Batman: Arkham - Everything You Need To Know About The Court Of Owls

10. They Were Introduced During The New 52

Batman court of owls
DC Comics

Scott Snyder was handed the keys to the main Batman comic off the back of a highly successful stint on Detective Comics in 2011, and quickly made a mark on the character. Snyder's Batman, brought to life by artist Greg Capullo, was drenched in horror and became a true light in the dark, fighting against some of the most disturbing and sinister forces in Gotham City.

This was all realised during the duo's first arc on the series, which introduced the Court of Owls. Playing to themes Snyder established in The Black Mirror and Gates of Gotham, the Court were another secretive organisation that had existed in Gotham City for hundreds of years, operating in the shadows to influence the public and consolidate their own position in Gotham's society - at any cost.

They boast their own army of assassins, called Talons, and even have their own nursery rhyme for added (creepy) effect:

"Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed. Speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head."

Regardless of the lore and backstory, fans will probably find it curious why it took them so long to get Batman's attention. The answer is fairly simple - because they wanted to.

The Court target Wayne after he decides to implement new developments and programs to transform Gotham for the better, as it threatened their own position. Could a similar plot line inspire their involvement in the next Batman game? Only time will tell.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.