Batman
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Real Identity: Bruce Wayne
Affiliations: Wayne Enterprises and Justice League
Appearances (Movies): Merry Little Batman
Appearances (Comics): Little Batman: Month One (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4)
Appearances (Bat-Fam): Game Knight, Bat Trip, 90 is the New 80, All In A Bat's Day's Work, A Knight at the Movies, The Art of Claire, ManBatMan, and Interview With a Batman, April Fools Part 1, and April Fools Part 2
Powers/Skills:
Voiced By: Luke Wilson and Yonas Kibreab (Young Bruce)
On the night of full moon, a young Bruce went to the forest near Wayne Manor after he got an urgent message from Alicia. She lunged out in a Werebat costume and scared him. He offered to buy it anything as long as it didn't eat him. Alicia revealed her face and asked for a pony, a fancy yacht, and a double fudge sundae with a cherry on top. He didn't find it funny. She pointed out it was Werebat from their favorite movie "Scourge of the Blood Rot." She offered to switch places and he scare her but he didn't like being lied to. She apologized and made a deal with him: no more lies and no secrets between the two of them. It was sealed with a pinkie promise. Bruce hoped he never saw a bat again. Alfred called out to them, saying it was time for double fudge sundaes before bedtime.
At 50 years old, Bruce Wayne is a dad! And in full dad-mode. In his typical over-achieving, tunnel-vision style he threw himself into dad-hood with the same determination he gave to crimefighting seconds after discovering he was a proud poppa. So much so, that he has completely cleaned up all crime in Gotham to avoid any unncessary distractions. That's right, there's no crime left in Gotham. In his private life, he retired his debonaire, playboy persona for mussed up flannels and dad-sneakers, and is generally less kept than Boris Johnson's mane.
And as Batman, he re-equipped his utility belt with more wet wipes, fruit snacks, and band aides than all of Gotham's daycares combined. Fatherhood is a mystery for him though, and he's far from having cracked it. He tends to have a backbone made of marshmallow when it comes to his son's wants and is overly protective when it comes to his son's safety. He has childproof cabinet locks for the childproof cabinet locks. But at the end of the day, he is still Batman and no amount of doting can completely mask his deep, husky voice made to bring chills down the spines of society's worst criminals.
The day after Christmas, Batman helped Little Batman prepare for crime running rampant in Gotham after Joker's return. Little Batman asked Batman who trained him but he tabled that talk for another time. It turned out Gotham was safer than ever. All they did was help elderly women cross streets, rescue cats out of trees, and pick up litter. Bruce lost his car keys and Damian suspected Selina but he just left it in his Bat-pants. Bruce tried to reach Damian the importance of being Damian but it wasn't connecting at first. On New Years' Eve, Pennyworth finished tailoring a dress suit for Damian to wear at the party at Wayne Manor. Damian got riled up when the other children at the kids table starting saying Little Batman couldn't have defeated the Joker without Batman. Damian nearly admitted he was Little Batman but Bruce scooped him up for a private talk. Damian wanted others to know of his exploits but Bruce wanted him to be a big boy.
Damian just wanted to be Little Batman all the time. He told Damian being Bruce allowed him to be Batman. Damian asked him what will happen if something bad happens when they're not ready. Bruce tried to convince him to wait till he was older and he would see being Damian was a superpower all its own. One of the guests was a woman with an ulterior motive. She went into the study, looked at the window, then started taking photographs of documents in a drawer in the study. Damian happened to be walking by and realized she was a criminal spy. He was nearly discovered but hid up in the chandelier. Damian thought his dad was busy and decided to handle it himself. There was a creepy series of knocks at the front door that stopped the party in its tracks. Pennyworth found it peculiar since all the guests were accounted for. Bruce Wayne advised him to stay back and make sure Damian was safe while he checked it out. The front door blew up and Wayne was knocked off his feet.
Scarecrow joked his invite must have been lost in the mail. He revealed he came to see Bruce Wayne to take him on a little trip then promised if he went with them, no one would be hurt. Wayne agreed to the terms. Damian was shocked and thought he was going to turn into Batman at any second. Scarecrow called him a coward and laughed. Wayne's hands were tied and they led him outside. Pennyworth held onto Damian as he cried out not to go. Bruce turned and promised he had it under control. He was taken to an industrial area and placed in an enclosure. 12 hours later, Scarecrow attempted to startle Wayne but he wasn't scared to his surprise. Wayne thought there was something different about him but couldn't place it. Scarecrow punched the enclosure and blamed Batman for taking his Fear Toxin and making him look like just another freak wearing a burlap sack. He explained his master plan to Wayne. Wayne admitted it would work if Batman actually showed up. Scarecrow was sure he would show up then revealed his backup plan was to do the same thing to Little Batman.
Bruce Wayne entered the ventilation shaft by removing a panel in the ceiling above his enclosure. He crawled around and eavesdropped on Scarecrow and his henchmen. Scarecrow couldn't make any sense of Batman's lack of response to Wayne's kidnapping. Wayne realized he was even more dense than he thought. One henchman told him to relax and pointed out that once the rest of the Fear Toxin arrived, Batman would have no choice but to come. Scarecrow was aggravated by being told to relax, being a medical professional. Wayne got out his hidden Utility Belt and pushed the buckle. Alfred Pennyworth answered the phone in the kitchen and was elated to hear Bruce Wayne's voice. Wayne dropped back down into his enclosure and confirmed he was fine then commented on the sad state of security. Pennyworth was relieved and asked if they should be expecting him home soon. Wayne believed the best way to stop Scarecrow was staying put. He wanted to talk to Damian and make sure he didn't come to rescue him. Marion moved a chair in search of Damian. Pennyworth informed Wayne it would be a bit difficult to do so.
Bruce Wayne pondered why Scarecrow moved all of his Fear Toxin to another isolated place. He saw a map in an office and realized they were in an old wastewater treatment plant. He deduced Scarecrow was planning to attack the city through the water supply. Dropping all pretenses, Wayne got the drop on Scarecrow and Penguin and attacked them. Scarecrow was surprised he knew how to fight then warned him to back off. Wayne told him to give him one good reason. Scarecrow revealed he had a contingency plan if Batman never showed up, they would kidnap Damian Wayne. Batman would have no choice but come to save a child. He ordered Wayne back into his cell and announced they just got their hands on his son. Once he was alone, Bruce Wayne was ready to make his move. He smelled himself and made a note to take a long shower. He heard some noises in the ceiling. Little Batman soon kicked the door off its hinges and found his father. Penguin and Scarecrow arrived. Scarecrow flooded the room with Fear Toxin.
Little Batman had an antidote ready and took out the two villains easily. Wayne succumbed to the gas and had a nightmare vision of Little Batman turning evil and releasing the Fear Toxin into Gotham's water supply. Little Batman applied the antidote and he regained consciousness. He was surprised. Little Batman admitted he had a little help. Bat-Dad was pleased he finally got some credit. Wayne realized he saw his worst fear. Little Batman assured him he would never turn evil with a dad like him. They hugged. Little Batman presented his suit. Wayne pointed out he got everybody. Marion's car pulled in. She stepped out in a suit, annoyed she had to change in a car and vowed to show the world, and Batman identified her as Lynx. Batman and Little Batman charged, to her chagrin. She threw a sword but Little Batman dodged it. Batman snatched her other sword and hit her with a leg sweep. Little Batman asked who she was. Batman told him it was a long story. Little Batman reckoned he could read it to him at bedtime. He punched her.
Lynx threw out Fear Toxin but they were unaffected to her surprise. Batman told her Little Batman invented a cure. Little Batman joked it was a science project. They knocked her out and tied her up with Scarecrow and Penguin for the police to find. A note reading, "You're Welcome" was left on Lynx. They got rid of the Fear Toxin. Pennyworth was elated at Bruce and Damian's return and revealed he figured out Marion was Lynx and was working with Scarecrow the whole time in a plot to release Fear Toxin using the abandoned wastewater facility. They laughed and explained they knew it already. Wayne originally knew Marion was evil because she failed every background check but he thought it would be a good test for Damian to practice his detective skills. He admitted he didn't expect a whole plot with Scarecrow and things got way out of hand. Damian pointed out Pennyworth was the one who got to practice his skills.
