Joshua Rolle

Early Life
Joshua Rollé grew up with his brother Elijah and mother Cherie, on the mean streets of Gotham City. They grew up in poverty, as their drunken father, Howard Tulloch, couldn't hold down a job after World War II, but they stuck by him through all of Howard's failed attempts to restart his weapons company that crashed after the end of the second World War. Although when the Veitnam War broke out the need for weapons became profitable again, making Tulloch Industries, rise and become the worlds most prominent weapons manufacture in the world. However instead of climbing to the top with his new family Howard left his long time girlfriend and two sons in Gotham City as he moved to New York, into the Tulloch Mansion with his new girl. During this trying time much of the family's income came from Cherie's younger brother, Anthony Rollé, who obtained funds illegally as leader of the Yancy Street Gang. When Joshua was only four years old he began to emulate a superior intellect just as his elder brother Elijah did from an early age. When Elijah was 16 his intelligence was so advanced he spent most of his hours at home making bombs and other scientific experiments, but his intellect came at a heavy price as he was severely beaten and picked on. Joshua, who was 10 years Elijah's junior, didn't understand why his brother didn't just “Smash” his tormentors or blow them up with all his bombs. Elijah forbid such talk and simply went to sleep exhausted from the rough days at school he had. While Elijah stayed home, Cherie and Joshua went to the high school to pick up his brother's homework. Before Joshua left the house however, he took one of Elijah's bombs. Playing a game of “spy” with himself he sunk into the boiler room while the janitor and his mother weren't looking and planted the bomb. When Joshua  got home he told Elijah a secret, whispering to him that he planed to make all the bad men go away. Elijah was confused until he remembered their conversation from last night. Joshua then smiled and pressed a button on a device in his hand with a big smile on his face. Elijah was both shocked and horrified that Joshua could plant and activate his bomb at his tender age. Elijah raced to stop the bomb as the time clocked down. He managed to stop the detonation but because of his supposed actions Elijah had to be sent away from Gotham, and moved with their father's brother Jack in New York. Ten months later his mother and uncle were able to scrap together enough money to enroll the “Little Genius” into a boarding school, there Joshua would soon start experimenting with erector sets. While at boarding school the young Joshua would have a roommate named Reed Richards. Not long after meeting each other, Reed told his roommate that he began developing schematics for a device that could transmit matter across the dimensional plane and asked him for his help in retrieving a power converter off school grounds. Joshua agrees to help his friend and they sneak off campus to a local salvage yard were they recover the power converter as well as other devices. Using the recovered supplies, Reed shows Joshua his finished teleporter activating it and teleporting a toy car. A shocked Joshua proceeds to call Reed insane, to which Reed thanks him. The two geniuses would then continue working on Reed's invention in the hopes of being able to not only send but to also retrieve items from the teleporter. Five years later, Joshua and Reed were extremely close to finishing the two way teleporter, however when Joshua's idolized uncle Anthony was imprisoned following a battle between rival gangs, work on their teleporter temporarily ceased as Joshua wanted to return home for the trail. Upon Anthony's conviction, Joshua became embittered against the world and to make matters worse, Cherie was no longer able to support the tuition of the boarding school on her own, resulting in Joshua being forced out of school, separating him from his best friend and their invention. Following this Joshua began to actively befriend the members of the Yancy Street gang, hoping there presence would fill the large voids left by Elijah, Anthony, and Reed. In an ironic turn of event, within two years of befriending the Yancy Street Gang, he had succeeded his uncle as their leader. His mother however, was less than pleased and the retired police officer threatened to turn her son in if he continued his actions, revealing that she was the one who informed the commissioner of Anthony's whereabouts after the murder of the rival gang leader. Heartbroken over what he deemed a bitter betrayal, Joshua packed his things and ran away before she could “go turncoat” on him.

Haley's Circus-13
While backpacking through Gotham with his friend and fellow gang member Tommy, they sneaked onto a fairground to check out Haly's Circus, a small traveling circus. There Joshua bullied a young deformed boy that was the son of the Circus' gypsy. Seeing Joshua treat her son with cruelty, she cursed Joshua claiming that he would know tears one day. Joshua then ran into his uncle Jake Tulloch and his young wife Petunia, acrobats getting ready to preform. Wanting to get as far away from Gotham as he possibly can, Joshua uses this chance encounter to beg Uncle Jake to come on tour. Tommy looks at Joshua in bewilderment as that would bring an end to his leadership, Joshua on the other hand was unmoving, as the hurt by his mothers betrayal was too deep. Aunt Petunia was over joyed at the idea, but Jake refused telling the 13 year old that he had no talent for the circus and told him to go home. Despite his uncle's dismissal, that night Joshua planned to leave his life with the Yancy Street Gang behind deciding to stow away aboard the circus train. Meanwhile Tommy told the other members of the group Joshua's intentions of leaving, and gathered them to stop him. When the Gang gets to the fairgrounds, Joshua manages to spot them, peering from behind the wall. As the manager of the circus, Mr. Haly, calls for the last chance to aboard the train, Joshua takes a deep breath, knowing that if his gang were to catching him deserting, they would beat upon him severely. Joshua then puts the look of determination in his eyes and runs for it, as fast as he possibly can, behind him he hears voices shout “Get him!!!” putting further haste into Joshua's every step. As the train begins to pull off, Joshua with all the speed he can muster makes one final lunge at the rail bars on the train. Knowing it was his last chance, he leaped for it with all his very being, catches the railing and pulls himself up. Finally turning around to see his pursuers, he was stumbled to see no one was behind him, as he sighed with relief, he turned his head to see his gang beating up a person savagely. When Joshua next woke up in a new state, he was discovered by his uncle who revealed that the boy in his acrobat act is missing. Needing a replacement Jake also revealed that he had seen Joshua's lunge for the rail last night, and told him that he was wrong for dismissing him. Jake told Joshua that he had raw talent as an acrobat and forced Joshua into learning how to be one. At first, Joshua resisted his new guardians' kindness toward him, but eventually, he came to return their love. Together they became headliners for Haley's Circus as  The Flying Tullochs, most famous for performing without a net, making their act more dangerous. They would perform triple flips at one time, however Joshua was the only one that could do four flips in a row. Becoming one of Haly's most famous acts, the fame fact went to Joshua's head rather quickly. Joshua, became rather pompous about his success, began to drive away his closest friends Raymond and Raya Vestri. Two years after leaving Gotham, Joshua and Haley's Circus would return; despite rampant rumors that a gang war was occurring between one of Gotham's notorious villains Harvey "Two-Face" Dent and the new leader of one of Gotham's most powerful crime familes, Sofia Gigante Falcone. While on tour in Gotham City, a major blackout caused by the villain known as the Riddler occurred. Joshua, who had decided to go to see his mother while Haly's Circus was stationed in Gotham, was caught in the streets alone. Working with a couple of kids, Joshua managed to survive the immediate blackout and return to his family at Haly's camp. He learned not to take his friends for granted and apologized to Raymond and Raya for treating them so poorly. After apologizing, Joshua overheard "Boss" Tony Zucco, a well-known and feared crime-lord, threaten the performers unless the circus's owner paid extortion money. The owner refused, and that night Joshua watched in horror as his Aunt and Uncle's high wire snapped, sending them hurtling to their deaths, all while many of Gotham's elite watched on. Young Joshua felt responsible, because he didn't warn them in time. Unable to find Cherie, as she left Gotham in search of Joshua the day after he left, Joshua was placed in an uncaring juvenile services system, on the grounds that social services were full. He got beaten up by a number of the inmates, and he was later sent to a Catholic orphanage. Bobby Stewart, Joshua's billionaire cousin, who owned Stewart Enterprise rescued Joshua by adopting him as his ward. However Bobby wasn't much of a father figure and never spent any time with his younger cousin. Frustrated by the lack of attention from his new guardian and the mystery still surrounding his Uncle and Aunt's death, Joshua sneaked out of Stewart Manor one evening to solve the crime on his own - only to stumble into Batman, who was also investigating the murder. When Joshua returned to the circus, he was confronted by Zucco's business associate, Eddie Skeevers, who nearly killed Joshua, but Joshua was saved thanks to Batman's intervention. After waking up in the Batcave, he is shocked to learn that Bobby is really the Batman. The two then decide to combine their efforts and share the information they found on their separate investigations. They succeed in revealing Zucco's complicity, and Batman goes to apprehend Zucco. However, Zucco supposedly dies of a heart attack before his arrest. Despite Zucco being declared dead, Joshua's thirst for justice had not quenched as he hoped that no other child had to watch their loved ones die to senseless violence again, and sought to prove himself to his older cousin in the hopes of joining him on his crusade against crime. Meanwhile, as Joshua contemplated what to do next, Gotham's newest villain, the Hangman, and his spree of terror escalated at the same time as Two-Face's war with Sofia and her family. Two-Face would soon enlist the aid of his fellow 'freaks' to destroy the remainders of Gotham's mafia; his lieutenants included Batman's most notorious villians: The Joker, The Scarecrow, The Penguin, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, The Mad Hatter and Solomon Grundy. Mario Falcone, who had an alliance with District Attorney Janice Porter, was soon faced with isolation as Porter began a secret affair with Two-Face and was eventually slain by him. At the same time, however, Two-Face saved Gotham City Police Captian James Gordon's life when the Hangman tried to hang him on the Batsignal, stating that he wasn't the killer. The endgame of the gang war came when Sofia revealed that she was never disabled, and that she committed the Hangman murders, targeting all the cops, whether honest or crooked, who had helped Harvey Dent's career. She then suffocated her own brother Alberto. She opened the gas lines and set Gotham City ablaze to smoke out Two-Face, who was hiding in the sewers. Saved by Batman, Two-Face turned on Sofia and shot her to death. Escaping to a cordoned-off subterranean area, Two-Face, Freeze, Ivy, and the Joker found themselves in the Batcave. Batman's secrets would have been laid bare to the team of criminals except for the timely intervention of Joshua, who had been training in secret. Wearing his old circus uniform, he made his debut as Robin, choosing the name after the nickname his Aunt Petunia gave him, and helped Batman defeat most of the villains. When at last Batman faced Two-Face, Two-Face stated that Gotham belonged to him. The Joker appeared at the last moment, shooting Two-Face, who falls off a cliff. Robin then helps incapacitate Joker. However Two-Face survived, and he has Carmine Falcone's body, frozen. After the battle in the bat cave, Batman, seeing a reflection of himself in Joshua; that he could temper compassion with a thirst for justice, made his young cousin the offer of a lifetime; the chance to become his crime-fighting partner. After, Joshua accepts, Batman offers Joshua one last chance to escape the never ending crusade against crime. Joshua refuses and Bobby declares that the two are now Batman and Robin. Batman states that he still is following the oath he made to his parents when they were murdered but now he is not alone. Robin's origin had a typological connection to Batman's in that both witnessed the crime-related deaths of their loved ones, creating an urge to battle the criminal underworld. This provided a bond and understanding between the two. Bobby taught Joshua fighting techniques and detective skills for a grueling 6 weeks, including boxing and jujitsu. Finally, Joshua had to pass a final test - "the Gauntlet". Joshua had to elude the Dark Knight on the streets of Gotham for one night - from sunset to sunrise - without any outside help. Joshua succeeded, simultaneously bringing Gotham gangster Joe Minette to justice. Joshua would then finally take to the streets as Batman's full-fledged partner in crime-fighting: Robin, the Boy Wonder. On Batman and Robin's first case together, the duo would assist the Gotham Police in the pursuit of a local mafia cartel. Unfortunately Batman was captured by the criminals and Robin was forced to work alone to rescue Batman. Using the skills Batman taught him, Robin tracked down the extortion gang. The Mafia's plan was to demolish a skyscraper construction site known as the Canin Building, but Robin defeats the gang in a dangerous battle on the high girders, during which Robin uses a sling to knock one thug off a steel beam and kicks a second gunman off another girder, although he saves them using the grappling hook. After saving Batman from the mafia leader, Robin reveals that he recorded him in the act of confessing to Batman that he pushed a GCPD officer to his death and this evidence is given to the police, leading to the mafia boss' conviction for murder. On Joshua's next case with Batman,two of Gotham's millionaires are kidnapped and one chauffeur is murdered in downtown Newark. The fatal abduction leaving Batman and Robin only one clue: an axe. Needing more information, Batman now as Bobby Stewart, goes to visit an old ally of his father, the informal "mayor of Newark's Chinatown",Wong Chu, who tells him that the Tong of the Green Dragon is behind the kidnappings. Bobby immediately recognized the gang as The Green Dragons were the prominent dealers of New Jersey's opium business. When Bobby returns to Stewart Manor, he begins getting ready to patrol, but gives Joshua strict instructions to stay behind, knowing how deadly the Green Dragon gang can be. As Batman leaves he calls on Wong, to gather more information. However when he arrives, he finds that Wong has been killed by The Green Dragon's extermination squad, the Hatchet Men. Seeing his friend murdered, throws Batman in a blind rage, leading him into a brawl with the Hatchet Men, that results in them all falling out of a window; he lands badly and is knocked out, but so are the Hatchet Men. Meanwhile, Joshua has ignored his orders and as Robin stealthily followed Batman to Wong's. Arriving just after the viscous brawl, all that was left for Robin was, Wong's murdered corpse, a thrashed room, and a broken window. Seeing as no one is there, Robin takes his time to investigate the crime scene. He finds a clue in Wong's desk that Wong was able to scratch in moments before his death. The clue gave Robin the location of the Green Dragon's hideout: Pier Three. Recognizing the location, he gets on his Robincycle and heads to the waterfront, not noticing that he now has a stealthy follower, a Hatchet Man from the team that attacked Batman earlier. Robin soon arrived at the criminals’ lair where he fought them until he is ambushed and captured by the Hatchet Man. Following his abduction Robin is forced to duel against a very capable Mongolian swordsman, armed with only a wooden sword. Fortunately, Robin is able to hold the Mongol off until Batman arrives, rescuing his cousin. Now together, the duo and the Green Dragon gang ensues in a lengthy brawl, at the end of which the Tong leader is beaten senseless, the kidnapped millionaires are freed, and Batman and Robin are now local folk heroes in Newark's Chinatown. During this time, Joshua also began attending Woodrow Roosevelt high school at both Bobby and his faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth's request. While attending Woodrow Roosevelt high school, Joshua would be reunited with his former best friend, Reed Richards, as Reed would move from New York to Gotham due to his mother marrying his step dad. Reed's adjustment to Gotham proved difficult for him in contrast to Joshua who would develop fast friends, a high school crush, and become the quarterback for the high school's football team. Joshua seeing the more introverted Reed being picked on, would continually help him against the school bullies getting into fights and displeasing both Bobby and Alfred; although they understood Joshua's reasoning for standing up against the ruffians. Wanting to make Reed feel more comfortable in his new environment, began to once again work on Reed's teleporter hoping to bring back the nostalgia of old times. However, Joshua was forced to keep his old friend at a distance due to his responsibilities on the field and his unwavering priority of being Robin.

Robin-15-17
Together with Batman, Robin would fight such menaces as the Firefly, George Dyke, a death row inmate who's brain is implanted into the body of a gorilla, and the The Wrecker. During this period Robin would also have his first clash with Catwoman when the female fetal made a play to steal a valuable diamond necklace from a rich heiress named Martha Travers. Several criminal gangs likewise sought the necklace, and the theft earned them the attention of Batman and Robin. Robin was the first to learn about Catwoman's involvement and revealed his findings to Batman. Batman encountered the disguised thief, whereupon she attempted to convince him to give up his heroic lifestyle and join her crew. Batman was unwilling to entertain such a notion, but found himself attracted to the seductive thief nonetheless. Even though he captured her, he "allowed" her to escape his clutches. Batman and Robin would next put away the inventive Crimesmith. When the criminal named Mr. Camera later manages to take pictures of Batman and Robin's civilian identities, Joshua helps Bobby stage an elaborate hoax to disprove that Batman and Robin's true identities are Bobby Stewart and Joshua Rolle, even though upon recovering the film they find that it had been underexposed. During this same period, Robin helps Batman expose the Phantom of Bandit as Muggsy Morton. When criminal Odo Neval attempts to make a killing selling a supposed immortality formula, Batman had to prevent Robin from undue harm when the Boy Wonder impulsively drank the supposed elixir and attempted to fight crime alone whilst Batman learned that the elixir is a hoax. Batman and Robin are next recruited by the citizens of the Lost Valley of Bird-Men, a secret civilization of winged people, to stop the evil Gravio Clan. After the Gravio case, Robin helps Batman smash a fake plastic surgery scheme for criminals interested in altering their fingerprints, and foil the Olympic Games of Crime. Robin is also present when Batman is the target of the fatally ill Tom Beckette who blames Batman for sending his father to death row and is attempting to kill the Caped Crusader. After helping apprehend Beckette, Robin would aid Batman in smashing Big Jim's mob and Hatchet Marley's plot to exploit psychological tests that the Dynamic Duo are participating for in order to learn how to rob the Gotham Mint.

Battles against the Joker
Following this, Robin would come to know Batman's arch-nemesis, the Joker, after he escapes from Arkham Assembly. The Joker quickly retook his control as the most dangerous criminal entity in Gotham City's criminal underground. He did this when he once again brazenly challenged Gotham's underworld and police department by announcing over the television that he will kill three of Gotham's most prominent citizens: Henry Claridge, Judge Drake and Jay Wilde. Batman and Robin investigated the crimes and were startled to find the victims' bodies stricken with a macabre perpetual grin upon their faces. During the investigation The Joker managed to trap Robin and was prepared to murder him with the same deadly Joker venom that he used on his other victims, but Batman rescued Robin and the Joker went to back to Arkham. However, the Joker did not stay in the physic ward very long, he soon escaped via an explosive capsule concealed in a molar, and continued his never-ending crime spree. The Batman laid a trap for the Joker, baiting him to steal a valuable ruby gemstone. The plan worked and the Joker crossed swords with Batman and Robin once again. During their fight, the Joker was accidentally stabbed by his own knife and nearly died. He was taken to the hospital, but quickly recovered. A criminal cartel known as Crime Syndicate, Inc. then took him from the hospital and offered him the position of leader of their gang. The Joker led Crime Syndicate, Inc. on a string of jewel robberies, but the organization collapsed after another encounter with the Batman and Robin which resulted in The Joker being left for dead inside of a burning building, but again, managed to survive. The Joker then used a music store as a front for his criminal ventures, taking on the alias of A. Rekoj, he would hire thugs to steal for him. Ultimately, he'd reveal himself as the Joker and steal the loot from the thugs, who were completely flummoxed because they did not realize that A. Rekoj and the Joker were one in the same. During this caper the Joker once more ran afoul of Batman and Robin who put a stop to his criminal activities but Joker would once again escape. Next the Joker stole a valuable item known as the Jade Buddha and fought the Dynamic Duo once again aboard a ship. The Joker was defeated and fell from the deck of the ship into the water, where he seemingly drowned. He soon returned however and started up a new gang based on circus performers that stole from the wealthy people of Gotham. Joker's gang was stopped by Batman and Robin, and during a last encounter in Joker's own "Haunted House", he fell to a dark pit and he was again assumed dead. However, he once again survived and Joker's next plot would involve setting up an illegal gambling ship three miles into international waters with the aid of three other criminals: Queenie, Diamond Jack Deegan and Clubsy. Investigating the ship as Bobby Stewart, the Batman would learn of the Joker's involvement of the operation and end it's exploitation of it's clientele. After Batman and Robin discovered the whole scheme, the Joker would once more escape capture when he was thrown into the ocean during the final confrontation on a lighthouse. The Joker's next caper would involve tricking the police and Batman to protect a panicky gem collector (in reality one of the Joker's henchmen) while he drugged and took the place of a visiting European nobleman Duke Michael to steal $10,000 in war aid that was raised by the people of Gotham City that the Duke was intending to collect. This plot was also foiled by Batman and Robin when they learn the truth, and while battling the Joker on a moving railroad car, the Joker falls off the car and down a cliff face after receiving a blow from Batman. However the Joker would not be stopped there and his next scheme would involve using outside circumstance to try and foul up any attempts to capture him; with a successful bank robbery the Joker puts in an ad seeking out old cars which end up jamming up traffic when the police try to stop the Joker. Then he poses as a magician to steal priceless jewels and once again evades the police. His last attempted crime -- wherein the Joker poses as a sign painter -- fails when Batman and Robin gets wise to the Joker's plan and captures him. When the Joker threatens to kill Robin by suffocating him with sulfur to which the Dark Knight gives him a good beating and leaves him in front of the court house for Jim Gordon and the GCPD. Following this Batman secretly ponders if he should continue to allow Joshua to act as Robin as his young cousin is in constant danger, but those thoughts are quickly subsided on Batman and Robin's next caper, when the young Robin went one on one with the villain Tusk and defeated him.

The Boy Wonder
The Dynamic Duo's next adventure soon began when, the Mad Hatter is hired by Singh Manh Lee, the president of Rheelasia, to kidnap ten American girls for Lee's personal sex trafficking purposes. Batman and Robin are informed of the disappearances of eight girls by Captain Gordon and begin searching Gotham City for clues. After encountering difficulties in their search, Robin identifies one of the missing girls as Jennifer, a mutual school crush. While searching his school for leads at Batman's request, Robin discovers that the Mad Hatter is behind the kidnappings. Because Batman is aboard President Lee's yacht as Bobby Stewart, Robin decides to foil the Hatter's plot alone. Although Robin's efforts lead to the arrest of the Mad Hatter, the exploitation of President Lee, and the rescue of the captive girls, Batman is angered that Robin did not wait for his permission and assistance. Before Batman can reprimand Robin, Alfred intervenes and convinces him to commend his squire for a job well done. As Joshua aids Bobby in his war on crime, Alfred fears that the boy may not be able to balance a normal teenage life with vigilantism, but Joshua continues to prove his worth as Batman's aid by single-handedly defeating criminals like Killer Moth,Tusk, and Blockbuster. Meanwhile, Two-Face, who still feels that Batman is to blame for his disfiguration, plans revenge against Batman by plotting to kill his sidekick. To carry out his plan, Two-Face kidnaps Judge Lawrence Watkins in order to lure the Dynamic Duo into his trap. When Captain Gordon meets with Batman and Robin to inform them of the kidnapping, he expresses concerns about Robin's young age and reminds Batman of the danger of the mission. With this new realization, Batman orders Robin to sit out during the hunt for Two-Face; however, Robin secretly follows him during his search. Soon thereafter, Batman finds Two-Face in the act of kidnapping twin infants and tries to prevent their death. Although Robin shows up to help, the abduction of the infants turns out to be a trap and both Batman and Robin are taken hostage. Two-Face carries out his revenge by making Robin choose between Judge Watkin's life and Batman's. While attempting to save the judge and Batman from Two-Face, Robin is badly beaten. Bobby takes him to Dr. Leslie Thompkins for treatment, and decides to end Joshua's career as Robin. This causes Robin to run away from Stewart Manor. While on the streets, Robin is enlisted by a martial artist named Shrike into a junior League of Assassins. Shortly after Joshua's recruitment into the league, Shrike is hired by a crime boss to murder Two-Face, who has recently escaped from jail. Meanwhile, Batman begins his search for the escapee while Alfred tries to find Joshua. While in the League of Assassins, Joshua uses the name "Freddy Loyd" in order to conceal his identity. However, Shrike grows suspicious of "Freddy" and orders the other league members not to trust him. The junior League of Assassins quickly find Two-Face's hideout and attempt to murder him. Joshua nearly kills Two-Face for all the pain that he has caused him, but instead he flees with the others. During his involvement with the group, Joshua serves as an unofficial spy for Batman by sending letters containing information about the junior League of Assassins and Two-Face, but refuses to return home out of guilt. After returning to the League's hideout, Shrike demands the truth about "Freddy's" identity. Meanwhile, Two-Face learns of Shrike's plan, hunts him down, and tracks him to his hideout. At the same time, Batman finds Joshua. The two take down Shrike, but Two-Face escapes. Afterward, Bobby allows Joshua to be Robin again, as long as he agrees to follow Batman's orders. The team later captures Two-Face and Robin's hectic first month as Robin ends with his first encounter with Barbara Gordon, the niece of Captain Gordon, who is now under Gordon's care.

Teen Titans
Not long after Joshua was “rehired” as Robin, The townsfolk of Hatton Corners become embroiled in the midst of a dispute. The adults of the neighborhood feel that the teen populace are too wild and unruly, whereas the teens feel that the adults are too "un-hip" and incapable of relating to teenage problems. Ironically, the teen youth movement is led by Eddie Corliss, son of the town's mayor. Eddie organizes a club house meeting and invites three famous teen super-heroes to come to Hatton Corners to support their cause. They invite Aqualad, Kid Flash and Robin. Before the heroes arrive however, a crazed super-villain known as Mister Twister blusters through town riding atop a giant cyclone. Mister Twister attempts to extort the town elders for what he believes are reparations owed to his family going back several generations (which consists of feathers from an extinct breed of pigeon). When the town elders are unable to pay Mister Twister, he uses the elemental powers of his magic staff to abduct the town's teenagers and bring them to nearby Goat Island. Aqualad, Kid Flash and Robin arrive in town, but when they visit the teen clubhouse, they find that it has been razed to the ground. Mayor Corliss tells them about Mister Twister and they agree to do what they can to rescue the missing youths. They find the kids on Goat Island where they are forced to erect a giant twister-shaped tower made from heavy stone blocks. While Mister Twister is away, Kid Flash uses his super-speed to finish construction on the tower so that the teenagers do not have to carry the burden alone. Aqualad discovers that the underside of Goat Island is perched upon a fragile pinnacle of rock, so he summons a giant whale to push the island off of its natural mooring and move it out to sea. When Mister Twister returns, he cannot find the island. Infuriated, he returns to Hatton Corners to wreak his revenge against the town. He uses his powers to rain fire down from the sky and creates a massive flood that threatens to consume the town. Kid Flash spins like a cyclone in an effort to control the flames while Aqualad calls upon the aid of a narwhal to drill a drainage ditch, which diverts the flood into natural underground tributaries. Robin confronts Mister Twister directly and ensnares the villain's magic staff with his Batrope. Without the power of his staff, Mister Twister is powerless. The teens of Hatton Corners are reunited with their parents and everyone agrees that they will do their best to mend their differences. Following this adventure, the junior adventurers returned to their separate cities to slowly find that their mentors had turned to committing questionable acts bordering crime. Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Wonder Girl, whom the others meet for the first time, then coincidentally converge on Metropolis to seek the aid of Superman, but then find that he is also acting darkly strange. Deciding to team up and investigate what was going on with the Justice League, the makeshift team find their way into the Justice League's headquarters where they find the Antithesis, a psychic entity that feeds off other peoples' anger and sadness that has been controlling The Justice League through it's powers of telepathy and use of mental manipulation. The Antithesis reveals to the younger crime-fighters that he had been imprisoned by the Justice League into their computer mainframe months prior and that it was Mister Twister who freed him. Robin and the group vow to stop The Antithesis, who in response sends the mind-controlled Justice League members to battle their lesser counter-parts. The trio of Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad mange to defeat a rampaging Wonder Woman, while Speedy and Wonder Girl stop the Flash. Then Aquaman, Batman and Green Arrow are also captured by the young heroes. Upon the defeat of the older heroes, the younger group find that their mentors return to normal, and free their mentors just in time to help stop Superman. Following the battle, The Antithesis flees, into another dimensional zone known as limbo, rather than stay and battle the heroes. Inspired by the success of their teamwork, the five young heroes form a permanent organization, The Teen Titans, although Speedy only joins as a part-time-member. Weeks later, the town of Midville decided to have itself a "Teen Day" and the mayor elects a "Teen Mayor" for the next 24 hours to celebrate, choosing local boy Tommy Holmes. However, while most of the people of Midville enjoy the celebration, there are some in the town that dislike teenagers and have issues against Tommy Holmes because his father is in jail. Although Teen Day begins well -- with teens taking on city jobs -- Tommy is upset that his father cannot be there to see how well things are going. Suddenly, a menace the towns folk known as the Separated Man attacks again, sending a giant hand to terrorize the city. With this danger on the loose, Tommy calls in the newly formed Teen Titans: Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Wonder Girl to come and rescue the city. Each team member (with permission from their mentors) go from their respective locations to go and investigate the strange attacks of the Separated Man. Back in Midville, the townsfolk blame Tommy for the attacks because his father is a criminal and he is saved at the last minute by his girlfriend Judy who drives him away from the angry mob on a motorcycle. They are soon attacked by parts of the Separated Man's body. They seek refuge in the nearby teen club house where all the local teens are waiting for the arrival of the Teen Titans. When the Titans arrive, Tommy explains to them that his father was a scientist who created a means of turning himself into a giant molecule. This in turn created the Separated Man, when the effects worse off his father was held criminally responsible and incarcerated. After Tommy his finished his story, they find that the feet of the Separated Man is storming toward the club house. The Teen Titans and local teens work together to try to stop the Separated Man, tripping up it's feet with Wonder Girl's lasso. They then go into the town proper where the towns folk are trying to stop the Separated Man's hand, the Teen Titans and local kids tie ropes to all of it's fingers and drag it away on mini-bikes. When a giant eye appears and begins dropping flaming tears, Tommy's father appears telling the mayor he has a way to stop the Separated Man, however the mayor orders him to be arrested. This is stopped when the flaming tears being to cause fires around the town, prompting Kid Flash to use his super-speed to stop the flames. Professor Holmes explains that while he was in jail he was trying to perfect his Separated Man formula to expunge any criminal tendencies, however the formula was stolen by his cell mate Jake Trask had stolen it the day he was paroled. Having developed an antidote, he tells them that the Separated Man must be looking for more of the serum to remain in his current state. Telling them that he has to inject the anti-serum into the creatures heart, the Teen Titans and local kids go out looking for the heart of the Separated Man. They trick the Separated Man's ear into eaves dropping on them and send it away by cranking up their portable radios sending it flying away in pain. Wonder Girl goes after the ear only to be assaulted by the Separated Man's mouth, she quickly defeats it by throwing a billboard into its maw. Latter attempts to catch other parts of Separated Man's body also fail, the Teen Titans tripping up each time. When Professor Holmes reveals the location of more of the serum (in a lighthouse down by the water) the Separated Man attacks the town in his full body. The Teen Titans and the local kids then attack the creature out in the water, knocking him over, causing him to sink into the water below. The Titans then rope up the Separated Man long enough for Robin to inject the anti-serum into his heart, changing him back into Jake Trask. After Jake is turned over to the police, the towns people celebrate, and Tommy's father returns to jail to finish his sentence. Afterward, the Titans, their first mission together as a team a total success, part company. Subsequent adventures brought them into conflict with a band of criminals impersonating a pop band named the Flips as well as a giant robot known as El Conquistadore. After unveiling the mystery behind the so-called "Beast-God of Xochatan", the Titans established themselves in their first headquarters – Titans Lair. Titans Lair was an underground facility that once served as a records storage warehouse for Stewart Enterprises. The team prospered and went on to encounter several strange villains such as car-club hot-rodder Ding Dong Daddy and Carnaby Street fashion designer the Mad Mod. Not long after, Joshua met the beautiful Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Kane, better known under her superhero name of Flamebird. Flamebird was recruited to the Teen Titans due to her success in some high profile exploits. Joshua was instantly taken with Betty and she with him, even admitting to Joshua that his actions as Robin was what inspired her to become Flamebird. Following this, Flamebird officially joined the Titans accompanying them on the mission to find Garth's girlfriend and fellow Titan Aquagirl; during which time he flirted openly with Betty, to the point that he apologized for being reminiscent of Wally's flirtations with the likes of Donna Troy, but Betty welcomed it. Following this exchange of verbal barbs, a connection was visibly developing, becoming even more apparent when the Cobra Gang later attacked and Joshua was more concerned with her safety than his other teammates. Unfortunately for Betty, however, she was captured by the Cobra Gang, although she would escape and help the Teen Titans defeat the gang and earn the right to continue acting as a member of the group. During her adventures with the Titans, Joshua and Betty continued to develop a romantic interest in one another and while on a mission in Russia to stop André LeBlanc, an internationally renowned  jewel thief, Betty would try to show her affections for Robin and be rejected because Robin was committed to another woman. The jealous Betty would then attempt to win Robin's favor with the aid of Roy, however she would be captured by LeBlanc's gang forcing Roy to reveal his involvement and aid Robin in rescuing her. After the rescue Joshua would admit to Betty that he reciprocated her feelings of affection, before going on to clarify that the other woman he confessed to being committed to was Lady Justice; revealing to Betty that he took an oath to put justice before all things including his personal feelings. After the LeBlanc case, the Teen Titans would battle Dr. Light, a former enemy of the Justice League, and following his defeat, the group would be met by a new foe calling himself Gargoyle. Gargoyle would reveal his identity as Bromwell Stikk aka Mister Twister, explaining his origins to the team, Gargoyle thanks the Teen Titans relaying to them that their previous battle had caught the attention of the exiled Antithesis, who planed to use Mister Twister as an instrument of revenge. Gargoyle tells the Titans that Antithesis summoned him to Limbo where he transformed him into Gargoyle, gifting him the abilities of Super-strength, durability, and stamina. In this new form, Gargoyle fights the Teen Titans and as they battle Gargoyle, Bromwell manages to sow the seeds of doubt in all of the Teen Titans except for Robin. Realizing that Robin's will is unwavering, Gargoyle kidnaps Flamebird, to rattle Robin as he noticed that the Boy Wonder was more concerned with her safety than his other teammates. With Flamebird gone and his team in shambles, Robin surrenders to the Antithesis, allowing him to be transported to Limbo. Once in Limbo Robin is taken to a cell with Flamebird so that he can rest for his upcoming trail by combat with Gargoyle. There in the alien prison, Betty would once more press Joshua to share his feelings with her, and Joshua would begin to confess his love for Betty despite his previous apprehension to do so due to it potentially interfering with his vow. However, before Joshua can finish, the two would be separated as it was time for Robin to battle Gargoyle in single combat. During the fight, Robin used his brains to out think his super powered rival and upon smashing Gargoyle's power ring, Robin managed to trap Gargoyle and the Antithesis in Limbo while escaping with Betty. Upon returning back to earth, Robin tried to continue his confession to Betty who told the Hunk Wonder to shut up before kissing him, with Joshua eventually clutching Betty, bringing her closer to him in order to engage in a deeper kiss. Following this, Betty became Joshua's first girlfriend and together Robin and Flamebird managed to get the team to trust in one another again following Gargoyle's seeds of mistrust and doubt. In time, the Teen Titans met a millionaire industrialist named Loren Jupiter. Jupiter was putting together a training program designed to help young heroes work within a team dynamic. The Titans, still reeling from the Gargoyle battle, agreed to work under Jupiter’s tutelage, but Robin refused sighting Jupiter to be a fraud, Joshua and his best friends Garth and Wally disputed about it causing a big rift between them, eventually resulting in Robin leaving the Titans. Robin and Flamebird continued to date for a time but the two were eventually forced to split as Betty was needed back in California to help her ailing grandmother. Joshua understood why Betty had to leave and told her that he would always cherish the times they had together, but admitted that he wished he would have acted more impulsively so that they could have spent more time together.

