Gotham City Hall
Back to Places Main > Gotham City Hall
Real Identity: Not Applicable
Appearances (BTAC Comics): Court Fight Part Two and Mayor Mayhem Part One
Powers/Skills: Not Applicable
According to legend, the Court of Owls first formed during the construction of Gotham City Hall. After getting elected mayor, Emerson Mayfield gathered city officials into City Hall to unveil his M-Force, an elite squad like S.W.A.T. that only answered to him. Mayfield believed it could shake up the criminal element. When Commissioner Gordon brought up Batman, Mayfield deferred to the rising young star of the District Attorney's office, Harvey Dent. Dent flipped his coin and stated it would be preferable if he were sanctioned. Mayfield agreed. After Batman recovered $400,000 stolen from the M-Force from the Z Street Gang, Mayfield held a press conference condemning him. Mayfield admitted some in City Hall believed Batman was on their side. Summer Gleeson asked him if he agreed. Mayfield speculated he was an equal participant of the robbery, if not its mastermind, and turned in the money to save his own skin. Batman eavesdropped on a window ledge outside the room. After the press conference, Mayfield told Shotgun, the leader of M-Force, to put the team on high alert until Batman was a corpse.
City Hall was set to be demolished and a new hall to take its place. The week before the dedication for the new City Hall, Mayor Hill faked his death using the Talon under his control. He was brought back to life with a modified version of a regenerative formula devised by the Court of Owls and used the old City Hall as his secret base of operations. One night, Talon returned 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 deduced the old City Hall was the lair after he remembered its ties to the Court's origins and after Deadman cracked a joke about it.
Talon kidnapped Hamilton Hill Junior and brought him to the old City Hall. He learned his father cheated death and was attempting to revive the Court. Hill revealed what he learned from the Talon manual he stole from General Vreeland's collection and stated as the scion of a founding family, it was his destiny and legacy to rule Gotham City not to be a civil servant. Junior found it crazy and chalked it up to just another private club. The Talon wanted to kill him for his contempt for the Court but Hill ordered him to be released. Junior tried to convince him it was all wrong. Hill pointed out he knew Junior was embezzling the family fortune and demanded it back in order to rebuild the Court. If Junior complied, he would gain authority and immortality at his side but if he refused, he would die. Batman and Deadman sneaked onto a giant owl statue from an entrance in the ceiling. Batman declared only Hill's insane dream would die that night.
Suddenly, an army of zombie Talons entered the room. Deadman was at a loss. Batman told him to pick a weapon and start smashing. Deadman understood, possessed Junior and fought the zombies. Batman produced the Freeze Gun and started freezing several zombies. The Talon swooped over, grabbed Batman's arm, tossed him, and destroyed the Freeze Gun. It overloaded and froze his upper body. Hill refused to surrender. He chose to die and set off the charges in the hall. Batman fired his grappling gun and fled with the Deadman-possessed Junior.