The Knights of Tomorrow!

Batman, I'm in. Looks like you were right. Darkseid does indeed have designs on earth. Work quickly, question. There's not a creature on apokolips that would hesitate to kill you. Impossible. Their plan is far worse than we ever imagined. He's going to uhh! Batman, are you there? You may have discovered my father's plans, but that knowledge won't save your planet. Kalibak. Darkseid's demented progeny. I don't know who smells worse you or the dogs. The only stench you'll be smelling is your own as you cook over the fire pits of apokolips. There's no escape. Batman has sent you on a suicide mission. Batman sent me because I always get answers. There are fates worse than death awaiting you and the people of earth. Will you face them or fry? Good question. Once upon a time, Gotham city was a cesspool of crime and corruption Where gangsters and madmen ran afoul of the law and decent people lived in fear. That is until a force for justice appeared in the leather-winged guise of Batman. Eventually he saw the need for a partner in crime fighting, a squire who would help him in his caped crusade. Thus was born Robin. Together they served as an ever-vigilant reminder to the Gotham underworld that no criminal was safe as long as the dynamic duo was on the job. It came time for the Robin to leave the nest. And the dark knight again had to defend Gotham alone. The greatest threat to Gotham was the joker. The very antithesis of Batman. Who ultimately brought about his own demise. With his most fearsome foe vanquished, he was able to focus on more important matters. After all, even crime fighters need love. And so it came to be that the bat and the cat prowled the Gotham nights together. A hero realized, Batman had to be immortal, even though Bruce Wayne was not. But being true to form, he had a contingency plan. And so the mantle of Batman was passed and justice endured. Batman endured. But this story was far from over. Little Damian. Am I kidding myself hoping he'll never have to spend sleepless nights prowling rooftops and hunting criminals? But should the world still need a dark knight, I'll see to it that you're more than just a Batman by birthright. Even the dinosaurs don't get a museum this big. This is just Gotham's way of saying thanks. Without Batman, the world would be a much darker place. Who knows, someday you may end up in this museum, Damian. Heh. Intimidating much, dad? Could I finish junior high before you put a cape on me? If this museum shows me anything, it's that the world will always need a Batman. But what if I want to be a scientist? Crime fighting is a science. What about a race car driver? The Batmobile is the fastest car on the planet. Astronaut? The galaxy is just another neighborhood to patrol for a crime fighter. Isn't that what green lantern told you that time? Cut it out, dad. Don't map out my life for me, ok? Damian, why don't you go check out the hall of holyisms? It's corny, but it's kind of cool. He gets that attitude from you. But he has your heart, Bruce. You know how proud is he of you, of all of this. But he's young. He needs to figure things out for himself without us pushing him. Mom! Dad! Damian, over here. Since the old man bit the soft shoe off this mortal coil years ago, it's only fitting that I crash the party in his place. After all I am the joker's son. Daddy's sledgehammer in here? Heresy. The joker has a son? You mean someone had kids with that guy? Impossible. This is just a sick, shameless charlatan. I'm gonna make this city forget Batman if I have to conk every gullible Gotham-nite on the noggin one by one. Got quite an arm on you, Mr. Wayne. Think I'll use it to beat you to death with. - Brand-new joke, same old punch line. Dad! Funny. I was only supposed to trash the place, but looks like you're going to be the booby prize, old man. Hands off the merchandise. No spawn of a rodeo clown is going to squash my husband. I forgot how cute you are when you're threatening. This guy's crazy. What are we gonna do? Here, gives these a try. It'll be good practice. Dad, I told you, I'm not ready. I still look out! Just a gas grenade, Damian. You've got a whole 3 seconds to throw it back before it goes off. You think trashing a museum is going to ruin Batman's legacy? I won't let you do that. You and what army, old man? Actually, that army would be me. We haven't met, junior. I'm Batman. Well, now that the guest of honor has arrived, it's time to bring