Dynamic Duo
During this time as Batman and Robin, Bobby and Joshua would become targets of the Trapper, foil a plot by crooks to exploit the magical talents of Merko the Magician, and capture Jay Varden with an elaborate hoax involving the construction of a fake Batcave. Robin would also help Batman capture a group of sugar thieves, before they foiled Catwoman's attempt to exploit a beauty pageant as part of a plot to steal priceless jewels. The Dynamic Duo then foil a plot by a criminal posing as a member of Scotland Yard in a plot to make Batman go insane by tampering with the radio in his Utility Belt. Following this caper, Robin would aid Batman in foiling a spy's plot to steal secrets from the Gotham Space Research College and crack the Inventor's high tech crimes. When the Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum, he exposes Batman to epsilon rays that threaten to kill him. Robin would help Batman cure himself and capture the Joker. During this period Robin also aids Batman in capturing the Lew Lakers Mob, and the Twisty Rhodes Gang. Robin also helps Batman expose a hoax by criminals to make it appear that they are being commanded by the disembodied brain of an executed criminal. Batman and Robin wouldd then foil Joker's baseball style scheme wherein crooks would trade "players" for specific crimes and aid Native American super-hero Chief Man-of-Bats in protecting his secret identity from his foe Black Elk. In their next clash with Catwoman, Batman and Robin would trace her to a far off island but fail to capture her. Robin would also help Batman foil Professor Vilmer's "synthetic man" revenge scheme, and ferret out a group of international smugglers. Robin next helps Batman stop the revenge plot by obsessed puppeteer Jonathan Bard, foil the Mirror Man's plot to discover Batman's true identity, and aids Batman and Superman in the capture a group of crooks. Batman and Robin would also foil a jewel smuggling ring aboard a cruise ship and later solve the attempted murder of an ex-con named Ed Wilson. Batman and Robin then brought an end to the crimes of Knots Cardine. Not long after, Joshua was requested by Donna to help The Teen Titans put a stop to the villainous Mr. ESPer. Donna explained to Joshua that Mr. ESPer came into contact with the Titans when he used his helmet’s ‘sonic whisper’ to tap into, a new member of the group, Lilith’s mind – and gain access to her powers. Donna goes on to say that he adopted the dual identity of Captain Calamity to wreck havoc on both East and West coasts making him almost impossible to pin down to one location. Hearing the situation, Joshua agrees to help and devises a plan, in which he split up the The Titans into two separate teams in order to battle Mr. ESPer and Captain Calamity on both fronts. Joshua forms the Titans West, comprised of the Teen Titans new members Golden Eagle, Flamebird, Hawk, Dove and Beast Boy, which is led by Lilith,  while the original Teen Titans led by him remain on the East coast. Lilith and her “Titans West” group, including her lover Gnarrk, rescue victims of more incredible disasters, and discover a connection between these disasters and the crimes of Captain Calamity on the East Coast. Meanwhile Robin and the Titans defeat Captain Calamity’s henchmen, and Kid Flash and Wonder Girl rejoin their teammates just in time to hear Aqualad announce his resignation: he has diagnosed his frequent “fainting spells” as a psychosomatic illness brought on by his feelings of inferiority and uselessness to the land-based Titans team. With Aqualad gone, Robin decided the two team came together in order to divulge any important information. The reunited Titans, come to the conclusion that In his guise as Captain Calamity, Mr. ESPer made small disasters happen to the Titans that fought him and that initially, Captain Calamity was just an illusion created by the helmet, but as his encounters with the two teams progressed, ESPer assumed his Calamity identity to make Mr. ESPer the illusion. The Teen Titans then focused all their efforts on Captain Calamity and captured him. Following this Robin once again left the Titans focusing solely on his work in Gotham, when outbreaks of uncontrollable fear washed over Gotham. Once back in the city, Robin helped Batman realize that Jonathan Crane aka the Scarecrow had once again escaped Arkham Asylum and was the one behind the crimes. At the Gotham Institute of Technology, Batman and Robin confronted the Scarecrow together, for the first time. Unable to capture him, the duo rescued the graduate class and set about tracking him. Chasing him to the farmlands outside of Gotham, Robin was again dosed by the Fear Toxin and had a terrible nightmare. Taken back to the Batcave, Robin described the effects of the new gas to Batman. The two then traced Crane to a church where they learned of his intention to go to Prague. After taking on Scarecrow's operation by himself, Batman and Robin tracked Scarecrow in Cairo, where the Dynamic Duo eventually busted him and returned from their adventure.

The Bat Family
Not long after, Bobby would attend a masquerade ball for police officers and Gotham's elite. During this event the Gotham City Police Captain's daughter, Barbara Gordon shows up dressed in a modified Batman costume, wanting to poke fun at her dad’s controversial dealing with the vigilante. However before she can make her presence known, the ball is interrupted by the villain Killer Moth who wants to kidnap Bobby Stewart. Captain Gordon intervenes but is knocked unconscious. Barbara, in full costume, then engages Killer Moth and lets Bobby escape. Bobby makes it to his car where he prepares to don the attire of his alter-ego, Batman, and calls Robin for assistance. Meanwhile Barbara chases Killer Moth into a nearby forest, but he escapes via helicopter leaving her to be confronted by Batman and Robin. Batman demands to know who she is and tells her she has no right to wear his symbol. Defiant, Barbara points out that nobody gave him the right to do what he does either. Their stand-off is cut short as Killer Moth returns in his copter and opens fire with a machine gun, loudly taunting Batman, Robin, and "Batgirl". The three scatter and Killer Moth is chased away by police helicopters. Following this incident Batman and Robin begin surveying Batgirland her recent foils around Gotham. The duo follow her to an abandoned building which she beings scaling, once she reaches the top, Barbara decides to test her rappelling rope by swinging off of a skyscraper. Barbara leaps off the skyscraper and all goes well until her rope snaps mid-descent. Robin swoops in to catch her, admitting that Batman cut her rope with a batarang since the rope she was using would have either sliced her hands off or dislocated her arms once it went taut. Still incensed, Barbara tries to attack him but he knocks her out with sleeping gas. Barbara wakes up in the Batcave and is left with Robin, who gives her a tour of their operations. He takes her to a soundstage where she successfully runs through an elaborate combat simulation, complete with live gunfire. Barbara cites this as proof she is as capable as them, but when Batman asks her why she wants to do this, she is unable to give a clear answer- except that she simply can, and she believes Gotham needs all the help it can get. Still unimpressed, Batman has Robin knock her out once more with sleeping gas. Barbara wakes in front of her house, without her cowl on. She realizes this means that they know who she is, and frets that they might talk to her father. But later in the day, Barbara receives a package from Robin containing spare crime fighting gear, including the correct rope for swinging off buildings, and a note assuring her that Batman will come around. Later, while dispatching a mugger, Barbara meets Robin who presents her with a new Batcycle and invites her to join him on an emergency call. The pair ride their bikes into Gotham’s subway network where the emergency is taking place. Batgirl and Robin arrive at a subway platform where they arrest an aspiring criminal named the Condiment King for harassing passersby. Bemused and unimpressed, Barbara wonders how a harmless nuisance constitutes an emergency, but Robin tells her that he was just a detour — the real emergency is a hostage situation on one of the trains. As they talk, Robin shocks Barbara by planting a kiss on her. Without saying another word, the pair continues down the subway tunnels towards the runaway train. When they find the train, Robin informs Barbara that Blockbuster, a deformed behemoth of a man is aboard, terrorizing the passengers. Inside, Barbara baits Blockbuster into fighting her while Robin evacuates the passengers to another car. Barbara’s fight with Blockbuster leads onto the roof of the train where Blockbuster attempts to crush her head, but she is spared when a slab of overhanging concrete knocks him out. Robin and Batgirl truss up Blockbuster and steer the train towards the next station where the police are waiting. Robin then tries to kiss Barbara again but she pushes him away. When the train pulls into the station, Captain Gordon finds Blockbuster but not the young crime-fighters. But, he does finds a lock of Barbara’s red hair in Blockbuster’s hands which causes him to rush home. Barbara changes back into her civilian clothes and bids goodbye to Robin. When she makes it back home, she is confronted by her father who has been searching her room. Before either of them can say anything he receives an emergency call and rushes out of the house. Barbara follows him and finds that GCPD Headquarters has been set ablaze by Killer Moth and his new associate Firefly. Barbara decides to suit up as Batgirl once again. Killer Moth and Firefly survey their handiwork from the roof of the very building they set alight, and begin to make their escape via helicopter. Batgirl lassos a rope and tethers herself to the aircraft. Firefly sees her but orders his pilot to take off anyway and the helicopter flies through Gotham with Batgirl in tow. Batman and Robin arrive with their own aircraft but concede they don’t have a way to ground the villains without killing them or Batgirl, so they wait to see what she can do. While being dragged through the air, Barbara pulls off a risky maneuver which causes the helicopter to crash on a rooftop while she falls into a rooftop pool, narrowly avoiding death. An injured Killer Moth and Firefly are apprehended by Batman and Robin while Barbara watches from a distance, chagrined that while she did all the work they'll be getting all the credit. is invited by Batman to the Batcave where she runs through another obstacle course, but against simulations of his most dangerous enemies. Batman warns her that if she doesn’t walk away from being Batgirl right now, this will be her future from here on out. Steadfast, Barbara completes the challenge anyway. Batman leads her outside, to the grave of Thomas and Martha Stewart where he reveals his identity as Bobby Stewart, allowing Barbara to finally understand the reasons behind his mission. Barbara swears an oath of loyalty to Batman and his ideals, but asks a final favor in return. On the roof of Gotham Headquarters, Batman arrives with Batgirl to meet Captain Gordon. Batman tells Gordon that he wishes to take Batgirl under his wing and asks for approval. Gordon says he won't allow it, since he believes his daughter to be Batgirl. Barbara meets her father on the roof. The ‘Batgirl’ Batman brought along was actually Robin in disguise, sullen because Barbara does not like him back.

Decisions
Heartbroken, over his unrequited feelings, Joshua continued his adventures with Batman and Batgirl but relied heavily on Reed Richards for moral support, despite not being able to tell Reed all the details of his relationship or rather lack there of with Barbara. Meanwhile, because of both his intelligence and athletics, Joshua began receiving scholarships in both football and academics, to top ranking schools such as Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Oklahoma. During that time of everyone wondering what school he was going to attend, Joshua found an escape in hanging out with Reed and working on their teleporter, finally finishing their invention by the time of the end of the year science fair. At the school science fair, the scientific duo showed the judges their redefined teleporter. Turning on the machine and using a child's plane, since Joshua inadvertently forgot to bring a toy car, The teleporter worked and brought back the plane but also destroyed the school’s basketball hoop. As a result the two were disqualified by the judges, however, a man by the name of Dr. Lucius Best and his younger associate Susan Parr, who were in attendance during the display, came to Reed and Joshua revealing to them that their machine was not a teleporter and was in fact a Quantum Gate that had been sending the objects to another world. Dr. Best goes on to tell the two that he has been working on developing a working Quantum Gate for the past decade, but was unable to bring a test item back from the barren world, something Reed and Joshua figured out how to do in Reed's garage. Enamored by the young boys' genius, Dr. Best tires to recruit Reed and Joshua to the Baxter institute, a think tank for talented young prodigies. Joshua knew that the Baxter Institute could provide a great experience and that the Quantam Gate theory, if completed, would prove a revolutionary new discovery in the scientific field, but he had to ultimately decline all of his major scholarships to attend the Gotham Institute of Technology so he could stay close to Batman and fight crime in Gotham City. After officially signing a contract to attend the Gotham Institute of Technology, Joshua finished his education at Woodrow Roosevelt high school after only a year, graduating as valedictorian, due to his genius level intellect. Upon graduating, Joshua went with Reed to New York to escort his friend to the Baxter Institute, who unlike Joshua enthusiastically accepted Dr. Best's invitation. Arriving at the building, Joshua reassured Reed that he belonged there and gave him a parting gift of the toy car he forgot to bring to the science fair despite Reed telling him they wouldn't be too far apart with Reed in New York and Joshua in New Jersey. The two soon depart as they promise to keep in touch.

College-16
At GIT Joshua saw his brother Elijah again for the first time in years, neither one for mushy reunions, Joshua and Elijah instead used each others ingenious minds to become intellectual rivals, although Joshua's focus on football and his secret crusade as Robin eventually distracted him from further competition. While in university Joshua became the star quarterback for the Gotham Reapers, earning the nickname “The Grimm Reaper”, and began dating fellow student Alynn Cambers. While in communication with Reed, Reed kept him posted on the Quantum Gates progress and Joshua would try to convince Reed to become more social, prompting his friend to act on his lingering crush with Susan Sue Parr. On the day of a big game, Alynn suddenly broke up with Joshua, upsetting him enough to lose the game in a horrific fashion in front of scouts from the National Football League. After the game, Joshua tracked Alynn down and attempted to propose to her with his grandmother's wedding ring, but Alynn turned him down, telling Joshua that she feared that in pursing a career in Hollywood she might neglect their marriage and left him for good. Angrily, Joshua threw his grandmother's ring into a nearby river. Shortly after this, Joshua encountered a strange man claiming that aliens were attempting to invade Earth. Thinking it would be a good prank to cheer himself up, Joshua sent the “crack-pot” to his pal Reed in New York; Joshua's prank inadvertently prevented an early invasion of Earth by an extraterrestrial race known as the Skrulls. Following the end of the football season, Joshua would continue his studies, majoring in physics and electrical engineering. Meanwhile as Robin, Joshua started to take on solo missions, and found himself to be a capable crime-fighter in his own right; taking down various local mobs and crime lords including the sinister Mr. Napolen, mobster Joe Beasly and his juvenile delinquent gang otherwise known as the Teenage Terrors, the Third Street Gang, The Sphinx and his Red Mask gang, Ace Hobbs and his mobsters, a mafia assassin known only as the Fence, a group of Thuggee Cultists, several members of the Neo-Nazi Party and helped the F.B.I. recover a stolen nuclear bomb. Due to these exploits, Robin began to develop his own rouges gallery of masked criminals soundly defeating the mysterious No-Face, the Black Magician, Captain Wolf, the Professor Carol Grant, the untouchable George Midas, the nefarious Spider Vorn, The eccentric Dictionary, and the crazed Sinister Knight. While also gaining his first arch-enemy in the dastardly genius known as the Clock. During this time, Joshua started dating Lori Elton, a girl Batman and Robin once saved from her ex-boyfriend turned criminal Desmond Mallard. A few weeks later, GIT's student body President, Barbara Gordon was assigned to overlook the activities of Princess Evalina, who was visiting the country as a transfer student. During their activities together, Barbara is forced to protect Evalina using her alter-ego as Batgirl when the Princess was attacked by some jewel thieves. However, Barbara was unaware that the Princess had been targeted by the criminal organization MAZE, who learn of Batgirl's protection duties of the Princess and began planning to eliminate her. The next day, the Princess had an appointment at the Lincoln Memorial, but Barbara was stalled when she goes into a burning building to help. Batgirl falls for the trap prepared by MAZE and she is left tied up in a condemned building that is bound to be demolished. Meanwhile, Joshua and his former teammate Jack, work as tourist guides to the renowned author Alexei Brund, who wants to visit the country's most important landmarks without attracting the media's attention. On their trip from Gotham to Washington, D.C., they meet a young girl in peril, who is saved by Robin's timely arrival. The girl is also going to Washington and the boys decide to take her with them. Unfortunately, they are unaware that the woman is in fact a spy of MAZE and that she is going to Washington to finish the job of killing the Princess. When the woman uses knockout gas to take control of the vehicle, she leaves Joshua and his friend behind and takes Brund with her. When Joshua recovers, he switches into Robin and makes his way to the capital. In the meantime, Batgirl has managed to free herself from the deadly trap and she rushes to the Lincoln Memorial to prevent the murder of Princess Evalina. At that moment, Robin arrives in the city and locates the stolen vehicle near the memorial. Batgirl and Robin arrive just in time to prevent the crime and the whole event is reported live by Vicki Vale. After the criminals are captured, Batgirl and Robin learn that MAZE is behind the murder attempt and decide to work together in order to infiltrate the organization's headquarters and take out all of the members who were working on the blood money contract. Afterward, Princess Evalina meets Alexei Brund and a new friendship is born while Barbara and Joshua are satisfied that their combined efforts and team-work are outstanding, suggesting to one another that the two of them make a dynamic duo in their own right. Weeks later at the Gotham Institute of Technology campus, a killer hired by the criminal organization known as MAZE tries to murder Robin during a public event. The killer fails to murder the young hero and he is captured by the Teen Wonder, before he is delivered to the authorities. Shortly afterward, Batgirl investigates a local spy-ring, but she is also attacked by hired guns, who attempt to kill her as well. Batgirl manages to avoid death and although her Batcycle is destroyed, she manages to capture the criminals and deliver them to the authorities. The man responsible for the murder attempt on the heroes is not pleased with MAZE and he tells the leader of the organization to find a way to kill both heroes. Like this, MAZE lures Batgirl and Robin into a “shotgun wedding”with literal shotguns. Or so they thought, as during the ceremony, the heroes break out of their bondage and capture the large faction of MAZE, including their leader. After the heroes deliver the criminals to the police, it is revealed that Joshua was the man behind the blood contract on them and that he played MAZE with the intention of capturing a large portion of their organization. After the successful mission, Barbara and Joshua enjoy a nice time together as friends, getting to know one another more beyond the capes. A short while later, on Christmas Eve, Joshua becomes unable to leave GIT to spend time with Bobby at Stewart Manor because of the weather conditions. With no other choice, Joshua stays with his girlfriend Lori Elton and they help the GIT community to collect charity money. When a gang of crooks posing as Santa Claus attempt to steal the money, Joshua changes into Robin and takes the criminals out of action. Once the crime is solved, Joshua goes to his dorm to call Bobby and inform him of his inability to leave, but he is surprised by an unexpected visit from Bobby and Alfred, who learned of the weather troubles and decided to join Joshua on campus. Like this, Joshua and his family spend Christmas with Lori and her family. After Christmas break, Robin agrees to try out three new costumes designed by Lucius Fox, taking Batman's suggestion of using a more tactical costume. Fox ask Joshua to use each of them on at least one mission and Robin agrees. He joins GIT's Chief of Security, Frank McDonald, on the investigation of his roommate's disappearance, but he is soon called to action against an eavesdropper. Robin switches the first brown costume in favor of a red and yellow outfit, which included a jet-pack. Flying towards the intruder's location, Robin tries to learn the man's intentions when he is suddenly attacked by a mysterious assailant known as The Raven and although he fights back, the villain damages the jetpack, forcing Robin to use the last and more dark costume. Robin and Chief McDonald track the criminals to a hidden retreat at night and Robin goes into action, forcing the thugs out of their hideout. The criminals are too scared of Robin, but the Teen Wonder deduces that his new appearance is not the only reason and discovers the outfit was tampered earlier by the criminals to conceal an explosive within. Nonetheless Robin and Chief McDonald round up the criminals and Robin decides to stick with his own and original outfit. A month later during an art class, a young student named Herbie Agar is murdered by a sniper, forcing Joshua to go into action as Robin, leaving his girlfriend Lori behind. The victim manages to says a few words before dying in the arms of Lori, who is utterly shocked. Meanwhile, Robin confronts the killer and manages to save the criminal from plummeting to his death. However, as Robin approaches the criminal to interrogate him at ground level, he realizes that he man had been stabbed by someone in the crowd. After informing Chief McDonald of the situation, Robin changes back to Joshua and goes to see Lori. She is clearly shocked after witnessing their friend's death, but Joshua needs to know what he said before dying. Lori is extremely disgusted at Joshua's lack of concern for the loss of life and she tells him Agar's last words before leaving the room, and putting their relationship on hold. Despite the argument, Joshua uses the victim's last words to find a connection to the murder in an art gallery. Joshua becomes suspicious about the place, when he is forced out of the place for asking about Rembrandt paintings, which was part of the man's last words. He then returns to the place as Robin and discovers that the owners of the gallery had stored stolen copies of original paintings in their cellar. He also recognizes a woman that was among the crowd when the sniper was killed and Robin proceeds to take down all the members of the gang before alerting the authorities. Soon and without giving Joshua a proper explanation, Lori started dating fellow student Dave Corby, much to Joshua's dismay. Weeks later the head of the secret criminal organization MAZE is informed about their latest efforts and how they have been thwarted by Robin. The men inform him that after the leader request that they steal the helium from a flying balloon, they left the mission in the hands of their new recruit, The Raven, but the mission failed when Robin showed up and stopped The Raven, although he failed to capture him. They go on to inform the leader that another mission which was placed in charge of the Card Queen, a fake hero that worked for them and always allowed one criminal to get away to justify the disappearance of the stolen goods, which she had been taking all along was also foiled by the teen caped crusader. They go on to explain that, the Card Queen put on a scene with other crooks to pretend she was stopping them, but Robin showed up to assist her. When she deliberately allowed one of her accomplices to escape, Robin became suspicious and noted that the Card Queen has been stealing the loot. The female villain was able to escape thanks to a smoke gun, but her career was ended now that the authorities have learned the truth. After listening about these failures, the leader of MAZE decides to get the full organization involved in order to stop Robin once and for all. Once The leader of MAZE gathered the entire organization they begin to devise the ultimate plan to eliminate Robin, but they are taken by surprise when the Teen Wonder and the Gotham City Police Department break into their headquarters and round up all of the criminals with help from the inside agent, The Card Queen, whom Robin personally recruited for the undercover mission. Despite the successful mission, there is one criminal who manages to escape: The Raven although Robin believes he may have finally uncovered the criminal's secret identity. The next day at GIT, Joshua makes sure to capture the criminal as he confronts David Corby in front of Lori Elton and reveals Corby's identity as The Raven. Corby tries to fight back to silence Joshua, but his efforts are futile as Joshua defeats him and Corby is subsequently captured by Chief McDonald. Joshua takes one last look at Lori as she realizes the terrible mistake she has made; a mistake that has caused the man that once loved her more than she ever thought possible, to turn his back on her and tears cross through her face. Joshua's bravery is cheered by the many students and friends who witnessed his feat, but he pays no attention to them and he walks alone away from the sunset, his own man at last. With the criminal organization finally behind him, Joshua finally has time to focus on his double majors in physics and electrical engineering, flying through both and receiving Master degrees in both. With the Finals over, Joshua rejoined Bobby at Stewart Manor and after foiling a robbery as Batman and Robin, Bobby and Joshua attend a friend's party. As Bobby and Joshua flirt with Veronica Vreeland and Barbara Gordon respectively, a disgruntled guest, Dr. Gregory Belson, argues with his stockbroker, Dean Arbagast, about an unpaid debt, and angrily storms out. However, on his way home, he is ambushed by the Gothamite villain Mr. Freeze, once his old colleague, who abducts him. Meanwhile, Joshua begins to reveal his feelings for Barbara by inviting her to spend the weekend with him by the coast, which she accepts. On their way home, Bobby and Alfred come across Belson's wrecked car. Elsewhere, Belson analyzes Mr. Freeze's wife Nora's blood and concludes that her disease has relapsed: she only has a few weeks, and saving her will be very expensive. Freeze offers him a piece of gold, and Belson agrees to check the hospital files for a suitable organ donor to save Nora. The only ones available are live donors, and Freeze bribes a skeptical Belson with an offer of a larger sample of gold in exchange for performing the operation illegally. Belson checks and list and comes across the perfect donor: Barbara Gordon. Belson calls Barbara at her University room, but her roommate answers and tells him that she and Joshua are at a restaurant and won't return until Monday. Freeze finds Barbara at the restaurant and kidnaps her, despite Joshua and the police's efforts to stop him. Commissioner Gordon, particularly angered at his daughter's abduction, investigates and learns that the person who phoned Barbara's roommate claimed that she was a blood donor. Bobby secretly checks the list of donor's with Barbara's blood group and notices Nora's name on it. Meanwhile, Barbara awakes at Freeze's hideout and attempts to escape, but finds out that she, Freeze, and Belson are at an oil rig five miles offshore, meaning that there is no escape. Belson explains that they need her as she was the only suitable donor for Nora's "blood transfusion". Barbara agrees to help, but not this way, and when she tries to escape again, Freeze chains her in her room. Bobby and Joshua ask some questions at GothCorp and learn that Freeze was once a colleague of Belson. Remembering Belson's name on the wrecked car after the party, Bobby and Joshua realize Freeze has abducted him as well. They search Belson's house for clues and find a message from Arbagast. Using Arbagast's number from the message, Batman and Robin confront him at his home. Just then, Belson calls Arbagast, claiming he will have the money to pay his debts. Batman and Robin record the conversation and analyze it in the Batcave, hearing a ship's foghorn in the background and tracking him to the oil rig. Freeze and Belson drag Barbara to the operation room and prepare to sedate her, revealing that the blood transfusion was just the cover story. Koonak, whom Freeze had promised no harm would come to Barbara, appears and attempts to stop them, buying Barbara time to run off and hide. As Belson gives chase with a gun, Batman and Robin arrive in the Batwing and knock Belson out. However, a spark from one of Belson's gunshots lands in a puddle of oil from a leaking fuel tank and starts a fire which begins spreading rapidly. Robin's attempt to put the fire out with a house is interrupted by Freeze's polar bears, whom Batman and Robin trick into jumping off the rig, although they land safely in the water. But the fire has spread so far that the oil rig is beginning to collapse. Freeze still insists that Belson perform the operation, but he pushes Freeze under some falling debris and makes a run for it, although he himself is crushed by falling debris as he attempts to escape in a speedboat. Freeze, however, is still alive, with a broken leg. Batman, Robin and Barbara rescue him. As Robin prepares the Batwing for departure, Batman and Barbara rescue Nora and Koonak from the operation room. At Freeze's request, they take Nora and Koonak to the Batwing first, and Batman goes back for Freeze, now hanging over a ledge for his life. Batman attempts to pull him to safety, but a falling pipe lands on Batman's shoulder, causing him to let go of Freeze, who falls into the fiery ocean below. Batman grapples himself to the Batwing and escapes as the oil rig finally explodes and collapses. Unknown to any of them, however, Freeze has survived, and is swimming to safety with his polar bears. Sometime later, in the Arctic, Freeze stumbles across a small house where the residents are watching the news. Through the window, Freeze watches the report of his apparent death, and to his delight, that of Nora's revival thanks to an organ transplant funded by Stewart Enterprises. Moved to tears, Freeze walks back home with his polar bears. After the case, Joshua and Barbara flirted with the possibility of a romance, but it never truly materialized as both had feelings for each other and both knew they had such feelings, but neither of them went any further instead remaining best friends.