After taking a shower, Bruce asked Damian if would like to suit up and practice sword skills as a treat. Damian declined and wanted to just be Damian for once. They hugged and watched the Blood Crunch movie with Pennyworth and Selina. Bruce relaxed and remarked this was the life. Pennyworth agreed. Damian asked Bruce about the corrupt police force. Bruce admitted he tried to solve that problem his entire career. Damian suggested using his alter-ego Timothy Business to Bruce's delight.
King Tut broke into the Gotham Museum to steal an ancient Egyptian headdress but Batman intervened. He quipped it was not his size and readied his lucky Batarang. Vicki Vale reported live outside the museum as police took Tut into custody. Tut took offense to only being called a supervillain and stated he was a deity incarnate. He tried to demonstrate his graceful, godlike abilities but he bumped into Batman. He ran for it. Batman threw a Batarang that accidentally pinned his costume. Tut was nude on live TV. Vicki reported King Tut's "private collection" was on public display.
Batman found Volcana dying from wounds outside Gotham City Bank. The regenerative powers of the Lazarus Pit was her only option to save her life. She came to and struggled in Batman's arms then fell into the pit. He pulled her out alive and fully healed, but she was in too long and was turned back into a 12 year old child with most of her memories lost. He consoled her. Batman promised to take her in and raise her as his own. In the fall, a week after Claire moved in, Bruce and (mostly) Alfred finished decorating for game night. Bruce felt it would be a great way to welcome all the new members of the family. Bruce prepared a tight schedule. They overheard Claire yelling at Damian. Bruce hoped Claire felt more at home already but Alfred reminded him it had only been a week since she moved in and she wasn't the first troubled youth they took in.
Bruce patted out a flame that hit a door. He broke them up and asked Damian what they said about bothering Claire then asked Claire what he told her about fire balls in the house. Alfred pointed out there was no harm done. He had no idea the back of his suit jacket was on fire. Bruce put it out but it burned through his jacket and pants, revealing his underwear styled after the British flag. Alfred excused himself to check the rump roast in the oven. Claire claimed it wasn't her fault. Bruce told her to take it easy and they would talk about it later.
Bruce and Damian cleaned up after Selina. Damian wondered if Claire hated him. He hoped her moving in would be like getting a big sister. Bruce assured him she just needed time and in the interim, he needed to go easy on her since she never had a family before and had to learn to trust them. Alicia Pennyworth triggered the security system trying to enter the manor through the kitchen and was trapped in a laser grid cage. Bruce lowered the cage and she gave him a big hug, revealing she wanted to get an early start to moving in. Alicia noted the security system was updated since she last visited. Bruce told her they had an "incident" last Christmas. He was still the same adorably cautious Bruce she knew 40 years ago but now with a beard. Damian believed the beard ups his intimidation game. Alicia told Damian she and his dad were BFFs before BFFs were even a thing. Damian was impressed but he had no idea what that meant. Alicia ran off to hug her uncle Alfred and carried him off. Bruce cautioned her Alfred wasn't the same spry 70-year-old he used to be.
Bruce and Alfred got the food for game night ready. Bruce didn't think Alicia changed that much since they were kids. Alfred believed they shared the same Pennyworth spirit and pertinacity. He went to the walk-in pantry and was startled to see Man-Bat helping himself to the olives. Bruce asked if they were okay. Alfred declared they had plenty of olives. Bruce clarified he meant Alicia living at the manor. Alfred presumed he meant he was worried she might learn a certain secret of his. Man-Bat agreed. Bruce thought it was hard enough juggling Damian, his training, and Claire. Alfred asked if he was concerned she would cause chaos. Bruce thought low key havoc. Man-Bat warned him. Bruce thought that sometimes her band of adventurous Pennyworth spirit tended to disrupt order. He saw the time and realized he needed to re-calibrate the blow holes on the air hockey table. Alfred went to see to the matter and joked it would be a travesty if Alicia were to make their home less orderly. Man-Bat told Bruce Alfred was being facetious. Bruce knew that.
Game night started at six. They played charades. During a game of paint ball, Bruce and Alicia ambushed Alfred from behind. Claire and Damian asked Bruce about the sphere. He shook his head "no." They played mini-golf and motocross next. They tried suggesting the sphere again during bowling but Bruce pointed to the schedule. Next were mud wrestling, go-karts, and table tennis. During basketball, Alicia tricked Bruce by throwing his schedule aside. She sunk an open jump shot to Bruce's annoyance. Alfred, Selina, and Alicia felt bad at the sight of Damian and Claire so listless. Alicia got Bruce's attention and asked him to deviate from his plan a little just this once. Bruce felt bad and asked the kids what they were choosing next to play. Claire perked up and picked hot potato with the sphere. Bruce pointed out the house had a full arcade. Claire called it a special version of hot potato and instructed them that when someone throws it, then asks a question, the person who catches it has to answer it. Damian and Claire mainly focused on Alicia.
Bruce wanted to know what was really going on. Before Claire would respond, Damian lied he thought Alicia was a bad guy, told his friend Little Batman who got into a fight that may have led to some light property damage. Damian lied he acted alone except with Little Batman. A demon named Skaratata emerged from the sphere and demanded the fibber. Bruce told Alicia this was why they don't deviate from the plan. Once Alicia was out of the room, Bruce and Damian suited up but the latter was benched. Batman got Skaratata's name wrong but vowed to send him back to where he came from. Skaratata corrected him and vowed he would not leave without his liar. He levitated everything in the room, including the room. Skaratata slammed Batman repeatedly. Batman punched Skaratata's face and escaped his grip then dodged his fire balls. Batman pulled back on one of Skaratata's tusks. Claire vowed to come clean with Bruce. Batman was thrown into the wall of the floating floor they were on and told her she just did. He fired a grapnel line, scooped them up, and landed on a couch telling her she was part of the family now and wasn't going anywhere but they were both in huge trouble.
Damian told him they got the sphere from Ra's. Batman called out to him. Ra's emerged from a cushion pretending surprise at the mayhem Alfred unleashed. Batman told him the demon wanted to take his grandson to the underworld. Ra's was aghast and conjured a written spell they needed to place on Skaratata's forehead while opening his imprisoning sphere. Damian volunteered himself and Claire to put the spell on. Batman volunteered himself and Ra's to open the sphere. Claire asked Damian if he still wanted to play Floor is Lava and melted the floor under Skaratata. He became immobilized. Damian was impressed and jumped onto the back of the demon's neck. Ra's opened the sphere with an incantation. Damian spun around Skaratata's head with a line and slapped the spell on his forehead while calling him Skara-loser. He corrected Damian as he was pulled back into the sphere. The room was restored but it was a giant mess. Ra's called out to Alfred. Batman told Damian he was great. Claire presumed she should pack her bags. Batman told her to get in and hugged her, too. The family cleaned up. Bruce and Alicia quibbled about "fun" and the latter begged the question of what the chances were that something like a demon outbreak was ever going to happen again. Bruce told her the chances were probably higher than she thought.
On the eve of a field trip to Star-Labs, Bruce retrieved Damian's Deputy Bow-Wow doll from the attic but its recorded lines woke up Claire Selton and Alicia Pennyworth. Bruce attempted to explain his motives despite their skepticism and realized they went back to their bedrooms before he was done. The next day, Damian was embarrassed to see Bow-Wow in his backpack. Bruce believed talking him along would be bringing a piece of him, too, since he missed the window to volunteer to chaperon. Damian agreed to take it with him. After Damian got on the school bus, Bruce realized Kelly Chen, the vice president of Wayne Enterprises, was a chaperon on the field trip. Kelly Chen got a message from Wayne Enterprises saying she won a free trip to the Bahamas. She took her son Paul and left Star-Labs. Lucky hit Victor and Mr. Singh with silly string. Victor feared they would be overrun. Singh cautioned him be strong or the children would smell their weakness. Bruce showed up ready to fill-in.
