came Back To Haunt Batman
9. The Court Of Owls - Batman #2-11
The Court of Owls is a clandestine cabal who've controlled Gotham from the shadows for centuries. If a person interferes with the Court's plans, they send an assassin called The Talon to eliminate him or her. The Court may be perceived as a spook story but Bruce Wayne assumed they played a hand in his parents' murder when he was a child.
When Bruce indirectly jeopardised The Court's plans to restructure Gotham 20 years later, they sent The Talon to kill him. Narrowly escaping with his life, Bruce researched The Court and discovered they are directly connected to his family and his adopted son, Dick Grayson. The Court had murdered several Waynes and intended to turn Dick Grayson into a Talon after his parents died.
Just to torment Bruce even further, one of The Talons assigned to kill Bruce claimed to be long-lost brother, Thomas.
Upon investigation, Bruce discovered his mother, Martha, was pregnant when he was three years old. Despite the fact a hospital report confirmed Thomas Wayne Jr. passed away one day after he was born, Bruce believes this could be falsified and The Talon really was his sibling.