New Teen Titans
Not long after, Robin arrives at S.T.A.R. Labs which was being besieged by terrorists. He prepares to move in on them, but suddenly finds himself transported into a strange new environment. He finds himself outside a large building called Titans Tower. He sees a few familiar faces such as Wonder Girl and Beast Boy (now calling himself Changeling), but also meets teen heroes he has never seen before, such as Cyborg, Raven and Starfire. Wonder Girl reminds him that these are the "New" Teen Titans, and the young heroes cannot understand why Robin doesn't recognize them. There is little time to ponder the matter however as the Titans alert system indicates that an amorphous blob has been seen attacking S.T.A.R. Labs. Robin and the New Teen Titans go to S.T.A.R. Labs and discover that the blob creature is actually an alien from another dimension. One of S.T.A.R.'s scientists, Silas Stone, inadvertently provided the alien access to this dimension. He warns the heroes that unless the creature is stopped, it will convert all of the world's oxygen into methane, rendering the planet lifeless. The Titans work together and upon Robin's suggestion, begin pumping oxygen out of the building, depriving the alien the ability to convert it to harmful methane. They drive the creature back through the dimensional aperture. As the adventure concludes, Robin finds himself transported back to his original environment. He is outside S.T.A.R. Labs with an NYPD officer. The officer tells him that he had heard him mutter something about pumping the oxygen out of the building, so they took his suggestion and forced the terrorists to evacuate. Robin is pleased that the situation is resolved, but is still stunned by the strange people and images that he had apparently dreamed about. From around the corner, Raven watches the confused hero walk away. What Robin experienced was not a dream, but a vision of the future - a vision provided for him by Raven. The next day a Gordanian slave envoy carries a Tamaranian princess known as Koriand'r to be sold to an unknown buyer. Koriand'r however, breaks free of her bonds and steals a shuttle pod. She escapes to Earth and lands in New York's East side where she is found by Grant Wilson, having crashed into his apartment. Meanwhile, Raven summons Robin, Changeling, Wonder Girl, Cyborg and Kid Flash to New York believing that destruction was coming. As Raven foresaw, the Gordanians arrive on Earth and begin searching for Koriand'r destructing building after building until coming into conflict with Raven and her assembled heroes. Ironically, the Gordanians would find the alien princess after, Robin forced one of them to crash into Grant Wilson's apartment. In the ensuing fight between Koriand'r and the Gordanian, Grant Wilson's living space was destroyed. Robin manages to help Koriand'r fended off the Gordanian, but she flies off before he can talk to her. The fight would lead to the United Nations building where despite Raven and the other heroes best efforts the alien princess is captured. The heroes continue to fight the invaders, forcing them to retreat back on ship. They follow the Gordanians onto the ship where Cyborg rewires the engine systems causing it to explode. Luckily Robin manages to find the princess before the explosion, barely saving her from the blast. After the two safely crash to the ground, Koriand’r would  make a strong first impression on Robin, as she absorbed Earth language through a passionate kiss with the Teen Wonder before thanking him for his help. With the fight over, Raven suggest that the heroes officially form a team, suggesting that they become The New Teen Titans. The next day Koriand'r, now going by Starfire, travels to Grant's shattered apartment in order to apologize for the destruction that she caused. Accompanied by Wonder Girl, the two stumble upon Grant getting into an argument with his girlfriend Carol Sladky over the damage. When he begins to get abusive Starfire and Wonder Girl enter the room and repel him with their powers. Because of this and his constant infidelity, Carol breaks up with him and leaves with the Titans. Swearing revenge, Grant entreaties upon his contacts at H.I.V.E. to gain the ability to get revenge. But the H.I.V.E. is more interested in hiring the services of Grant's father, Slade Wilson better known as Deathstroke the Terminator. However, because Grant was a friend they allowed him to go through a process that would give him powers that were identical to those of Deathstroke by allowing him to use 100% of his brain. Now known as Ravager he promised to assassinate the Titans. The Ravager later attacks the Titans at the home of Changeling's stepfather Steve Dayton in the Hamptons. Deathstroke, fearing what side effects H.I.V.E's experiments may have, appears to provide his son with backup, but the energy required to power Grant's hyper reflexes begin to prematurely age him. Deathstroke warned his son that his powers were unstable and slowly killing him, but Ravager refused to listen. Within minutes, Ravager burned himself out fighting the Titans, dying in his fathers' arms. Swearing revenge, Deathstroke agrees to complete Grant's contract with the H.I.V.E. but at a time of his own choosing. Meanwhile, Raven returns to her home realm of Azarath to try and divine the secret plans of her demonic father Trigon. Days Later, known Justice League villain Doctor Light calls together a new team of super-villains, the Fearsome Five. The team consists of himself, Psimon, Mammoth, Gizmo and Shimmer. Doctor Light decides to prove the team's value as a force to be reckoned with by destroying the New Teen Titans. The Titans meanwhile take a moment to relax at Donna Troy's new apartment. Donna invites Starfire to live with her as her roommate. Starfire tells her new friends about her youth and how she was sold into slavery in order to stalemate a centuries-long war between the people of her homeworld and the conquering forces of the Citadel. Raven suddenly appears before them and warns of a new mission. Robin doesn't like the idea of snapping to attention every time Raven summons them, but his vocal protest earns himself the ire of teammate Kid Flash who has recently become extremely defensive when it comes to Raven. Tempers simmer and Raven tells the Titans about the threat of the Fearsome Five. Raven leads the Titans to the Fearsome Five's present locale and the two teams fight one another, but the Fearsome Five succeeds in evading capture. Elsewhere in the city, Silas Stone visits the rundown apartment where his son Victor lives. Vic wants nothing to do with the old man and tells him to stay out of his life. Silas leaves without ever telling Victor that he is dying. Shortly thereafter, all of the Titans receive a postcard telling them to meet on an island just off the East River. When they arrive, they discover a giant t-shaped tower which has been provided for them as their new headquarters. The Titans are incredulous of such a base of operations, mostly because they don't know who built it and why. Kid Flash races through the tower checking for booby traps. Raven appears before the team once again and alerts them to another of her premonitions. This time, Robin insists that she gives the Titans a reason to trust her. She tells them of the threat of a demonic entity named Trigon the Terrible. She also reveals that in order to stop Trigon's forthcoming invasion of Earth, they will need to take arms against their allies the Justice League of America. The Titans have no idea what the Justice League has to do with any of this, and are extremely reluctant to put much stock in Raven's premonition. Meanwhile, at the Fearsome Five's headquarters, Psimon reveals that he has been secretly manipulating his colleagues and is the reason for the group's formation to begin with. Psimon is actually an agent of Trigon who has been granted great psionic abilities in order to serve Trigon's goals. The Fearsome Five bait the New Teen Titans into a rematch, but this time they prove victorious against their young foes. Following their defeat at the hands of the Fearsome Five, the New Teen Titans search for a way to defeat Psimon and his new powers although they are at a lost without Raven and her powers as she's been away trying to discover how Psimon gained his powers. Meanwhile at the behest of the magician Zatanna, the Justice League of America fight against a group of three sorcerers. Raven appears in the middle of the conflict and tries to convince them to let the sorcerers continue their work, but the League doesn't listen. Unable to stop them, Raven returns to Azarath. She approaches her mother Arella and the priests of Azarath seeking their aid against the coming of Trigon, but they also refuse to help her. Rejected, Raven returns to Titans Tower. The Titans meanwhile, are getting frustrated with Raven's arbitrary comings and goings. Raven tells them about her conflict with the Justice League and convinces them that in order to stop the coming of Trigon, they must stop the Justice League from fighting the sorcerers who are the only ones preventing Trigon arrival. The Titans travel to the Justice League satellite and the League invites them in, but as soon as they do so, the Titans attack them. The Titans perform extremely well against the more experienced adults, but it quickly becomes apparent, that another force is guiding the Titans' actions. In the midst of battle, Raven casts an illusion giving the appearance that the Titans have killed the Justice League. She then brings the Titans to the three sorcerers and shows them that they are casting a spell in an effort to bar Trigon's access to the Earth dimension. Without warning, the Justice League appears right behind them and the fight resumes. Suddenly, the sky begins to crackle with energy and the force of Trigon's power incapacitates both the New Teen Titans and the Justice League. When they finally revive, they all realize that they have been duped. Zatanna was suspicious of Raven because she sensed the evil of Trigon within her. She now realizes that Raven has been using her empathic powers to manipulate the Titans into helping her, that it was Raven's influence that drove Kid Flash to defend her actions so passionately and that Trigon had been secretly controlling Raven from the beginning forming the New Teen Titans to ensure his coming. Now that everyone is aware of what she has been doing, nobody trusts her any longer. Raven tries to call back the titan members after they believe they have been led astray by her. Swearing that she was also tricked by her father although her words fall upon deft ears. Frustrated and believing that she is now on her own Raven goes to her father's home-world and has a conversation with her father declaring him her enemy, with a few lighting bolts Trigon sends down his advance warrior Goronn to battle his estranged daughter. With Raven over powered she sends her Soulself to get help from the Titans again, she succeeds this time with Joshua, Koriand'r, Changeling & Wonder Girl saying they will assist. Cyborg stays behind to talk with Kid Flash who is still hurt and feels betrayed by Raven, but after a brief lecture Kid Flash joins the battle with Cyborg. They first attack Goronn separately then realize that team work is the only way and eventually take down Goronn while following Robin's leadership. Watching in cloud form, Trigon is displeased and warps the Titans back to Titans Tower, while he tells Raven that it is time for him to personally invade Earth. Raven escapes and Psimon comes to Trigon's side but is spread across the demional stream after trying to attempt slaying his master Trigon while distracted. Angered by both Raven's escape and Psimon's betrayal, Trigon punishes Goronn for his failure by incinerating him. Trigon then flies around New York wreaking havoc as the Teen Titans attempt to defeat him. However, they are easily defeated by the Demon. During this time Raven begins going back and forth from New York and the Temple of Azarath to see if the monks will in her fight, but they decide not to get involved. As they decide this, Trigon makes his way to the Temple. Raven summons the Titans to the temple to battle him, and they are more uniformed together but are again defeated by Trigon. To stop Trigon's advancement on the world, Raven offers to serve by her Father's side in his dimension much to the team's disagreement. Nonetheless Raven and Trigon disappear in a cloud of smoke, with Robin just missing them before they teleport. As the Titans stand over where both stood. Kid Flash cries as he never got to tell Raven of his feelings for her. Once in Trigon's dimension he and Raven travel to his castle where the people are forced to hail the king. A little girl calls him a monster and he makes her suffer, leading to Raven trying to absorb the pain but it proves futile as he incinerates the girl moments after Raven saves her. Trigon and Raven finally arrive at his castle were he forces his servants to use the cosmic cannon to destroy the planet Xynthia which refuses to bow to Trigon. After which he wonders if Earth will be destroyed this easily. While back in temple Azarath, the Teen Titans urge the monks to at least get them to Trigon's world, and they show them the way. Arella leads the team as their guide through the world telling the Titans the story of her life and takes them to Trigon's castle. Upon arrival, Kid Flash starts to do a reconnaissance and when he returns he immediately runs into Trigon and finds the Titans knocked unconscious. Arella frees Raven during the brief battle and flees with her. Trigon turns his world ablaze until the pain of the people is unbearable and Arella and Raven give themselves up. Trigon appears ready to accept their surrender, but Arella creates a diversion at the last second while Raven seeks out the Teen Titans. They are freed from one of Trigon's dungeons and Robin quickly devise a plan that will prevent Trigon from entering Earth's dimension. With every member in unison, The Teen Titans weaken Trigon, the final blow coming from Cyborg and Starfire as Cyborg  hits Trigon into Starfire who gives him a high powered starbolt that sends him into the netherverse  portal which was opened up by the speed of Kid Flash, which was enhanced by Arella's powers. The last act is when Arella jumps into the portal and sacrifices herself to be the guardian of the gate, forever at war with Trigon. Having successfully aided the people of Azarath in banishing Trigon, the New Teen Titans return to Earth. They have forgiven Raven for her erratic behavior and are grateful that she brought them together as the Titans. Wally however, is unsure of his feelings, not knowing whether or not Raven was controlling his feelings for her and decides that he is not ready to join the team and returns to Blue Valley. Meanwhile, the Fearsome Five receive a psychic message from the discorporated form of their former member Psimon. Psimon tells them that Trigon forced him to turn against them and now he requires their help to reconstitute his physical body. The Fearsome Five are reluctant to believe him, but they are confident that they will be able to control Psimon should he attempt to betray them again. Psimon directs them towards Titans Tower in order to procure the technology he requires to reform his body. A short time later, the Titans return to Titans Island only to find that their new headquarters has been broken into. They split up and begin investigating the building's different levels and soon come face to face with the Fearsome Five. Gizmo quickly incapacitates Cyborg with a neural disruptor, but Raven uses her special powers to heal Vic's injuries. Robin and Changeling team-up to take on Shimmer, and Donna goes head-to-head with Mammoth. Gizmo ensnares Robin with one of his many gadgets then leaves him to drown in the Titans' swimming pool. Starfire fishes him out, and Raven assists with his recuperation. The one member of the Fearsome Five who is otherwise occupied is Doctor Light. Light succeeds in accomplishing his task, which was to use a dimensional transmitter in the Tower to resurrect Psimon's body. He acquired the transmitter from the architect of the Tower, Silas Stone - Cyborg's father. Even with his team fully assembled however, the Fearsome Five are not equipped to defeat the Titans. Robin manages to trick Doctor Light into inhaling gas from two sleeping pellets which knocks him out. Wonder Girl and Changeling double-team Mammoth and finally render him unconscious. The other villains are likewise defeated and carted off to prison. With the battle over, Silas Stone tries to make peace with his son. It is revealed to the team that his experiments at S.T.A.R. Labs are what led to the injuries that necessitated Victor's cybernetic prosthetics. These same experiments also cost him the life of his mother Elinore. Because of this, Victor despises his father and wants nothing to do with him. Silas Stone pleads with his son for forgiveness and explains that he built Titans Tower so that Vic would have a place amongst the Titans; a place where he would not feel like such an outsider. Victor refuses to listen until Silas confesses that he is dying of cancer - another side-effect of his work with the dimensional transmitter. This revelation helps to heal the breach between father and son, and Silas spends his final days making up for lost time. Victor remains at his side when his father passes away. A week later, Donna Troy does a photo shoot for the Silver Fox Advertizing agency. An uncooperative model and an unrealistic client prove to be too exasperating for her until Koriand'r arrives at the shoot. Donna's client, Sergio Delevi, is immediately taken with the Tamaranean princess and wants her to be his next "Golden Jeans" girl. Donna and Kory then leave for a lunch date and Donna introduces her to her new boyfriend Terry Long. Meanwhile at Titans Tower, Raven sits in her room and peruses a brochure for Manhattan College. She sends out her soul-self to fly across town and survey the college campus. Her soul-self witnesses a terrorist attack at the university and it quickly locates bombs planted throughout the campus. The soul-self absorbs the bombs into its dimensional matter and they disappear. Unfortunately, the emergency has separated Raven from her soul for too long and the results are catastrophic. Raven's mind plunges into a twisting panorama of spiritual torment. She steels herself however and resists the psychotropic effects, eventually overcoming them. A feeling of pride washes over her as she realizes that she has developed a sense of inner strength that not even the pacifists of Azarath could hope to acquire. Elsewhere, Jeremy Thornton, a board member for Dayton Industries takes his grandson to a midtown toy shop. He tells the proprietor that he received a notice indicating that he was in receipt of one free toy. The proprietor tells him that only select citizens were sent invitations in order to promote the toy store's grand opening. He hands Jeremy's grandson a toy puppet. From a hidden location, the Puppeteer watches the incident with great interest. His plans are slowly coming together. Meanwhile, Changeling visits Vic Stone. He asks if Vic is going to move out of his apartment now that he has inherited his father's money, but Vic decides to stay where he is. Gar receives a telephone call from his father's business manager Vernon Questor. Questor tells him that two board members for Dayton Industries have been assassinated, members of his former team Doom Patrol. While Gar leaves for Dayton Estates, Vic takes a walk to the brownstone of his old girlfriend Marcy Reynolds. This is the first time that Marcy has seen him since the accident that turned Vic Stone into a Cyborg. Marcy is horrified to see what Victor has become and tells him that her parents forbid her from seeing him. Saddened, Victor leaves. He strolls across Central Park when he is suddenly struck in the head by a baseball. A young boy runs over to retrieve it and Vic is concerned that his cybernetic enhancements will terrify the child. As it turns out however, the boy has a prosthetic limb of his own. He is not only not horrified by Victor, but is actually jealous that Vic's prosthetics are "shinier" than his own. The boy's teacher, Sarah Simms, walks over to them accompanied by several more children. She introduces herself and tells Vic that she is a teacher who helps handicapped children deal with their disabilities. Vic feels that has earned himself some long overdue fun and decides to play ball with the kids. In Blue Valley, Nebraska, Wally West has dinner with his parents. Wally wants to start going to college, but he's not sure if he will be able to balance both his studies and his super-hero activities as Kid Flash. His parents are very supportive of him and are confident that Wally will make the best decision. During this time Joshua is on a beach date with a local girl he's been seeing named Meredith McCall. Unfortunately for Joshua and Meredith, the two are discovered by her father Creighton after a passionate kiss and forbidden from seeing each other. When Joshua returns home he asks Bobby if he could talk to Creighton about the situation, but Bobby refuses sighting Creighton as the biggest business rival Stewart Enterprises ever had and concludes that although he believes Joshua is well intentioned in his new dalliance with Meredith that she may not be. Sighting that Joshua's naivete towards the opposite sex had been the company's downfall before reminding his young cousin that after his break-up with Alynn Chambers, he allowed himself to be seduced by fellow student Sunset Bain into revealing the security codes for Stewart Enterprises and that shortly thereafter a force of masked men invaded and stole several prototypes. Bobby then remarks to Joshua that although he's a genius, he sometimes acts like an idiot when it comes to women. That evening, Jeremy Thornton tucks his grandson into bed. He sits down to do some reading when he hears a strange noise coming from the boy's room. When he gets up to investigate the disturbance, he sees his grandson's new puppet standing in front of him with a six-shooter. A shot rings out and Thornton falls to the floor. Maniacal laughter echoes throughout the house. The next day, Changeling asks Robin to help investigate the murders of several Dayton Industries executives, something Joshua is more than happy to do wanting to distract himself from the Meredith situation. The murders are traced to Green Lantern's old foe, the Puppeteer, now in league with the H.I.V.E. Meanwhile, through his robot puppets, Puppeteer takes control of Cyborg, Kid Flash, Starfire, and Wonder Girl, turning them against their teammates. Eventually, Kid Flash breaks free of his trance and then frees Starfire. While Robin is able to free Cyborg, Raven's soul-self breaks Wonder Girl's trance and the Titans unite to battle Puppeteer and his toy robotic army. When the villain is defeated, the H.I.V.E attempts to destroy him for his failure. Once the Titans return to Titan Tower Changeling and Cyborg receive a message from Changeling's Doom Patrol ex-partner, Robotman, currently searching for Steve Dayton who is in turn searching for the killers of the Doom Patrol. Meanwhile, Cyborg's friend Sarah Simms is kidnapped by Deathstroke the Terminator. Terminator fights an inconclusive battle against Starfire, and then attempts to auction off plans to a Dayton Industries secret research project code-named Promethium, a self-regenerating energy-source. Using Sarah as a hostage, Terminator forces the Titans to act as guinea-pigs in a test of the Promethium explosive for officials of the H.I.V.E. The Titans escape to battle Terminator and his mercenary army, but when Changeling pursues the escaping assassin alone, he is mortally wounded as Terminator escapes. The three female Teen Titans take Changeling to the Amazon's home of Paradise Island where he is treated with the Purple Healing Ray, while Robin, Kid Flash, and Cyborg take up the search for Robotman, Mento, and the Doom Patrol's murderers. In the underground realm of Tartarus, Hyperion, one of the legendary Titans of Greek mythology, progenitors of the Olympian gods, frees himself from his ages-old imprisonment, and appears above Paradise Island. When Wonder Girl confronts him, he entrances her and she falls in love with him. Overcoming Starfire and Raven, Hyperion takes Wonder Girl back to Tartarus, where they free his fellow Titans. Raven, Starfire, Queen Hippolyta and the Amazons battle the Titans and attempt to recover Wonder Girl, but she refuses their aid. The Titans vanish, intending to invade Olympus and defeat the gods who had imprisoned them. In an epic battle, Wonder Girl and the ancient Titans attack and defeat the gods of Olympus. Athena, goddess of wisdom, brings the other female Teen Titans and the Amazons to Olympus to confront their foes a second time. Starfire frees the captive Zeus, and Wonder Girl is freed of Hyperion's love enchantment. The Titans realize the error of their ways and resolve to live in Tartarus, returning Olympus to the gods, and Wonder Girl goes back to Paradise Island with her friends. Feeling guilty over her enchantment to Hyperion, Wonder Girl returns home briefly to see Terry Long, while Starfire competes in an Amazon tournament on Paradise Island. Changeling is healed of his wounds by the Purple Healing Ray, only to have it drive him temporarily insane, causing him to take the form of a brachiosaurus and to attack the Amazons. Raven's soul-self overcomes him and returns him to normal. Meanwhile, Robin, Kid Flash, and Cyborg discover and revive a disabled Robotman in the Ugandan jungle. They also uncover a hidden underground city which is the stronghold of Madame Rouge and General Zahl, the killers of the Doom Patrol. Invading the fortress, they rescue a drugged Steve Dayton, who had been captured by the villains while on his quest. Changeling and the female Titans rejoin their teammates and Steve Dayton having recovered his Mento uniform, proves to be a brainwashed pawn of Madame Rouge and General Zahl. Mento attacks the Titans until overcome by Raven through an illusion. The Titans then trail Madame Rouge, General Zahl, and the villains' now-airborne headquarters to the island nation of Zandia, which the evildoers attack. The other Titans are defeated and captured during the battle, while Changeling, separated from them, is taken prisoner by a revived Brotherhood of Evil led by the Brain and Monsieur Mallah, former arch-enemies of the Doom Patrol. The captive Robotman and the Titans are placed in a "Devolving Pit" causing them to begin changing into Neanderthals. General Zahl and Madame Rouge continue their attempted takeover of Zandia, which is actually a haven for escaped criminals. Changeling joins forces with the new Brotherhood of Evil to attack the villainous duo and their followers and to free his teammates, with the help of Robotman. In the ensuing melee, Zahl is killed when one of his bullets ricochets off Robotman's metal body, and Madame Rouge meets her death accidentally in a struggle with Changeling. The Titans and the Brother-hood of Evil team up to escape from the villains' floating fortress before it explodes, and the Brotherhood is allowed to go free for their help. The Doom Patrol avenged at last, Changeling and Robotman are reunited with Mento. Weeks later, after relaxing in their pool at Titans Tower, the Teen Titans discuss Starfire's most recent boyfriend, Franklin Crandall. Joshua pretends that he's okay with her seeing somebody else, but it is fairly obvious that he is still quite attached to the Tamaranean after gently rebuffing her advances while breifly dating Meredith. Starfire had met Franklin while modeling for Donna under her civilian name Kory Anders. Donna, ever protective of Kory, warned her about revealing her true nature to her new boyfriend. Before long however, Franklin discovered the truth about Kory's alien heritage on his own, but it didn't change how he felt about her. The two continued dating for several weeks and Kory fell completely in love with him. Now she is ready to introduce her boyfriend to the rest of the Titans. Donna is still uncomfortable with how quickly Kory has fallen in love with this man, and her discomfort intensifies when Kory tells her that Franklin knows the truth about her. In his home in Greenwich, Connecticut, Franklin Crandall meets with his employer – a rogue agent of the H.I.V.E. This agent wants to get back into the H.I.V.E.'s good graces and believes that he can prove himself by manipulating Crandall into killing one (or more) of the Titans. Crandall is reluctant to aid the H.I.V.E. agent as he has now developed genuine feelings for Starfire. The agent warns him against betrayal. Meanwhile, Wally West walks Raven to school for her first day of classes at Manhattan College. She enrolls in a philosophy course and embarrasses herself in class by voicing her opinion at considerable length. One of the students takes an interest in Raven and tells her that he knows of the Cult of Azar and has even practiced some of their disciplines. After class, a couple of boys begin antagonizing Raven and her new friend defends her by punching one of the thugs in the jaw. Raven is as upset with her classmate as she is with her antagonists and tells him that physical violence has never been part of the teachings of Azar. That evening, the Titans go to Harlem to rescue a kidnapped model named Angela Dove from the clutches of mobster Phil Cerullo. Cerullo has kidnapped Angela in order to muscle her boyfriend Jason Silver into not testifying against him at his trial. The Titans burst through the wall of the building and take out Cerullo's gunmen. Starfire stuns the gangster with a starbolt and the other Titans worry about their teammate's apparent power levels. Back in Connecticut, Franklin Crandall decides that he cannot betray Starfire. He turns his gun over to the H.I.V.E. agent and tells him that he quits. As Crandall walks away, the H.I.V.E. agent shoots him in the back, killing him. The Titans arrive, unaware that anything is amiss until they find Crandall's body. Robin tries to resuscitate him, but he is too late. Starfire goes berserk and begins firing lethal bolts of energy at the H.I.V.E. agent. Wonder Girl bars her path and warns her that the Titans never kill. The two argue with one another, and the enraged Starfire flies off. Amidst the confusion, the H.I.V.E. agent escapes. A short while later, the agent reports back to the H.I.V.E. citadel. The robed members of the inner circle admonish him for operating on his own without the support of the H.I.V.E. They pass judgment against him and summarily execute him. The agent's body is found the following day in New York with six bullet holes in his chest. Later that day, Francine Kane, long-time friend of Wally West becomes a focus of destructive supernatural energies. She explains to Wally that her powers began manifesting after an automobile accident that killed her father and brother but which she survived leading her mother to become involved in witchcraft and seances. Wally brings Raven to investigate, and eventually the entire Titans team becomes embroiled in the affair. Despite their efforts, the energies emanating from the girl almost destroy Titans' Tower and New York. Cyborg deduces that the energies are magnetic, not magical, in nature, and uses a S.T.A.R.-created anti-magnetic device to cure Frances. Unknown to the Titans, Francine's "posession" is actually caused by Green Lantern's enemy, Dr. Polaris, in an attempt to free himself from an extra-dimensional exile. A few days later, Kory returns to the team having cooled down. Elsewhere, the son of  Soviet official Varek Slavik, is killed by an American in El Salvador. The Soviet official takes revenge on the United States by sending his secretary, Maladi Malanova, to America as a courier, with the young woman unaware that she is the carrier of a deadly disease. Learning of this, the Soviet government dispatches agent Leonid Kovar, better known as the super-hero Starfire, to the U.S. to stop Maladi. F.B.I. agent King Faraday alerts the Titans to Starfire's arrival, and a battle ensues when they mistake him for the plague-carrier. Having discovered the truth, the Titans roust still race to locate Maladi before Starfire, who plans to end her threat by killing her, as her condition is now incurable. The Titans fight Starfire to a stalemate and Maladi is finally taken to a hospital to die in peace. Only then does Starfire, condemned for his attitude by the Titans, especially Kid Flash, throughout their encounter, reveal that the girl had been his fiancee and that he didn't want to see her suffer. After the battle, Kory questions why Joshua choose to give her the same name as Leonid Kovar. Joshua explains to her that "Starfire" was a rough translation of his Russian name and that when he saw her starbolt powers, he figured the name would fit her as well. Besides, he didn't think Kovar would mind. The following day after escaping from prison and swearing off his vendettas against super-heroes, Doctor Light robs an Indian museum exhibit, only to run afoul of visiting museum curator Carter Hall in his Hawkman identity. When he accidentally brings to life powerful incarnations of the deity Vishnu, Light deliberately leads the creatures to Teen Titans headquarters, hoping his foes will be destroyed while protecting him from the vengeful mythological beings. When Robin and Hawkman capture Light and learn how he activated the creatures, Starfire uses her starbolts, focused through Dr. Light's special lenses, to destroy the beings, and Light is returned to jail. A short while later, Kid Flash writes a letter to his parents, apprising them of recent events involving himself and the other Teen Titans: a new super-villain calling himself the Disruptor attacked Cyborg and Changeling in the New York sewers; the Titans threw a surprise birthday party for Cyborg; and Kid Flash himself was captured by the Disruptor and his father, an old foe of Batman's known as "Brains" Beldon. The Titans counterattacked, only to have the Disruptor turn their own powers against them, until he was defeated by Raven's soul-self. The following day, Raven and Starfire team up to save a baseball stadium from terrorists, unaware that they are being monitored from the satellite base of the criminals' secret backer. Meanwhile, Cyborg's ex-girlfriend, Marcy Reynolds, is murdered when she tries to escape the confines of the Church of Brother Blood, a pseudo-religious commune she had joined. Infiltrating the cult to seek information on Cyborg's behalf, Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Raven (in their civilian identities) are horrified at Brother Blood's methods of dealing with any acolyte who tries to leave his group. Their true identities discovered, the four battle Blood and his followers, but are easily defeated, and Raven's soul-self escapes to warn the other Titans. The captive Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Raven are soon consigned to a pit inhabitated by a monstrous spider-like creature, as is Robin, after the latter was tortured by Brother Blood's sadistic "Confessor" for information. When Starfire, Cyborg, and Changeling attack the Church of Brother Blood to rescue their teammates, the cult leader, with the aid of Bethany Snow, a newscaster who is secretly a member of his group, turns public sentiment against the Titans by making it appear that their attack is unprovoked. Cyborg causes the crash of Blood's escaping airship, and though the villain survives, the Titans are accused of his attempted murder. In the midst of official investigations into the Titans' battle with Brother Blood and his cult, Starfire is affected by a Gordanian mental probe and goes wild. She is then taken captive by the Gordanian slavers under the command of her renegade sister, Princess Kornand'r. After battling the aliens, the other Teen Titans, with the help of Aqualad, restore and commandeer two Gordanian ships and follow their foes to their orbiting mother ship. There they are overcome by robotic drones and hurled into space, where Raven's soul-self sustains them until they can be rescued by Green Lantern who uses a tractor beam from the Justice League satellite. However, Green Lantern is unable to aid the Titans' rescue mission and the Gordanians escape with Starfire. Luckily the Omega Men, a hand of freedom fighters from the Vegan system who have previously encountered Green Lantern, available to take the Titans with them on their return to their home system. On the Citadel homeworld, Blackfire turns Starfire over to Lord Damyn, the repulsive Citadel chieftain, and learns of the Citadel's plans to kidnap X'Hal, the Vegans' living goddess. When the Citadel attacks Okaara, the Titans and the Omega Men aid in the planet's defense, while Changeling, disguised as a Gordanian, attempts to smuggle Robin and Cyborg into the enemy mother ship to rescue Starfire. While the other Titans' attempts to infiltrate the Gordanian ranks go awry, Raven is almost overcome by the evil Trigon side of her personality as she struggles to heal those wounded in the ongoing battle, and Demonia of the Omega Men attempts unsuccessfully to betray her comrades to Lord Damyn. Blackfire presents the Citadel leaders with the captive X'Hal, just as the Titans attack to rescue Starfire. A standoff results when Cyborg threatens to kill Lord Damyn unless Komand'r surrenders. Blackfire resolves the situation by ruthlessly destroying Damyn herself and claiming the throne of the Citadel homeworld. With this change in events the Titans tried their hand at appealing to Blackfire in the hopes of going free, the latter of who laughed off such negotiations gloating that she soon moved to destroy her home-world of Tamaran with her newfound armada. In a fit of rage Starfire attacked her, leading to a brutal fight where she nearly overwhelmed her demented sister. But before the fighting could be further escalated however, a Psion employed within the citadel opted instead to mitigate a battle to the death between the two hateful rivals. Within a jungle on their home planet of Tamaran, where they fought both for their lives and rulership of the Citadel empire. Using cruel psychological tactics in order to gain a temporary upper hands, Komand'r quickly found herself outmatched by her younger sister in the contest as it dragged on. Going so far as to break the rules in an attempt to murder her fellow combatant that much quicker. She again found her underhandedness backfiring as Starfire took off into a crazed flight pattern, first smashing her hard into the side of a mountain and before sending Komand'r into a nosedive down a nearby waterfall stream. Having had enough of the conflagrations, Komand'r attempts to used her starbolt power again only to be boiled alive in the rapids causing the rocks surrounding it to violently explode. Blackfire was then assumed to be deceased. The Teen Titans soon return to Earth from the Vega system, and Robin, having revealed his true feelings during the battle, begins a romantic relationship with Starfire. Several weeks pass uneventfully. Then, Joshua and Kory, on a movie date, witness the accidental death of a drug-crazed youth who attacks D.A. Adrian Chase and his wife before running into the path of a car. The next day, at the site of the Statue of Liberty, Changeling battles a young costumed girl, who calls herself Terra. When Joshua and Kory return to Titan Tower they witness Raven healing a wounded youth at the cost of almost being taken over by the spirit of her demonic father. The boy proves to be the older brother of the teenager whose death Joshua and Kory had witnessed earlier. He had come to New York to investigate his brother's death only to be set upon and nearly killed by gangsters employed by drug czar Anthony Scarapelli. Returning to the youth center, the Titans meet with Adrian Chase and Roy Harper, the latter working as a liaison between federal and local authorities in drug-related cases. Leaving with the Titans, Roy resumes his identity as Speedy, and together the young heroes break up Scarapelli's plans to have his new drug shipment distributed throughout the city by duped teenage runaways. Two of the youngsters, however, are killed in the melee, despite the Titans' best efforts. Over a span of several days, Changeling continues his pursuit of the fugitive Terra, finally capturing her and bringing her to the Titans Tower. Meanwhile, bases of Brother Blood's cult are being systematically attacked and destroyed by the Brotherhood of Evil. Unaware of all this, the other Titans pursue their private lives: Joshua and Kory continue their stormy romantic relationship; Donna meets Terry Long's ex-wife and young daughter for the first time; and Wally tries to decide whether to quit the Titans in order to continue his college studies. Kid Flash, Raven, and Cyborg are on hand when Changeling appears with Terra. After hearing how she had been forced to commit crimes by terrorists holding her parents, the rulers of the nation of Markovia, the Titans attack and subdue her tormentors, only to discover that the girl's parents have long since been killed. Changeling befriends Terra in her grief, but the other Titans are still unsure whether to believe her story or not.

.

