Talons
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Real Identity: Unknown
Affiliation(s): Court of Owls
Appearances (BTAC): Court Fight Part I, Court Fight Part Two, The Offer Part One, The Offer Part Two, and The Offer Part Three
Powers/Skills: Enhanced Durability, Above Average Agility, Infiltration, Armed Combat, and Unarmed Combat
The Talons are vicious assassins who operated in the dark and were as mysterious or more so than their masters, the secret society known as the Court of Owls. The Talons carried out their will, killing all who opposed them ever since the early years of Gotham City's founding. In the 1950s, Stanton Vreeland tried to expose the existence of the Court but a Talon was sent to kill him. Vreeland put five bullets in the Talon with his shotgun but did no damage at all. It was as if the Talon wasn't human. On his deathbed, Vreeland told his son about the Court and the Talons. As time passed, only he believed in the Court's existence and he collected evidence ever since, amassing a collection dating back to the 19th century. He even had a manual on Talons, mostly written in code, that was at least a century old. Just as he was figuring out how to decode it, the manual was stolen during one of his daughter's degenerate parties.
Mayor Hamilton Hill revived a Talon with the Court's regenerative formula and proceeded with his plan to rebuild the Court of Owls and rule Gotham. One night, the Talon entered Hill's penthouse and waited for him to return home. While Hill's wife, Maureen, was in the bathroom, Hill went to close a sliding door she thought he left open. As he closed the door, he saw the Talon's reflection. It slashed at Hill mercilessly and killed him. Some time later, while the Gotham City Police Department and Batman went over the crime sceen, the Talon watched from across the penthouse on a roof. Batman found claw marks on a wall and took an impression. Maureen Hill mentioned to Commissioner Gordon that the assailant was masked like Batman but had big eyes like an owl. Batman got the feeling they were being watched. The Talon dove off the roof.
Batman went to Vreeland Manor and compared the molds he took to claws in General Vreeland's collection. It was a perfect match. Deadman noticed a Talon waiting outside of Vreeland Manor in the brush. Deadman was shocked Talon could see him and slashed at him even. Deadman attempted to possess him but Talon was able to resist. Talon entered the manor and attacked General Vreeland but his daughter Veronica Vreeland walked in on them. Bruce Wayne returned Vreeland's call at the same time and overheard the fight. With no other person present, Deadman possessed her and grabbed a sword. Talon was unimpressed and knew she wouldn't last long against him. Deadman tried to create some distance outside near the swimming pool. Batman returned just in time and threw several Batarangs into Talon's arm and side. Batman ordered Vreeland to get to safety, unaware she was possessed. Talon taunted Batman that the Court watched him for a long time skulking in the shadows and waging war on misfits only slightly more damaged.
Talon claimed the Court could have eliminated him at any time but he was never worth the bother to eliminate until now for crossing them. Batman hit him with a chair then wrangled him with a bola. Talon quickly broke free. Deadman tried again to possess him but Talon told him to stay away and struck his chest. Batman was confused as to who Talon was conversing with. Talon promised their fight would continue at a later time when the odds favored the Owls. To cover his escape, Talon knocked an unconscious Veronica Vreeland into the swimming pool. Talon fled with a paraglider but Deadman tried one last time to possess him. Talon dissipated him painfully. He assured him there was more to the Court of Owls than life and death and obstructing the Court's justice always ended in agony. Hours later, Deadman possessed Batman in the Batcave and left him a note that read, "He's a zombie." Batman sought out Zatanna who gave him an amulet that granted him the ability to see and talk to Deadman.
Talon returned to City Hall with the requested equipment, including a gastric pump. Hill, in his Owl guise, waited for him outside and noted he was late. The Talon assured him he had everything and no one followed him. He was pleased but hoped the theft of General Vreeland's Court of Owls collection would put an end to any evidence of the Court's existence. As they walked down a set of stairs, Hill voice his concern about Deadman. Talon didn't anticipate a problem since it caused Deadman pain to touch him. Hill decided to partially reanimate a few more Talon corpses that he kept stored under City Hall. Batman finished analyzing the Talon gauntlet from Vreeland's collection but it was too old and fragmented. He only picked up some chemicals associated with alchemy and ancient burials. Deadman was adamant the Talon was a zombie and likened him to holding dry ice. Batman later discovered the Talons were susceptible to cold. That night, Talon was sent to retrieve Hamilton Hill Junior and bring him back to City Hall.
Hamilton Hill revealed he was the culprit and was trying to revive the Court. Junior thought his plan was crazy. Talon wanted to kill him for showing contempt for the Court but Hill ordered him to release Junior. Batman and Deadman found the lair and intervened. Batman used Mr. Freeze's Freeze Gun on the zombie Talons. The Talon swooped over, grabbed Batman's arm, tossed him, and destroyed the Freeze Gun. It overloaded and froze his upper body. He seemingly died in the collapse of City Hall after Hill set off the explosive charges to avoid arrest. The next year, Talons kidnapped Catwoman and imprisoned her underground. A few months later, during a four month slump in criminal activity, she escaped in the chaos caused by four Talons failing to restrain Man-Bat. Catwoman fled from a condemned Gotham City Public Works section with the Talons in hot pursuit. She snapped off some piping and knocked one off its feet. One Talon declared she would die if she was not returning with them. Catwoman retorted it wouldn't be the first time, threw the piping at a Talon, then dove off a waterfall.
Catwoman climbed out a manhole and jumped on their patrol car's hood, trying to tell them something. They were startled and she went flying backwards only to be grabbed by a Talon. She got free and hid under a gargoyle statue. One night later, they surrounded Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn in Ivy's roof top greenhouse. The Talon observed and commanded the zombie Talons from a nearby roof. He commanded them to contain everything and kill them all if necessary. Once Batman and Robin joined the fight, the Talon ordered the others to retreat and leave Batman and Robin alone at once. Catwoman later followed the Talons to an abandoned subway entrance. She noted to Batman, Robin, and Talia al Ghul that there were sentries and pointed out who she thought was the lead Talon that controlled the others. They stormed the entrance. The Talon stalked them but Batman detected him at the last second.
Catwoman slashed at him but he countered with a kick. Talia swung her sword but it was knocked away. Robin came in with a jump kick. Batman grabbed the Talon's sword arm and twisted it then pinned him to a column. Batman demanded to know why the Court of Owls returned and why the Talons kidnapped Catwoman and Man-Bat. The Talon called them two insignificant menaces and teased the Owls' wingspan spreads far beyond Gotham. He noted their undying legions had expanded since they last fought. They were surrounded by zombie dogs. Talon ordered the dogs to kill them. The group escaped the dogs and found the prison. Batman and Talia rejected Ra's true plan to use the Talons to safeguard Gotham and use a special grain to selectively sterilize Earth's population. The lead Talon tackled Batman and sentenced him to death for trying to deny them a place in Ra's al Ghul's new world. Talia beheaded Talon from behind.