Bruce lied he was driving by on his way to a totally unrelated meeting and saw Chen hailing a taxi cab. He ignored Damian's hint about wanting to do his own thing with the twins and put a matching outfit on him. He took a selfie. Damian assured the twins they were sticking to the plan to sneak into the secret crime wing. Damian had Bruce try some arm cuffs but to their dismay, he broke his hands to get loose then bent them back into place and took a selfie. They tried to get away on a jet scooter but Bruce blocked them and pointed to the no riding sign and took a selfie. Damian attempted to trick Bruce with an illusion of himself but Bruce already made an illusion of himself. He took a selfie. During lunch, Damian fake-cried to get Bruce's attention then told him a fabricated story of losing Deputy Bow-Wow. Bruce took the bait. Bruce found Damian's emergency contact list in the custodian's bin and grilled him about where he found it. Charles soon realized Bruce was the clingy dad Damian was talking about to his doll. Charles told him where the lunch cart went.
Bruce found the cart in a greenhouse and took out Bow-Wow. He realized he was the one not ready for Damian to do his own things alone. He got a call from Damian on his communicator watch. Damian admitted to causing some "trouble." Star-Labs went into lockdown due to a Parademon invasion. Batman asked why he broke into the Crime Wing. Little Batman revealed the Lucky Batarang Batman lost some time ago. They battled the Parademons. The leader opened a Boom Tube. The Cold and Heat Guns were ineffective in damaging the Mother Box. Batman revealed they needed a strong enough power source to disrupt the Boom Tube's structure. Little Batman remembered the tour earlier and suggested using the Terratron Accelerator. Batman ordered Damian's teacher Mr. Singh and some of the children to wheel the accelerator into position. Before Batman could fire, he was hit with flame breath. He and Little Batman were swarmed by the Parademons.
Little Batman patched a scorched wire with his talking Deputy Bow-Wow doll. Batman had one shot and threw his Lucky Batarang. It hit the button on the accelerator and the Mother Box was blasted. All Parademons were sucked through the Boom Tube before it closed. Batman liked Little Batman's quip about not letting the Boom Tube hit their butt on the way out. The lockdown was lifted. Bruce and Damian apologized to each other and hugged it out. Bruce promised to give Damian a little space and presented his fried Detective Bow-Wow. Damian noticed Selina wasn't in his bedroom like usual.
Batman confronted Mad Hatter and Sad Hatter at the Wayne Enterprises Warehouse #1 and asked what he was after. Sad Hatter wanted to leave. The three guards attacked but Batman made short work of them. A mysterious bright figure appeared in search of the same thing. Police converged but the Hatters escaped down a drain hatch and Bright left out a window. The next morning, Alicia voiced concerned for Alfred waiting on everyone. Alfred claimed it made him happy. Bruce pointed out how much Alfred loved fawning over them. She countered that was when they were five and even now Alfred waited in him hand and foot figuratively and literally. Alicia thought he must want to do something for himself. He thought about it. Bruce boasted he spent every day with Alfred and he was know what he wanted to do. Alfred settled on a family picnic but Alicia interpreted what Bruce said as she didn't know her own uncle. He denied it but noted she hasn't been around as much. Alicia suggested an "Alfred Fun Day." She suggested snorkeling, mechanical bull riding, or skydiving. Since he was 90, Bruce suggested shuffleboard, bingo, or gardening. They didn't listen to what Alfred wanted to do.
Bruce looked at his shirts and asked Selina which one screamed fun. Selina went to sleep. Bruce admitted she was right, it was obvious. He heard Damian coming and realized he must have seen the news. Damian peppered him with flurry of questions. Bruce answered he was not sure to most of the questions and pointed out the rule of "no patrol on school nights." Damian pointed out Mad Hatter brought his child with him. Bruce conceded they made Little Batman official last Christmas, but he still had a list of when he was allowed and when he was not allowed to be Batman. He presented the list, numbered to 204, and emphasized Damian could be Batman only when he said. Damian asked if they could go after Mad Hatter. Bruce called Hatter unpredictable and dangerous and stressed patience. Damian claimed he was practicing that but tapped his feet very quickly. Bruce stated they would bat-chat about the Hatters later and became concerned upon overhearing Alicia asking Alfred if he had a wet suit and shark repellent. Bruce and Alicia continued to argue in the car and Alfred could not get a word in. Alfred tried to reason with them but they made it into a competition.
Bruce took him a seniors only session at an in-door swimming pool, Alicia took him on a jet ski. Bruce took him bird watching, Alicia took him down a zip line. Bruce took him for ice cream cones and pushed him on a swing, Alicia took him to a rock concert going on at The Bloody Barrel Bar. Bruce was angry Alicia chose axe throwing so she turned to see what he wanted to do next and realized they lost Alfred. Bruce and Alicia returned to the Bloody Barrel in search of Alfred. Bruce and Alicia returned home and saw Alfred left a note saying he and Damian were running an errand. Bruce was relieved. Alicia asked him was he was being so overprotective all day. Bruce admitted he was not great at showing emotion then admitted he liked being waited on hand and foot, saying it was how they showed each other love. He realized he got defensive and overcorrected, which made things ugly. Alicia admitted she did, too, and felt guilty so she was trying to do some catching up. They agreed to apologize to Alfred and have a do-over fun day. Man-Bat opened the pickle jar and told them if they needed anything, he would be there watching them resolve their problem. Bruce saw a Bat-Alert on his phone (along with 87 unread emails and a missed call from Damian).
Batman arrived at Wayne Enterprises Storage Facility #2 and saved Exo-Bat and Little Batman from being lowered into a chipper. Bright arrived and distracted Batman long enough for him to fall under Mad Hatter's mind control. Bright was soon knocked out. Mad Hatter ordered Batman to destroy his Bat-friends. Bright came to and fought Batman again but lost again. Pennyworth realized his weakness was his inability to tell those he loved "no." Little Batman admitted his was not hearing "no" and he could be more patient. Bright was thrown into a wall. Alfred stood up to Batman and stated "no" which seemed to temporarily mess with Hatter's mind control. He reached for the Exo-Bat helmet. Pennyworth told Batman he loved him and would care for him and their family until his final days. Hatter realized he was intensifying Batman's willpower and breaking the neuro-hypnotic hold he had.
Pennyworth promised not to hold his tongue anymore, exited the Exo-Bat, took Batman's hands and told him that was enough. Batman broke Hatter's hold but both Hatters got away. Bright was also gone. Batman chided Little Batman for going on patrol on a school night. Little Batman went with a loose interpretation of "I" of "When I say" in the rules about when he could be Batman. The next day, the family went on a breakfast picnic. Alicia promised they would do a better job of listening to what he wanted. Alfred promised to do a better job of speaking up. Ra's asked Alfred for a muffin. Alfred told him "no" and everyone but Ra's laughed. On Go To Work With a Grown Up Day, Bruce was sad he wasn't taking Damian to work but was excited to be bringing Claire. He believed she would get a lot out of it and recalled one of his fondest memories was the day his dad took him to his office when he was eight. He revealed it really made an impression on him and wanted to do the same for Claire. Alicia and Alfred stared at him. Alicia informed Bruce impressing tweens wasn't easy then warned him not to be surprised if she's not blown away by board meetings, contract negotiations, and paper pushing.
Man-Bat interjected and showed off the size of the lake trout he had then offered Bruce some. He told him he was good. Alicia and Damian left. Bruce told him to be on his best behavior. In his office, Bruce showed Claire a release form that allowed sales to fold into the company's revenue streams adjacent to their clients. He signed off on it and noted his team worked tirelessly to push it through. He remembered a contract that pertained to sustainable growth. As he went on about expanding and diversifying your portfolio, a sleep Claire noticed the office chair and was amazed by the sheepskin exterior, bespoke footrest, and fully customizable comfort. Bruce asked if she was listening or not. She asked him what would disappoint him more: her not listening to him or her lying to him. He chose lying. She admitted he was not listening to him. Bruce realized Alicia was right and Claire would not be easily impressed. Claire realized Damian was right and the chair was incredibly plush. Bruce tried to quickly think of a way to impress her and wished he knew what she was thinking. Claire could only think about the chair. Bruce told himself to have patience and he would find a way to impress her. Claire told herself to have patience and she would find a way to get her booty into that chair.