Independence-17
A few days after Joshua's 17th birthday, Batman and Robin team up to foil the Joker after having stolen a rare jewel. During the struggle, Joker shoots Robin, causing the youngster to fall from the edge of a building. Batman takes his time to stop the Joker before rescuing Robin from the building's ledge, but this delay caused the media to believe and claim that the young hero was dead. After having delivered Joker back to Arkham Asylum, Batman takes his injured cousin back home. During the ride, Bobby contemplates putting an end to Joshua's superhero career for good fearing for his life. While Joshua lays in bed with Alfred tending to his wound, Bobby tells him that he has decided to make use of the media's false claims to retire Robin from the public eye. Joshua refuses to go along with the plan sighting that his work as Robin was too important to just retire. This would lead to an argument between the two that would escalate with Bobby firing Joshua and he would leave Stewart Manor permanently after this fallout, but not before telling his mentor, ''If you want your partnership with Robin to stay dead, that's okay with me. But you've trained me too well -- made me what I am. You can't keep me from pursuing my own destiny.''. Meanwhile, the conflict between the forces of Brother Blood and the Brotherhood of Evil continues, even as the Brotherhood makes its way to New York to kidnap Raven, whom they believe possesses knowledge that will enable them to overcome Blood. Back at Titans HQ, Joshua grows more and more edgy as he inwardly attempts to come to terms with his identity as Robin, Joshua realized that the timing of the split between him and Bobby was perfect as he had grown up: he no longer relied on Batman and, in fact, he and the Dark Knight disagreed on crime-fighting methodology, he had new-found independence in college and his Titans' duties in New York left less time for his former commitments in Gotham City anyway, but admitted that he still couldn’t answer why he was so unwilling to part with the Robin identity, confessing that he was struggling to find where Joshua began and Robin ended, which in turn worries both Kory and Donna. Wally and Raven talk over their abortive relationship and Changeling continues his efforts to rehabilitate Terra, and all of these developments are watched with amused detachment by the visiting Speedy. While Robin and Starfire go to visit Adrian Chase, who has a lead on Brother Blood, Francine Kane, again in possession of her unwanted magnetic powers, comes to Titans Tower to see Kid Flash. When the Brotherhood of Evil attacks, Speedy and Francine manage to stop them, but not before Phobia causes Raven to mistakenly attack and almost kill Kid Flash. The Brotherhood of Evil overpowers Kid Flash, Speedy, and Francine, and continues its pursuit of Raven. At the same time, Robin and Starfire accompany Adrian Chase to see Bethany Snow, who offers them information on Brother Blood in return for protection from reprisals but in reality is still Blood's loyal agent. Meanwhile, Terra adopts a new costume and decides to join the Teen Titans. Cyborg meets Mark Wright, a co-worker of Sarah Simms's who claims to be her fiance. Terry Long proposes marriage to Donna Troy. When Raven and the Brotherhood appear at the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, the Titans, including Speedy, Terra, and Frances, confront them, but are unable to prevent Raven's abduction. A disgruntled team of Teen Titans return to the group's headquarters to be greeted by Wonder Girl with her news of Terry's proposal. Their joy is short-lived, however, as they must leave immediately for Zandia, where they believe the Brotherhood of Evil is holding Raven. The Brotherhood subjects Raven to psychological tortures to force her to reveal what she knows of Brother Blood, knowledge she unconsciously absorbed when her soul-self enveloped Blood during their previous encounter, but it is only the subtler methods of the Brain and Monsieur Mallah that persuade her to cooperate. Trailing the evildoers to the site of Brother Blood's secret "Regeneration Chamber," the Titans find the tide of battle turning against them. When they appear to have been killed, Raven goes berserk and almost kills the villains, before Wonder Girl manages to bring her to her senses. Later two costumed youths calling themselves Thunder and Lightning wreak unexplained havoc in the streets of St. Louis with their superhuman powers. The Titans return from Zandia in a somber mood, the tension broken only by Speedy's antics, as he bids his teammates farewell and returns to his work with the drug centers. Francine returns to Blue Valley and Robin returns to his personal self discovery, so when the Titans are summoned to deal with Thunder and Lightning, it is Wonder Girl who leads them into action. After an inconclusive battle, Thunder and Lightning reveal that they are the children of an American soldier named Walter Williams and a Vietnamese woman, and are searching for their father, who may hold the secret of controlling their devastating elemental powers. Learning that Williams's last known residence was in a Maine fishing village, the brothers go there, but are fought to a standstill by the Titans until Wonder Girl, through Wonder Woman's Pentagon connections as Diana Prince, learns that their father has disappeared without a trace after a laboratory accident. Thunder and Lightning voluntarily surrender themselves to S.T.A.R. Labs in hope of a cure, while the Titans vow to continue the search for Walter Williams. Weeks later, The Teen Titans must solve a murder mystery without the aid of their resident detective, Robin, when a new super-villain called Trident is killed with his own weapon after three encounters with different groups of the Titans. Cyborg and Changeling had attempted to foil a robbery by the costumed criminal, who wielded a technologically gifted pitchfork; Raven and Wonder Girl had battled him at the Museum of Natural History; and Kid Flash and Terra had pursued him to a drive-in theater after a jewelry heist. Starfire goes in search of Robin and learns that a teen by the name of Jason Todd has replaced Joshua as Batman's partner. She then returns to her teammates and deduces that each Titans duo had faced a different criminal, each using the same costume and weapon. Cyborg is then able to trace the deceased Trident's weapon to his two partners, who had killed him when he tried to withhold their shares of the loot. Even as the Titans defeat and capture the other two "Tridents," Robin and Adrian Chase are staging a break in at the home of mob leader Anthony Scarapelli. Later The Titans surprise Terra with a birthday party, but she remains disgruntled that they have refused to share their secret identities with her since she joined the team. Robin becomes angry with Adrian Chase when he learns that the district attorney used Robin to raid Anthony Scarapelli's home in an illegal manner. Kid Flash decides to leave the Titans to concentrate on college, Donna accepts Terry's proposal, and Cyborg remains unhappy at having learned that Sarah is engaged, unaware that Mark Wright had misrepresented himself as her fiance. All of these developments are put aside, however, when the Terminator returns to challenge the team, and Terra determines to prove her worth by battling him alone. Although the other Titans join the fight, and although the villain ultimately escapes, Terra is unquestionably the heroine of the battle, and the Titans decide to share their secrets with her at their next meeting. That night, Terra meets with the Terminator at her apartment. Unsuspected by the Titans, she has been the Terminator's partner from the beginning, planted in the group as a double agent to betray them. Meanwhile, moments after Robin leaves Adrian Chase's home, the district attorney's apartment building is rocked by an explosion. While Robin investigates the scene, saving a burning Adrian Chase from the wreckage, Sarah Simms is accosted on the street by Mark Wright, who insanely persists in claiming to be her fiance after she has told him repeatedly that they were never more than friends and co-workers. When a police officer intervenes in their altercation, Mark attacks him and takes his weapon. Now armed and raving, he drags Sarah into a nearby sporting goods store, which he takes over at gunpoint, wounding a cashier who tries to stop him. Using a rifle from the store merchandise, Mark holds off the police, who surround the shop, while Sarah takes advantage of his distraction to place a whispered phone call to Titans Tower. Cyborg, Changeling, and Raven, the only Titans on hand at the moment, arrive almost immediately, but their initial efforts to enter the store and disarm Mark meet with failure. While Changeling talks to the police, Raven teleports inside and tries to calm Mark, while Cyborg uses a finger-laser to enter the building through the ceiling. Finally, confused and surrounded, Mark puts down his weapon and collapses into Raven's arms. Not long after, The Teen Titans are assembled at S.T.A.R. Labs, where Dr. Jenet Klyburn is attempting unsuccessfully to cure Thunder and Lightning of their unwanted powers. When their containing machinery explodes from an energy over-load, a brief and senseless battle ensues between the twin brothers and the Titans, until Raven, despite the danger to herself, offers to use her soul-self to learn the whereabouts of their missing father. Thus it is revealed that the man who called himself Walter Williams was actually an extraterrestrial being who had been the sole survivor of a crash-landing on Earth six hundred years ago, and who had returned to Vietnam, the site of the crash, in the guise of an American soldier, to retrieve his space ship. Almost killed when he accidentally triggered the ship's security devices, he made his way back to American-held territory, where he met and shared a romance with the Vietnamese woman who became the mother of Can and Tavis. Discovering his present whereabouts, Thunder and Lightning, together with the Titans, find their alien father a prisoner of the H.I.V.E., who have been exploiting his powers for their own ends for years. Under the H.I.V.E.'s control, the alien attacks the heroes, ultimately forcing Thunder and Lightning to slay their own father. Using the deceased extraterrestrial's blood, S.T.A.R. scientists are able to cure Thunder and Lightning, allowing them to control their powers, after which the brothers return to their mother's homeland. Days later, Gizmo breaks his fellow Fearsome Five members (Dr. Light, Psimon, Mammoth, and Shimmer) out of the Tri-State Penitentiary. Afterward, the group learn of Dr. Jace being in America, Mammoth and Shimmer explain how when they were children in Australia they were taken to Dr. Jace to help control their powers, Psimon then decides that the group should kidnap Dr. Jace in order to endow themselves with even more powers than before. Meanwhile, at Titan's Tower, new recruit Terra is forced to leave the group when her bracelet detects Dr. Jace in the vicinity, fearing that she could reveal that she has been lying to the Titans about the origins of her powers. Arriving at Jace's residence, Terra finds the Outsiders there. This leads to a conflict between the Teen Titans and Batman's team the Outsiders until Geoforce arrives and reveals himself to be Terra's brother and the fighting stops. They all learn that Dr. Jace has been kidnapped and decide to team-up in order to find her. During this time Psimon has convinced Dr. Jace to help them and so she begins experimenting on humans turning them into mud creatures. The Outsiders and the Titans manage to track the Fearsome Five to their base, located beneath Gotham Harbor. In the ensuing battle, the heroes have to fend off the mud creatures created by Dr. Jace. During the combat Psimon downs all the heroes with a mental bolt and then destroys the base, leaving the Titans and the Outsiders to drown in the water. The Teen Titans and the Outsiders are saved by the combined efforts of Terra and Geo-Force, the group survives the ordeal and get Dr. Jace to safety. Elsewhere, Dr. Light dissents from the group over Psimon's leadership, and so Psimon sends his mudmen to destroy his former ally, which alters the Outsiders and the Titans to the battle which is taking place in Gotham Park. During the combat, the heroes defeat the mud monsters. While in New York, Psimon, Mammoth, Gizmo and Shimmer take over the Empire State Building where Psimon uses his powers to take control of every mind in the New York City area. Going there to stop Psimon, the group battles the villains and their enslaved thrall until Halo is able to knock out Psimon with her powers. With the rest of the Fearsome Five easily defeated and turned over to police the heroes return to Titans Tower to find that Dr. Light has escaped. However, after such a successful mission, Batman begrudgingly congratulates Robin telling him You lead the Titans well, Robin -- I guess even the teacher can learn from his pupil... his former pupil. The tension between the teams two leaders builds as silence fills the room. The tension is soon broken however by the other remain members of their respective teams who agree to be allies and to work together in the future. Following this case, Robin tells the team that he needs some time off trying to resolve his identity crisis. However, Joshua is interrupted by Terry Long who asks Robin to investigate the secret of Donna's unknown past. Joshua tells Terry what Donna told him years ago, informing him that she was rescued from a burning apartment building as an infant by Wonder Woman and raised by Queen Hippolyta on Paradise Island. However, Terry tells Joshua that he already knew that from Donna, but admits that she herself has never known her true identity, something she would like to known now that she is soon to be married. Joshua agrees to help and begins the investigation. Starting at the site of the fire-gutted building from 19 years ago, Robin finds a child's doll which Donna vaguely remembers. Subjecting the doll to chemical and computer analysis, he traces it to a kindly old toy shop owner who had once repaired it for a Mrs. Cassiday of Willowbrook Orphanage in Virginia. Locating Mrs. Cassiday in a nursing home in Florida, Joshua brings Donna to meet her, and they learn that Donna's mother had brought her to the orphanage when she learned she was dying of cancer. Donna was then adopted by a couple named Stacey. Returning to Virginia, they find the former Mrs. Fay Stacey, now remarried as Fay Evans, and foster mother and daughter are tearfully reunited. Dick and Donna then learn that, two years after Donna's adoption, her foster father had been killed in an accident, and his wife, penniless, had been forced to give Donna up for readoption. Donna is satisfied at this, but Robin investigates further and discovers that the couple who died in the apartment building fire had not adopted Donna, but were go-betweens for a child-selling scheme run by a crooked lawyer. Finally aware of her past, Donna visits the grave of her natural mother, Dorothy Hinckley. A week later, acting on information provided by Bethany Snow, the Teen Titans invade an Alaskan way station of Brother Blood's cult, and find proof of his political backing of certain senators and congressmen, which they turn over to the authorities. Terra secretly reports the Titans' activities to the Terminator, and she and the Terminator fight a mock battle to test each other's powers. At the next Titans meeting, Kid Flash appears in civilian garb as Wally West and formally announces that he is leaving the team. After goodbyes are said, Robin unexpectedly announces that the team no longer had to worry about him and his identity crisis as he had finally come to the conclusion that he didn't need the Robin title to identify himself and that he too is giving up his costumed identity—not because he is retiring, as Kid Flash is, but because he intends to take on a new guise, as yet undecided, which will identify him more as the Titans' leader than as the Batman's junior partner, wanting to completely move out of the shadow of the Batman. Starfire not wanting Joshua to leave asks why there can't be two Robin's one with the Titans and one in Gotham, to which Joshua replies ''I can't. Don't you see? Robin will always be the back half of "Batman and --". But Robin belongs with Batman fighting at his side. Trouble is -- I don't.''. Joshua then hands over leadership of the Teen Titans to Donna, before kissing Kory and promising to return. Unknown to the Titans, all of this information is being relayed to the Terminator by Terra, so that he too now knows Robin and Kid Flash's true identities. After leaving Titan Tower, Joshua infiltrates the Bat-cave where he finds Jason Todd alone diligently training, and begins trailing his replacement when Jason goes out alone to try and take down some drug dealers who have set up shop in a warehouse. Jason is discovered on the roof and knocked through the skylight. As the criminals are closing in on him, the thug who knocked him through the skylight is thrown through it as well. The drug dealers at first think it must be Batman, but it is Joshua as Robin. After helping the new Robin defeat the crooks, Joshua tells Jason to tell Bobby they need to talk. The next morning, Bobby confesses to Jason that Joshua was the original Robin, but he had kept his true identity a secret from Jason because he felt it wasn't his place to reveal his cousin's true identity. After Jason leaves for school, Joshua shows up to talk to Bobby, and finds out why he had been replaced so soon, sighting that Jason was too reckless to be on patrol. After several cover stories about how Jason had nowhere else to turn, and that Gotham had become too dangerous for him to continue fighting crime alone, Bobby finally tells Joshua that it was because he missed him. Later that night, Jason finds the same group of drug dealers where they have set up shop in a new location, and to his surprise, Joshua is there waiting for him. While the two Robins close down the drug lab, Joshua gets to see Jason's potential and finds him to be a person of good character, someone worthy of the Robin moniker. Upon their return to the cave, Joshua gives Jason his blessing and leaves his Robin costume for him, officially passing the torch. Knowing how cold Bobby can be, Joshua gives his number to Jason and offers to listen if he ever needs a friend.

Finding One's Self
Uncertain what to do now, Joshua spends the next month traveling the globe studying various martial arts and fighting styles, including Tai Chi from Master Ling Chao on the northern Chinese-Mongolian border near Tibet, Capoeira in Brazil, South America, stealth from the Los Invisibales tribe in Santo de la Rosa, mastering the senses through the Yaugh and Tenyagh from Master HetaLai in MindaLauki, and the Himalayas where he learned the secret of flight from the Flying Monks. After returning to Titan Tower, Starfire remarks that Joshua seems renewed from his time away, he agrees with Kory telling her that he felt he had, truly become good enough to match his predecessor and wanted to return to crime fighting as soon as possible; but if he couldn't be Robin, who would he be? Seeing an old picture of his uncle Jake, as a young trapeze artist wearing a circus costume that was a variant of Jake's colleague Boston Brand's Deadman costume, inspired Joshua to work on creating a new costumed identity. Meanwhile, at Steve Dayton's estate on Long Island, the antics of Gar Logan and Tara Markov cause the latest in a series of tutors hired by Dayton to quit, whereupon the two youngest Titans fly to join their teammates as guests on a segment of Bethany Snow's cable TV program regarding a proposed arms shipment to Zandia. Bethany Snow shows a clip of an awestruck group of acolytes who witness an astonishing ritual in which Brother blood rises from a huge pool formed by the collected blood of his deceased enemies. Even after the clip, The Titans, led by Wonder Girl, are unable to convince their audience of the true evil intentions of the charismatic Brother Blood. Joshua deduces that the newly elected congressmen and senators who appeared on the program in support of Blood are actually his followers, rather than the politicians whose seeming affiliation with the villain had been revealed by the Titans' investigations. Disguised as newsman Joe Walsh, Joshua accompanies Bethany Snow and the three discredited politicians on a fact-finding tour to Zandia, only to have his true identity uncovered by Blood's cult. Receiving an emergency signal from Joshua, the other Titans invade Blood's temple in their T-Sub, but are overcome by a surprise gas attack. The captive Titans awaken to find Joshua under Brother Blood's control and themselves about to be lowered into his pool of blood. While Raven's soul-self distracts Brother Blood, Terra uses her earth-powers to free the Teen Titans. After they battle and defeat his monstrous creatures, Blood offers to meet the Titans in personal combat. Instead, he attacks them with robots and missiles, which the Titans manage to repel. An explosive holographic image of the villain, however, dispatches all the Titans but Raven and Cyborg, whom Blood himself easily defeats. Even as Zandian President Marko declares a state of war between his government and Brother Blood's church, Blood orders a mind-controlled Joshua to activate a laser cannon which will kill his six teammates. However, Starfire's protestations of love for him enable Joshua to break free of his trance and release the Titans. Before Brother Blood can act, President Marko's forces attack, bringing his temple down around him and causing the laser cannon to collapse, seemingly crushing the villain. The Titans escape the holocaust, but with Blood an apparent martyr, belief in his cult flourishes and world governments condemn the regime of Marko, his political enemy. The next day Donna and Kory finish up a photo shoot at Donna's studio. Gar, naturally, is overwhelmed by the skimpiness of Kory's bathing suit. Tara is present, and asks how Donna could afford such an expansive studio apartment. Donna tells her that it was a gift from Queen Hippolyta. What none of the Titans present realize is that someone is surreptitiously taking surveillance photos of Donna's studio. Gar and Tara walk Joshua back to his midtown apartment. Again, someone continues to take photographs of the group, but none of them seem to be aware of it. After dropping Joshua off, Gar and Tara walk over to a nearby frozen pond where Vic Stone and Sarah Simms are ice skating with a group of Sarah’s disabled wards. Vic loses his balance and falls onto the ice, and Sarah and the children begin laughing at them. Vic is only slightly embarrassed, but his humiliation is compounded when Gar turns into a bunny and begins poking fun at him. Afterward, Vic returns home where he finds a letter from his grandparents. The letter indicates that they will be visiting him some time soon. Vic is not overjoyed to receive such news. As before, someone takes a snapshot of him from outside his apartment. Later, Gar walks Tara down to the East River and they take a raft to Titans Tower. Before they enter the Tower Gar gives her a heart shaped box that he made for her and proceeds to ask her on a official date. Terra is in awe from the gift and suddenly becomes distant, stating that she will not be able to go on the date with him and rushes back toward her room. On the way she stops by Raven's room and finds the empath in the midst of meditation. Raven doesn't trust Tara, but as she has been dealing with so many emotional issues as of late, she cannot determine whether her apprehension is justified, or if it is just a by-product of her father Trigon's influence over her. Meanwhile Gar is crushed, as he believes that she has rejected him, and returns to his room. Hearing Gar berate himself for asking her out through the walls, Terra decides against her better judgment to ask him if he still wants to go out, to which he happily accepts before they fly away from the Tower together. They end up leaving New York City, and Terra takes him to a small restaurant that she apparently went to often before becoming a Titan. The two talk about Terra's life before becoming a Titan, and while doing so, Terra thinks that she sees Slade in a mirror reflection, which frightens her and causes her to leave with Gar before they can finish eating. During their quick exit, Gar drops his Titan communicator and leaves without noticing. Terra takes him to an amusement park that she also visited often before joining the Titans. While chatting, Gar notices that Terra seems a little quiet, and asks her if she is alright, to which she assures him that she is fine. The two then ride several of the amusement rides together which culminates on them going on the ferris wheel. While on the wheel, Terra shares a tender moment with Gar and kisses him. Some time later, the Titans regroup at the tower and Cyborg goes through a training exercise. He succeeds in overcoming a five-ton steel press. Donna and Kory spar with one another atop a floating raft in the Titans’ swimming pool. Donna has never defeated Kory during these trials and is determined to win. Kory reminds her once again that she was trained by the Warlords of Okaara, and that fighting is second-nature to her. She proves her point by kicking Donna in the jaw, knocking her into the pool. Terra silently watches the various trials, taking note of her potential teammates strengths and weaknesses. The next training exercise takes place outside. The Titans want to see what Tara is truly capable of and has her spar against Changeling. Changeling, with his usual aplomb, transforms into a variety of animals, and circles about Terra, disrupting her concentration. He keeps making jokes and poking playful fun at her, not realizing that with each barb he is steadily bringing her temper to a boil. Finally, Terra can take no more of Gar's shenanigans and unleashes a volley of earth, rocks and debris at him. Volcanic mounds of dirt begin erupting across the island, and the other Titans quickly realize that Terra has lost control. They finally get Terra to calm down, and they make sure that Gar is okay. With Cyborg chastising him for provoking her. Later, Tara retires to the Terminator's secret lair. Slade criticizes her for losing control, and tells her that it is only through sheer naiveté that the Titans still trust her. Tara tells him not worry about anything. Elsewhere, a middle-aged woman and her teenage son monitor Slade and Tara's actions. They take a surveillance photo of them boarding a helicopter. The woman is surprised that she was able to get close enough to Slade to photograph him. She whispers to herself, "Slade, it's been a long time. But not long enough for you". Later Joshua is at home typing a letter when suddenly the Terminator crashes through his apartment window and attacks him. It quickly becomes clear that the Terminator knows that Joshua was once the original Robin, though Joshua has no idea how he could have acquired such knowledge. Realizing that the Terminator has a physical advantage over him, Joshua baits his foe into kicking him out the broken window. He uses his leather jacket to slow his fall as his body plummets into a pile of garbage. As the Terminator begins firing rounds out the window,  the injured Joshua sprints into the crowd. The Terminator gives chase and follows him across a busy street. Two witnesses to this tableaux are the middle-aged woman who had been spying on the Terminator, and her silent teenage son. Terminator follows Joshua into a nearby park, but he loses him in a crowd of marathon runners. Fearing that his fellow Titans may be in danger, Joshua tries to contact them on his communicator, but nobody responds. He races over to Donna and Kory's apartment, but as he feared, the penthouse is in shambles. He finds evidence of a letter bomb that could've been used to render Kory unconscious. Examining Donna's darkroom, he finds trace elements of poisonous chemicals that had been mixed with her photo solutions. He suspects that the odor from the chemicals would have been strong enough to incapacitate someone of even Donna's hearty constitution. He next stops at Victor Stone's apartment. Breaking down the door, he finds an empty chair outfitted with clamps and wires designed to electrocute its intended target. He also finds a letter on the floor from Vic's grandparents and surmises that he was reading the letter when the Terminator sprung his trap. Like the others, Vic is nowhere to be found. Joshua then goes to Titans Tower. The tower is empty but for a massive spiraling column of earth. Clearly this is Terra's handiwork. The column leads into Raven's quarters, but neither Terra nor Raven are anywhere to be found. Joshua hears a voice from behind him and spins around to see the middle-aged woman and her son standing before him. The woman introduces herself as Adeline and the boy next to her is her son Joey. Adeline tells him that the Terminator learned all of the Titans secrets from Terra. Joshua doesn't trust this woman, and is unwilling to readily accept the fact that Terra was a traitor. Adeline tells him that she has unique knowledge of the Terminator and his schemes, due in no small part to one simple fact – he was once her husband. Meanwhile, the Terminator abducts his final victim – Gar Logan. Playing on Garfield's vanity, he poisons the seal on a pile of envelopes that correspond to autographed photos of himself that he plans on mailing to his female fan base. After licking numerous envelopes, the poison finally takes affect and Gar passes out. Deathstroke collects his quarry and brings all of the Titans to the Rocky Mountain headquarters of his employers – the H.I.V.E. At Titans Tower, Joshua stands incredulous as Adeline Kane accuses Terra of collusion with their most hated foe Deathstroke the Terminator. As his former wife, Adeline has intimate knowledge of Slade Wilson's origins. She provides Robin with a complete history of Slade's life. Infroming Joshua that having lied about his age, Slade Wilson was sixteen-years-old when he first enlisted in the United States Army. After serving a stint in Korea, he was later assigned to Camp Washington where he had been promoted to the rank of Major. In the early 1960s, he met Captain Adeline Kane who was tasked with training young soldiers in new fighting techniques in anticipation of brewing troubles taking place in Vietnam. Kane was amazed at how skilled Slade was and how quickly he adapted to modern conventions of warfare. She immediately fell in love with him, and realized that he was without a doubt the most able-bodied combatant she had ever encountered. She offered to privately train Slade in guerrilla warfare. In less than a year, Slade mastered every fighting form presented to him and was soon promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Six months later, Adeline and he were married and she became pregnant with their first child. It was at this time that the war in Vietnam began to escalate and Slade was shipped overseas. At home, Adeline gave birth to their son Grant. Some time later, Wilson volunteered for a medical experiment designed to stimulate his adrenal gland in the hopes of increasing a soldier's ability to resist truth serums. The experiment did not go as expected, and Slade fell into a coma. When he awakened however, he discovered that was now capable of using 90% of his brain capacity, and his strength, durability and agility were increased to near superhuman levels. He applied for re-assignment with the army, but they refused him. Although his condition was now stabilized, depression took hold of him and he was desperate to serve his country. At this time, Adeline became pregnant with their second child, Joseph. Unable to further his career in the military, Slade turned towards hunting. He became a world famous safari hunter and great wealth followed soon after. Adeline always suspected however that Slade felt unfulfilled. A few years later, a group of hired mercenaries broke into the Wilsons' mansion and kidnapped young Joey. Adeline attempted to fight them off, but a gas grenade prevented her from saving her son. When Slade discovered what had happened, he knew he could not keep the truth from his wife any longer. Slade was not only a world famous safari hunter, he was also one of the world's deadliest and most highly sought after assassins - Deathstroke the Terminator. He promised Adeline that he would save their son. Together, they flew to Tangiers and squared off against a rival mercenary known as the Jackal. The Jackal wanted Slade to reveal important information relating to a client or else he would have his men kill Joey. Slade gambled on the idea that he could save his son before the Jackal could give the order. Though he succeeded in disarming the thugs and killing the Jackal, he was not fast enough to prevent one of them from slicing Joey's throat, permanently robbing him of his voice. Grief stricken beyond measure, Adeline attempted to shoot her husband in the back of the head. His lightning reflexes saved his life, but he could not avoid the bullet taking out his left eye. Slade and Adeline parted ways, but Addie always promised that she would finish the job she started. After concluding her tale, Adeline convinces Joshua to allow them to help rescue the Titans. Joshua runs upstairs to don his brand new costume, and with it a new identity. When he returns to the meeting hall, he is no longer Robin the Boy Wonder. He is now Nightwing; having chosen the name his Aunt Petunia called her loving husband. Joey too has a costume and has taken to calling himself Jericho. Joshua is still unsure about having Joey around, but Adeline reveals that the experiments which gave Slade his powers, had a mutagenic side-effect in his son. Joey has the ability to physically possess the bodies of other people. After a quick demonstration, he communicates through sign language his desire to bring his father to justice. Nightwing is still reluctant, but agrees to accept his aid. They fly off in the T-Jet on the trail of Deathstroke and Terra.

Nightwing-17-18
Nightwing and Jericho go to the H.I.V.E. base nestled in the Rocky Mountains. They sneak into the facility and discover that the Titans have been strapped to a giant machine which is slowly siphoning away their life energy. Nightwing and Jericho fight through a horde of H.I.V.E. shock troops but are eventually captured. The Terminator is surprised to see his son with the Titans and tries to bargain with the H.I.V.E. to let him go. The H.I.V.E. refuses however and Jericho takes this opportunity to possess his own father. Using the Terminator's body and weaponry, he frees the other Titans and begins fighting the H.I.V.E. Terra is enraged at Terminator and feels that his affection for Joey makes him weak. She accuses him of betraying her, and upon realizing that she betrayed the Titans trust and Gar's affections only to be betrayed herself, loses complete control of her sanity and yearns for nothing more than the death of everyone in the room. Changeling refuses to believe that Tara has gone bad, and is certain that the Terminator has brainwashed her. Terra calls him a moron and confesses that she has always been conspiring with Slade against the Titans but admits that her feelings for him were true. Terra's powers then rage out of control and twisting columns of rock begin growing from out of the floor and walls. Wonder Girl ensnares Terra in her golden lasso, but Terra knocks her off her feet with a geyser. Changeling turns into a giant serpent and tries to coil himself around her, but she keeps him at bay by hurling a wave of debris at him. One of the discarded chunks of sediment strikes Raven in the face, knocking her unconscious. During the ensuing conflict the remaining Titans try to convince Terra that she's still there friend, with Changeling's insistence that it's not too late. Too ashamed that her former allies are still trying to save her even after betraying their trust, Terra's emotions are whipped into a greater frenzy, and her powers become even more uncontrollable. Finally she causes a mountain of earth and debris to collapse down from the ceiling, and in a last ditch effort, Changeling attempts to assist Terra in escaping the crumbling fortress, but after a final good-bye between her and Changeling she pushes him along with the rest of the team back to safety, whispering to herself Gar's word's that It's never to late to be a hero  and is buried underneath multiple layers of rubble in the process. Gar frantically digs her up, and she dies in his arms. The Titans then bring Terra's body back to New York for burial. The funeral service is small and only the Titans and the Outsiders are in attendance. The Titans honor her sacrifice by engraving the tombstone to read "Terra Markov. A Teen Titan. A True Friend" and let Tara's surviving brother Geo-Force believe that she died heroically while fighting the H.I.V.E. From some distance away, Joey Wilson sheds a tear for Terra. His mother comforts him and speaks about the nobility of the Titans. She concludes with, "You'll do well with them". Weeks later, Aqualad is seriously ill and drags a dying Aquagirl into Titans Tower. He struggles to bring her to the pool to get fresh water into her system, but passes out mere inches away. Across town, Changeling is still having difficulty coping with the death of Terra. He busts up a group of arms dealers and nearly kills them in his anger. Cyborg shows up and tries to talk to Gar, but Changeling tells him that he is through talking. Nobody was around for him when he needed help, so he has no interest in confiding in his teammates. Meanwhile, Joshua attends an extremely uncomfortable bachelor party being held for Terry Long. Terry's inebriated brothers hire a stripper for him who jumps out of a giant cake. At Manhattan College, a boy named Steven tries to bond with Raven whom he has developed an interest in. Raven politely rebuffs the boy's advances and gets into a car with Jericho. On Paradise Island, Donna asks Queen Hippolyta's blessing to marry Terry Long. Traditionally, if an Amazon chooses to reside permanently in Man's World, they must forsake their Amazonian powers. However, as Donna is not a true Amazon, Hippolyta does not feel the need to enforce this restriction. As a wedding gift, Donna's "sister" Diana gives Donna a new set of magic bracelets. Later, everyone regroups at Titans Tower where they discover the dying Aqualad and Aquagirl. They quickly submerge them in a special water solution and carefully pump fresh sea water into their systems. When they revive, Aqualad tells them that the H.I.V.E. has attacked Atlantis. Nightwing is tired of the H.I.V.E. and wants to put a stop to them once and for all. The Teen Titans, along with a revitalized Aqualad and Aquagirl then travel through the Atlantic Ocean to the coordinates of the H.I.V.E.'s undersea station. As they approach the base, the H.I.V.E. Mistress consults with her Council of Seven about Operation: Waterworks. Aquagirl and Aqualad tear up two stalagmites and hurl them like mini-torpedoes at the base. The projectiles tear a hole through the station and dozens of H.I.V.E. agents wearing deep-sea diving suits spill outward. While the Titans engage the agents in their T-Sub, Aquagirl swims through the airlock and onto the base. She begins interrogating one of the H.I.V.E. agents, but another one gets the drop on her and stuns her with an energy weapon. Aboard the T-Sub, Raven telepathically feels Aquagirl's shriek of pain and teleports onto the base. Suddenly, the evil influence of her demonic father Trigon overwhelms her and she viciously begins slaughtering every H.I.V.E. agent in the room. Back in New York, Vic returns home to find his grandparents, Maude and Tucker, waiting for him in his apartment. He is not thrilled to see them, and still resents them for the fact that they failed to attend his father's funeral. Vic angrily tells them to leave. Maude fires back at him and after a few tense words, they finally make up. Elsewhere in the city, detective Lt. "Tank" Sherman is called to the scene of a potential mugging. The would-be victim gives her statement and tells Sherman that her attacker was nearly mauled to death by a savage green tiger. Back at the H.I.V.E. base, the Titans board the station and regroup with Aquagirl, Aqualad and Raven. Jericho uses his powers to take control of one of the surviving H.I.V.E. agents. They fight their way through a blockade of armed men and travel deeper towards the command core of the station. From her central meeting room, the H.I.V.E. Mistress seals off the access tunnel where the Titans are located and jettisons the entire chamber into the sea. Once the pod is far enough away from the base, she activates a trigger which causes it to explode. Believing that the Titans have been destroyed, the H.I.V.E. Mistress offers a toast of victory. However, they soon discover that Raven saved her comrades from the explosion by enveloping everyone inside of her soul-self and teleporting aboard the H.I.V.E. station. The Titans begin fighting through another throng of H.I.V.E. shock-troops and Starfire is injured when her body is stunned by electrified cables that drop down out of the ceiling. Jericho takes control of her body and presses onward deeper into the H.I.V.E. Base. At Titans Tower, Changeling returns home, still lamenting the loss of Terra. Cyborg enters the room and the two have a heart-to-heart. Gar's spirits are lifted by the arrival of an old friend - Jillian Jackson. Jillian was once Changeling's high school sweetheart. Back at the H.I.V.E. base, the Titans continue fighting their way through an endless morass of soldiers until they come to a torpedo bay. They discover that the H.I.V.E. intends on destroying Atlantis as a show of power in the hopes that their reputation will enable them to blackmail world leaders into surrendering to them. The H.I.V.E. Mistress launches the torpedo, but Aqualad manages to disable it before it reaches Atlantis. Realizing that the battle is lost, the H.I.V.E. Mistress murders her Inner Council then takes her own life. With the battle won, the Titans wave goodbye to Aqualad and Aquagirl, board the T-Sub and return home. Not long after, Kory plans a party to celebrate a traditional Tamaranean holiday, Blorthog, the Day of Friendship, but the festivities are interrupted after the team discover that Gar has been attacked outside Titans Tower by someone claiming to be the Terminator. Before a through investigation can begin, the alarm sounds, and the Titans rush off to respond to a break in at a local technological museum. When they arrive Wonder Girl spots the time-travelling villain, Warp, as he attempts to steal a valuable clock. The Titans engage him, but Warp's knowledge of the Titans and his futuristic weapons fend them off easily. As he opens a time portal to return to his time one hundred years in the future, Nightwing and Starfire impulsively attack, gradually joined by the other Titans. This time, Warp's weapons aren't as effective as the Titans are growing wise to his tricks; a bullseye hit by one of Nightwing's Wing-Dings on the already damaged regulator causes the device to go haywire, resulting in Warp unaccountably vanishing from sight as he is trapped in the ever-flowing time stream. The young heroes then join the recovering Gar and Jillian Jackson at the trial of Slade Wilson, the Terminator, which is being presided over by newly appointed judge Adrian Chase. At Slade Wilson's trial, when it begins to appear as if the Terminator will escape punishment for his crimes, Changeling uses his shape-changing powers to attack Wilson. Subdued by his teammates, Gar is ordered from the courtroom by Judge Adrian Chase. The Teen Titans suspect that someone is posing as Deathstroke to make it appear as if the costumed mercenary and Slade Wilson are not one and the same, so they arrange a meeting with Wilson's associate, Wintergreen, only to be attacked by the Terminator impersonator. Unfortunately, the ersatz Terminator manages to escape before he can be apprehended. Back in court, Judge Chase determines that while there is insufficient evidence that Slade Wilson is Deathstroke to warrant a full jury trial for his kidnapping of stock-broker Samuel Abrams, Wilson will nonetheless be sentenced to a year in prison for illegal possession of firearms. Changeling is dismayed at this verdict: he had used Steve Dayton's Mento Helmet to masquerade as the Terminator in hopes that Wilson would he set free, so that Gar could kill him for his involvement with Terra. Following the decision Changeling rejects the attempts of his teammates to talk about the trial, and returns home to find that, due to his behavior in court, Steve Dayton is angry with him and Jillian's father has forbidden her to associate with him. In prison, Slade Wilson arranges through Wintergreen to have his jail sentence suspended. Before he can be released, however, he is attacked a night in his cell by a maddened Changeling. When their skirmish takes them into the prison yard, Changeling breaks off the fight, promising to return. The next day, he arranges to meet the Terminator in a battle to the death. The mercenary derails Gar's plans by appearing at the arranged site as Slade Wilson, rather than in costume as Deathstroke, and by refusing to fight back. Unable to bring himself to murder an unresisting opponent, Changeling reluctantly agrees to talk with his enemy instead. Wilson relates how he first encountered Tara Markov when she undertook an assignment he had refused: the murder of African tribal leader King Tawaha, who had taken care of Gar after the deaths of his parents years before. Later, the Terminator, saved Terra from being killed by a mob of villagers for being a witch and took Terra in as a partner. He relays that things were good at first but he quickly discovered that the girl was mentally unstable due to the abuse she suffered from others in the past. Slade confesses that her betrayal of the Titans was going to be her final mission as she would finally have enough money to get the help she needed and live a good life, reiterating that he did what he truly thought was best for her. Changeling finds himself believing Wilson's statements despite his earlier convictions to the contrary and once their conversation is over, he allows Wilson to leave without trying to stop him. Upon returning to the Tower, Gar spontaneously suggest that they restart the Tamaranean holiday in order to honor Terra, much to Kory's joy. Later at Dayton Labs in Nevada, scientists have created artificial intelligent life in the form of four super-powered humanoids: Aurora, who can create realistic illusions; Dreadnaught, who possesses super-strength; Topaz, who controls magnetism; and Pseudos, who is a shape-changer. Learning that they are slated for destruction by their creators, the four Recombatants escape into the streets of Las Vegas, where the Titans are summoned to battle them. After an inconclusive skirmish, the two teams agree to return to the lab together. Revealing that Aurora accidentally caused two men to suffer fatal heart attacks during the Recombatants' escape, the scientists declare that the four artificial beings must be destroyed, but the Titans defy them. In the confusion, the Recombatants flee. Realizing that they will never be allowed to live normal lives, they deliberately blow up the lab's central core, preventing the creation of further artificial life, and destroying themselves in the process. Meanwhile, back in New York, Gar begins planning Donna and Terry Long's wedding celebration at Dayton Estates, and Terry receives some unexpected wedding presents from his students. After the Titans return from their mission, Joe Wilson attempts unsuccessfully to help the stricken Raven. The Teen Titans, their friends and Terry Long's family prepare for Terry and Donna's wedding ceremony the following day. In Central City, Wally West and Francine Kane witness a bank robbery staged by Dr. Light. Although use of his super-speed now causes him extreme pain and he suspects that his powers may be killing him, Wally insists on going into action, albeit invisibly, to stop the super-villain. When Wally is injured, Francine uses her magnetic powers to defeat Light, and the police arrest him. Humiliated at being beaten by a foe he never even saw, Dr. Light swears to give up his criminal career. Wally and Francine then rendezvous with the Flash, who confirms the diagnosis that the effects of the accident that created Kid Flash on Wally's changing adolescent body chemistry are responsible for his seemingly fatal illness, for which there is no known cure. Despite his despair, Wally phones to confirm his attendance at Donna's wedding. The next day is Terry and Donna's wedding day, and at Dayton Estates, a besieged Gar Logan frantically supervises the preparations. Of those invited, only Raven, slowly being overcome by evil urges after overextending her powers, is unable to attend. The ceremony begins as Joshua leads the bride-to-be to the altar. Terry and Donna recite their vows and are officially joined in wedlock. Gar then introduces the wedding party and hosts the reception. Among the attendees, in civilian guise, are most of the present and former members of the Titans, as well as some members of the Justice League. Cyborg is mystified when no one comments on his robotic appearance or on the unexplained presence of a known Teen Titan at the wedding, until Changeling reveals that his adoptive father, Mento, has used his powers to make all the guests see Cyborg as plain Victor Stone. Donna and Terry are puzzled when they are summoned to an upstairs room, where they are greeted by Queen Hippolyta, who had prayed to the goddess Athena for permission to leave Paradise Island to attend her daughter's wedding. Later, Sharon Tracy and Joe Wilson catch the thrown bridal bouquet and garter, respectively, and as the reception breaks up, the Titans present Gar with a special medal in honor of his catering services. Finally, Terry and Donna leave on Steve Dayton's private jet for their honeymoon in Greece.

