Summaries

Synopsis

The film begins on a snowy winter night with the batmobile racing out of Gotham City. The driver's eyes narrow with determination as he puts the controls on full throttle. The batmobile drives up to an abandoned "Schott's Toy Factory" in the middle of nowhere. The driver steps out and it is revealed to be Damian Wayne, Batman/Bruce Wayne's son, the new Robin. Robin is ordered by Batman via telecommunication not to continue his journey to the factory fhat once belonged to Anton Schott, psychopath and kidnapper who mutilates children in a bizarre belief that making them like toys will make them indestructible. Against Batman's orders, Robin investigates the factory and finds many children locked in cages. He is then attacked by Anton Schott now wearing broken doll's face as a mask and calling himself, "The Dollmaker." Dollmaker's deformed children attack Robin until Batman arrives and puts all of them out with sleeping gas before releasing the ones in the cages. The Dollmaker flees but Robin hunts him down and beats him to the ground, repulsed by Dollmaker's crimes against humanity. He sets aside his ideals to kill Dollmaker by reminding himself aloud, "Justice, not Vengeance." Just then, Dollmaker rises to attack him but is killed when a warrior wearing owl-like armor kills Dollmaker by ripping his heart out from behind. Holding the still beating heart, the warrior says, "Don't doubt your instincts" before leaping back into the surrounding forest and vanishing. Batman arrives right after and sees the dead Dollmaker. He immediately accuses Robin of killing him to which Robin says he resisted the urge. Batman calms down and asks who actually perpetrated the act, to which Robin refuses to answer and leaves in a huff. Upon investigating the Dollmaker's corpse, Batman finds an owl feather planted on him.

After a brief opening title sequence, we are shown to Wayne Manor where Bruce is having a romantic dinner with his new girlfriend, the sultry rich woman, Samantha Vanover. He shows Samantha his digital map of Gotham for which he plans to enlarge and make Gotham a bigger, better city. Bruce and Samantha are about to kiss when they are interrupted by Damian who introduces himself to Samantha as Wayne's ward. After Samantha leaves, Bruce tries to bond with his son Damian, who is indignant at Bruce for 'keeping him a secret' by refusing to let him leave Wayne premises. Bruce and Damian watch the David Lean directed movie, "Great Expectations." However, when Bruce is not looking, Damian attempts to escape Wayne Manor; the security system surrounding the manor prevents him from leaving, electrocuting him when he tries to climb over the boundary gate.

Bruce arrives and confronts him about this to which Damian is immediately angry that he is being kept under surveillance. Later in the Batcave, Damian asks Bruce if he would have killed Dollmaker if Damian were one of Dollmaker's victims. Bruce replies by saying, "We need to be better than our baser instincts." Damian tries to connect with Bruce over their crime-fighting escapades, but Bruce refuses to let him in. He leaves to investigate the owl feather while Dick Grayson/Nightwing arrives to "babysit" Damian. The two battle and Damian is the victor, stating defiantly that he is Batman's son.

Batman investigates the "Hall of Owls" exhibit in the Gotham Natural History Museum. He sees the owl feather was taken from a stuffed snow owl and has a flashback of how his father would tell him the nursery rhyme of the Court of Owls, which frightens the young Bruce. Bruce's father, Thomas Wayne promises to never let anything hurt Bruce in order to calm him down, only to be killed by Joe Chill soon after. The disillusioned and traumatized young Bruce grew paranoid shortly after seeing a great horned owl eating a bat on the night of his parents murder and had then believed the Court of Owls to be behind this. He then killed an owl living in his attic as a means to begin his hunt for the Court. However, despite all of his investigations into the richest and most powerful men in Gotham, he found nothing and told Alfred of his endeavors. He then sank into tears, upon realizing that there was seemingly no meaning to his parents death, to which Alfred tries to console him by telling him that bad things just simply happened. Bruce nevermore believed in a Court of Owls after that.