Bruce presented his security feed to Claire and pointed out the R&D department, the communications lab, the warehouse, and a helicopter pad. She keyed in on a sign in the warehouse stating minors weren't allowed and came up with a scheme. She lied the warehouse sounded impressive. Bruce was surprised but remembered kids weren't allowed. Claire offered to watch him from his office through the camera. He stated he would do anything for Claire and told her to have a seat on his chair but stopped her upon realizing he would get special treatment if he tried to work in the warehouse so he donned a Matches Malone disguise he had handy in a desk drawer. He promised to impress her and left. Bruce, as Matches Malone, met with the floor manager of the warehouse, Ansen Goodberry. Goodberry asked Matches if he thought he had what it takes to work in his warehouse. Matches thought he had what it takes.
Goodberry called strike one and stated he needed workers, not thinkers. He decided to share a list of things he didn't need: laziness, dishonesty, tardiness, funny business, nose hair, long hair, weird hair, clairvoyance, guys named Phillip, glitter, question marks, office parties, reggae, boat cruises, office parties with reggae boat cruises, and back chat. He asked Matches if he had any questions. Bruce was about to answer but Goodberry clarified questions were also on his list. He took out a box filled with employees' phones and said, "When you're on my floor, your phone's behind my door." Matches handed over his phone. Bruce noticed it rhymed. Goodberry stated he knew that and that's what made it clever. He called strike two for pointing out obvious wordplay then ordered him to get to work. Bruce waved at the camera. Bruce looked at his clipboard and found something odd, he was doing the same inventory rotation that's been going on for days. He wondered if something was missing or being looked for then presumed maybe that was how the warehouse was run.
Bruce took a break at the water cooler and talked to two other workers about how Bruce Wayne really knows how to reward hard work. He thought even the water tasted good. The workers were more concerned about doing something about Goodberry. She didn't think finding a crate and putting it back over and over made no sense. Goodberry ordered them to get back to work. He stopped Bruce and handed him an assignment he picked himself. He looked at some crates and noticed mud on his clipboard. Officially suspicious, Bruce went to a camera and told Claire something fishy was going on and went dark. He punched out the camera. Bruce used a Swiss Army Knife to break into Goodberry's office. He saw mud on the phone and found numerous criminal paraphernalia in cabinet drawers. Claire left a voicemail telling Bruce Ansen Goodberry's real name was Todd Russell. Bruce already knew that and confronted Russell, who was currently Clayface. He called it Bruce's third strike and threw him out. Clayface saw no body and was attacked by Batman.
Clayface realized Batman was Matches Malone but a pill was thrown in his mouth and he foamed. Claire got Bruce's voicemail again and conceded she would have to get off the chair. Batman grilled Clayface about working with Mad Hatter as they fought. Clayface asked why he would work with him if even his own kids wouldn't. Batman wasn't buying it was all a coincidence they both broke into a Wayne Enterprises facility. Clayface knocked Batman into electrical panels. Clayface invited him to figure it out since he was the detective. Batman dodged his hammer strike and Clayface was electrocuted. The power went out in the whole building. Little Batman popped out a vent and declared it was spaghetti time. The grate landed on Clayface's face and it came through the slits like spaghetti to Little Batman's relief or his line would have made no sense. Batman wondered why he came. Clayface split into two but Little Batman shoved one into the other. One half told the other to get his butt out of his face. Clayface threw Batman through a shelf. He looked up and saw Bright. He asked what he was doing there. Bright answered the less he knew, the better.
An epoxy vat was pierced. Clayface absorbed it and became bigger and stronger. He threw a crate on Batman and grabbed Little Batman and Bright. Batman broke their falls but Clayface was about to flee the warehouse. He told Batman he was fired. Claire emerged from the stairwell and blasted him with flames, countering he was the one who was fired. Clayface was baked solid. Bright released a flash and jumped out a window. Little Batman told Claire how cool she was. Batman called it an impressive day at the office and as he sat, the office chair came to him. Claire was impressed. Batman thought it was funny that after all that happened, the chair is what impressed her the most. Claire asked him if it never occurred to him she was already pretty impressed he let her into his family. Batman had the chair extend itself horizontally so Claire could sit, too. Little Batman jumped in between them and they hugged. Batman didn't think it could get any better. Claire countered it can always get better and she activated the massage mode.
Alfred took the liberty of printing 25 years of Wayne Enterprises Storage manifests and brought it to Batman in the Batcave. Batman thanked him. Alfred wondered what Mad Hatter and Clayface were after. Batman admitted he had no idea but had an idea of who might, Bright. Batman and Little Batman thwarted two men from robbing a convenience store. The owner thanked Batman for saving his store and prolonging his life. He gave all the credit to his son. Vicki Vale and her cameraman entered commenting it was the second robbery in as many weeks then asked the Batmen if it was a sign that crime was returning to Gotham. Batman denied and deferred to Little Batman while he took a call from Alicia. Little Batman told Vicki about his "not so convenient" line but the robbers didn't laugh with him about it. They facepalmed. Batman, as Bruce, lied to Alicia he and Damian had to go pick up a couple things at the store. The robbers tried to escape but tripped outside. Alicia told Bruce "Scourge of the Blood Rot 24" just came out so they needed to have a family movie night. He apologized for being distracted and denied seeing the movie already. Alicia joked she knew that because of their pinkie swear. He felt guilty. She sent texts jokingly telling him not to look up any spoilers even though she knew he wouldn't because he was the most honest guy she knew. He felt more guilty.
Back at the Batcave, Damian asked Bruce about Vicki's question regarding the return of crime. He was still distracted. He didn't think so but felt maybe it was time to tell Alicia about their secret. Damian quickly agreed and noted she might have figured it out already since she was pretty smart. Bruce explained Alicia knew him before he was Batman and since there weren't that many people like that, he liked keeping her separate, but she is a friend and the people they care about deserve to know the truth. Bruce planned to tell at her during "Scourge of the Blood Rot 24" that night. Man-Bat wished he could go but he realized her baked his own eyeballs while suntanning under lamps. He confirmed he couldn't see anything. Damian was happy to see his first scary movie. Bruce clarified he couldn't see it with them but was sure the theater had plenty of appropriate options for kids. During Blood Rot 24, Bruce tried to tell Alicia his secret but he was repeatedly shushed by a man two rows behind him.
Alicia suggested he tell her whatever he was planning to tell her after the movie. Bruce's watch beeped. The shusher declared he was seriously ruining his life. Bruce told her he had a work emergency. Alicia told him she got a text from Killer Moth who locked himself in the bathroom after he saw a spider. Bruce was already gone. Bruce could not find Damian and Claire in their room and the latter's phone went to voicemail. Batman observed Killer Croc looking for something inside Wayne Storage. He readied a Bat-Tracer. Killer Croc became frustrated. Batman swung in and kicked him. Croc attempted to flee just like Batman wanted but Bright intervened and blasted him. Batman was upset and told Bright they were out of their league. Bright told Batman he was welcome. Croc ran for it. Bright prepared another blast but Batman threw a Batarang. Bright threw a blast at Batman but he was ready with a new gear to deflect it right back. Bright's powers went offline as a result.
Batman unmasked Bright and was speechless. Alicia Pennyworth was Bright. Alicia swore she had better names in mind but Vicki Vale got on the news and called her "Bright" just one time and it stuck. Batman demanded answers. She revealed she knew he was Bruce Wayne. He denied it repeatedly despite Bruce being a billionaire with a traumatic past and tons of disposable income or that Bruce just so happened to live with former rogues like Man-Bat, Volcana, and Ra's al Ghul or that both Bruce and Batman have beards at the same time. He got annoyed when Alicia revealed Damian already told her everything. She didn't understand the issue and stated she was still Alicia and he was still Bruce. He told her that wasn't how it worked. He then told her to tell him everything from the start. Alicia asked him if he remembered Dr. Light. He called Light a brilliant and formidable villain until he "convinced" him to retire. Batman also confiscated Light's last invention that day, the AntiGlow. She reminded Batman its tremendous power could absorb all light on the planet and he kept it safely in an undisclosed Wayne Enterprises storage facility ever since.