Joshua vs. Slade: Heir to the Terminator
Not long after Donna and Terry's wedding, Slade Wilson discovers that his body was slowly beginning to deteriorate as his body finally began resiting the experiments he underwent years ago and becomes obsessed with finding a worthy heir before his death; setting his sights on Nightwing. Sensing that he only had months to live at most, Slade realizes that he won't have the time to effectively shape Joshua into the perfect pupil through conventional means and decides to spend nearly all of the fortune he made as a mercenary in order to manufacture Terminator Bots, develop an elite robotic army which he called his Robot Commandos, and hire a slew of super villains to destroy the Titans; hoping that by becoming a criminal mastermind he can push the young Nightwing into becoming more like him and reach his full potential. Nightwing and the Titans' unaware of Deathstroke's plans, are surprised to find themselves besieged by the Furious Five lead by Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth. After the villains are dispatched, Nightwing interrogates Gizmo finding out that it was Deathstroke who hired them. Nightwing takes Gizmo's confession with a grain of salt as hiring someone else to do his dirty work doesn’t fit Deathstroke's M.O. The rest of the Titans agree with Joshua as they haven't heard from Slade since he and Gar made their peace. Days later, the Titans are alerted of a break-in to a local prison by the villain Cinderblock. Before the team can apprehend the villain however, Cinderblock punches his way through the walls of the prison, freeing the prisoners before eventually reaching a high security room. The impromptu jailbreak forces the Titans to rally the prisoners back to jail, while Cinderblock abducts a stasis with a sleeping prisoner in it before escaping into the night. Cyborg frustrated by Cinderblock's apparent escape begins searching for the monster on his own. Unknown to the Titans Cinderblock brings the stasis tank to Deathstroke, who congratulates him on his work and then wakes up the sleeping prisoner inside. Once awoken the man gasps and tells Deathstroke that he shouldn't be awake and begs him to put him back to sleep. Deathstroke remarks "I don't need you. I need PLASMUS!" and straight away the man in the tank begins to transform, breaking the tank and emerging as a gigantic purple monster. Deathstroke then orders Plasmus to consume more toxic sewage at a waste management plant in order to get stronger. The rest of the Titans hear about Plasmus' activities and rush to the waste plant, only to witness Plasmus growing bigger with the more waste he eats. The Titans begin to attack him with all sorts of attacks, but they fail as Plasmus regenerates his body and retaliates by attacking them with sludge. During this time the Titans receive a message about Cinderblock attacking another part of town. Worried about Cyborg, Nightwing insists that the rest of the Titans go while he holds off Plasmus. Starfire refuses and so do the rest of the team, knowing Nightwing cannot defeat Plasmus on his own. Raven, Changeling and Starfire begin attacking and manage to weaken and separate Plasmus into smaller creatures, although they get trapped and consumed in Plasmus' parts in the process. Nightwing falls onto a conveyer belt and fights with one of Plasmus' sludge crabs. Seeing that the conveyer was leading to a huge barrel of acidic ooze, Nightwing outsmarts the creature luring it into the ooze. Nightwing himself is about to drop in to the deadly chemicals when Cyborg suddenly appears and grabs his arm, offering his help with dealing with Plasmus. Together they get up and attack Plasmus, who is already reduced to a small sludge monster due to the attacks of the other Titans. Their Sonic Boom attack, consisting of Cyborg's Sonic Cannon and Nightwing's explosive Wing-Dings, destroys Plasmus and returns him back to his human form: a man sleeping on the floor. Nightwing confesses to Cyborg that he was worried that Cinderblock would be to much for him to handle alone, but Cyborg just laughs and points at the road, where Cinderblock is tied up to a truck. Due to the sophistication and precision of Cinderblock's plan Nightwing suspects someone is behind his actions and after Cinderblock's interrogation, Gizmo's words would bare more weight, as he also confesses to having been hired by Deathstroke. Nightwing, remembering how Deathstroke systematically took each of them down in the past, is left dumbfounded as to why he would hire lesser villains to do the job he knows he can do himself. Determined to get answers, Joshua decides to seek out Slade and ask him himself. Unfortunately while Joshua is off searching for Slade, Brimstone, an artificially-created being generated from a "techno-seed" once planted by the villain Darkseid is unleashed upon the city. Brimstone, who hasn't been seen since his battle against the Justice League, burns everything in his wake but luckily the Titans intercept the monster and begin to fight it before lives can be taken. Meanwhile, Joshua tracks down Slade to an abandon warehouse on the outskirts of the city where he finds him waiting for him with a smile on his face. Slade tells Joshua that he is impressed that he found him so fast. Joshua demands to know why Slade is after his team and more importantly why he's been hiring someone else to do his dirty work. Slade refuses to answer any of his questions, instead telling the former Boy Wonder that all will be revealed in time. Sensing that Slade didn't have anymore to say, Joshua tells him that he's going to jail for his crimes and begins a fight the Terminator, but soon finds himself overpowered by him. Joshua continues fighting Slade, but gets pinned under some of the debris from their fight. The disappointed Slade then tells Joshua that he is still not ready and requires yet more training. Joshua once again ask Slade what his end game is to which Slade finally relents that he wishes for him to learn true pain, the pain of loss and confesses that he found the dormant Brimstone and unleashed him in the hopes of destroying the Titans and that the mission was probably already completed by now. Joshua calls Slade sick as his own son is a member of the Titans to which Slade proclaims to him that unlike Joshua and the rest of the Titans, Jericho is too strong to be killed by Brimstone. Just then Joshua thanks Slade, telling him that's good to know before revealing that he used his conversation with Slade in order to buy time to free himself from the debris. Before Slade can react, Joshua throws one of his explosive Wing-Dings. Slade drops down to his knees, as Joshua promises they will meet again, and with a smoke pellet, disappears. When Joshua returns to the team in his Nightwing suit he finds the Titans losing ground against the fire monster. Nightwing's arrival rally the Titans and under his leadership push the monster away from the city and toward the harbor. Once at the harbor Nightwing instructs Jericho to possess Brimstone and walk him into the sea, effectively putting a stop to his eternal flames. With the battle over, the Titans ask where Joshua went, to which he tells them that he went to go track down Slade and that it was him who was behind Brimstone's attack. Vic asks Joshua why Slade would want to destroy the city. Joshua replies that he doesn't know, but he's going to find out. Over the next three weeks Joshua grows obsessed with catching Deathstroke becoming more and more distant from his friends including Kory. To make matters worse, after the Titans defeat a gang of gun-runners in the employ of President Marlo of Qurac, Marlo hires a woman named Cheshire, to abduct Jericho's mother, Adeline who was a former agent of Marlo and had stolen information on the military strength of Kyran, a bordering nation which he intended to invade. Meanwhile, Pentagon officials inform Nightwing that Joe and Adeline Wilson are both wanted for questioning by Interpol. When Nightwing tells Changeling of this, Gar, already suspicious of Joe, attempts to arrest him. Jericho, anxious to pursue his mother's kidnapper and unable to make Changeling listen, defeats Gar and escapes. Over Changeling's protests, the Titans agree not to intervene in the matter sighting that finding Slade was more important than whether or not Jericho was a traitor. Fortunately one of Nightwing's clues pay off as the Titans are alerted to a tip that a thief matching Deathstroke's description has just broken into a high-tech research facility. When the thief approaches a pedestal holding a computer microchip, the Teen Titans reveal that they have been waiting for him. However the thief is not alone and in the ensuing struggle the thieves manage to get away with the microchip, despite the Titans' best efforts. As they split up during the escape, one of them is caught by Nightwing and Starfire; but as Nightwing proceeds to question him, he finds out that this Slade lackey is really a robot, one of his Robot Commandos. Once again, Deathstroke mocks Nightwing through his robot commando, raising his ire even more, and tells him to be patient, as they will soon meet face to face again. Back in Titans Tower, the Titans are having a discussion about what had just happened. Kory invites Joshua to join in, but he declines saying that he is too busy about finding information about Slade. Kory persists in inviting him, but Joshua departs, brooding. A few nights later, the Titans are hiding on the rooftop of the company building providing security. Nightwing calls Cyborg and claims that he is on the far side of the city, picking up a lead, and asks the others to handle the security job without him. Soon afterward, a man with a uniform whose markings and style match Slade's with a red X mark as an emblem, appears, grabs the computer chip, and then disappears from the vault. The Titans face him, but the mysterious villain, calling himself "Red X", takes out the Titans with uncanny ease and a precise knowledge of their weaknesses before disappearing into the night. When the Titans return to the Tower, they meet Joshua, who says his lead on Slade was a dead end and walks back to his room by himself again. Kory tries to approach him but once again gets rejected. Soon afterward, Red X calls up Deathstroke and offers the stolen chip in return for a partnership, but Deathstroke instructs him to recover two additional computer chips first before there can be any further negotiations. The Titans are about to call it a night when Nightwing contacts them, informing them that he has spotted Red X stealing a computer chip downtown. The Titans hurry to the location, where they see Nightwing chasing and getting netted by Red X. The Titans chase Red X to a subway station, where the villain engages them in combat. Strangely, during the fight Changeling falls onto the subway rails and is about to be overrun by an approaching train when Red X inexplicably saves his life before departing, leaving the Titans thoroughly puzzled. When the Titans once again return to the Tower, Kory walks to her and Joshua's room and requests that they talk. Nobody responds, so she starts looking for clues as to where he might have gone. When she accidentally bumps a small metal ball lying on a table, it falls to the ground and projects a holographic image of Nightwing being trapped under Red X's net; the same way he was earlier even shouting "I'm fine! Get X! Go!" as he previously did. It is then that Starfire realizes Red X was really Joshua all along. Meanwhile, Red X once again contacts Deathstroke, who expresses his satisfaction and agrees to a meeting to discuss Red X's future. When the transmission is finished, Red X once again sets out to steal the final chip, but after he nabs it, Deathstroke appears and reveals that he had already known that it was Joshua masquerading around as Red X, telling Joshua that he liked both the outfit and the name while remarking that the one eyed mask was a nice touch. Deathstroke then tells him that he should keep both after becoming his apprentice. Right after this revelation, Deathstroke grabs the chips from a depleted Joshua feeling that his plan was for nothing. However, before Slade can escape the other Titans crash in, going for Red X first. Joshua unmasks himself, giving his teammates a major shock, and chases after Deathstroke, resolved not to let Slade get away again. While Joshua chases Deathstroke, a large platoon of robot commandos appear and surround the Titans. Joshua chases Deathstroke across the rooftops and engages him in combat, with Deathstroke all the while taunting Joshua about his obsessive drive to catch him and the depths to which he has sunken, having now broken the trust of his friends, proving that he is just like him. Ignoring Deathstroke's words Joshua presses the fight but finds himself outclassed, although Deathstroke is reluctant to let his future apprentice come to any real harm. Finally, Joshua manages to outsmart and overpower Deathstroke - only to discover that this, too, is just a robot, leaving him back at square one. Later, Kory visits Joshua in their quarters to try and understand his motives. Joshua justifies his actions by arguing that he couldn't tell them his plans because if the team knew it was him under the mask, they would've held back, making their fights unconvincing. When he bitterly states that it doesn’t matter anyway since he still hasn't found out anything about Deathstroke or why he suddenly wants him as an apprentice, Kory replies solemnly that it may be because he and Slade have now found something in common: that they do not trust anyone. Not long after, Nightwing chases Deathstroke through a desert. They arrive in a valley, where Slade starts taunting Nightwing. Nightwing attacks Deathstroke but he dodges all of Nightwing's attacks. Nightwing throws two explosive delay Wing-Dings at Deathstroke, but misses and destroys some boulders nearby. The Terminator continues taunting Nightwing while hiding amongst the dust of the destroyed boulders. Deathstroke says that he and Nightwing are "very much alike". Nightwing angrily responds that he is nothing like Deathstroke and punches him in the face. He says that Deathstroke is a criminal and a psychopath and that all he cares about is destruction. He responds by saying that Nightwing destroys everything that he cares about. He gestures around at the fallen boulders and Joshua realizes that they are his teammates turned to stone. Angrily, Joshua pulls off Slade's mask, but receives a painful surprise: the "Slade" he was chasing was actually Joshua himself. Joshua wakes up in a cold sweat, panting with shock. It turned out all to be a dream. Vic enters Joshua and Kory's room and informs them that Deathstroke has showed up. The Titans rush to the Main Ops room, where Deathstroke appears on the large TV screen where Deathstroke reveals his master plan to them: the building of a Chronoton Detonator, which could potentially have the power to stop time forever. He also says that he can activate it with a remote in his hand. Deathstroke laughs and disappears off the screen. When the transmission has terminated, Raven rewinds the video and, with careful analysis, deduces the location of Slade: a warehouse on Pier 41 at the city docks. The Titans rush to the docks, only to find an empty warehouse at Pier 41. Deathstroke's minions appear and ambush the Titans, surrounding the warehouse to prevent their escape. The Titans rush off to dispatch the Robot Commandos, however, Nightwings's growing anger grips him, and he bashes up Deathstroke's minions mercilessly and then proceeds to attack the other minions that his teammates were attacking. The other Titans are left shocked while Nightwing skillful destroys all of Deathstroke's robots. After Nightwing has dispatched all the robots, he continues to hit the last robot with all his might, releasing all his hatred for Slade. Starfire tries to calm him down but Nightwing just walks out of the warehouse, seething with anger. He spots a suspicious person and chases after him, grabbing him by the shirt and demanding him to reveal the location of Deathstroke. The person tells Nightwing that he doesn't know what's going on. The person proclaims to be an innocent civilian worker who was just walking around the area making Nightwing get angry again and is about to punch him when Raven pulls him away from the worker with telekinesis. Concerned by Joshua's growing paranoia, Kory and the others tell Joshua that he may need sometime off so that he can clear his head. Joshua ignores his girlfriend and his teammates and tries to walk away again. Gar comments that Joshua is acting like Slade to which Joshua shouts at him to never  compare him to Slade. Gar is about to argue with Joshua when Kory sneezes. Kory explains that she is allergic to Metallic Chronium, a rare mineral that can also be used to power Slade's Detonator and Gar suggests that they use Starfire to track where Deathstroke is keeping his Chronoton Detonator. The Titans follow Starfire as she eventually leads them to the underground sewers. They soon spot one of Slade's minions loading the Chronoton Detonator onto a small speedboat. Suddenly the wall beside them are smashed open and Cinderblock's arm reaches out to grab Joshua. Starfire wants to help him but Nightwing yells out to her to go after the Detonator. Starfire reluctantly flies away just as Deathstroke's minion starts the engine and drives away. Starfire lifts up Cyborg, Raven flies ahead, and Changeling transforms into a hawk in order to chase after the speedboat. Meanwhile, Nightwing's anger and determination manages to gain him victory over Cinderblock. He finds a tracking device with Slade's base marked on it and takes the device. Nightwing finally smiles, realizing the moment has at last come for the two of them to face off. Back in the sewers, the Titans are chasing the speedboat as Deathstroke's minion activates the boat's defense systems, sprouting two machine guns from the back of the boat, which fire at the flying Titans. The Titans manage to evade the attacks and at the same time Starfire and Raven manage to drop Cyborg onto the boat, where he beats up the minion. Before the Robot Commando faints, he activates the auto-pilot system in the boat, causing the boat to speed off through the sewers, with the remaining Titans in hot pursuit. Cyborg tries to cancel the auto-pilot but he cannot because he doesn't know the code required to access the boat's computer system. In desperation, Cyborg pulls out the keypad and smashes the internal system, which stops the boat in the middle of the sewer. Elsewhere Deathstroke stands in front of his screen, analyzing what the Titans are up to. Nightwing suddenly bursts in from a door behind him and confronts him, demanding that Slade give up the remote for the Chronoton Detonator. Deathstroke comments that he was afraid Cinderblock was too much of a challenge for him. Deathstroke puts the remote on the ground and walks away from it, telling Nightwing he can pick it up if he wants it. Nightwing runs towards it but is intercepted by a kick from the Terminator. The two begin their showdown, with Nightwing refusing to lose the fight. Throughout the battle Deathstroke constantly remarks that they are very much alike. Nightwing fully denies it and suddenly his long-hidden anger is fully released. Nightwing roars as he dodges Deathstroke's punches and strikes him hard in the face, hurling him across the room. Nightwing then rushes over and picks up the remote. To his surprise, the remote falls apart in his hands. Nightwing looks towards Deathstroke confused and demands for an explanation. Slade told him that there was no trigger because there was no detonator. While he and Joshua were fighting, the rest of the Titans were busy trying to disarm the Chronoton Detonator,  only the machine was a fake and was never intended to freeze time. Joshua is at a loss of words, unable to comprehend the situation. Slade looks towards the screen again and it now shows the other Titans in the sewers. A gun suddenly appears from the speedboat and shoots the Titans, but they try to jump into the water to avoid being hit by the beams. Slade says that the gun had fired Nanoscopic Probes into the blood systems of the other Titans. The probes, when activated, can kill the person who has them in their blood. The defeated Joshua growls that they will never listen to Slade's demands, stating that not even death will force them to obey him. Slade tells Joshua that it never was about the other Titans and that it was always just about him. Slade announces that all of his dealings with other criminals and his constant psychological warfare against him has been in the effort to mold Joshua into his perfect apprentice. Finally confessing to his imminent death, he tells Joshua that he needs someone to carry on his legacy and that he is the only person left who can. Joshua asks why he would chose him as his successor over his own son, to which Slade tells him that Joe is too pure of heart for such an undertaking unlike them and sights that it would be like old times for Joshua comparing their new partnership to his days as Batman and Robin. Joshua outright refuses until Slade makes it clear that if he does not serve him, he will activate the Nanoscopic Probes, causing the other Titans to die from inside. Having fallen into Slade's trap, Joshua has no other choice but to reluctantly agree. Meanwhile, the other Titans have climbed out of the sewers and are unaware that they have been injected with the probes. Starfire desperately tries to contact Nightwing via the Titans Communicator, but nobody picks up. The reason why is because Nightwing has taken off his suit and is now donning on one of Slade's uniforms with Slade declaring that Joshua was now his official apprentice. Over the next week Joshua begins his training with Slade, partaking in gurgling hand to hand combat exercises and begrudgingly executing robberies to increase stealth. Meanwhile the Titans look all over the city for Joshua but they are still unable to find any sign of him. They are soon alerted of the robbery of a high-tech thermal blaster, and are forced to abandon the search in order to prevent the theft. The Titans, with Cyborg as the de facto leader, receive a massive shock when they find out that the culprit is none other than Joshua. Joshua escapes with the weapon, but the Titans, refuse to believe that it was really him that they encountered. Following the thermal blaster's retrieval, Slade sends Joshua on his final test, ordering him to break into Stewart Enterprises. Unfortunately the Titans once again intercept him. Joshua, equipped with the stolen thermal blaster, is ordered to fight off and defeat all of the Titans. Joshua does as commanded dispatching all of his teammates except Starfire, who threatens to blast him. Slade once again demands Joshua use the thermal blaster to shoot Starfire, and unable to go against his new mentor, charges the weapon. Starfire believes that Joshua is still good and tells him that though he's been distant, she still loves him and stops charging her starbolt. She then tells Joshua that if he truly still loves her, he can't shoot her. Joshua listens to Starfire and puts his blaster down. Enraged, Slade sets off the probes which begin to kill the Titans, leaving Joshua helpless to save them and forcing him to beg Slade not to kill his friends. Slade replies that he must attack the Titans to stop the probes - for now. Joshua reluctantly fires the blaster at Starfire saying "I'm sorry". Slade keeps his promise and turns off his probe machine with his controller while Joshua once again escapes before the Titans can recover from their injuries. When he returns to Slade's base, Joshua becomes angry again and tries and defeat his mentor. Slade, seeking to test Joshua's abilities against his own, battles him. He continues to goad Joshua, telling him again that this was his destiny. Meanwhile, the remaining Titans have recovered and Vic has discovered the presence of the Nanoscopic Probes in their blood systems. Raven deduces that Joshua is only working for Slade to prevent him from using the Probes to kill them. With this in mind, the Titans rush to Slade's base to rescue Joshua, having put a tracker on their leader during the previous fight. As the battle between Joshua and Slade progresses, Joshua rips off the "S" emblem on his apprentice uniform and throws it at Slade's feet in defiance. Slade finally becomes enraged, telling Joshua that he needs to show gratitude for giving him knowledge and power, but sights that the only thing Joshua can care about is the safety of his friends. Slade then threatens to kill Joshua's precious friends in order to rid him of the distraction, but is interrupted when the Titans charge into his base. The Titans tell Joshua that they are willing to take the risk of the Probes killing them, so that he can bring down Slade and state their belief that he can do it. Slade, aggravated that Joshua doesn't attack them when ordered, activates the probes, and condemns the Titans to death unless Joshua once again attacks his former teammates and swears his undying fidelity. At first Joshua didn't know what to do, but then begins to hear Kory's voice reiterating what she had proclaimed previously and upon seeing her cry out in pain, Robin defies his master's orders and jumps onto the probe machine, allowing himself to be injected with the probes as well. Joshua, well aware of the fact that Slade is a person that hates to lose, makes a desperate deal with the villain: if he continues to kill the Titans, his apprentice will also die. Slade, furious but with no choice, finally destroys the controller, stopping the probes. Joshua rises from the floor, but Slade makes a surprise attack on him. Joshua in turn catches his mentor off guard, and with the other Titans use their combined forces, defeat Slade, with Joshua landing the final blow knocking off his mask in the process. Defeated, Slade triggers the self-destruct sequence, which causes the building to collapse, as he disappears into the darkness. Cyborg quickly grabs the probe machine and together they manage to evade the debris and get to safety. The Titans return to Titans Tower and Vic, after thoroughly analyzing the probe machine, manages to removes all the Nanoscopic Probes from everybody's blood streams. The Titans celebrate their victory with breakfast for dinner and during this time, Kory apologizes to Joshua telling him ''When things were bad, there was a moment where I truly believed you were... like Slade. I doubted you, and for that, I am sorry. Joshua instantly forgives her, admitting to Kory I doubted myself, Kory. As much as I hate to admit it, I do have a dark side, a part of myself that I always try to keep suppressed.'' Joshua continues to confesses that he was never scared that Slade would have turned him into the next Deathstroke but rather that he was becoming more and more like Batman acting cold, distant, and pushing away everybody who loves him. Joshua then thanks Kory saying that she helps him remember there's more to life than fighting crime and that without her he might have lost himself.

After this Nightwing would lead the Titans through some hard times. Joshua endured brainwashing at the hands of Brother Blood, his relationship with Starfire would suffer due to her marriage of state, he would be deeply affected by the fact that Jason Todd was killed at the hands of the Joker. Feeling hurt and distraught, Joshua blamed Bobby over his successor's death and Bobby and Joshua would remain at odds with each other, never fully sorting out their strained relationship. While serving with the New Titans, Joshua was searched out by an older Tim Drake, who had only one goal on his mind, for Joshua to return as Robin. It was Joshua's refusal to return that started Tim down the road toward becoming the new Robin. After weeks of persuading and proving his potential, Joshua then returned to the Batman to plead Tim's case, with help from Alfred. Due to their arguments and the realization that the Batman needs a Robin, Tim Drake becomes the third Boy Wonder. Soon after, various members of the Titans were abducted by the Wildebeest Society. This event shook up the team in a big way. The group entered into tumultuous times, where members came and went, longtime friends were maimed or destroyed, although Joshua persevered through it all, and remained the heart and center of the team. But his relationship with Starfire became strained, and problems in Gotham demanded Joshua's attention. Impulsively, Joshua proposed marriage to Starfire. The two almost wed, but the ceremony was interrupted by Raven, now reborn as an evil avatar of her father, Trigon. Her brutal attack on Starfire triggered changes in Joshua and Kory's relationship. Starfire was implanted with a demon "seed" which causes her to leave Earth and go on a spiritual journey. The two grew apart, and Starfire eventually returned to her home planet of Tamaran. Meanwhile, in Gotham, Bobby had left the mantle of Batman to the unstable Jean Paul Valley. Joshua intervened with new Robin Tim Drake, and when Bobby returned to Gotham, he brought Valley down and re-assumed the mantle of Batman. When Joshua returned to the Titans, he found there to be changes. The government interceded, placing Arsenal (the former Speedy) as leader of the team. Joshua stepped aside and left the Titans, concentrating on problems in Gotham City.