After this flashback, Batman is attacked by three warriors in owl themed armor. He unmasks one of them to discover that it is a hideous un-dead abomination. His manages to destroy the obvious un-dead but is stabbed numerous times by the two others and smashed against a dinosaur skeleton as he tries to escape. The two warriors attempt to kill him but melt away into hideous wrecks. Batman sets out a tracking beacon for Alfred to notice and then falls unconscious. Meanwhile, Damien escapes from Dick's supervision and rushes out into the night where he beats down two street thugs attempting to rape an elderly woman. He terrorizes and beats them down but is uncertain as to go further.

The armored warrior from before arrives and encourages him to kill them but the police sirens are overhead. Robin instead leaves the crooks for the cops and follows after the warrior, who introduces himself as "Talon." Robin follows Talon to Talon's home and Talon encourages Robin to fight crime with no rules, and instead instinct, to which Robin agrees with, though having his doubts. Talon gives Robin a knife as a gift, and a beacon to press if Robin decides to join Talon. Robin returns home to find Bruce waiting for him. As Dick nurses his wounds, Bruce and Damian argue until Bruce snatches Talon's knife from Damian and threatens to send him to a boarding school in Switzerland should he escape again. Damian escapes Wayne Manor when he overhears Bruce's dissatisfaction with him. Bruce sees that Alfred has turned off the security to allow Damian to escape out of pity for Damian. Alfred apologizes to Bruce and asks Bruce to have faith in Damian. "Since when have I been a man of faith?" Bruce replies angrily. Damian escapes to Gotham. Now Robin, he presses the beacon sent to him by Talon to which Talon hears.

On his way to dine with Samantha, Bruce's car is totaled by several cars driven by people wearing owl masks. He is drugged and brought to a large courtroom where he is addressed by the secret society of the Court of Owls, led by the hooded Grand Master, who tells Bruce that the court is interested in Bruce's plans for Gotham, and would like to oversee the process. Bruce plays along and pretends to be interested in the proposition, planting a tracking device on an owl mask he is offered. He is drugged again, and awakens with him and his smashed car in the driveway of Wayne Manor.

The Grand Master and Talon discuss their plans to take over Gotham with Bruce Wayne's involvement. It is also discussed of their plans to use Robin to kill Batman, as well as of their un-dead warriors also called "Talons" some of which are over 100 years. Talon himself is not keen of these creatures, as the Court plans to have him killed and regenerated as the general of the talons. Feeling like he is being strong-armed into giving into becoming and un-dead being, Talon plays along for now, but has his doubts of his loyalties.

The next night, Talon and Robin bring down a mob boss. Talon tries to convince Robin to kill the mob boss, but Robin refuses saying they have enough evidence to put him away for life. Later, Talon confronts Robin about not giving into his instincts and still being loyal to Batman. Talon then tells Robin of when he himself was a little boy. He and his father were Jewell thieves. Though he had always tried to please his father, he never was able. One night when they were stopped in their robbery, his father took his drunken anger out on him, beating him senseless. Young Talon then betrayed his father by arranging for the police to break in and kill him. The young Talon then was taken in by the Court of Owls.

Upon finishing his story, the two are confronted by Batman. Talon encourages Robin to choose his side before running off. Batman tries to give chase but is attacked by Robin. The two battle savagely upon the roof and Batman tries to disable Robin while Robin is trying with all of his strength to kill Batman. The two fall and smash through a roof, destroying the head of a father figure statue as they do. Batman cushions Robin's fall and is greatly injured. Robin comes out on top and threatens to impale him with a wooden spike but decides against it. Batman encourages him to go home with him but Robin refuses, running back to Talon's home.