Batman understood that was why various villains were breaking into his warehouses. He revealed since it was classified as sensitive equipment, it was constantly being transferred to the degree that not even he could easily locate it. She continued that Dr. Light came to her E*Vil headquarters in Star City to turn his life around, becoming E*Vil's first member as a result. Together, they performed a lot of community service and helped a lot of ex-villains. She revealed the AntiGlow somehow came back online a few months ago, sending out a beacon, and Dr. Light himself picked up its frequency. Light got to it first before someone could use it to take over world but was seemingly vaporized while turning off the beacon then word got out a powerful weapon was somewhere in Wayne Enterprises. Batman didn't like her plan was to put on one of Light's old suits and recover the AntiGlow all by herself. She asked him that it sounded familiar. He told her not to get cute them promptly left without her to find Croc. Batman told Bright he didn't need any help. She asked him if he was mad she kept her identity a secret and tried to explain she swore to Dr. Light she would tell anyone.
Batman brought up their childhood promise not to keep secrets from each other. She realized that was what he was trying to tell her at the movies. He told her only she and Alfred knew him before he became Batman but he kept her in the dark because he liked being her childhood friend but realized she deserved to know the truth. He thought they both did. She checked her suit but it was still offline but Batman was gone. She found the silent treatment so mature. Killer Croc waited for Mad Hatter at the old drive-in theatre but became impatient. Batman perched atop the screen kicking himself for getting mad at Alicia for not feeling the same as he did. Mad Hatter finally arrived. Batman sent a signal to Damian. Mad Hatter revealed he brought help to locate the AntiGlow. Clayface and Livewire joined them. Hatter asked where the "big guy" was. Batman looked around and saw Solomon Grundy throw a car at him. The other villains came outside, surprised Batman came alone. Batman tripped up Grundy, jump kicked Croc, threw Batarangs at Hatter and Clayface, and elbowed and tossed Livewire. He punched Hatter in the nose, cracked Croc with a parking meter, and tossed the meter into Clayface.
Clayface taunted Batman but realized there was an exploding Batarang on the parking meter. He grabbed Livewire by the collar and asked who else was after the AntiGlow. She refused to snitch. Grundy pulled him by the cape then knocked him into a wall. Clayface reformed, grabbed Batman, and threw him towards Croc who then clotheslined him. Livewire zapped him then Hatter kicked him. They were interrupted by a large beam of light touching down near them. Bright, Little Batman, and Claire emerged from the light. Hatter was blasted by Bright. Batman dodged Clayface's hammer and lined up with the others. Claire told him not to get used to her helping. Bright joined Batman against Grundy. Batman apologized for overreacting and admitted it was hard opening up to his friends. He threw a smoke ball at Grundy's face then Bright hit him with a charged blast that sent him into a cement wall.
Batman apologized but Alicia admitted she realized it took a lot to share his "baguette recipe" and was glad the "croissant was out of the bag." Batman smiled but wondered if he was the croissant or the bag in the metaphor. She told him it was French cinema, no one gets it. Some time later, the Gotham City Police Department arrived to collect the villains. Commissioner Gordon agreed to keep things quiet about the villains to avoid a public panic, like the world's most treasured baguette recipe. Batman began to think he was missing something with another bread related reference spoken. Because of the heavy hitters showing up, Batman asked Bright to keep the AntiGlow between them for the kids' sake. Bright agreed to for the time being. Movie night resumed at Wayne Manor. Alfred has his own surprise and played "La Mousse Pousse Lentement" (or "The Moss Grows Slowly") then offered everyone baguettes. Bruce asked why Commissioner Gordon was present.
During breakfast, Damian told a new joke, "What do baby bats learn at school?" Alicia guessed, "How to wing it?" Damian revealed it was "the alpha-bat" and everyone laughed. Man-Bat ate Bruce's pancake. Claire entered. Bruce blurted out the punchline by mistake. He soon noticed Claire's "only sheep comply" shirt and recited Article 3.7 of the school dress code prohibits attire with any messaging whatsoever. Claire called it self-expression and claimed nobody cared about those school rules. Bruce stated he cared and looked at all of Claire's slips for dress code violations on the refrigerator. He told her the rules matter and reminded her she got six discipline slips this month so far. Alicia thought her shirt was cool and revealed she was wearing one, too. Claire noticed and conceded, promising to go change. Bruce told her he understood self-expression was important then reminded her they all would get a chance to express themselves at family karaoke night. She wasn't looking forward to it. Bruce and Damian reminded her of Article 5.1, "Hats are not to be worn indoors." They high-fived. Claire thought he was ruining Damian.
Bruce finally noticed Claire was holding a painting. She told him it was a self-portrait. Bruce studied it. He finally asked if that was hair. She slapped his hand away in frustration and stomped off. He had no idea what just happened. Ra's al Ghul delighted in the fact that the world's greatest detective had at last met a mystery he could not crack: the preteen psyche. He boasted even he did better with his daughters and they tried murdering him then phased through the ceiling. Bruce wondered why he let Ra's live with them. During karaoke night, everyone was stunned by Man-Bat's superb opera singing. Alfred checked the roster and announced a duet from Damian and Claire was next. Claire had no idea she was in one. Damian revealed he signed them up and elected to sing the high part while she sang the low part. She passed. Damian and Bruce tried to get her excited to do it. Man-Bat and Ra's joined in.
Alicia suggested letting her watch instead. Claire agreed and stood up but the discipline slip she got that day fell out of a pocket. Bruce was shocked. Claire tried to explain her classmate's dad made the art but Bruce wasn't hearing it. Alicia tried to tell Bruce to listen to her but Claire snapped he didn't need to listen since he already knew everything. She stormed off to her bedroom. Some time later, Bruce knocked on Claire's door. He paused and listened but wasn't sure if she was giving him the silent treatment or rolling her eyes. He came in but realized only Selina was present. He dipped a finger in her mug, identifying the coffee as Arabica, dark roast, and ice cold. He was repulsed by how strong it was and grabbed the business card, noticing all but "Coffee Shop" was smudged. He also noticed Damian's footprints. Batman and Bright searched all of Gotham's coffee shops. Bright thought they were fine. Batman knew they could handle themselves but he was frustrated about his relationship with Claire. Bright assured him it was fine not to have all the answers and advised him to step out of his comfort zone and and accept that first if he wanted to reach Claire.
The Batjet arrived to pick them up. Batman and Bright were unable to find the kids. Bright asked him how well he knew Claire from before. Batman assumed she meant Volcana and admitted he barely did but he was there when she turned into a child. Batman told her the rest, about finding her critically injured outside Gotham City Bank and taking her Lazarus Pit to save her life but she turned into a child with most of her memories lost. Batman called it a beginning. He admitted he was trying to have all the answers. Bright told him he needed to show Claire he was trying. Batman got an idea and set course for Wayne Manor to pick something up. Batman arrived at the Gotham Museum mid-heist and kicked Rumbler into a wall. Bright blasted Killer Frost then partially broke Claire's ice prison off. Rumbler broke off from Batman and bear hugged Bright as she vibrated.
Frost held an icicle to Little Batman and told Batman to stand down. The door to a vault holding the most vaulable collection of art in the city finally broke down. Cyclone asked Batman if he was going to save the art or his friends. Batman replied both then presented his terrible painting of clouds he made for Claire. Frost, Cyclone, and Rumbler were horrified by it. Batman threw a batarang, freeing Little Batman. Bright got free and blasted Rumbler. Little Batman jump kicked Cyclone. Frost took Claire into the vault. Batman bashed Rumbler but Frost sealed the hole in the door with ice. Claire blasted Frost through the vault door. Batman ran in and held Claire, admitting it was hard to not have all the answers and didn't like not being perfect. She told him she noticed. He explained being Batman was about being perfect, infallible so criminals were always in fear and those you protect always have an answer but being the Bruce he wants to be was about learning there's more to life than being perfect. She told him she knew, joking she saw his art. They laughed. He told her that was her bat-pinion.