Prodigal Son
Still recovering from his broken back, Bobby asked Joshua to substitute for him as Batman for a time; Joshua is both reluctant and honored to don the cape and cowl of Batman. Almost immediately, the new Batman is called into action. Robin and him answer a summons from Commissioner Gordon and meet him atop the roof of police headquarters. Gordon immediately knows that this is a different Batman, but he is relieved that it is not Jean-Paul. He tells the Dynamic Duo about a rash of slayings that took place out near Gotham River. Batman and Robin borrow a speedboat from Stewart Enterprises Marina and ride out to investigate the scene. Meanwhile, Killer Croc is back and looking to re-establish himself in Gotham's underworld. He terrorizes the waterfront district and slaughters several hired guns in an effort to find out who is now running the major rackets. After interogating and killing one informant, he learns that a man named Paretti is now in control of the waterfront district. Batman and Robin track Killer Croc to a warehouse and a fight breaks out. Batman is concerned that Robin, though skilled, might needlessly place himself in danger. Killer Croc grabs a hold of Batman and tries to snap his spine, but Batman boxes him about the ears, forcing Croc to let him go. He then tosses Croc into a net attached to a hoist and lifts him straight into the air. The surviving thugs open fire on Killer Croc until they believe he is dead. Joshua tells Robin to call the police. Back at police headquarters, Jim Gordon tells his wife Sarah his concerns about the most recent man who has taken up the role of Batman. He's always trusted the original Batman, but doesn't know what to make of the new one. Joshua and Tim return to the Batcave. Despite the success of their mission, Joshua begins to have self-doubts about whether he can cut it as Batman. Meanwhile Tim tries to sort his personal life out - spending time with his dad and patching things up with a girl named Ariana. However, Two-Face gets started on his plan to foul up Gotham's justice system, starting by killing a group of lawyers, then taking a chainsaw to the databanks which hold criminals records and the like. While doing this, he is met by Batman and Robin. Batman and Robin faced Two-Face and tried to stop him. They knocked almost all of Two-Face's goons out but he outsmarted them and escaped the scene. Back at Stewart Manor, the duo keep the big house clean and tidy as Joshua tells Tim about his encounter and failure with Two-Face and the way he feels about having to stop him again. During this time, Two-Face sets his plan on march and hacks into the digital files of every blackgate inmate, setting them free or transferred to some other penitentiary. One bus loaded of inmates set out to other penitentiary but was hijacked by the violent inmates that outnumbered the guards. The bus crashed against a movie theater. The most violent inmate took the only weapon available, a shotgun and threatened to shoot one person every ten minutes if the police didn't let them free. Batman and Robin arrived just in time to stop them from killing a hostage. When they disabled the most violent inmates, the GCPD entered the theater and took control of the situation. In his hideout, Two-Face began planning the second part of his plan; that consisted mainly in killing Batman; something Tim and Joshua deduced at the last minute. Two-Face isn't satisfied with the chaos he's created on Gotham City; according to him there was just one side to the plot and he needed two sides for it to make sense to him. He decided to go and see the man who he was mistaken with and because of whom he is free; he set out to meet Harvey Kent. In the GCPD; Jim Gordon is having a tough time dealing with Mayor Krol, his wife Sarah and his distrust for all the Batmen. In Blackgate Penitentiary another boat full of convicts arrives but the prison is already full and Ward Zerhard has no option than to let the men inside. The inmates inside Blackgate see this as an opportunity to create a riot in the prison. At that moment in Gotham City, Two-Face managed to track down Harvey Kent and kidnaps him; meanwhile in Stewart Enterprises a man representing a russian insurance company called Troika created a disturbance in Lucius Fox's office. He was taken out of the building by the security guards but he didn't leave the place without gunning the guards and killing them. At that time, the riot in Blackgate began and Warden Zerhard was able to notify the police radio before he was taken down. Jim Gordon was arguing with his wife when he was called to Blackgate. Batman and Robin heard the call from the batcave and decided to make their move. They planned to glide to reach Blackgate by air as they knew that going by water would cause trouble. Robin backed off and decided to let Batman handle the situation. Batman glided to the prison, took down most of the armed inmates and prevented the Arkham inmates to escape. He then projected a batsignal using a searchlight and a batarang. That scared most of the inmates and finally he took down their leader, Tatum. Once the situation was under control the GCPD arrived and Batman left the place thinking of a way to stop Two-Face once and for all. At the same moment, Two-Face was continuing his plans of vengeance over the Batman. As Batman Joshua stops at every crime he spots in the city, major or minor, all the crimes he must stop and all of them delay him from getting near Two-Face. Two-Face is at that moment on the Hall of Records and plans on destroying all the records and kill the Batman with the same plan. Tim was searching for info on Two-Face's next move but was unable to find anything useful. He contacted Oracle to help him. Oracle received a call from James Gordon as he wanted to talk to someone after arguing again with his wife. Oracle told him to call her later and she gave Tim a possible location of Two-Face. Robin let Batman know what Oracle told him and after spoiling an escape attempt by Cluemaster and Czonk, Batman headed right to the Hall of Records. Robin was captured by Two-Face and was tied to a table and next to him was Harvey Kent. Above them both was hanging a ton of paperwork held only by a cord. Two-Face was planning on killing them both by cutting the lines and let the paper weight crush them. Batman arrived just in time. He put the lights out and took Two-Face's thugs down. He then moved Robin and Kent away from the trap using a forklift. After saving them, he took down Two-Face and waited until the GCPD arrived. After beating his greatest foe, Joshua realized that he was getting good at being Batman, but he was sad to known that he might have to give up the job when Bobby returned. Soon after, Batman and Robin have to clean up the mess Two-Face left when he hacked the police files. There are three convicts still at large; all of them possibly located at Battergate, a Gotham City suburb known as The War Zone where most criminals develop illicit activity or just find a place to stay and hide from the law. Batman decides to go alone and let Robin have a break. Batman takes on the first criminal, a drug dealer named Strake who was selling drugs. He then decides to follow the trail of a well known gangster working for Joshua Bressi, a guy named John McCone. Batman stopped him easily and immediately set out to the final criminal. The third one was a martial artist named Hsui Cheung. Batman took him down in a nearby abandoned factory along with some crooks. When Batman was finished with the three he realized he had captured ten guys in a single night at the war zone. When he was about to leave a gunshot caught his attention; he was tired and he couldn't understand how a single man could handle all the crimes of Gotham. He left the place wishing Bobby returns soon enough. In Batman's next adventure he falls in a trap set up by the Tally Man. The Tally Man is seeking revenge for his last encounter with Batman, without knowing that the Batman he encountered the last time was Jean-Paul Valley. In a case of bitter irony, the beating at the hands of Jean-Paul was due to the Tally Man believing him to be Bobby Stewart. Joshua tries to speak to the Tally Man but he won't listen as his thirst for vengeance is stronger and he needs to make the Batman pay for what he did to him. The Tally Man plays the Russian roulette with Batman and as Joshua starts to remember his entire life, something encourages him to keep fighting. Batman breaks free and beats the Tally Man. When he was attempting an escape, Batman caught him and left him hanging from a nearby drawbridge until the police arrives. The experience left Joshua with a pleasant feeling of renewed hope. Weeks later Batman and Robin investigate a homicide case. A witness told them what he saw and described the assassin as a big figure with wings, claws, helmet and all clad in metal. For the description Joshua think it was Azrael; but Tim thought different. They decided to follow their own hunches about who was the killer was. Joshua went to search Azrael and Tim headed back to the batcave to do some research. He analyzed the current victims and deduced one possible target. Joshua searched for Jean-Paul and found out that the guy was living at some missionary residence for the homeless. When he faced Valley, he freaked out and asked Batman to leave him alone. Joshua then realized that Jean-Paul was in no shape to be a serial killer. Robin on the other side, found the place of the possible next victim just to be ambushed. He managed to defeat a pair of thugs but then the killer arrived, killed his target and then pointed out that as a witness, Robin must die. Joshua returned to the batcave, expecting to hear Tim saying "told you" for making a mistake with Jean-Paul; but instead he finds Bobby waiting for him. Elsewhere, Robin fights his kidnapper, Steeljacket, once he can get close enough after being dragged across the Gotham skyline. Meanwhile, Joshua and Bobby have the conversation they should have had long ago, working out  where they really stand with one another. Bobby is now ready to take back the role of Batman, and tells Joshua that he now knows that he will stand by his side as Nightwing just as much as Tim will as Robin. The duo's conversation is soon interrupted by a badly injured Tim who returns after handing the defeated Steeljacket over to the GCPD. Bobby has Alfred attend to Tim's wounds and Joshua stays at the Manor until Tim recovers. During Joshua's stay, for the first time in a long time, Bobby and Joshua began to heal their strained relationship. Bobby's respect for Joshua was at last obvious.

Nightwing and Batman
Batman next calls in Nightwing when the Apocalypse Virus breaks out in Gotham. He teams up with Huntress and Robin to stop rioters from burning down Babylon Towers. When Robin is revealed to have been infected, Nightwing carries him to the Batcave's medical facilities. They resign themselves to Gotham dying when nothing works, but Azrael figures out a cure and saves everyone. Batman and Nightwing leave Robin to deal with the remaining looters once he's finally cured. They later realize that the virus was never cured, only mutated into a dormant state, and Nightwing accompanies Batman and Robin to look for a cure in Sudan. Ra's al Ghul is revealed to be responsible, and they fight through an army of assassins to reach him. Nightwing holds his own in a sword-fight against Ra's, but he loses and Ra's escapes. Nightwing and Robin travel to Paris, where they team up with Henri Ducard to stop Ra's from releasing his plague into the Louvre. While Batman destroys the plague in Gotham, Nightwing pursues Ra's with Robin and Huntress. They catch up to his boat The Shrike, and Ra's prepares to execute Nightwing, but Robin finds the cure, then rescues them as the boat explodes.

A Knight in Blüdhaven
Later Nightwing and Batman are at the Gotham City Morgue checking some dead bodies that were recovered from the estuary. The cause of death of all of them was broken necks and Batman knew that the bodies floated from the harbor from south of Gotham, direct from Blüdhaven. The dead men were all part of a gang in Blüdhaven. Nightwing agreed to go and check for some clues on the dead bodies in Blüdhaven. Blüdhaven's reputation was much like Gotham's, and when Joshua arrived to the city the first thing he did was to save a girl from two offenders that approached her in a unfriendly way. Joshua gave the girl some money for the ticket back to Gotham and told her to ask for a job at StewartCorp on his behalf. Later Joshua planned to start looking for the possible murderer: a gang leader named Freddy Mihn. Nightwing decided to check upon Mihn because he suspected that it was all about a gang war in the city. When he arrived at Mihn's place he knew that he was right about the gangwars, but he was shocked to see that Mihn was fighting against the False Face Society. The False Facers kidnapped some kids and locked them in a refrigerator or so it seemed, as Mrs. Mihn was screaming about her kids when the False Facers took away in a truck. Nightwing followed the False Facers and he came to a better understanding of what was happening at the city. Nightwing got on top of a truck and told the driver to follow the men in masks. When he was near enough to jump into the False Facer's truck they shoot at the vehicle to stop Nightwing but he managed to get into the truck. Nightwing tried to hold all his enemies but he was outnumbered and he was worried about the kids. The fridge started to slip out of the truck and Nightwing was distracted as he tried to keep it inside the truck. One of the facers attacked Nightwing from behind and he dodged the attack but the feat cost him his ponytail. Nightwing enraged by that fact beat almost all of the false facers and opened the fridge to save the kids but he found only a briefcase. The false facers seized the opportunity to knock him out for a while. When Nightwing woke up he was handcuffed to the refrigerator and the Flase Facers explained that the briefcase contained some of Mrs. Mihn's egg cells that were to be used for in virto fertilization. Black Mask needed those to extort Mihn and place himself as the main drug dealer in Blüdhaven. Nightwing heard enough and kicked the briefcase out of the false facer hands and grabbed it, but while doing it the false facers pushed him into the water and left him to drown. Nightwing used a magnesium flare in one of his gloves to burn the refrigerator's handle and freed himself. The false facers informed Black Mask of their failure and he told them that he wanted to be the top mob boss in Blüdhaven. Meanwhile Nightwing reached for the nearest police department to give the Minh's eggs and talk to the police about Black Mask and his men; but when he arrived at the police station, chief Redhorn arrested him and Inspector Soames pointed his gun at Nightwing. Inspector Soames took Nightwing to a wasteland to finish him off. They exchanged a few words and in then end Soames was apparently an honest cop who wanted his town a little less corrupted so he asked Nightwing if he could do it. Nightwing agreed and Soames handed him the keys for the cuffs but Nightwing have alreade freed himself. Soames agreed to tell Chief Redhorn that Nightwing escaped from him using brute force and in order to make the story believable, Nightwing punched Soames in the face. Some time later, Nightwing started looking for a place to stay in Blüdhaven and his search lead him to the Melville Section of Town. The superintendent of the building told Joshua to look around and to come back the next day with the payment and the apartment was his. The apartment wasn't much but Joshua realized that at least he could be near to the "action". At night, Nightwing started working on the clues that Soames handed him. He arrived at a train station where he found the same False Facers that attacked the Mihn family. Nightwing started looking at the load of the wagons but he only saw used and old cars. He was discovered by one false facer who started shooting at him. Nightwing knocked him down but the bullets attracted the attention of a couple more of false facers. The train had already begun to move and was gaining speed. The train was entering a tunnel under one of Blüdhaven's freeway, Nightwing jumped from the train into the freeway, and by performing an extraordinary acrobatic feat he crossed the freeway an landed a wagon ahead of the false facers and knocked them down. Nightwing was still not sure what was going on and believed that Soames was not completely honest with him. At the Minh's residence, Soames was seeing delivering back to Madame Minh her egg cells and talking to her in a friendly way. Nightwing was busted by the entire False Face gang and so began a confrontation that wasted the cars. The false facer with the fox mask got into one of the cars and started it. He crushed Nightwing and some of his fellows false facers. Nightwing punched him through the windshield and then jumped off the train as another train was coming from the opposite direction and crushed the car the "fox" was in. Nightwing escaped with one or two broken ribs. Soames informed Redhorn about Nightwing's escape and the chief assigned Soames over the Nightwing case until the vigilante was "out of the picture". At his place, Reynard, the fox false facer received a visit from one of Black Mask killers that was sent to kill Reynard. Reynard played the fool with his killer-to-be just enough time to let him grab his weapon and kill the Black Mask's envoy. Reynard then vowed to do the same with Nightwing. Nightwing patrols Blüdhaven at the break of dawn when he decides to check upon his new department. He ran into the superintendent Bridget but Joshua, yet again, couldn't see her face. He spent most of the day cleaning up his new department, he received a call from the phone company with whom he discussed matters about his identity and his non-existent documents and he also stopped a robbery from his apartment 's window. Joshua started to think about the idea of being Blüdhaven's protector. At the Blüdhaven's police department, Inspector Soames received an e-mail. Nightwing wanted to meet him at the Blüdhaven's dump. Soames told Nightwing about a possible move from Black Mask at the Zee Moores. Nightwing checked upon that zone and find about a moneylender working on the place. When Nightwing broke into the small container that the crook has adapted as an office he asked the man some questions which the man refused to answer. Suddenly a chopper approached the "office" and hooked the container lifting it up into the air with Nightwing and the moneylender inside. Nightwing managed to drop the moneylender out of the container before some False Facers descended from the chopper into the container. Nightwing faced once again the fox and his gang. All of them started to fight inside the container and that caused the chopper to lose height. The chopper pilots decided to drop the load before they crushed into some building and the container fell on a building's rooftop. The false facers got out of the container before it collapsed completely to the ground. Nightwing managed to jump out of the falling container and using a rope, he reached the rooftop and knocked all the false facers. Nightwing tied them and called for the police and warned fox about Black Mask's possible retaliation. Nightwing contacted Batman and Robin and told them that he was still without a clue of those dead people that arrived at Gotham City's bay from Blüdhaven. Batman offered to go and help Nightwing but he refused the help and told them that he was staying in Blüdhaven because the city was full of violence, corruption and injustice and that he might like that city after all. Needing an alter ego, Joshua employed himself at the Blüdhaven police department. A few weeks later after his shift, Joshua returns to his apartment and finds Robin inside. Joshua is wary of Robin's visit, thinking Batman sent Robin to check on him. Robin says he came on his own and accompanies Nightwing to interrogate Maxwell Reed for information on Sonny Brewer. Reed reveals that Sonny is responsible for laying off bets for Angel Marin's bookmakers. As Nightwing and Robin stake out the dry cleaner where Sonny would appear, they talk about their differences as Robin. Meanwhile, Dudley Soames kills Reed for giving away information about Sonny to Nightwing. Robin wakes Nightwing up from his nightmare about a falling boy to tell him that Sonny has entered the dry cleaner. They wait for Sonny to come out, but when he does not for twenty minutes, Robin jumps down to place a transmitter on Sonny's car. Nightwing tells Robin that it is a trap and gets Robin out of way just as the car explodes. Nightwing takes out the goons who come out of the dry cleaner to attack. Nightwing asks if Robin will to report to Batman on how he is "not cutting it" in Blüdhaven, but Robin once again says he is not in Blüdhaven to spy on him. Nightwing says Batman will ask, to which Robin says he will tell Batman that Nightwing is making a difference in Blüdhaven. Later Joshua is visited by a now paraplegic, Barbara Gordon, now going by the codename: Oracle, she begins to help Nightwing solve crimes, rekindling their latent feelings for one another and eventually start to date. Nightwing then becomes the arch-enemy of the gargantuan genius Blockbuster, until he destroys Blockbuster's drug cartel. That was the beginning of a long, uphill battle for Joshua. He fought many victorious battles in Blüdhaven as its protector, and certainly made it a safer place, but he never won the war. The city, and his losses, took their toll on Nightwing, leading him to eventually adopt a grimmer outlook on being a hero. He becomes more and more like Bobby, straining his relationships, even with Barbara, to the point of their eventual breakup, and eventually blurs the line between being a police officer and a vigilante. When the vigilante Tarantula kills Blockbuster, and Joshua refuses to save him, that haunts him to the point of temporarily retiring from crime fighting. At length, Nightwing shakes himself from his depression and takes responsibility for his inaction. He captures Tarantula and turns himself in to the police. His police partner, Amy, however, feels the world needs Nightwing free and so prevents him from being charged. After this Joshua travels to England to find Alfred, who resigned from Bobby's service and convinces him to return. Before returning to Gotham City together, they prevent a plot by British terrorists to destroy the undersea "Channel Tunnel" in the English Channel. Sometime later, while locked up in the Slab penitentiary, the Joker finds out he is suffering from a terminal brain tumor. Determined to go out with a bang, he uses a venom to "jokerize" other inmates, making them insane and changing their appearance, giving them white skin, green hair, and a wide smile. A riot breaks out in the Slab and Black Canary, Nightwing, and Batman move in to put it down while Dina Bell and Shilo Norman are trapped inside. The Joker prompts Black Mass to suck the prison into a black hole while he and the other villains escape. Blue Beetle narrowly rescues Black Canary, Batman, and Nightwing while Dina and Shilo are not as lucky. Elsewhere, Barbara Gordon feels remorseful for being absent on a date with Joshua while the riot first broke out and begins to wish she could kill the Joker for the pain he's caused in her life. Chaos soon spreads throughout the entire Earth and US President Lex Luthor declares war on the Joker. While the JLA search for him, the Joker hides out on Easter Island and sends his minions to capture Harley Quinn so he can impregnate her and produce an heir. Harley is eventually rescued by Spoiler, the new Batgirl, and Power Girl. Meanwhile, the Joker grows disgruntled at the lack of creativity behind his minions' havoc, realizing that "every other crisis" involves red skies and crazy weather. With the assistance of Stormfront and Mr. 104, the Joker poisons the atmosphere and creates "crazy rain", spreading his laughing toxin across the world. His next plan is the assassination of President Luthor. While the "jokerized" villains are being rounded up, Kirk Langstrom discovers that the venom they are affected with is also deadly and works to produce an antidote with the reluctant help of Harley Quinn. Black Canary also discovers that the Joker's CAT scans were modified and that doctors lied to him about his death with the hope that it would cause him to lead a more sane life. Inside the Slab, Shilo and Dina are struggling to find a way to get themselves and the prison back to earth. They initially try to find Black Mass to reverse the gravity well with the help of Mister Mind, however Dina accidentally shoots Black Mass during a run-in with the Maneaters. They eventually resort to killing Multi-Man over and over until he is able to reanimate Black Mass who then sends them back to earth. During this time Huntress is sent to Arkham Asylum to find Robin, who disappeared into the building and stopped sending out reports. After encountering Killer Croc, she finds what appears to be Robin's remains. Nightwing, enraged over believing that Robin had been eaten by Killer Croc, caught up with the Joker and actually beat him to death. Nightwing continues to beat on Joker until the Bat-Family with Robin included, arrives on the scene much to Nightwing's surprise. Batman, not wanting Nightwing to have blood on his hands, resuscitated the Joker and saved his life. With the Joker revived and returned to prison, the jokerized villains are returned to their normal selves.The Joker is soon placed in a new cell, which has no entrances or exits. Shilo Norman then remarks that it's the only way to punish a performer: to take away his audience.

Titans
Later, Joshua became the leader of a new group of Titans, simply called, The Titans as they were too old for the Teen wording. When the Titans and another group led by Tim called Young Justice are approached by a corporation named Optitron who want to achieve a massive tax write-off by completely funding them, Nightwing angrily dismisses the idea as "selling out." They're also attacked by an android named Indigo who hospitalizes a third of both teams, although Cyborg insists that she is not hostile. In the aftermath, Nightwing broods in the hospital over his failures as a leader. The Indigo android continues her rampage and accidentally releases a broken Superman Robot from S.T.A.R. Labs who murders Omen when they try to approach it. Nightwing coordinates the team to fight this robot, but they're badly beaten and Indigo doesn't defeat it until after it's already slain Donna Troy. Following her funeral, Nightwing angrily tells Arsenal that he can't see another friend die and he's disbanding the Titans.

Outsiders
Three months after Donna's funeral, Arsenal approaches Nightwing with the idea of rebuilding a team that they're not emotionally attached to. This team of new recruits includes Grace Choi, Indigo, Jade, Metamorpho and Thunder operating out of a bomb shelter under Brooklyn. Their first mission is an invasion of super-intelligent gorillas led by Gorilla Grodd in Manhattan. This is revealed to be a ruse engineered by the Joker to kidnap and torture President Lex Luthor, although they stop him before he can kill the President. In the aftermath, Nightwing explains to Batman that he's tired of being a reactionary hero and wishes to make his team proactive hunters as the new Outsiders. Later Nightwing refuses to join his recently resurrected friend Donna Troy as she journeys to New Cronus with several heroes. He instead adopts a new villainous costume and persona in order to infiltrate Lex Luthor's Secret Society of Super Villains and seemingly attempt to trouble it from the inside. Under Deathstroke's employ, he trained Slade's daughter Rose, the newest Ravager. However Deathstroke betrays Nightwing when Blüdhaven is destroyed by the Society. The Society drops the super-villain Chemo on the city, killing 100,000 people. Joshua tries to rescue survivors, but is overcome by radiation poisoning, only to be rescued himself by Batman. Nightwing confides that he let Blockbuster die and asks Batman to forgive him. Batman tells him that his forgiveness doesn't matter; Joshua has to move beyond Blockbuster's death. Inspired by his mentor, he proposes to Barbara Gordon, who tearfully accepts his proposal with a kiss. Joshua would then take the first of his revenge for the destruction of Blüdhaven by bursting in on Deathstroke and Rose's training session, revealing to the latter that the Kryptonite that Deathstroke had implanted in place of her missing eye was radioactive and deadly to humans as well as to Kryptonians (though slower in its effects on humans, as revealed by Lex Luthor's old possession of a Kryptonite ring that forced him to transfer his brain to a cloned body). Angered, Slade went after Nightwing with a grenade, only to have Rose try to stop him. Amid the smoke of the resulting explosion, Rose fled, telling her father that she hated him. Joshua disappeared as well, but not before leaving a note for Slade warning him that he would be back to make him pay for Blüdhaven.

Re-Discovery
However, before Nightwing could exact further revenge against Deathstroke, Batman asks him to join him and Robin in retracing Bobby's original journey in becoming the Dark Knight. While Nightwing is hesitant, due to his engagement with Barbara, she encourages him to go and returns his engagement ring so he can make an honest decision for himself. Barbara feels that it is important he re-discover himself, and until he does, they're not yet ready to be married. They part on good terms, though before he departs, Joshua leaves her an envelope containing a photograph of them as Robin and Batgirl, along with the engagement ring on a chain and a note promising he'll come back to her one day. Soon after his journey with Batman and Robin begins, Nightwing returns to Gotham, following Intergang's trail. He works with the new Batwoman and Renee Montoya to stop Intergang from destroying Gotham, shutting off dozens of fire spewing devices spread across the city.

One Year Later-18
One year later, Joshua Rollé returned to New York City (his previous home base with the Teen Titans) in order to find out who had been masquerading as Nightwing. The murderous impostor turned out to be the former Robin, Jason Todd. Rollé lead the Outsiders once again, operating undercover and globally. After stopping Jason, Nightwing followed an armored thief named Raptor, who he suspected was responsible for a series of murders. Later, Raptor himself was murdered in a manner similar to the other victims by an unseen contract killer, who proceeded to bury Rollé alive. Nightwing freed himself, but wondered about the relationship between his experience and a mysterious voice who told him that he was "supposed to be dead". Nightwing was having trouble finding things to keep him busy during the day due to the cast on his right arm. Incapacitated from his injuries, he tried without luck to find jobs and continued to research into the mysterious assassin. It was during this time, Joshua met Deborah Poulos, an employee at Cloisters; despite being apprehensive about entering a new relationship since the fallout of his and Barbara's engagement during the previous year, he started dating Deborah. Not long after, Joshua agreed to attend a party for Bobby Stewart and their relationship seemed to flourish. Bobby praised Joshua for his success on the Raptor case, and also mentioned to look into the Landman Building which hosted ex-Lexcorp scientists; most likely those who worked on the Raptor project. Joshua had also continued to keep a close brotherly relationship with Tim Drake, and helped him deal with his many losses during the past year. After dealing with the Raptor issue, New York City was plagued by a villainous duo called Bride and Groom. Nightwing begins pursuit of these two after some grisly murders, including that of the Lorens family (close friends of his after the Raptor incident). Joshua grew obsessed with finding them, not knowing how far he was willing to go to take them down. Eventually, he formed a makeshift team with some "villains" to find them. They located them, and after killing some of his "team", Nightwing chased them to a cave, where Bride began a cave-in and the two were trapped there.

Old Friends
Some time later, Nightwing disassociated himself from the Outsiders, turning the responsibility of leadership over to his old mentor Batman. He then reunited with his alma mater the Titans after learning about a vicious attack wrought against Cyborg’s impromptu Titans East trainees. Along with Beast Boy, Cyborg, Donna Troy, Flash, Raven, Red Arrow and Starfire, Joshua discovered that the perpetrator behind this attack was the spawn of one of the Titans' deadliest villains – Trigon. Wanting to discover who these demon spawn might be Raven recounts the events wherein her father Trigon first seduced her mother Arella. Beast Boy makes some off-color remarks concerning Raven's heritage, but Donna sets him straight. In the computer control room, Cyborg manages to identify three women who may have likewise sired offspring with Trigon. The Titans split up into teams of two and go off to track each of the women down. Donna and Wally go to the last known address of one woman, but it turns out that she died nearly three years ago. The two Titans begin arguing about their personal family commitments, and Donna is forced to remind Wally that her husband and child were killed. Elsewhere, Nightwing and Starfire investigate another lead. The search ends at any empty house formerly owned by a woman who is now dead. Nightwing and Starfire become uncharacteristically amorous with one another and have sex down on the floor. Beast Boy, Raven and Red Arrow visit the widower of the third woman. He tells them that his wife died four years ago from a brain aneurysm. Raven grows irritated and begins aggressively questioning him. She asks him if his wife had any children, but he tells her that she did not. The Titans leave and Beast Boy and Raven exchange words about her poor attitude. Raven rhetorically asks Beast Boy "What do you know about being human?" to which he responds by taking the form of a gorilla and driving her against a brick wall. Roy splits them apart with an electro-arrow. Later, the Titans regroup at Central Park and all of them realize how they have been behaving strangely. Their individual attitudes embody the seven deadly sins. Their self-analysis is interrupted by three young men, all of whom bear the mark of Trigon. These men introduce themselves as Envy, Lust, and Wrath, respectively and inform the Titans that they are indeed Trigon's sons. Soon they find themselves squaring off with all six of the Sons of Trigon, and Raven loses control and turns evil again. The Titans battle against the Sons of Trigon and Raven appears apparently to assist them. She is represented in her more demonic form which includes, fangs, pointed ears, and an extra set of eyes. Raven defeats the Sons of Trigon, but then turns against the Titans. Donna pulls out a bizarre artifact known as a Ramat Stone and uses it to release an aspect of Raven's true-self. Good Raven battles against evil Raven and ultimately wins, absorbing her dark half back into herself. Returning to Titans Tower, Raven gives the Titans several more mystical artifacts, each one designed to kill her should she ever turn evil again. Suddenly, the perimeter alarm goes off and the team races downstairs. They discover that the intruder is Jericho who is trapped inside the body of a villain known as Match. The Titans bring him inside their laboratory where Vic Stone runs some tests on him. Raven tries to collect some data on the computer while Flash and Red Arrow wonder if Jericho can still be trusted. Suddenly, Match goes berserk and punches Cyborg through the wall of the lab. The Titans scramble together and begin fighting Match. While the team's power-houses try to keep Jericho contained, Raven envelops him within her soul-self to try and exorcise Jericho's mind from Match's body. Match tries to resist, until Cyborg hits him with his sonic weapons. The two are separated, but the Titans soon discover that Jericho was in control of Match the entire time, not the other way around. Jericho kills the lights, then leaps into another body. The Titans don't know which one of them is currently being possessed. Jericho possesses Nightwing, while the other Titans test each other to determine exactly which team member Jericho is hiding in. Jericho communes with Nightwing and tells him that he is not in control of his actions. Instead, his actions are governed by the emotions and the memories of every person he has ever possessed. He desperately wants Nightwing to understand everything that has been happening to him, hoping that Nightwing will be able to stop him. Unfortunately, the Titans aren't the only ones looking for Jericho. His involvement in the recent assassination attempts against presidential hopefuls has earned him the attention of the Justice League of America. The JLA come to collect Jericho, but Nightwing isn't ready to surrender him. The Titans then battle the JLA as Nighting tires to stop Jericho. After Nightwing musters the strength to expel Jericho, Jericho eludes his JLA pursuers which stops the fight between teams. Seeing that they are still a great team, the Titans decide to come together again.

