DC Officially Shares New Image of Revamped Court of Owls for Batman's New Appearance

Batman‘s most iconic modern villains, the Court of Owls, are about to make a huge splash. But with a drastic new redesign, could Gotham’s secret society actually be on the right side for once?

The Absolute Court of Owls Officially Debut

In the recent Absolute Batman #17 – from Eric Canete, Scott Snyder, Frank Martin and Clayton Cowles – fans are introduced to the Absolute Universe’s Court of Owls, with Martha Wayne reaching out to the secretive group.

In mainstream lore, the Court of Owls are Gotham’s elite, dressed in suits and dresses with white masks and dead black eyes. However, in the Absolute Universe, the Owls are very different. Each is dressed in black, wearing pointed masks with orange eyes.

Previously, fans had seen the Court in a preview of Absolute Batman #18‘s cover art, showing a mask-wearing army with machine guns and body armor. However, the in-comic art is far more compelling, making the Owls look like expert soldiers rather than shadowy oligarchs.

absolute batman 18 cover showing the court of owls

In mainstream lore, the Court of Owls is split between the wealthy Owls themselves and their assassin Talons, and it’s possible that Absolute Batman just introduced the latter. However, the sense of agency with which they’re presented suggests these are the Owls, they’re just very different in this universe.

Could Batman’s Court of Owls Be Heroes Now?

Comic book art: a Court of Owls family in white owl masks pose against a wall of photos. — Court of Owls standing against a wall of photos in DC Comics

In the mainstream DC Universe, the Court of Owls are a secret group who use their wealth and influence to shape Gotham to their liking. However, the Absolute Universe is a reality built on Darkseid’s evil, where the world is already ruled by rich villains like Joker, Ra’s al Ghul and Hector Hammond.

It therefore makes sense that in this world, the Court of Owls would be insurgents against the corrupt world order. That would explain why Martha Wayne – fearing Gotham’s future after Jim Gordon was ousted from office – is reaching out to them, and apparently has history with the group. It also jibes with issue eighteen’s cover, which makes the Owls look like insurgents rather than ages-old assassins.

In Absolute Batman lore, some of Batman’s most iconic villains – the Penguin, Killer Croc, Two-Face and the Riddler – are childhood friends of Bruce Wayne who now support him as Batman, so there’s precedent for Gotham villains to become do-gooders.

Is Absolute Robin Tied to the Court of Owls?

Finally, DC has teased that Absolute Batman #20 will debut this world’s version of Robin. In mainstream lore, the first Robin Dick Grayson was trained on behalf of the Court of Owls, who planned to turn him into one of their Talons. It’s possible that Absolute Batman will echo this storyline by turning the Court of Owls into a support system for Batman – something he currently lacks in the Absolute Universe.

The Court of Owls have officially entered Absolute Batman lore, but their new designs and connection to Martha Kent hint they may actually be the good guys of this particular story.

Absolute Batman #17 is available now from DC Comics.