Everyone tried their hand at painting the next day. Claire goofed on Bruce as he hesitated. Bruce wanted to see hers but she claimed it wasn't finished. Bruce promised to try harder to pretend he understood it. He got all choked up. It was a painting of Bruce holding a flame in his arms lovingly. Batman informed Damian they couldn't look into the stolen GokiFluff cards case. Damian insisted children in the city were suffering. Bright added all the adults living in their parents' basements were, too. Man-Bat revealed he loved GokiFluff and he lived in the attic. He walked over to a device. Batman told him it was a rock tumbler, not a coffee grinder. Man-Bat was, in fact, there for the rocks and told him coffee messes up your teeth. He chewed on some and left. Batman sighed then told Damian they can't investigate the thefts until he and Bright were done in the Batcave. Damian asked what they were doing. Batman lied they were doing boring adult stuff. Bright revealed they were doing taxes. Damian somehow believed they were both in the Batcave in their crimefighting gear doing their taxes, found it boring, and decided to fly solo on the case. Batman told him no solo flying and was stern about it. Damian walked off disappointed.
Once the coast was clear, Batman questioned taxes. Bright admitted she choked but hated lying to Damian. She wanted to tell him they were working on a device to track the AntiGlow. Batman hated it, too, but reminded her it was for his own sake they were keeping the AntiGlow case a secret. Bruce pleaded with Claire. She agreed to keep an eye on Damian and Man-Bat. Bruce told her he owed her one. She asked for his watch and held her hand out. Batman plugged in a device and stated once it went online, they could track the AntiGlow. Bright unplugged it and specified they would then come clean to Damian. Batman plugged it back in and acknowledged she didn't like the secrecy but stated it came with the job. She suggested they just tell him about the AntiGlow and say the case was for grown-ups only. Batman reminded her dangerous people were after the AntiGlow and Damian's big heart tended to get him in trouble. He knew Damian and Man-Bat were working on the Goki case, the case he told him not to work on.
Bright asked if he was worried. Batman admitted he was and Langstrom was a few Batarangs short of a utility belt, but he was an old friend. She meant Damian working the GokiFluff case. He hinted he had eyes on Damian. She asked how. He answered, "I'm Batman." Bright correctly assumed he bribed Claire to tail Damian. He changed the subject to the missing L-Drive they ordered for their tracker. Bright pointed out it could have been lost in the mail. Batman agreed except for the fact mechanical parts have gone missing all across Gotham lately. Batman saw other thefts were of armor plating, ballistics, and 500 pounds of military grade red fur. Bright found images of the thief. Batman checked it against security feeds all over Gotham. He couldn't make out who it was. Bright noticed Little Batman in one of the images. Man-Bat posted his Gubbub card was for sale in order to lure Toyman into a trap. He gave it a lick and was electrocuted. Toyman took the bait and replied he will buy it. Batman summoned Damian to the Batcave.
Damian was shown still shots of a hooded thief connected to the parts thefts and recognized him as the prime suspect in the GokiFluff case. Both Bruce and Damian were sure he was Toyman. The former was concerned he was building a deadly machine and it was time to stop him. Damian was surprised he wanted to partner up. Bruce asked why he thought that but Alicia cleared her throat. Damian was already suited up and ran off to get the bait for trap he already set. Batman wondered where Damian went. Claire and Ra's tried to stall him. Ra's asked if that was a new Bat-computer. He was immediately suspicious of them and asked if they saw Damian. Claire joked according to her watch, too many times. Ra's offered to do magic for them and took out some cards. Bruce wanted to know where Damian was. Batman headed to Kiddie Kingdom and captured Toyman before he could escape. Batman grabbed him over his shoulder. Little Batman was worried at first but Batman told them they crushed it and told them to bring it in.
The Dent Twins were invited to Wayne Manor for a game of GokiFluff. Man-Bat won a round with his Gubbub card. Judy was upset he had one of the cards. Trudy called it unfair. Man-Bat credited the Batmen for getting his card back. Bruce wanted to thank them for saving Gotham, its citizens, and all those silly trading cards. The twins took offense to "silly" and attacked Bruce. Bruce reminded Damian and Claire it was going to be the first Wayne family interview for the both of them. He adjusted Claire's tie and informed them Vicki Vale will want to do one-on-one interviews. He advised them to give the world an informal, off-the-cuff sense of who they were then wanted ot rehearse the answers he gave them. Damian read the answer off his palm, saying his interests included being an upstanding citizen, spending time with family, and maintaining a strong GPA at school. He mispronounced "GPA" as "gippa" and Bruce suggested not looking at this palm and told him it was GPA.
Claire felt they should decide how the world sees them. Bruce replied they can and gave her the choice of what she wanted to play on the violin. She asked to play thrash metal. Bruce suggested Paganini. Claire replied Paga-nuh-uh. Alfred admitted he thought she was going to burn the violin but was amused he burnt Bruce with her words. Bruce revealed there hasn't even been a Wayne family to interview since he was a kid. He remembered back then, his parents had everything under control. Not a single hair was out of place. They made sure everything was perfect. He felt it was his turn to make sure this day was perfect for them. Damain was touched. Claire replied blegh. Bruce wondered where Alicia was. Damian wondered about Ra's and Dr. Langstrom. Bruce pretended he didn't know. Ra's and Man-Bat were kept in the lakeside cabin away from the manor. Bruce couldn't get Damian's hair to stay down and asked Alfred to get the glue. Vicki arrived early. Bruce told them to look relaxed and happy but not too sweaty or unnatural. He was shocked to see Alicia with E*Vil. Damian and Sad Hatter hugged.
Alicia told Bruce their brownstone had a bit of a plumbing issue and she told E*Vil they could crash at the manor. Copperhead asked where the "old snake hole" was. Bruce asked Alicia to speak with him in private. He twitched. Alicia told him he was overreacting. She asked what could possibly go wrong. Killer Moth flew into a wall. Bruce stated there was a grown man dressed as a giant insect in their living room. Alicia told him the ceiling collapse in E*Vil's brownstone was his fault. He was shocked. She reminded him he tried to be Mr. Handyman and fix a toilet but the flooding led to mold and mold led to the floor collapse. Bruce conceded and gave permission for them to stay. Alicia thanked and hugged him. She felt it would be good for E*Vil because they've been down in the dumps lately. Bruce stipulated they can't go anywhere near Vicki. She assured him the last thing they wanted was to be on TV. E*Vil told Vicki they would love to be in the interview. Tut claimed they were now part of the Wayne family. Copperhead asked her if she liked snakes. They had the cameraman take a photo. Bruce facepalmed.
Vicki asked Bruce about his relationship with E*Vil. Bruce clarified he wouldn't call it a relationship. She asked if he minded her asking them some questions. He exclaimed "No!" by mistake and excused himself. He went to Alicia and told her he was driving them home now. She asked him if he was worried they were going to ruin their family's perfect image. King Tut told Vickie to take a picture of him holding a priceless Egyptian vase. He dropped it. Damian thought Alicia and Bruce were having a family huddle. Bruce told him it wasn't a huddle and was cognizant of Vicki watching them. Alicia filled in Damian. Claire asked whey they were dressed like dweebs if he was so worried about their look. Damian asked if they could get a snake. The cameraman smacked Killer Moth with a broom to try to get him away from his light source. Bruce didn't think E*Vil was a good look, stated they were not getting a snake, and asked if they could stop huddling. Alfred asked if he should add five new settings to the dinner table. Bruce wanted to stay focused on the interviews and show Vicki they were a perfect family. He posed them for the camera. They smiled. Bruce nudged Claire. She smiled.
Tut dropped another vase. Bruce tried to hide his anger. Vicki held her microphone to Selina. Tut knocked a vase over while dusting. Damian hugged and smooched Selina for the camera. They were alarmed only they noticed Buttercup wrap around Vicki's arm. Selina bolted, right onto Bruce's face. He pulled her off but she tried to slash at Buttercup. Claire played the violin for the camera but Killer Moth entered the frame with a guitar and rocked it. Claire joined him and thrashed her head around. Bruce pretended to love it. E*Vil hopped into the in-door pool. Bruce shielded Alicia, Vicki and the camera man. He collapsed into the pool. Vicki asked Bruce if he liked E*Vil or not. He babbled. Alicia jumped in and proclaimed he loved E*Vil, pointing out he even helped at their group therapy sessions. He was surprised. Vicki thought her viewers would love that. He was surprised they would. Alicia revealed she was having one in ten minutes, and Bruce volunteered to help. Bruce played along.