Gotham Knights
Soon after, Batman became targeted by a group calling themselves the Black Glove. Their attacks became so intense, that they apparently drove Batman insane, and he disappeared, leaving Robin alone to defend the city. Unwilling to allow Tim to deal with everything alone, Joshua gave up his life in New York to temporarily return to Gotham city and help locate their mentor and keep control. Upon his return, Nightwing and Robin put away the Wonderland Gang and after this, Batman warned them about Hush's return. A few days later, Nightwing and Robin were summoned to the Batcave to confront Hush and put an end to his evil scheme. Shortly after, Nightwing was attacked by a couple of henchmen disguised as Roman warriors, but he defeated them easily. Robin contacted him and told him about the Club of Villains and they arranged a meeting. However, Nightwing was attacked by Scorpiana and after she captured him, he was taken to Arkham Asylum, where Guy Dax locked him away. Soon, Nightwing was drugged and moved to an operation table by Scorpiana in order to be lobotomized by Dax. Nightwing recovered just in time to stop Dax and Scorpiana from hurting him and to aid Batman fight the Black Glove in Arkham Asylum. Nightwing retrieved the cape and cowl from Arkham's rooftop after Batman's apparent death. Unable to find Batman, Nightwing returned to the city, where he unleashed his frustration on some street criminals. Upon his return to the Batcave, Nightwing learned of Batgirl's plan to create a new team to replace Batman and he didn't liked the idea at all, leading to Nightwing's return to New York, where he was contacted by Two-Face. Two-Face, asks for Nightwing's help to keep Carol Bermingham, an old colleague and love interest, safe from an unknown threat. Nightwing doesn't trust completely in Two-Face, but he agrees only because there are innocent lives in peril. Nightwing returns to Gotham and rescues Dent's former colleague, but she is attacked a second time. Nightwing takes a big risk and manages to safe her from a falling helicopter, but as a result, he ends up badly injured. Using the last remaining energy in his body, Nightwing recovers and takes Carol away from danger and into one of Batman's safe places. After this, he lets himself be taken by the automatic glider to the Batcave, where Alfred heals his wounds and allows him to recover. Nightwing returns for Carol and they go to New York, where Nightwing finds a safe place for her to stay. However, they are soon called by Two-Face and after a brief talk, Nightwing leaves Carol and goes to investigate who is responsible for the attacks. Alfred informs Nightwing that somehow, Scarecrow's Fear Toxin was found on the bullets he removed from him, but Nightwing has to return to Carol as someone has broken inside the place. Upon arriving, Nightwing is confronted by some of Batman's most dangerous enemies. However, Nightwing realizes that all the enemies are illusions caused by the fear toxin and he defeats all of them, while trying to control his fears. However, there's one last enemy who is not an illusion: Two-Face; who reveals that it was him all along trying to kill Carol and him who attacked Nightwing and caused the helicopter crash. Nightwing tries to fight him, but his efforts are futile and Two-Face shoots Carol, leaving her to be saved by Nightwing, who can't do much to save the dying woman. Hours later, Nightwing goes to Carol's funeral while Two-Face meets the criminal who paid him to kill her. However, when Two-Face learns of Carol's death, he kills the criminal and blames Nightwing for her demise. After a few days, Nightwing is still unable to locate Two-Face and instead he is visited by Barbara, who is concerned about their future with Batman missing. Despite Barbara's worries, Nightwing continues his search for Two-Face and discovers that the criminal is planning something big, but he can't unravel the mystery of his plan. Believing that he needs some fresh air to clear his head, he goes on a date with Deborah. As they are walking on the streets, coins started falling from the top of the Empire State Building. Joshua realizing that Two-Face's attack must be imminent   saved Deborah and placed her in a cab to take her home, during which time Deborah witnessed how several blimps dropped acid on the middle of Manhattan and was slightly affected by the attack. However, Nightwing saved New York from Two-Face's ultimate plan to destroy half of the city of Manhattan. It is later revealed that Nightwing actually managed to save Carol and faked her funeral to trick Two-Face. In the end Nightwing saved New York and took Two-Face down at the same time, symbolically avenging his mistakes during the destruction of Blüdhaven. Nightwing would then go on to make sure that Two-Face was locked in Arkham Asylum. It is during this time that Joshua, Tim, Barbara, Alfred, and Damian were informed by the Justice League that while everyone feared that Batman died in the helicopter explosion, Batman in fact survived the crash, and later joined the Justice League to combat the power of the New God, Darkseid. The Justice League go on to inform the Bat-Family that unfortunately Bobby was killed during his final confrontation with Darkseid, thus leaving Joshua Rollé, Cassandra Cain, Jason Todd and Tim Drake once again orphaned. The Green Lantern then hands over Bobby’s burnt skeletal corpse, giving his condolences, which fall upon deaf ears as the family are too distraught with grief. Superman and Wonder Woman then give Joshua Batman's cowl. Superman asks Joshua if Bobby had any contingency plan if he died, but Joshua is interrupted by Alfred, who brought something to drink for Superman and Wonder Woman and Superman asks Alfred if he is well and Alfred answers: "No, sir. I'm not. My son died." After that Joshua excuses himself from the room and the Justice League soon leave the Bat-family to mourn. After the League leaves, Alfred goes to Joshua to check on him. Alfred finds that Joshua is crying because he wasn't prepared for his cousin's death. Joshua tells Alfred ''You prepare yourself for this day... well, prepare is the wrong word... do you prepare yourself for the sun to rise, or for water to flow from a tap? No. These are knowables. These are eventualities. I knew I would never see him as an old man. No, he's leave us in a box, with jet black hair, and the only lines on his face would be ones brought by injury. You knew it wouldn't end well. Despite all the training, all the brilliance. All the strength... under it all there was just flesh, blood and bone. And a man who never feared death. You know as well as I do he was frightened of a great many things, but his own mortality barely made the top hundred list with him. I just... I... I just wasn't ready to lose him  Alfred then cries with him telling Joshua The dynamics of a family are always difficult. All triumphs and tragedies are fraught with emotion. The successes are that much sweeter. But the failures can be so devastating that... well, it can feel as if the very act of breathing becomes a labor. But breathe we must. We must find that strength to go on... fortify ourselves to overcome the worst any clan might face. The passing of a relation... the loss of a loved one... a death in the family''. With Alfred words Joshua finds the will to make the decision to hold a secret and little funeral. At Bobby's funeral Joshua gives the eulogy saying ''Batman is NOT dead. And I don't mean this in some spiritual pep talk sort of way. That he now '...lives on through all of us.' I'm not being sentimental. What I mean is, the world cannot know he's dead. Most don't even know he was human. Vampire. Demon. Ghost. We all know the myths. But that's all we have left of him. The fear he instilled. That is his legacy. And we need to honor that. We need to honor him. To acknowledge his passing flies in the face of everything he fought for. Everything he was. The criminals, the monsters, the ones who dedicate themselves to doing wrong need to think he can't die. They need to think he's still out there. Batman lives. Always.'' After the funeral, while reminiscing over old times, Alfred discovered a chamber left by Bobby, which contained a holographic projection of his last will and testament and a message for each of his children. In the message left for Joshua, Bobby pleads that Joshua not take up the mantle of the Batman, due to his belief that Nightwing and Robin can protect the city as they are. Nightwing then closed down shop in New York and returned to Gotham. He opted to give up on having a normal job, and instead put all his effort into protecting the city. Furthermore, he resigns his position as leader of the Titans, due to his duties in Gotham, along with Tim who resigns his leadership of the Teen Titans. Before he leaves the Titans however, Starfire asked Joshua if he still has any feelings for her, to which he tells her that he has moved on; because of this Starfire decided not to inform Joshua of her pregnancy, conceived during the investigation of Tigon's sons. However, Deborah informed Joshua that she didn't want to move to Gotham, instead, she told him about her decision to move back to California and she tried to convince him of moving with her, but he refused and their relationship ended. Joshua then decided to perform what he called "the great leap" and he ascended to the stratosphere and dived back to Earth, breaking several world records. Afterward, Joshua enjoyed a nice movie evening at Stewart Manor with Alfred and Tim, but always missing Bobby's presence. Shortly after, Nightwing decided to rebuild the partially destroyed Batcave, while still mourning Bobby's loss. He was attacked by the League of Assassins, but he defeated them, just to learn that Ra's al Ghul had sent them. Nightwing then traveled across the world to Ra's lair and after learning of Bobby's death, Ra's starts a sword fight with Nightwing, which Nightwing wins, without killing his opponent.. Afterward, Nightwing goes back to Gotham, where he finds the sword he used in battle waiting for him in the Batcave as a sign that it is up to him to stand against evil in Batman's absence. Upon Nightwing's return he discovers that Two-Face has reappeared in the city and someone scarred wealthy actress and socialite Millicent Mayne's face; Mayne had become known as The Face of Gotham for her charity efforts following the Cataclysm earthquake. However, Nightwing didn't find Two-Face and instead, was knocked unconscious by a jewel thief named, Gracchus, dressed as Two-Face. Nightwing was subsequently left to die in the burning building, but was luckily rescued by a pizza delivery boy. After being rescued, Nightwing reflects on his mistakes before seeing the Bat-Signal. Recovering, Nightwing answers the Bat-Signal and responds to a disappointed Gordon and Bullock. He begins to suspect that this is not the real Two-Face, and upon learning that due to the acid splashed on Mayne's face she developed a supernatural empathic connection to Gotham, allowing her to feel the lives of its citizens and know their stories, Nightwing tracks down Millicent Mayne leading him to an abandoned theater. Gracchus arrives looking for his missing diamonds in the theater, and Nightwing overcomes his insecurities to beat Gracchus down. While Gordon and Bullock discuss the fact that Batman might never return, Nightwing and Mayne stay up late into the night talking about identity. After talking to Mayne, Nightwing finally decided that moving back to Gotham was the right choice. Joshua would then meet Barbara for her birthday and as a present, he took her on a plane ride and together they skydived, which made Barbara really happy. Shortly after, Nightwing witnessed Robin's victory over Lady Shiva and he was responsible for taking her to prison. Later, Nightwing and Robin were contacted by Catwoman and she informed them that she had captured Hush, who was impersonating Bobby Stewart. Nightwing and Robin then traveled to Vietnam and retrieved the villain, taking him back to Gotham and locking him in a secure cell at the top of Stewart Tower.

Battle for the Cowl
In the months that follow, the Bat-Family along with a network of other heroes (including the Outsiders, Birds of Prey and others) are still trying desperately to bring order to Gotham, so much so that Joshua enlisted Batman Family affiliates like Knight and Squire into the Network to keep things under control. Meanwhile there's a massive Arkham Asylum prison break organized by a new Black Mask, who burns the Asylum down and explains that he's had all the villains implanted with chips that will burn them alive unless they obey him. Commissioner Gordon is accused of losing Gotham to the gangs, and Riddler confronts him directly when the Bat-Signal is modified to say R.I.P. Elsewhere a man impersonating Batman begins his war on crime using lethal tactics and leaving slips of paper saying "I AM BATMAN". In the Batcave, Tim Drake tries to convince Joshua that one of them needs to adopt the cowl, but Joshua refuses to become Batman despite Tim Drake's urging due to Batman's last message to him. Due to Joshua's refusal to step up, Tim begins wearing one of Batman's earlier suits and begins hunting down the expert copycat Batman in order to demonstrate to Joshua how the real Batman would have acted. During this time Black Mask begins taking down the operations of Penguin and Two-Face as his two biggest competitors, and his agents capture Batman's illegitimate son, Damian al Ghul, who was taking a joyride in the Batmobile. Nightwing tries to save Damian and they're cornered by gunmen, until the impostor Batman shows up and reveals himself in a blaze of gunfire. He saves them by shooting down all of the criminals, and Joshua deduces that this gunman is Jason Todd. Together Damian and Joshua attempt to apprehend Jason, but Todd distracts them by shooting Damian in the chest and escapes. It is only by the arrival of the Birds of Prey that Damian is able to get proper medical help. Elsewhere, Penguin and Two-Face begin going to war over Black Mask's actions, each believing the other is responsible as they're the biggest two figures in organized crime. Black Mask uses Adam Bomb and Firefly to devastate the city while Jane Doe is sent to impersonate a police officer and shoots Commissioner Gordon. Tim and Catwoman discover Jason's secret lair, although he catches them and pistol whips Catwoman off a rock. Jason and Tim battle and Tim beats Jason with a crowbar, although Jason wins when he stabs Tim through the chest with a batarang. The military is brought in to deal with Black Mask's terrorism, and Joshua coordinates the Network to look into this new villain. Black Mask quietly admires his own achievements while Penguin is arrested and Two-Face leaves town. Joshua begins to question himself, following Damian's near death experience and decides to go forth against Jason, intending to take down his former “brother” once and for all. Nightwing hunts down Jason, and once he is found, Jason tells Joshua that he killed Tim and they begin fighting. While fighting, Joshua informs Jason that in Bobby's video will it is shown that he urged Jason to give up vigilante life, as he believes him to be mentally ill and in need of help. Their fight then spills out into the open when Jason blows up his cave. Meanwhile Damian is stitched up and assists Squire in rescuing the barely alive Tim before the roof caves in on him. In their ultimate battle, Joshua and Jason literally battle over Batman's cowl atop a speeding subway car. Joshua kicks Jason over the side and offers to lift him back up, but Jason refuses help and presumably plunges to his own death. Later while Alfred stares at the Batman and Robin suits, he has a flashback remembering an scene from years ago, when Bobby was preparing himself for going to hunt the Riddler when he and Alfred were suddenly attacked in the Batcave; gas and darts were thrown to Batman, and he discovered that the aggressor was Joshua, as a test Batman imposed to him. After this Robin happily comments the attack and says that he could even have the cape and cowl one day. Alfred is then taken away from his thoughts as he hears from the Batcomputer that a situation with terrorists and the police was escalating. The police are having problems because the terrorists have an arsenal to invade a little country. However, the Batmobile soon arrives and traps the terrorists. The person inside the Batmobile is Nightwing, as he is still unwilling to put on the Batsuit. During the scuffle with the terrorists Joshua has a conversation with Alfred. While the two talk Alfred tries to convince Joshua that Batman needs to be seen in order to be feared, hoping to pursade Joshua to finally put on the suit, but Alfred is interrupted by Damian who demands to be let out on patrol. Alfred tells Damian to go do his homework and returns to talk with Joshua, but he cuts the communication. Soon after, Alfred discovers that Damian is missing. In fact Damian went to fight the villain Dr. Phosphorus but the battle does not go well for him. Joshua luckily arrives and defeats Phosphorus, after that he tells Damian his errors on the battleground and then they go to the Batcave. In the Batcave after a conversation with Alfred about who must take the cowl, Joshua makes a decision and at last agrees to take on the mantle of the Batman, knowing that it was always his destiny.

Batman-18-19
Unfortunately, much to Tim Drake's shock, Joshua does not continue to take him on as Robin. Stating that Tim is more his equal and ally than protégé, Joshua instead offers the mantel of Robin to Damian, explaining to Tim that he chose Damian as he feels his character needs developing or he could end up like Jason. Still, Damian mocks Drake and offers him the position of Batgirl, causing Tim to lash out and leave Gotham. Whether due to his refusal to let go of another father, or something else, Tim comes to the belief that Bobby is still alive somewhere in the world. As such, he leaves Gotham behind in order to begin his search. But rather than continue wearing the costume of Robin the Boy Wonder, he instead takes on the mantle previously worn by Jason Todd: Red Robin. Although he has agreed to take on Bobby's mantle, Joshua decides to have his own Batcave to forge his legend, because he doesn't want to use what was from Bobby. Joshua describes the cave as “a war room, a lab and an arsenal room, but without it’s warrior” and resolves to leave it how Bobby Stewart had originally found it, dark and empty. Joshua discards most of the Batcave's trophies or places them in secluded storage to gather dust, including the memorial to Jason Todd, which Joshua removes, remarking that it was Bobby's cross to carry, not his. Joshua and Damian then move out of the Batcave, saving only Bobby Stewart's original cowl as a keepsake of the original Batman. The new Dynamic Duo move their operation out of the Manor and into the Penthouse Bunker of Stewart Towers and Alfred helps Joshua build the new Bat-Bunker so he can make the identity of Batman his own. Joshua hears news of Scarecrow causing mayhem at Gotham Bay's bridge. Deciding now was as good a time as any to debut the new Dark Knight, Joshua travels to Gotham Bay's bridge, but he leaves without Damian, informing the 10 year old assassin that he is not yet ready for patrol and sights his fight with Dr. Phosphorus as proof. Arriving at the bridge, he sees that Scarecrow has hostages. Some policemen with special suits adventure to go for Scarecrow, but the fear gas is corrosive and they inhale it. Batman saves them and goes for Scarecrow. After Batman's return, Scarecrow decides to liberate the gas, but he is ultimately defeated Batman and subsequently arrested. A week later, Joshua continues to search, both literally and figuratively, for a sense of balance in his new role as Batman. On the more practical level he finds himself thrown off greatly by the full-length cape. Having spent years fighting crime sans-cape he's now struggling with the addition of what he calls "a ball gown made out of Kevlar." Alfred points out that Joshua has a more airborne fighting style to Bobby’s ground and pound style and proposes that Joshua alter the suit to fit his style. The genius then sets to work on adjusting the weight of Batman's costume, using a lighter and more durable form of Kevlar to modify into a new costume for his use. Joshua discarded Bobby's Batman costumes and adopted several pairs of lighter, suits to fit himself in his new role. Also during this time, he realizes that neither he nor Damian will ever be the crime fighting duo that his predecessors were, but he still continues to train with the boy, trying to help him overcome his volatility and gain some focus. All the while, he is trying to develop his own unique approach to the mantle of the Bat, trying to stake out his own claim to the role while he helps win back Gotham City from the crime bosses and ubiquitous police and military presence which has taken over watch. For instance, this new and improved Batman takes a different approach to security cameras and the media. Whereas the old guard would spend countless hours dis-engaging security cameras and shying away from the public eye, Joshua goes out of his way to make sure the citizens of Gotham know that Batman is watching them. He not only mugs for the camera, but he also keeps surveillance equipment intact, allowing for not only public assurance that the Batman is back, but also a quick and easy conviction for the city prosecutors. This of course works to the great disadvantage of the returned crime-king the Penguin who takes out his frustration on his second in command Bosworth. Whereas before the penalty for a job at the dock would be a few broken bones and maybe an easy acquittal thanks to his well paid legal team, now his men are getting locked up. Worse yet he fears this could bring the Batman's attention to him. Something he certainly does not want. But for all the stress it's causing the Penguin, the increased amount of video footage of the new Batman has a slightly different effect on Two-Face. Having seen some of the feed he immediately orders his men to get more intel on Penguin's next operation and have it leaked. Not so that he can spoil it directly but so that he can get more coverage of this new Batman. There's something very familiar about this Bat's crime fighting technique. Something that Harvey would like to see more of. Meanwhile, Joshua continues to fight crime, smiling for the paparazzi, all the while blissfully unaware that Two-Face is planning something big. Tasked with the uneasy challenge of finding the light within the inherent darkness of being the Caped Crusader, Joshua Rollé continues in his new role as Gotham's protector and has a surprising amount of fun while doing it. After returning the Arkham escapees to Blackgate, he follows up on any leads or tips that come his way regarding the recent surge of illegal activity, and there's been a lot of them lately. Though the number of rats willing to come forward causes him to be a bit apprehensive, Joshua deduces that these busts he's making, like the one at the illegal gambling den the 522 Club earlier, are coming from one main organized crime group. He just has yet to figure out which one it is. Meanwhile, Two-Face's fixation with the new Batman grows more and more with each new piece of security footage brought in. Newspaper articles and photographs of the new smiling Dark Knight plaster the walls of his hideout. Something about this new Dark Knight makes Harvey very happy. However, his plan does not rest on simply feeding the Penguin's plans to Batman. Very soon he'll be requiring the assistance of someone with teleportation abilities. Though he refuses to say where the final destination is for the time being, he sends the word out across the underground: Double the money and Anyone interested should report directly to him. Naturally the number of busts on his operations isn't doing anything good for Penguin's stress levels. It un-nerves him that despite the unnaturally low profile he's been keeping as of late, the Bat still manages to crash all of his business ventures. He decides that he needs something to throw Batman off of his trail. In desperation he turns to the one man who might be able to be of some assistance - the Black Mask. With his expansive catalog of Arkham escapees at his disposal, Black Mask has the perfect set of candidates to aid Penguin with his Bat-troubles. Among them is a man simply known as Soldier. In another life he was known as Lyle Blanco, a soldier with the armed services. But military testing twisted his mind and upon returning from duty Blanco was charged with the deaths of 23 people. He was only caught because his fits of post-murderous laughter were so great that he was unable to walk, let alone escape from the police. That evening, Batman is patrolling Gotham when he comes across a tenement fire. Activating the hover-engine, the Batmobile climbs skyward where he uses one of the vehicle's nineteen projectiles to cover the towering inferno with flame retardant foam. However Batman man is surprised when suddenly giant chunks of rock come flying out of nowhere, threatening to knock the car out of orbit. When Batman looks to see who's causing the destruction, he sees that it's Clayface and the Soldier, and they demand that Batman step out of the car immediately or else they will destroy the entire building. Joshua then leaves the saftey of his Batmobile and engages both Clayface and Blanco. An hour later, beneath the streets of Gotham in the underground Hall of the Black Mask, Penguin and his guards receive word of the battle above; Both Blanco and Clayface were able to escape from the Dark Knight intact. As a diversion, their lookout had triggered a set of explosions in a nearby building. The plan of course is that Batman will investigate the sudden explosion and find that a private company had recently taken out a hefty insurance policy on that building. Each of the companies involved are nothing more than innocuous shell corporations meant to keep Batman busy for weeks (and thus off Penguin's back); which to him that means it's money well spent. However, Penguin is about to learn that his deal with the Devil has cost him a great deal more than just money. From out of the shadows, beady eyed Arkham escapees rise up to bludgeon and cut the throats of Penguin's guards. If Oswald Cobblepot wants to remain on this mortal plane, he will now have to consider himself in the employ of the Black Mask. Joshua meanwhile is left to lick his wounds after the battle with Blanco and Clayface. He blames his cockiness for allowing himself to get mixed up in such a close fight. Recollecting the battle, Joshua remarks that Blanco seemed nearly impervious and even Clayface managed to catch him off guard. One of the only reasons he survived the fight was because of Alfred piloting the Bat-Mobile via remote from the Bunker. That said, he vows to learn from these rookie mistakes and prepare for his next battle. While Penguin's faux-war raged on across the rooftops of Gotham, Two-Face has continued his screening process for teleporters. Benny, his number two, brings in the latest batch of three potentials. But Two-Face isn't looking for just any teleporter. He needs one with very specific capabilities. One who is able to travel to the point of origin for any object he wishes. An object such as a stray batarang left at a scene. While racing after Branco and Clayface as they try make another escape, Joshua's quest is suddenly de-railed as he learns of a breach at the headquarters, not the bunker, but the actual Bat- Cave. He arrives at Stewart Manor in moments, making his way down to the cave where he finds that just about everything is where they left it, covered in white sheets and powered down. Everything that is except the giant penny. Coming in for a closer look, Joshua finds that the back of the wheat penny has been scarred with deep scratches mark the "tail" side of the coin reminiscent of another coin-obsessed villain. Just then, several darts come flying at him, piercing his body armor and bringing him down. Two-Face closes in wearing a cape and cowl of his own unique design. He's known for quite some time that there's someone new underneath the bat-mask and now he wants to find out exactly who that person is. Two-Face then explains to Batman how he came to realize this Batman was not the same stating ''I live in a world that is literally split down the middle; Right and Wrong. Good or bad. Black and white. And one thing is for sure, the Batman does not change. I have been attempting to break into Batman's inner-sanctum with teleportation for years, but the real Batman's mystical and technological counter-measures bested even the most powerful of teleporters. The new media-friendly Dark Knight may have been have been what piqued my interest but the fact that I now stand in the Bat-Cave confirms it. Batman is dead''. Two-Face then looks at the beaten and bloodied pale imitation lying before him and simply says that he is not up to snuff. Muttering over and over again as he continues to spit up blood, Joshua denies everything Harvey says. However, it's not until a second Batman arrives that Dent's accusations get completely turned on their head. Wearing a spare Bat-cowl and shrouded in darkness, Alfred calls out to Harvey from the shadows of the cave as he delivers several injections of adrenaline to Joshua. Re-invigorated, Joshua gets the upper hand on Two-Face while Alfred incapacitates Harvey's teleporter. In no time flat, Dent is back inside an armored transport on his way over to Blackgate. There he's to be kept alongside the other captured Arkham inmates in a locked down ward in the East Wing. Except the convoy is intercepted by a band of Arkham escapees working for the Black Mask. Black Mask offers him the same thing he offered Penguin. Join him and stand at his side or face exile. To stay and fight would only mean death at the hands of the menacing mob of madmen behind him. But Two-Face has too much pride than to be someone else's lackey so he willingly accepts exile. A choice the Black Mask accepts. Back at the Bat-Cave, the mess Harvey Dent left behind is finally cleaned up but the painful lessons learned still linger. Joshua and Alfred agree that it's time to stop treating the cave like some kind of memorial museum. After all, the cave was more than just a storage place for mementos and artifacts - it was a top of the line armory and laboratory. Those types of things shouldn't be left lying around. In the end they decide to dismantle the cave. Thirty-one hours of no doubt back breaking labor, the cave is finally clean. Dark and empty just as Bobby had found it. Only one display still remains standing. Joshua had saved the original Batman and Robin costumes for last. But upon further inspection he discovers that the base of the Robin display is hollow. Curious, he decides to cut a hole in the base and see what is inside. There he finds a portable hard drive containing an old case file - his parent's murder. Leading to Joshua to question what Bobby could have possibly been still investigating regarding the death of the Flying Tullochs; and why was it hidden. Opening the hard drive, Joshua discovers that his uncle and aunt's killer, Tony Zucco, had a daughter named, Sonia Branch who was currently living in Gotham. Batman would then visit Sonia, who turned out to be a legit businesswoman, being the head of the Gotham National Bank. Batman was inquisitive of Sonia's deceased father, to which Sonia goes quiet a moment before cautiously warning him that she has something uncomfortable to admit to him. She then passes him her laptop, urging him to read the story for himself. He begins reading, and after a moment, his facial expression changes from one of curiosity to one of distress. Six months ago, Sonia had received an email from her father; Tony Zucco, the man who killed Joshua's Aunt and Uncle, is still alive. After learning that Zucco was still alive and now working in Chicago, Joshua was forced to temporarily relocate his vigilante activities there, leaving Barbara and Huntress to protect Gotham. However, the Chicago police system did not take too kindly to having a "mask" in their city and targeted him as a villain. In Chicago, Batman came in conflict with the Prankster. Using the Prankster to find Zucco, Joshua was shocked and angered when he discovered the man had gone clean. Before Batman could capture Zucco, the Prankster escaped and began to wreak havoc all across the city. Blaming the chaos on himself, Batman worked desperately to stop the madman, only to find help from Zucco. In the end, Batman stopped the Prankster and finally got closure with Zucco who turned himself into the police. Joshua then returned to Gotham. Upon Batman's return he teamed up with Barbara to take down Firefly while reminiscing about old times. After, Batman would come across one of Black Mask's new False Faces wandering by themselves on the outskirts of Gotham. Quite a peculiar sight to say the least given that the brainwashed mutes almost always travel in groups of four or more. Unfortunately, much like the rest of his False Face brethren, his brain has been turned to mush by Black Mask's brainwashing techniques. The only information the henchman seems capable of putting forth is a series of numbers - geographical coordinates leading Batman back to Devils Square, the area of Gotham where Black Mask has his compound. Ever since the Arkham explosion, the National Guard has been perched over Gotham City, They've successfully chased Black Mask into Devil's Square and every day they get more and more anxious to simply finish the job. But as Joshua arrives at the swampy river-side section of Gotham, it looks like someone else may have beaten them to the punch. Five False Faces, unmistakable in their trademark black gas masks, lay dead in the tall grass. The only thing left behind other than the countless machine gun casings is a strange red pill and one brown fedora. Not much to go on to say the least. No one, not even Dr. Arkham, seems to be able to break the mental hold Black Mask has over them. What's worse, not every False Face apprehended is a hardened criminal, take for example the case of Trish Gumbracker who was among the Faces apprehended at the scene of an exceptionally bloody bank heist. Until the day when she fired the first shot inciting the shoot out blood bath, Ms. Gumbracker had lived a quiet life as a divorced elementary school teacher. Which brings to light the startling possibility that Black Mask is abducting and brainwashing ordinary citizens to serve in his brigade. Nevertheless, Batman finds himself working with a ticking clock with the National Guard and presses on. Two days later, Joshua has arranged a meeting with the only person he believes might have an in inside Black Mask's camp - Catwoman. Having recently aligned herself with Poison Ivy, one of Black Mask's former henchmen, Joshua believes Selina may be able to get some information out of Isley as to Black Mask's intentions. As it would turn out, she can't. But she does pass along the rather interesting news that someone has been setting up shop out in unincorporated Gotham. His name is Mario Falcone - one of the last surviving members of Gotham's notorious Falcone clan. Long thought to have been driven completely insane by the string of tragedies that befell his family, Falcone appears to to have returned to Gotham with plans to set up shop in the mansion located on the property and whatever operation he has going on inside there, he isn't taking any chances. Armed guards patrol the area and the field surrounding the mansion is rigged with trip-wires, one of which Batman accidentally sets off. The explosion alerts Falcone to his presence forcing Joshua to retreat but the distraction serves Catwoman's purposes just fine. The feline burglar had already made her way inside the Falcone mansion and was pilfering the family's stash of jewelry and other valuables when the explosion went off. Though she makes it out of the house unscathed, it seems that at least one member of the Falcone family did manage to catch a glimpse of the thief. Young Kitrina Falcone (herself a fan of cat-themed wardrobes) watches silently as the Catwoman disappears into the night. She says nothing of this development to her overbearing uncle when he bursts in chastising her for being the one he believes led Batman to their location. It's clear that she isn't too pleased with being holed up in the dusty old house alongside Uncle Mario. Meanwhile, Black Mask's Ministry of Science continues to grow as he brings Fright and Dr. Death into the fold alongside Professor Hugo Strange. But this evening he is about to add perhaps the most dangerous member yet. His name is Dr. Grant Gruener. Though he technically died of a heart attack some time ago, Strange has been keeping his brain function steady for years while he continued to genetically modify Gruener's body making him stronger and more durable than any other candidate. Gruener is considered delusional at best, but it's believed that the 'good Doctor' will be able to somehow strengthen and improve Black Mask's mind-control therapy. As he re-awakens, Gruener's mind flashes through dark and painful memories of his upbringing inside a Nazi concentration camp. The Star of David pendant his father gave to him shortly before he was murdered in front of his very eyes. The corpses he hid beneath in an attempt to escape punishment. And the unspeakable visions of horror... outlined in the shadow of a very familiar pair of bat-ears. The old man lay cowering on the floor, cold and wet from his re-birth and very much disoriented. Black Mask steps toward him, leaning in close to return the Star of David pendant and one other token of his former life, a gleaming razor sharp sickle. Benjamin then reclaims his identity of The Reaper. He follows the Black Mask's orders in exchange for a daily shot provided by Hugo Strange and Doctor Death. During this time, Joshua hobnobs with the usual suspects, and Huntress, shows up to help Joshua keep a watchful eye on an attending Thomas Elliot, as Bobby during a Stewart Enterprise charity event. The Riddler also manages to get involved as he is at the same function and interrupts a conversation Thomas is having with an Arkham doctor, which gets the attention of Joshua and Helen. Huntress is then told by Oracle to go after a young girl at the party, but gets caught in a bomb explosion. She manages to survive and goes out to pursue to girl. Going back into the night, Batman meets up with Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock, after it appears a St. Valentine’s Day Massacre-style shooting took out about 16 or so of Falcone’s men. Batman then summarizes from the way the murders took place that Black Mask must have brought in The Reaper to do the deed. Eventually finding the Reaper the two of them battle, during which Batman eventually reveals to Gruener that he was not built to last and his body is deteriorating. Following the battle, Batman asks some homeless children if they know the whereabouts of the girl, Huntress was investigating from the party. One young boy, known as Baby D, tells Batman that he had seen the same girl, with Bossworth, a henchman in the employ of the Penguin. Before he can relay any more information, Baby D, to the dismay of Joshua, is shot and collapses into his arms. After getting Baby D to safety, Joshua hunts down the Penguin. Upon crashing into Penguin's establishment, Batman asks the Penguin about the girl but Penguin says he does not know her and that he is clean. Batman is then attacked from behind by Penguin's chauffeur, Lark, but he quickly knocks her and all of Penguin's men in the building out. Penguin finally talks saying the girl's name is Kitrina but he does not know what she was doing. Several hours later, in Devil's Square, Black Mask is screaming as he and his men are having problems with the military, gangs, and Batman. As he is about to throw the mask into the river, Fright stops him telling him that Doctor Death has information on Kitrina. Somewhere in the docks, Mario Falcone has Kitrina tied up and in a box asking her who helped her get into the safe. Kitrina says if she wanted to she could have screwed him over by giving the maps to the highest bidder since she is the one who created them. Mario has enough of her backtalk and has his men close the box and throw her into the water. In another part of Gotham, Huntress tells Batman that Penguin has been attacked by Black Mask with some saying he is dead. Batman says he doesn't think Penguin is dead and reasures her that he will resurface. Huntress then mentions that The Riddler has not been seen since the bombing. Batman says that The Riddler was hired to follow Kitrina. Batman then pulls out a picture of Kitrina from a week ago that was taken outside of Doctor Singh's place. Seeing the picture Huntress informs him that Dr. Singh just made it home from Arkham. Batman then goes to interrogate Dr. Singh and after threatening to throw him off a bridge, Dr. Singh finally answers all of Batman’s questions and reveals the girl Batman is finding is called Kitrina Falcone. Outside of the new Falcone’s estate, two of Mario Falcone’s men are bringing the box that Kitrina was in that was thrown into the lake back up. When they open it, they see Kitrina is not inside. Batman suddenly appears and takes both men out quickly, then tying them to trees. He asks them where Kitrina is and they say that she disappeared. Not liking the answer Batman burns down the new Falcone estate. In an abandoned animal shelter, that is now Catwoman’s home apparently, Kitrina is stealing back her maps that Catwoman stole, but before she can get away Catwoman arrives and quickly takes Kitrina out. Twenty minutes later, Catwoman has Kitrina tied upside down saying they have a lot to talk about. Kitrina says that she is the youngest daughter of Carmine Falcone and that Catwoman stole her maps. Catwoman says that is a lie because she would know if Carmine had another daughter. Kitrina says she does not care if Catwoman believes her as all she wants is her maps so she can collect the bounty on Black Mask’s head. Catwoman asks if she is talking about the $50 million, and Kitrina admits that she could use some help. About an half an hour later, Batman arrives at Catwoman's place, where Catwoman tells Batman she knows all about the Falcone family and that Kitrina is not a part of that family. Batman says it does not matter if she is or isn’t a Falcone, as he has something he wants to talk to her about. Catwoman guesses it’s about the maps of Devil’s Square, to which Batman asks if she left Kitrina alone and she says she did and she is not going anywhere though Batman retorts by saying unless she is a master escape artist. They go inside and see that Kitrina has escaped even though Catwoman tied her up using the rope trick Bobby taught her. Catwoman is irate as Kitrina also took the maps. Batman is then contacted by Oracle and he summons the batmobile to go to the location Oracle sent him. However, while driving, Batman begins to experience sever headaches requiring him to pull over before his mind is taken over completely by the sound of electronic waves. It is then revealed to Batman that during his last encounter with the Penguin, he secretly exposed Batman to some of Black Mask toxins and now along with the radio wave technology that Mad Hatter created, The Penguin, along with his lackeys and Mad Hatter, control Batman. The first thing Penguin has Batman do is come to Mayor Hady’s office, where the mayor is talking to the Penguin on the phone telling Penguin that he sent the little girl, Kitrina, with the goods and it is not his fault, she screwed him. As soon as he says that, the mayor is attacked by Batman, still wearing the False Face mask Pengiun made him put on. Batman asks for the Gene-Core package but the mayor says he does not have it, Batman hen breaks all of the mayor’s fingers. Two hours later, Batman is beating the crap out of a whole gang that is working for Black Mask. As Batman takes down all of the gang members, Penguin tells Batman that he should not feel bad for what he has to do to survive. Joshua however would soon wake up and managed to tell Barbara that the Penguin is making him do these things. Barbara tries to ask Joshua what happened but he blacks out again. Penguin then instructs Batman to find Kitrina who visited one of her other partners, Tracy, asking her if she has the camera with the digital program. Tracy says she does and Kitrina tells her to hang the maps on the wall. Kitrina uses the camera and says that Black Mask is in the Bunker. Tracy pulls a gun out, telling Kitrina she is taking all the money, but as she does, a whip hits her hand. Kitrina than punches Tracy and tells Catwoman, the one who whipped Tracy, that it took her long enough. Kitrina, then says that she was able to do the one thing Batman couldn’t; find Black Mask. Catwoman quickly takes the camera from Kitrina but as soon as she does the two of them are attacked by the mind-controlled Batman. Catwoman is knocked out and Kitrina tries to ask Batman if they can be partners. Kitrina then leads Batman, who is caring a knife on his utility belt, to where Black Mask is located. As soon as Kitrina takes Batman to Black Mask’s exact location, Batman takes out the knife ready to kill Kitrina. Kitrina sees this and bites Batman’s hand. He just throws her to the side, and as he does that, he is hit by some electricity from behind. Batman then turns around to see Black Mask, Fright, and Hugo Strange standing over him. Black Mask proceeds to use his sword to attack Batman telling Batman he does not care who is controlling him as he will die today. Black Mask also says that the drugs in Batman’s system, that Penguin gave him are causing his brain to waste away, and it will kill him. Black Mask continues to taunt him by saying that once the military comes in looking for him that he will expose all of them to the same toxins. However as Black Mask finishes his speech, the Penguin' s toxins ware off, thanks to Oracle helps as she and Huntress defeated the Penguin and Hatter. Joshua then takes them all out, before escaping upon hearing of an imminent invasion on Devil Square. Once awoken, Black Mask begins arguing with his Black Mask persona telling it that he betrayed him. Fright soon comes in to Black Mask's room and hands him his black mask saying that he has no choice. During that time Batman would convince the President to call off the invasion in Devil Square by the troops thanks to some work done by he and Oracle telling the media Black Mask has set-up traps in Devil’s Square. Batman thanks Oracle and asks what he would do without her to which she says she does not want to know. Joshua then receives the news of a terrible, tragedy: The death of Baby D. Now grim and hardened by the death of a child whom he holds himself responsible for, Joshua vanishes into the stormy night alone to brood. When he returns to the Bat-Bunker, Batman assembles the Bat-Family with Robin, Oracle, Catwoman, Huntress, Stephanie Brown, Ragman, Red Robin, and Wildcat, ready to end this conflict once and for all. Batman and all of his allies would then fight Black Mask’s army in one final stand at Devil Square. While his allies take on Black Mask’s army Batman goes to where Black Mask is hiding and takes down all of the False Faces that get in his way. He then dives into the river and heads into the tunnels underground while thinking of the bullet he found in his suit can only belong to one man. Dr. Death and Professor Strange are finishing up the procedures for the toxin chambers. Dr. Death says the network has crashed and then the power goes out. Batman suddenly appears and takes out Dr. Death and Strange. Reaper appears and attacks Batman from behind. Batman quickly recovers and takes out Reaper and then uses a batarang coated with the antidote to deprogram Reaper. Reaper cannot believe what is happening to him. Batman once again tells him that he is being used as a tool by Black Mask and leaves him saying he shouldn’t kill people but help them. Batman continues down the tunnels using Kitrina’s maps to find the shortcuts. There is a sudden explosion and Batman jumps to the other side of the tunnel where he finds a woman on the floor. When he tries to help her he sees it is Fright who uses her powers on Batman making Batman see double. Black Mask appears and tries to shoot Batman but Batman dodges the gun shots and they hit Fright. Batman dropkicks Black Mask. Black Mask tries to shoot Batman with a machine gun but Batman easily dodges it. The gunfire causes an explosion. Batman is able to get them to safety. Black Mask digs his fingers into Batman’s eyes but it does not affect Batman who punches Black Mask hard enough to knock Black Mask’s mask off. Batman then sees that Black Mask was Dr. Jeremiah Arkham all along and hands Dr. Arkahm to Commissioner Gordon who arrest him. A few days later Batman visits Dr. Arkham in Arkham Asylum with Commissioner Gordon saying that Dr. Arkham hasn’t said anything since Batman brought him in. Batman asks when his trial is and Gordon says its next week. Batman would then meet up with Catwoman and she says that she forgives Batman for what happened since it was not all his fault for his attack on her. Catwoman tells Joshua that he will have to trust her especially now. He swings away thinking that while he trust Catwoman enough to help him out, he will never fully trust her. As he swings away he then thinks about the lie Catwoman just told him in the corner of his eye. Kitrina then appears next to Catwoman in her Catgirl costume. Catgirl asks if she can follow Batman to his hideout but Catwoman says no and that tonight starts her first lesson. When Joshua arrives back at the Bat-Bunker, he is approached by Damian who demands to be put on patrol for Batman's next case. Although he admits that Damian proved himself during the battle against Black Mask's army, Joshua tells Damian that he still feels like Damian was not yet ready for patrol, just as much as he was not yet comfortable enough as Batman to fight crime and watch Damian's back, infuriating Damian who told Joshua that he has a strong willingness to take over the Batman identity himself if Joshua is not "up to it." As he leaves to his room in a huff, he makes it known that he has no respect for Joshua, and tells him that he needs to earn it. Soon after, someone catches Joshua and it is Jason in his Batman costume telling Joshua that he will never be better than Bobby no matter how hard he tries. Oracle is the next one to catch him and she tells Joshua to not listen to Jason as Jason has always been jealous of him. She then says that he is a good Batman but that it is Joshua Rollé that has irked her. She let’s go and Joshua tries to reach out to Bobby’s skeleton but continues to fall while screaming “Bobby!” Joshua then wakes up from his nightmare and Alfred comes into his room, bringing him some tea that is the antidote for Hugo Strange’s toxin that is still affecting Joshua’s system. Alfred then tells Joshua that Commissioner Gordon left a message about a homicide that might be linked to Mr. Zsasz. Joshua drops his tea and heads off to the crime scene as Batman. Joshua is going through all the information he has on the murders when he sees that both murders were of guys that dealt with finance. Alfred asks what Joshua is looking at and he says that the last victim that has been found, died in an apartment fire that makes him resemble Two-Face. He says all this seems to be connected to Firefly. Oracle is able to track down where the call came from and Batman heads over there with only 16 seconds left. As he is driving a woman comes and uses a flamethrower on him. The clock continues to tick down and Batman makes quick work of the gang that is trying to attack him. Batman says the guy worked at a string of chop-shops around Gotham so the guy was small potatoes. Gordon says he and his men are looking for Mr. Freeze, but Batman says that it only looks like Mr. Freeze did it. He says the murders are supposed to fool everyone but him. Gordon then tells Batman that he thinks Batman is being watched. Batman then has Alfred run the face through the Bat-computer and finds out the name of the guy is Sebastian Rothschild who changed his name to Sebastian Blackspell. The Blackspell’s files say he was arrested 15 years ago in New York City and is said to be a magician. Batman enters Rothschild place and sees a dead body on a table. On the wall Batman notices all of the victims pictures on the wall. Part of the victims is Riddler with a Joker smile on him. Batman notices he is being watched and goes outside to chase down Blackspell. Blackspell uses a smoke trick in order to disappear and Batman heads into a building and dives down the building to the first floor. Batman heads into a room and finds a giggling, drooling Edward Nigma with a Joker smile on his face. Batman deduces that someone had gassed him with a cheap version of Joker Toxin. Batman the takes Riddler out of the investigation as he is now laid up, laughing, in a hospital bed. Batman would then go to Arkham to question Firefly. All of the murder victims have been Firefly’s cell neighbors at one point or another. Batman tells Firefly he’s busting him out, no strings attached but Firefly wants no part of it. He fears that he will be the next one to be killed. Instead, Firefly decides to talk. He tells Batman of a man named Sebastian Blackspell the Magician. Blackspell came to Firefly, Riddler, and other gentlemen who are now wearing toe tags. Blackspell had a business proposition for them all. The plan was to begin siphoning off money from Gotham’s kingpins. It was going great. They were in the money. Then, all of a sudden, the Riddler went off his rocker and became a private investigator. The group was finished. Blackspell was all set to leave the country with the majority of the group’s money. Firefly and the gang tried to stop him, but Blackspell did some magic, and left for Paris. After hearing Firefly's story Batman returns to Blackspell’s apartment, the scene of the most recent crime. He’s not satisfied with it. Something is different than all of the others. This one was sloppy. Batman then finally catches on to the game, he knows who’s really behind it all. Batman realises that the Riddler concocted an elaborate plan to use his associations with Blackspell to goad Blackspell into attacking and killing the old members of the group so that the Riddler could make away with the money. The plan worked and Blackspell began to attack the members; when Blackspell learned of Riddler's plan, he didn't attack the Riddler and caused the Riddler to do something drastic, like spray himself with his own form of Joker Toxin. Batman would then find the Riddler as he tried to make his escape form the hospital and had Commissioner Gordon arrest him. During this time Kate Spencer is appointed the new district attorney of Gotham City. She decides to investigate the death of the previous district attorney, believing Two-Face to have been framed. Before she can catch the murderer, Jane Doe, she is attacked by the murderer herself and overcome. Jane Doe strips Kate naked and begins to skin her alive but is electrocuted by the Huntress. Meanwhile, James Gordon has a run-in with Harley Quinn, who claims to have gone completely straight. A new vigilante named Abuse then appears in Gotham hunting down men in the child sex trade. During this time it is revealed to Joshua that since he is not allowed on partol, Robin spends his time playing chess with Hush so he can get a better insight into his character and to find out why Hush would alter his appearance to that of Bobby's. But Hush suspects that the visits are Damian's form of grieving for Bobby and a way to "spend time with your old man." Elsewhere, the recently escaped Firefly begins to take advantage of his position as the imprisoned Black Mask's lieutenant by immolating people with incendiary microchips, Batman goes after him as he sets the city ablaze. When Firefly returns to Arkham, Black Mask is furious that Firefly has disobeyed him, but Firefly reveals he's burned out his obedience chip and sets Mask on fire. Batman chases Firefly through the rooftops and takes him down. Meanwhile Zsasz takes down Robin, who followed Batman against his orders, to rescue Mask and free him from Arkham, which gets him promoted within their organization. With both Batman and Robin gone, Hush tricks Alfred into letting him escape, and publicly pledges as Bobby Stewart that he'll donate a billion dollars a month to Gotham relief efforts. Hush would then begin destroying the Stewart fortune by donating to charities so he can drain Batman's resources. Black Mask gives Zsasz a huge suitcase full of money at the Iceberg Lounge, with the intention of using his bloodlust for entertainment and profit. Joshua confronts Hush at the Elliot Estate and explains that he'll be followed around in public constantly by an agent of the Justice League or Outsiders, disguising themselves as board directors to inhibit his damages, and Hush continues to be observed by the Creeper. During this time, The Broker does deals with several big Gotham villains such as Great White Shark before arriving at Zsasz, who is the only person that makes him feel dirty. It's revealed that Zsasz is kidnapping runaway children to slaughter them as gladiators in an abbatoir. When Batman catches Broker he tries to beat the location out of him, but Broker refuses to break his own rules and accepts the beating. However, due to Batman's interrogation tactics he eventually gets information on Zsasz out of the Broker. Batman then apprehends Harley Quinn and tells her to get out of town and live a new life. On the other side of town, a girl named Katie is being sold until she is saved by the massive giant, Abuse. Black Mask then has a man go invisible and produce terror throughout town. Man-Bat senses him with sonar and can see him, though nobody else can. Huntress pursues Man-Bat and the man is knocked out by a priest upon the arrival of Batman. Batman and the following Robin then further investigate the Zsasz murders by interrogating former-villains such as Humpty Dumpty. They are once again interrupted when Commissioner Gordon calls on Batman for investigation of rash murders. As Batman leaves Robin behind, Damian would meet Colin Wilkes, a boy tortured by the Scarecrow using Bane's toxin, and both are subsequently kidnapped by Zsasz' men. Colin uses Bane's toxin and transforms into Abuse and with Damian as Robin they fight Victor Zsasz who then falls into a pit upon Robin's self-defense. Meanwhile, Kate hunts down Two-Face and is about to kill him before being stopped by the timely arrival of Batman. During Jane Doe's trial, a fire occurs allowing Two-Face to escape, although Jane Doe manages to stay hidden. Hush, to humiliate the Batman family gets Jane Doe released from prison. Around the same time, Judson Pierce is released from Blackgate Prison. Pierce kidnaps Hush, believing him to be Bobby, but Hush turns the tables on his captors and reveals that he is not Bobby Stewart. Hush and his new "allies" recruit Dr. Death to their cause to kill Bobby Stewart and Batman tracks him down. He combats a villain known as the Bedbug. Hush then betrays Dr. Death, whose chems go off on Judson Pierce. Jane Doe then captures Hush, believing him to be Bobby, and cuts off his face. Hush is then rescued by Batman and put into Arkham. Dr. Death's chemicals make Judson Pierce have super-strength and he adopts the moniker Skel. In Arkham Asylum, a doctor questions Hush and asks about Thomas Elliot. A provoked Hush then kills the doctor, even though guards are present and he is handcuffed. Arkham is then given a new nickname, the House of Hush. Following the Hush case, Batman began tracking down a shipment of explosives linked to the Penguin. However, there are three massive explosions that destroy the three bridges and hundreds of lives are lost; Commissioner Gordon receives a note that says "the families will fall by the gates of Gotham." Batman meets with Blackbat (Cassandra Cain), Red Robin and Robin at the Bat-Bunker to deal with the crisis and the Bat-family begin researching Gotham's history to find out who or what the gates of Gotham are. Eventually the team discover that in 1881, a man by the name of Nicholas Gate was commissioned to design three bridges by Alan Stewart, Edward Elliott and Theodore Cobblepot. Nicholas and his brother Bradley detailed their plans for a greater Gotham to Cobblepot, Elliot and Stewart. Their expansion on Cyrus Pinkney's designs commissioned by Solomon Stewart led to the construction of Stewart Tower at the center of the city, making them well-known as the "Gates of Gotham." Meanwhile Hush is visited in Arkham Asylum by a super-villain named the Architect who asks if he can come out to play. Architect kidnapped Hush and the GCPD investigate his disappearance. Batman places his crew to observe possible danger spots, and Blackbat is forced to evacuate the Iceberg Lounge in another bomb threat. They discover Hush tied to a bomb inside Stewart Tower, and Batman is forced to let it explode if he wants Hush to survive. Batman realizes that they'll never get information out of Hush, and the team reconvenes in the Bat-Bunker. Red Robin traces the Architect's costume as an early construction suit used by the Gate brothers, and they deduce that the Architect is Zachary Gate, the Gate bother's descendant. They find him when they trace down Zachary's last known location, where Robin and Red Robin fight the Architect in his modified suit, although he defeats them and escapes. Batman tries to hunt down the Architect before he can blow up Kane Bridge, and announces that he'll stop him by revealing his family history is a lie. Batman fights the Architect while Blackbat and Robin defuse the bombs. While fighting, Batman explains that the Gates had each gone mad from the decompression sickness, and their paranoid accounts were unreliable. Batman tells Zachary Gate, that his ancestors Bradley and Nicholas had become delusional, causing Nicholas and Bradley to fight, as Bradley believed their wealthy friends would betray them. Eventually Nicholas turned down an offer by Cameron Kane in favor of the Waynes, and his brother Bradley was killed by sabotage. Following the death of his brother, Nicholas Gate sought revenge against the Kane family. When his friends refused to help him, he wore his construction suit to Kane Manor and murdered Robert Kane before he was arrested. Batman goes on to determine Zachary has also gone mad inside the suit like his ancestors. Nonetheless Zachary is defeated and sent to Arkham Asylum. Later on Joshua has a conversation with Damian where they discuss what inveitbaly happened to Nicholas Gate. To which Joshua tells Damian that according to the research Nicholas lived the rest of his days in Arkham while Alan Stewart confirmed with Cameron Kane that they must remain unimpeachable as the future of Gotham. Joshua then tells Damian the exact same words as he gets out the same bible Bobby did years ago and request that Damian take the oath, finally and officially becoming Robin.