Talon and Samantha are shown lying in bed. It is revealed that she is the Grand Master and plans to use Robin to kill Batman and make him into an un-dead talon general to take Talon's place. However, despite Samantha's reassurances, Talon has his doubts of her loyalty. Batman searches through the sewers and finds the hidden passageway to the Court of Owls' hideout. However, upon meeting them, it is revealed that he had been gassed with a hallucinogen. He falls through the floor and is lost within a maze after being clawed by an owl. He then finds his way back to crime alley where his parents were killed. He watches his parents be killed by a person wearing a Batman mask. The masked man then takes off his mask, thus revealing himself to be Damian Wayne as an adult. Young Bruce reprimands Batman, telling him that he has done nothing good, but has become a monster while making the worst abomination of all, Damian Wayne. Damian shoots Batman numerous times. The injured and dying Batman then musters up his strength and embraces Damian, begging for forgiveness. The enraged Damian calms down and seemingly forgives his father.

Bruce awakens back in Wayne Manor, having been rescued by Dick. Talon presents Robin to the Court of Owls who demand his loyalty and command him to take off his mask. Robin reluctantly agrees and unmasks, revealing himself to be Damian Wayne. The Grand Master, Samantha, recognizes Damian as Bruce Wayne's ward and deduces Bruce Wayne as Batman. Samantha orders Talon to kill Damian, but Talon realizes that if he does so, he will be made into an un-dead Talon nonetheless. He snaps and goes on a brutal killing spree, slaughtering every member of the Court of Owls, before hunting down Samantha and unmasking himself before unmasking her. He explains to her that he has much in common with Robin and kisses her, before ripping her heart out of her body saying, "Be honest, you would have done the same to me."

Talon beats Robin unconscious and locks him in an embalming tank before awakening the un-dead army. Talon and his army then rush to Wayne Manor and attack, somehow getting past the security. Batman and Nightwing fight the un-dead army from door to door, and room to room, as Alfred activates a panic room protocol. Batman and Nightwing battle talons in the library until Nightwing is stabbed many times by them, to which Batman destroys many of the talons and sends Nightwing to the batcave. He is then attacked by Talon. Batman knocks him to the ground and escapes to the batcave. Meanwhile, Robin escapes the embalming tank and rushes to Wayne Manor.

Talon and Nightwing duel until Talon pins him to the wall and goes after Batman. Batman enters into a powerful exoskeleton machine called the Owl-smasher, and destroys many talons. The rest of the un-dead talon army is destroyed just before Talon enters the batmobile and peppers the Owl-smasher with heavy gunfire before ramming into it. With both machines fatally disabled, Talon goes in for the kill, but Batman attacks him saying, "You and the court tried to take over my city, and destroy my home. But worst of all you messed with my kid. So this is going to hurt, and I am going to enjoy it." The two fight and Batman seemingly gains the upper hand, but Talon manages to wound Batman with a knife to the stomach. Batman goes down and Talon prepares to kill him but Robin intervenes. Talon, still sore from his battle with Batman, is beaten by Robin who has retrieved the knife Talon had given him earlier.

Robin holds Talon at the edge of his knife proclaiming, "You can never replace Batman. He is my father." Talon, realizing he is beaten but seeing an opportunity to still win, seizes the blade pointed at him and reminds Robin, "Don't doubt your instincts" one last time before stabbing himself through the throat. As Talon falls dead, Robin is traumatized when Batman tries to embrace him. Robin confesses to Batman that his is torn between Batman's influence and the influence of those of Talon's. Robin and Batman embrace and Robin leaves Wayne Manor to discover who he truly is.

The final scene shows the next morning with Bruce, Dick, and Alfred recovering from the wounds they received in last night's battles and cleaning the library. Bruce explains that Damien needs this time to discover who he is in the world and expresses faith that Damien will return. "And if you are wrong, sir?' Alfred asks. Bruce smiles proudly and says, "Sometimes Alfred, all it takes is a little faith." Damien is then shown in the Himalayas, journeying to a Buddhist monastery where Bruce Wayne journeyed to in his youth to discover who he was in these times of trouble.