Alicia had Bruce roleplay as Batman for the therapy session. E*Vil unloaded. Alfred called his beard ridiculous and apologized for getting caught up. Tut summarized they accept the world deemed them criminals but asked if the same judgment be cast on Batman because he stole something invaluable from them, their dignity. He added he could kick his big bat butt, too, and laughed. Bruce had enough and told them off, only they get to decide how the world sees them and they could get their dignity back by taking responsibility for their actions. Everyone was speechless. He added he thinks that's what Batman would say. Tut lauded him for the wise counsel. Everyone clapped. Claire thought adults were so easily manipulated. Copperhead complimented Bruce for opening not only his house to them, but opening their minds. Tut wanted to make him a new honorary member of E*Vil. Everyone dogpiled on Bruce for a family hug. Vicki was convinced he cared about E*Vil. Alfred signaled it was time for dinner. Bruce declared they were family.
Bruce went to the cabin and asked Ra's to get rid of E*Vil. Ra's was pleased he changed his stance on murder. Bruce clarified he wanted them alive and occupied and out of sight while Vicki was there. Ra's wanted a 30 minute interview. Bruce was curious why he wanted an interview. Ra's pointed out E*Vil was unattended to. Bruce countered with five minutes. Ra's wanted seven. Bruce agreed to it and specified not to hurt them then fired a grapnel through the front door. Everyone except Bruce was bummed E*Vil changed their minds about joining the dinner. Alicia was suspicious. Bruce guessed they had a lot to process after the big breakthrough. Bruce made a toast to Vicki but watched as Skaratata chased E*Vil outside. Bruce guessed that's why they didn't come to dinner. Damian let it slip this wasn't the first time they encountered it. Skaratata vowed to find his liar, the fool who masqueraded as a pharaoh. Tut took offense and the chase resumed. Alfred moved Vicki and the camera man along to his French garden.
Bruce called out to Ra's, outing himself to Alicia. Ra's tried to claim he was forced to do it. Bruce stressed he told Ra's to occupy them, not kidnap. He admitted it was a bad call but he just wanted it to be perfect. Claire asked how that was working out for him. Bruce apologized for trying to control everything. Alicia told him nobody was perfect. Damian knew he was just looking out for them. Claire added, in his overly obsessive way. Ra's pointed out there was still a rampaging demon. Man-Bat presented the pieces of the sphere. Alicia realized Tut was doomed. Man-Bat remembered the lie was Tut thought he could kick Batman's butt. They distracted Skaratata while Bruce went to suit up. Batman fired missiles into his face. He told Tut to hurry up and kick his big bat butt. He kicked Batman's butt over and over. Skaratata realized the lie he told was now truth and he could no longer lay claim to Tut but he was free to sew chaos and destruction. Batman fired a back up sphere out of the Batjet. Skaratata declared he hated them and was imprisoned once again. Bruce walked out of the bushes wondering what that was all about.
Everyone gathered to watch Vicki's interview on the news. It was a montage. Ra's was irritated it was completely out of context and couldn't believe Vicki said "Daddio," too. Vicki concluded the Wayne family had many things going for them, but perfection wasn't one of them. Claire loved it and kept replaying Bruce prying Selina off his face. Bruce looked around and thought it looked pretty perfect to him. Batman and Bright took out Mr. Freeze's goons while Freeze was annoyed with Little Batman dodging his blasts. Little Batman teased the word he was looking for is freeze. He threw a Batarang into a water pipe. Mr. Freeze blasted the stream of water but got frozen himself. Alfred informed Batman he located the server Freeze is after and directed him to the basement. Batman believed the tracking information on the server would allow them to locate the AntiGlow. Batman reminded Bright they were still keeping it a secret from Damian.
Little Batman kicked a goon into Freeze and he broke out of his prison declaring no more Mr. Ice Guy. He detonated a freeze bomb that stopped the trio in their tracks but he noticed they weren't reacting like he thought they would. Little Batman hinted they were turning up the heat. Claire jumped in through a window, blasted goons, and unleashed enough heat to engulf the room in steam. Little Batman knocked Freeze out. She told him not to call her Volcana and she was not a superhero. Batman told them to tie up Freeze and the goons while he and Bright did a final sweep. Bright left a calling card for E*Vil for when he got out of jail. Batman inserted a jump drive into the basement server. Bright thought it was okay to let Damian in on their search. Batman knew it would kill Damian if he found out he was keeping things from him this long. He recalled several times when Damian hated being left out of him foiling a robbery, getting a midnight snack, and changing the oil in the Batmobile.
Bright asked him if he was afraid to tell Damian. Batman insisted it was about saving Gotham. She warned he was just digging himself into a deeper hole with Damian. Batman posited if he dug deep enough, he'll come out on the other side since that was how holes worked. He preferred to let Damian enjoy celebrating taking Mr. Freeze down. Bright conceded he can't say she didn't warn him. Damian did a cannonball into the in-door pool. He wondered where Alfred was. Bruce lied he was probably baking cricket or playing biscuits. Alfred told Alicia and Bruce quietly that the updates to the tracker worked and they had the AntiGlow's precise location. Claire noticed them talking. Alfred added it was on the move. Bruce wanted to slip away but he saw the Bat-Signal was being projected. Bruce, Damian, Claire, and Alicia ran to the Batphone. Man-Bat informed Ra's they all left but he was still there. He fell in the pool. Alfred shook his head slowly in disappointment. Bruce answered the Batphone as Batman and was apprised by Gordon of a museum heist.
King Tut, while under the mind control of the Antiglow, broke into the Gotham Museum and stole King Tutankhamen's mummified feline companion. Bright was shocked. Little Batman speculated it might not be the real King Tut. Tut tried to run but lost his robe. Little Batman rescinded. Batman noticed his eyes were off and decided to take him to the Batcave. Batman determined Tut was brainwashed with some sort of hypnotic light. Batman clarified to Alfred it was a photo-impositional suggestion, a type of mind-control that uses lightwaves to manipulate the mind, but only if the victim is angry enough. Bright knew about it. Batman felt lucky he had a Bat-Lightwave Blocker handy to free Tut's mind. Bright didn't think it was a coincidence Tut went rogue and the moment they were closing in on the AntiGlow. Alfred speculated Tut was used as a distraction. Bright wondered who did it to them. The Bat-Computer picked up an alert. Vicki Vale reported E*vil had gone rogue. Batman knew someone had a plan for the AntiGlow and was using E*Vil as a distraction. He also knew they had to recover AntiGlow quickly before Damian found out they were hiding it from him.
Little Batman wanted to help E*Vil. Claire pointed out they were all over Gotham and with the mind control, they were actually effective criminals. Batman decided they would have to split-up into two teams. Little Batman called dad. Claire imitated him in mockery. Batman felt it was time for him to lead his own team. Little Batman and Claire were both surprised. He gave Little Batman the lead on Alpha Team with Tut and Volcana. Ra's was pleased. He gave Little Batman the Bat-Lightwave Blocker for countering the effects of the hypnosis. He thanked Batman for trusting him. Claire wanted to know if she could trade for Man-Bat. Batman and Bright left in the Batjet and tracked the AntiGlow. Bright couldn't wait to tell Damian but agreed he made the right call but could have been more upfront with him. Batman asked what she was talking about. Alfred noted Damian was quite chuffed that he got entrusted with his own mission to lead. Batman was proud of him and really did trust him. Alfred asked how he would feel if he learned he were on a decoy mission while Batman went on the real mission without him. Batman stated they were closing in on the target.
