Court of Owls
| Character Group | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Court of Owls |
| Type: | |
| Fandom: | Batman comics and adaptations; DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU); Gotham Knights (video game); Gotham Knights (TV series) |
| Members: | |
| Other: | |
| Related: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Court of Owls is a secret organization in Gotham City, comprising of some of the wealthiest and most corrupt citizens. In most source materials, the Court has existed since the city's founding and the Wayne family may have previously been members of the Court.
The Court of Owls is an urban legend in Gotham, that many citizens don't believe. The assassins of the Court are known as Talons.
Canon
Fandom
Reception and Fan Opinion
Some see the addition of the Court as a last-minute retcon that clashes with decades of established lore of a late-career Batman.
Having The Court of Owls be this secret enclave of powerful elites be the ones that have been behind Gotham's corruption from the start, completely strips away the weight of Gotham's problems. The city's corruption is no longer a result of its failed system but rather a cartoonish secret society. It undermines one of the most important part of the Batman's mythos: as long as there's Gotham, there'll be corruption, and we're not talking about artificial corruption created by a secret society, it has to be corruption and rot that rings true to the real world.
[...] The Court of Owls just further separates Gotham from one of the most important themes of Batman: the failure of Gotham's institutions. [1]
The CoO has been accused of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories. The Court of Owls has been described as a cabal; a term that is frequently employed as an antisemitic dog whistle. The CoO also kidnaps children to train as Talons, and some believe that this evokes the millenia old false blood libel accusation. [citation needed]
The allegations of antisemitism increased somewhat after the release of the 2022 Gotham Knights video game, in which Bruce's uncle Jacob Kane turns out to be the main antagonist behind the Court of Owls. In the comics, Jacob is the father of the matrilineally Jewish superheroine Batwoman, and many fans believe that Jacob himself likely may have Jewish heritage or that he converted to Judaism. Under the assumption that the GK game's version of Jacob is a Jewish man leading an evil secret society to corrupt Gotham City, some fans point to him as an antisemitic caricature.[citation needed]
Most fans believe that the CoO is more analogous to real examples of elitist and criminal factions, such as, secret societies in various cities around the world throughout history, human trafficking rings, and even crimes committed by the CIA (such as regime changes and MKUltra).
In 2018, the chairman of Poland's right-wing KORWiN party reposted uncredited BL fan art of the Flashpoint universe Father Jason Todd being sexily threatened by a bishounen Talon.[2]
Fanon and tropes
- Talons are emotionless drones - "idk where that idea and the idea that Talons are emotionless robotic beings came from either- like, in comics and animated renditions, it clearly shows them capable of their own thoughts, feelings, and personal agenda"[citation needed]
- Talons have inhuman appearance
- Golden eyes
- Blue veins
Talon!Dick Grayson
- Dick Grayson - What if Dick became a Talon as a child? What is the Court successfully kidnapped him now as an adult? Plot potential for whump, brainwashing, other angst.
This article or section needs expansion. |
Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fan fiction
- The Art of Bird MetaphorWBM by lowflyingfruit (2017) - Batman works alone. Everyone knows that. What Jason’s learning is that he also has a penchant for picking up strays. And while Jason’s just your common or garden Gotham street rat, Bruce’s other stray, Richard, is an ex-assassin for the Court of Owls. An ex-assassin for the Court of Owls who hates Jason’s guts. Adjusting to life in Wayne Manor was hard enough already.
Meta
- The Court of Owls and Talons by bluegarners, a summary of canon information about the Court and its Talons.
- Talon!Dick explainer by nightwingmyboi in response to an anon ask
- Untitled post examining the Court as the antagonists in Dick's story by bigskydreaming
- Anon Ask on Talons' Gold Eyes, reply by hood-ex
Fan art
Cosplay
External links
- Court of Owls on AO3
References
- ^ I hate the Court fo Owls and think it actively harms the Batman lore, a thread by a since deleted Reddit user at /r/batman
- ^ Archived tweet by @JkmMikke