down the house. No! Guess it's true what they say. All comedy comes from tragedy. Till next time, Batman. Batman, hurry! We've got to save them. Damian, come on. No. And so calamity struck the Wayne family once again. And while Gotham was left without its most esteemed citizen and the world its bravest hero, it was a young boy who would bear the greatest loss. I've got a lead on where that monster's gonna strike next, Damian. If I had been the son they wanted me to be, maybe I could have done something. Maybe I could have saved them. Some things are just destined to happen. For some people, tragedy is inevitable. But tragedy made Bruce Wayne the man he was. It made me who I am. I don't know if I can live up to the Batman legacy, dick. I don't know if I want to. If I mess up, people get hurt. Your dad taught you everything you need to know to protect yourself and others. You just have to believe in yourself enough to use that knowledge. Remember, Damian, there's more to the Batman legacy than being Batman. I should know. Are you going to stop him? I'm going to make sure joker never hurts anyone again. Hey! Is that the joker? Laugh it up all you can, junior. Because you won't have anything to smile about when I put your butt in Arkham. Well, Batman, I was wondering when you'd show up. Shame about the Waynes, seeing as it was your building that fell on them and all. You've crossed the line, madman. Ooh. "Crossed the line"? I haven't even gotten warm yet. That's enough joker gas to blanket the city. We felt the best way to dishonor Batman would be to replace the citizen's memories of him with a smile. We? Batman, you look shocked to see me. Surprised to see me, Batman? Or should I say Nightwing? Oh, how'd I know? I'm crazy, not stupid, remember? But now that Bruce Wayne's gone, you'll have to do. You're supposed to be dead. How'd you oh, who cares? I've been blown up, dropped down smokestacks, fed to sharks. I'm the joker, I always survive. Only this time, the joke was on me. My doc recently gave me the bad news. Seems all those chemicals I've exposed myself to over the years finally took their toll. He gave me 6 months to live. I gave him 6 seconds. So you needed a son to do your dirty work. Him? A nobody with nothing to live for and nothing to lose. He gladly let me make him over in my image. Batman's not the only one with fans, you know. So you killed the Waynes in the name of destroying Batman's legacy. I figured the old man would just keep passing the torch down. And if I'm ever going to get the last laugh, I need to snuff it out. And tonight, it ends with you the last of the batmen. My life's work is coming to an end. Batman is an ideal, not a person. He can't die. We'll see about that. Good-bye, new Batman. Say hello to the real one when you see him. Guess you missed the announcement, joker. There's a new Robin in town, too. Well, aren't you precious? Damian. You were right. It's time I lived up to the legacy. So what do I do now? Keep them busy while I get to the gas. Hey, new meat. Get him. And they call me crazy. You think putting on a Robin costume makes you a hero. No, you're just a fake. I was born for this. Oh, look at them go. Reminds me of old times. You know, I tried training a lot of apprentices, but it's hard to find someone who can survive the rigors of being completely insane. Come on, I've had punch lines that hit harder than you. I am my father's son. Now it's getting good, don't you think, Batma you're not going anywhere. We all go down together. This is the finale. The show can't go on without Batman. Let's get out of here. Rule one, good super villains never leave the heroes alive, dummy. Rule 2, countdown clocks are for hacks. Let chaos reign! This can't be good. What happened? Well, your dad would say joker was hoisted by his own petard. Good job, kid. You think you're gonna stick with it? Yep. Gotham needs a Batman and Batman needs a Robin. Young Damian rose above great tragedy And proved that his father lived on through him. He accepted his place as heir to the cowl. Ready to pound some criminal scum, Robin? Holy hammers of justice, dad. I mean, Batman. Let's go get 'em. Up late writing another of your Detective stories, Alfred? A flight of fancy, sir. Catwoman is planning another feline-related felony. That explains why your Batsuit looks so nicely pressed. You know, she could make quite the Mrs. Wayne some day. The only rings I'm putting on her are the Batcuffs. Of course, sir.