Batman and Bright found a empty red box on a roof instead of the AntiGlow. Now the signal was coming from somewhere else. Batman searched through presents in a backyard. Bright got Batman's attention and he saw children and the birthday girl were aghast and about to cry. They awkwardly waved at the children and left. Batman and Bright traced the AntiGlow to a third location, the Gotham Zoo. Batman reached into a gorilla pen for a box but a gorilla didn't want to give it up. He fell backwards with the box but it was another empty one. It was clear someone was messing with the Bat-tracker. Batman knew the only thing that could re-direct the Bat-tracker was a subatomic light-wave. Bright pointed out the only thing that has that capability is the AntiGlow. They recalibrated the frequency to cancel out the wave interference to find the real location. In the Batcave, Alfred told Batman the AntiGow was 1,000 meters away and began to countdown but Batman told him it was okay, they had a visual. The AntiGlow was on the eagle at the Statue of Justice. Alfred was relieved as counting backwards wasn't as easy as it used to be.
Batman and Bright discovered a timer was attached to the AntiGlow and they only had 59 seconds to stop the activation. Bright destroyed the drones guarding it while Batman integrated a Bat Hack to stop the countdown just in time. He thought the straightforward and frankly easily foiled plot was suspicious. Batman ran a diagnostic scan on the AntiGlow but Damian and Claire were in the Batcave, too. Bright and Alfred gestured to him to stop lying. Bruce realized Alfred told Damian and Claire about the AntiGlow. He implored Damian to be mad and yell at him. Damian didn't say word and walked away. Alfred and Alicia returned to the Batcave to check on Batman. He wasn't any closer to figuring out who the mastermind was. Alfred asked him if he was okay about Damian. Batman was troubled with the number of unanswered questions. He noticed it was April 1st. The next morning, Damian was absent from breakfast.
Bruce went to check on him but found Man-Bat sleeping in his bed. Man-Bat was amazed with how comfortable a bed was. Ra's phased through the floor told him, Damian's anger drove him out into the night. Bruce couldn't believe he let him go. Ra's thought he would be fine since he was an al Ghul and was better there than in the manor. Bruce was already gone. Man-Bat went back to sleep then realized Damian was missing. Batman was about to leave to look for Damian but the diagnostic completed and confirmed the AntiGlow they had was a fake. Batman shielded Alicia and Claire as it blew up. Joker broadcast himself and declared it would be the last April Fools' they would ever have. He revealed he would be serving Gotham a 24-hour Prank-A-Thon. Joker presented his co-host and son, Joker Jr. Batman, Claire, Selina, and Alicia were horrified to see Damian now dressed up as Joker. Alfred dozed off after a long night. Batman promised he would find Damian. Alicia was unable to trace the location of Joker's broadcast.
Batman told everyone that if Joker can make people angry enough and use AntiGlow from a high enough altitude, he can mind control the whole city. Claire pointed out they didn't have enough Bat-Lightwave Blocker for everyone in the city. Paul Chen broke open a pinata but there were bees in it. He and Lucky ran into a bouncy house. The bees popped it and the bouncy house took off. Batman went to save them rather than pursue Joker's hot air balloon. Gotham City was on fire in no time. Everyone met back at the Batcave in defeat. Batman noticed the trace was 95 percent done and told everyone else it should finish within the hour then suggested going upstairs for a break. Alicia agreed because they needed to have their heads in the game when it came time to confront Joker. Alfred cleared his throat. She clarified she meant Joker. Batman told them he couldn't let anymore more of them get hurt and sealed them out of the Batcave. Alfred realized Batman initiated lockdown protocol, making the Batcave inaccessible to anyone.
Batman blamed himself for trusting Damian to do superhero work and thought he was a terrible dad. Selina meowed. Batman told her he can't work with the rest of the family on it either because Joker was a dangerous lunatic. She meowed. He stated he had to go alone. The trace completed and revealed Joker was in an old TV studio. He vowed to save Damian and take the Joker down himself then promised to be home soon and kissed Selina goodbye. He left in the Batmobile. Two goons guarded the entrance to the TV studio. The overconfident goon hoped he fought better than he parked. Batman pounced on the other goon then grabbed him by the collar. He realized he was way too cocky way too fast. Batman asked where the Joker was. The goon was about to retort but Batman punched him. Batman fought three more goons. Batman found the main stage. A TV turned on to Vicki Vale reported people becoming enraged all across town amid Joker's return. She admitted all they could do was wait with dreaded anticipation for Joker's grand finale. Joker called her a sensationalist and asked if that's what passed for news. Batman asked where Damian was.
Joker was bummed he was straight to business, clapped the lights back on, and suggested he ask him how he's been. He teased owning a TV studio was always a personal dream of his. Batman told him to can it. He declared his son was his now. He asked what cave he was living in and hoped he wasn't one of those "I don't own a TV" bats. Batman grabbed him by the collar. Joker teased he was out of breath and must have been skipping cardio day. Batman threw him into the audience. Joker promised to tell him and had him come closer, right under a hanging bat cage. He stepped aside but leg clamps came out of the floor and immobilized him. Joker reveled how he was way ahead of Batman the whole time but knew the plan had to be foolproof so he spent a long time on it. Batman freed himself with Batarangs. He ran towards Batman but Jr. dropped the cage on him. Batman used the Bat-Lightwave Blocker but Jr. had on prop eyelids. He smashed the blocker and ran to Joker's arms. Batman wanted to know what Joker wanted. Joker revealed he only wanted what Batman had, a family of his own.
A perimeter alarm was breached and the Bat-Fam arrived. Joker credited Jr. with knowing everyone's weaknesses. Joker promised to not only bring crime back but also turn every single one of Gotham's citizens into criminals. Joker resumed his broadcast and announced there was no last prank, just a beatdown from his goons. Batman got free and untied Bright and Volcana but Joker triggered the trap door under them. They landed in a giant prank gauntlet surrounded by an acid moat. Joker then declared it was time for the elimination round with all of Gotham's favorite villains: Solomon Grundy, Livewire, Mad Hatter, and Killer Croc. Batman got knocked over the edge but he jump kicked Croc away from the Bat-Fam. Batman told Volcana to take the others away but she told him to trust they could handle it. Batman held Croc while Exo-Bat punched him. Joker launched the Joker rocket with the AntiGlow. Batman made his way to Joker and demanded the remote. Joker warned him not to take another step or he would activate the AntiGlow.
Batman asked Jr. for help and apologized for not trusting him. Jr. opened his jacket and hit in the gut with a boxing glove. Batman told Jr. to think of Gotham. Joker teased him with touching the button. Joker mocked Batman. Batman asked Jr. not to make Gotham pay for his mistake. Jr. asked him if he did make a mistake. Batman admitted to it. The rest of the Bat-Fam arrived. Jr. pointed out he didn't think he could handle the AntiGlow mission and he should have trusted that he could. Batman agreed. Jr. asked if he would trust him to handle it if he could go back in time. Batman stated he would. Jr. asked for the remote. Jr. proclaimed April Fools to his dad. Joker blew a raspberry at Batman. Jr. clarified he was talking to Joker. He pushed the button that caused the rocket to self-destruct. Batman fired a grapnel line and set Little Batman up with it. Little Batman threw out a Batarang that destroyed the AntiGlow. Joker couldn't believe he got tricked. Batman apologized again and hugged Little Batman. The Bat-Fam joined in.
Bright realized Little Batman was never hypnotized. Little Batman confirmed he play along to get Joker to trust him and admitted he was only disappointed but not actually mad, so the brainwashing didn't work. Batman secured Joker. Little Batman stated nothing in the world could stop him from loving his dad or anyone else in his family. Batman admitted he was fooled up until the final moment. Betrayed by his own son, Joker thought it was truly the best April Fool's Day ever. Batman told him to save it for the judge. Gordon believed they could finally enjoy a crime-free Gotham. Batman disagreed and conceded crime would always have its place in Gotham. Gordon was bummed. Little Batman added the Bat-Family would always be there, too, and apologized about the pranks he pulled with the Joker to keep his cover. Batman stated they were prepared to make restitution for any and all damages. Little Batman agreed.
Alfred called for an April Fool's celebration but they saw the Bat-Signal was activated and took off to respond to it. They cleaned up the Statue of Justice. Little Batman wished he knew what restitution meant before he promised to make it. Joker told him what's important is that they were spending time together as family. Batman bluntly told him he wasn't family.