Batman and Robin
In their first mission together, Batman and Robin chase down an amphibious cockney drug dealer named Mister Toad, who's revealed upon arrest to be carrying a briefcase full of dominoes. Their new vehicle is a flying Batmobile made using Damian's tinkering to his father's designs. Back in Stewart Manor, Joshua speaks to Alfred about his fears replacing Bobby and the difficulties of mentoring Damian. Commissioner Gordon continues to shine the Bat-Signal after months without a response, and Batman and Robin finally arrive to answer him. Mister Toad screams in custody that his friends will be coming to get him out, and GCPD Headquarters is attacked by Big Top, Kushti and Phosphorus Rex; a trio of freaks called the Circus of Strange. Elsewhere one of Toad's human accomplices tries to flee town, but he's cornered by a man calling himself Professor Pyg who turns him into a horrifying Dollotron and makes his daughter Sasha watch. Arriving at GCPD  Headquarters Batman and Robin begin to fight the Circus of Strange, although this battle turns into a casualty-laden disaster when Robin disobeys orders. After the battle, they determine that Toad and his crew were trading in next-level mind control drugs through Russian people traffickers. However, Mister Toad is found dead in his cell holding one of the dominoes. Back in the Bat-Bunker, Damian angrily refuses to acknowledge Joshua's authority taunting him with the information that he wasn’t the real Batman and that he can never replace his father, and leaves to handle things on his own. Alfred reassures Joshua in the difficult part of playing Batman, reminding him that Damian was raised by deadly assassins and his path to redemption will be long and hard. Damian tracks their leads down to the abandoned Bonus Brothers Carnival, where Pyg captures him to turn him into another Dollotron. With Robin captured, Gordon allows Batman to interrogate Phosphorus Rex as to find out Robin's whereabouts and Pyg's ultimate plan. As Batman drags Rex screaming through the streets using the Batmobile, Rex reveals their secret base is located at the abandoned Bonus Brothers Carnival. Rex then goes on to explain that Pyg uses an airborne narcotic that spreads addiction like a virus and plans to spread it across Gotham. Meanwhile Damian is forced to listen to Pyg's delusional rantings while he's tied to a chair, although he is able to break free. The young girl Sasha has somehow retained her mind since becoming a Dollotron, and helps Robin fight through the other ones. When Batman arrives they punch out Pyg together, although the carnival is still on fire. They stop the virus before it can spread further, and Batman curiously finds another domino in the same sequence from Toad's death next to the antidote. Gordon arrives to thank Batman and give him his support, although he insists on not having their disappearance explained to him. Later on, Batman and Robin finally hunt down Le Bossu stopping him from torturing a police officer then captured the criminal. While this is going on, Sasha is revealed to have been hospitalized with the other Dollotrons, and after she mercy-kills her father, Red Hood asks her to be his new sidekick. A few weeks later, Batman and Robin track down a super-villain named Lightning Bug, but he's intercepted by Red Hood and Hood's new sidekick Scarlet who murder him ironically. They take pictures using a camera-phone and upload them to twitter, then leave their calling card behind. Later while talking to Lucius Fox at a Stewart Foundation fundraiser, Joshua and Damian are introduced to visiting British crime-fighter Oberon Sexton by James Gordon. Back in their secret headquarters, Scarlet worries about her Dollotron face and Red Hood insists that it is what makes her special. Batman and Robin later watch a secret meeting held between Penguin and the Penitente Cartel, until Red Hood interrupts by murdering Aitch-Eyes, Fidget, Gentleman-G Merriwether, High-Rise Romero, Gabriel Santo and Tony Li. Batman bursts in to stop him from killing Penguin and realizes Jason Todd has returned. Red Hood and Scarlet then explain that their next-level approach to crime-fighting is the only solution, and the duo soon escape while Batman takes the still-breathing Santo to a hospital. The massacre is covered by news media, who take a poll showing that more than half of Gothamites agree with Red Hood's no-nonsense solutions. Santo is interrogated by Gordon in a hospital, where another domino is found on his person and he threatens that a greater killer is coming to Gotham. It's explained that Red Hood has been studying marketing to gain public approval, and Scarlet wonders what kind of arch-enemies they'll develop the same way Batman and Robin have. Later they're interrupted again while trying to finish off Santo in his hospital bed, although they knock out Batman and Robin. El Flamingo arrives in Gotham on a plane full of supermodels with their faces eaten off, he then shows up and immediately shoots Red Hood twice in the head with a high-powered rifle but Red Hood managed to survive the gunfire due to his domed helmet. Batman and Robin soon wake up in Red Hood's secret headquarters, where he's planned a webcam show to reveal their secret identities if the hotline receives a million calls. They slip out of their ropes before the camera can activate, and tell the viewers to get a life. Outside, Red Hood and Scarlet are in a brutal fight against El Flamingo, who nearly executes both of them as they bleed on the ground. The fight is interrupted by Robin carrying a stolen rocket launcher, and Batman attacks Flamingo although he's unable to save Damian from getting shot in the spine. Red Hood recovers and uses construction equipment to bury Flamingo under a pile of rubble, although the GCPD arrive and arrest him for murder. Damian explains to Joshua that he's been paralyzed from the waist down, and the League of Assassins arrive to take him home. Jason is unmasked and carried away screaming that he is the solution Gotham needs, while Scarlet escapes in a car and her Dollotron mask finally falls off. Before being sent to Arkham, Jason stops his screaming to suggest to Joshua that if a Lazarus Pit could revive him, it could do the same for Bobby. Meanwhile, Oberon Sexton receives a call from El Penitente telling him to do something, and Penitente appears to have really been Doctor Hurt.

Blackest Night
Before Joshua can follow up on Jason's suggestion however, zombies rise in Gotham when power rings turn the dead into agents of the Black Lantern Corps. The reanimated corpses of Abbatoir, Blockbuster, Deacon Blackfire, KGBeast, King Snake, Magpie, the Trigger Twins and the Ventriloquist lay siege to GCPD Headquarters. Deadman feels pain as his body becomes a Black Lantern and seeks Batman's aid. After Deadman alerts Batman, Jake and Petunia Tulloch arise. After getting some weapons to deal with the new Black Lanterns, Batman heads to Police Central, where he encounters the re-animated corpses of some of Batman's deceased enemies. Batman, Deadman along with Red Robin manage to save Commissioner Gordon and Oracle. They are then attacked by Tim's Black Lantern parents and Joshua's Black Lantern Aunt and Uncle. Joshua and Tim send the injured Damian with the Gordons to their underground base while they battle the Black Lanterns. Joshua eventually orders Damian through their radios to send one of his Wingers with Mr. Freeze's gun. Joshua uses the weapon to cryogenically suspend himself and Tim, forcing the Black Lanterns to retreat as they are unable to read any sign of life from them. Deadman later revives the heroes, with Joshua vowing to continue the fight against the Black Lanterns. Joshua makes good on his vow and helps stop the Black Lantern epidemic in Gotham.

JLA-19
After the epidemic, Barbara Gordon is having lunch with her father, discussing her relationships, or lack of. When asked if there is anyone special, Babs replies "It depends on which one of us you are asking," as she glances down on her phone with Joshua's name. Batman would later notify her of Stephanie Brown's activities as Batgirl. However, after discovering that Barbara has approved of Stephanie as her successor, she and Joshua came to an argument as he still sees Stephanie as a reckless youth. During a battle with Yellow Wasp, Joshua and Damian are approached by Donna Troy, who asks to speak with Joshua. Just as Donna is about to invite Joshua to join Doctor Light's new Justice League, Joshua interrupts her and tells her that he already heard the news from Cyborg. Joshua initially refuses to join the Justice League sighting, his commitments in Gotham, but Donna manages to convince Joshua that the team needs Batman and most importantly Joshua as their leader. After joining the League, Joshua sends the Teen Titans to Gotham to protect the city in his absence and then helps Green Lantern Hal Jordan track down Green Arrow, whom is then recruited to take over Roy Harper's vacant seat on the team. Upon finding Green Arrow, Joshua is introduced to the new team roster formed around the former Titans team, consisting of Mon-El, Donna Troy, Hal Jordan, Ray Palmer, Cyborg, Starfire, Guardian, Doctor Light, Congo Bill and Black Canary. During his first  mission with the new team, Joshua leads the JLA into battle against a mind-controlled Atlas. In the midst of the fight, Joshua mentions that it felt strange to be giving orders to veterans like the Green Lantern and Green Arrow. Joshua also notices that the new team struggles with the dynamic of its members and do not fight well as a team. Subsequently after their one and only mission many members left or became inactive; Green Lantern left to deal with an issue with the Green Latern Corps, Green Arrow was arrested for the murder of Prometheus, The Atom left to help Martin Stein, Black Canary rejoined the Birds of Prey, and Mon-El has returned to his time period in order to fight alongside the Legion of Superheroes whilst the Guardian is busy in Metropolis. Meanwhile Cyborg resigns to a more supportive role as he helps to build Roy Harper a new arm and repair Red Tornado. Also, Dr. Light went on leave to be with her children. The next member to leave was Starfire who left for space where she joined R.E.B.E.L.S. leaving the core team to consist of Batman, Donna Troy, Starman and Congorilla. The foursome, being led by Batman, begin to gel as team, even working well together in the Kitchen, the Justice League's training room. Supergirl is brought in by Congo Bill in a later mission. The team, now consisting of Batman, Donna Troy, Congorilla, Starman and Supergirl, find the resurrected Jade inside an asteroid that rocketed to Earth. Furthermore, the asteroid itself is in fact the magical Starheart which gave Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, his powers. The Starheart's powers cause massive Chaos magic and Elemental disasters around the globe and the new Justice League of America (now including Jade) team up with the Justice Society of America to try to stop the disasters. The Starheart puts up quite the fight and manages to whittle the combined crime fighting teams down. Outside assistance arrives in the form of Miss Martian, Sebastian Faust, and Mr. Miracle. The teams eventually overcome the Starheart and Jesse Quick decides to defect to the Justice League. This new Justice League now resembles the original Justice League line-up, The team continues to train and become a functioning unit. Not long after, Congorilla and the Justice League go fighting off some monsters and Jade and Donna Troy journey to the Emerald City that Alan Scott established on the moon to see Alan Scott who was not in good health. There the duo encounter the vengeful villain Eclipso who wishes to capture Jade. After Eclipso took over Jade, Donna Troy was left with the task of Having to bring Jade back Eclipso's clutches so that Jade could help her dying father Alan Scott. Meanwhile Supergirl and Batman are over what was left of smallville when Doomsday comes and destroys the Batplane. The duo then fight Doomsday, leading Batman to call Starman for help. Starman was hurt however when Doomsday punched him at full force but Starman was saved by the Blue Lantern, the Saint Walker. The rest of the JLA soon arrive and help them fight Doomsday defeating the brute. However before the JLA can celebrate the victory, Donna informs Joshua via communicator that Eclipso has taken over Emerald City and abducted Jade. Joshua then tells Donna to rendezvous with the rest of the team at the watch tower so that they con successfully come up with a plan to defeat Eclipso. Once back at the watchtower, however, the JLA are confronted by the brain washed Jade with the Shadow Army led by Eclipso. As the core JLA members gather together they find that Eclipso and the Shadow Army defeated and possessed the Justice League's reserve roster (consisting of Doctor Light, Red Tornado, Animal Man, Tasmanian Devil, and Bulleteer), and badly injured the angel Zauriel. Eclipso and his mind-controlled minions soon had the Justice League outnumbered, leading Batman, Congorilla, Saint Walker, Starman, Donna Troy and Cyborg huddled together to fight the Shadow Army and help their friends get off the mind control of Eclipso. As all soon seems lost to the Justice League, Eclipso reveals his ultimate goal; to somehow kill God. However, to Eclipso's shock Batman has been biding in order to use the Watchtower's teleportaion device. The JLA teleport to Emerald City, as it was the last coordinates put in by Donna. Once in the city, the team is found by Alan Scott who appeared to be cure of his sickness. The original green lantern leads the JLA to an underground base where Batman begins to form a plan to attack Eclipso and get back their friends back. Meanwhile Eclipso tortures Zauriel, causing his screams to attract the attention of the new Spectre, Crispus Allen, leading to Spectre coming to the JLA during their planing requesting to be included in the plan. The next day the Specter came to the Watchtower where Eclipso told his mind controlled JLA soldiers to get him. Specter fought back and released a powerful wave that knocked Justice League members that where mind controlled to the ground. Just then the second wave of JLA attacked Eclipso, but Eclipso cut the Spectre in half for power and made his next move on Batman. As Batman distracted Eclipso, Spectre noticed that the true power behind Eclipso was a mythical being named Shade and together with the JLA he developed a new plan to defeat Eclipso. With the help of The Atom and Spectre told Starman to go in Shade's brain and get rid of his mind control power. While The Atom and Starman are in Shade's brain, Batman, Alan Scott and the team continue to attack Eclipso's soldiers. At the end of the battle, Starman and the Atom got out of Shade's eye with their task complete and they fell to the ground as all the heroes were soon restored back to normal as was Bruce Gordon who had been the unwilling host for Eclipso but now had Eclipso expelled from him. Following this Joshua works with Wally West, hoping to recruit the Flash to the new JLA, and the two scour Central and Keystone City for Prometheus. After defeating a low-level villain working for Prometheus, the two friends reflect on their time as Teen Titans, as well as their mutual experience of taking over for their dead mentors. This talk makes Joshua realize that he is still haunted by the possibility that Jason maybe right about the Lazarus Pit being able to revive Bobby, and makes the decision to temporarily leave the JLA, before locating one of the Lazarus Pit's locations in the United Kingdom.

The Search for Bobby
After this Joshua prepares to ready Bobby's corpse, however, in a shocking turn of events, Bobby Stewart's body has disappeared. Because of this new discovery, Joshua, along with Alfred and Damian, now share Tim's hope that Bobby Stewart maybe still alive. With his spine finally healed Damian Stewart decides to take on the other side of the Stewart legacy: dealing with the board of the Stewart Enterprises. They are hesitant to accept Damian and demand to speak to Bobby Stewart, but he bats them aside and points out that the company is donating a suspicious amount of money to what appears to be a charity in Thomas Stewart's name. Meanwhile, Batman is hard at work. He has been called in by Oberon Sexton, who is investigating the deaths of various millionaires in secluded parts of the globe. Sexton tells Batman that the only thing that links the victims is their membership of the Black Glove organization and Sexton goes on to tell him that he thinks that Bobby Stewart is killing people. Batman says he will pass on the message and departs. It turns out that he received a silent alarm from Alfred. The power in Stewart Manor was turned on tonight for the first time since it was booby-trapped by El Sombrero, and they could not do so beforehand because the mansion had to be debugged. Alfred's main reason, though, is that he suspects there are clues in the fabric of the mansion planted by Bobby, that may tell them his current whereabouts. Alfred hung the Stewart family portraits in order for the first time in decades, and they appear to be telling a story. Robin notes that the puritan Mordecai Stewart bears an uncanny resemblance to Bobby Stewart, and that one of the pictures, 18th century 'black sheep' Thomas Stewart, is missing. Batman notes that bats are a significant part of the local lore of Gotham City and sends Alfred to use the Bat-computer link-up in the Batmobile and find out everything he can about the portraits: when they were made, items from pictures, sightlines, everything. Meanwhile, Batman and Robin start with the picture of Joshua Stewart - the portrait's eyes appear to be fixed on the constellation of Orion in another portrait across the hall. Solomon Stewart, meanwhile, was standing in the library in his portrait. Robin worries about what his time away may do to his father. At Oberon Sexton's home, he receives a call from El Penitente, who tells him that for failing to strike at Batman he has earned an execution squad, the dreaded Third Hierarchy. They arrive seconds later... but are too late. Oberon Sexton is in the wind. In the library, the Dynamic Duo are looking around, and Robin points out that if Bobby is still alive, they can no longer be Batman and Robin. Batman brushes off his worries, finds the place where Solomon Stewart was standing, and follows his eyeline - to a trio of roses over the fireplace, in the shape of Orion's belt. As he presses the roses, he activates a secret passageway. As they investigate, Robin thinks of the real reason for his worry: a recent conversation with his mother, in which she asked him to come back to her. During their conversation he brushed aside her arguments, until she says "You will do what I ask... in the proper time." Meanwhile, Alfred has discovered that the Mordecai Stewart portrait was a late edition to the sequence, found in the 19th century. As Batman ponders a rose mosaic on the floor of a corridor lined with suits of armor, a subliminal program in Robin causes him to pick a sword from a nearby suit and try to kill Batman. However, he activates a trapdoor, causing the rose to fall aside and Batman to go down the hole. Robin realizes what he almost did and runs. Batman lands in a hidden room, with candlesticks on the floor and the name "Thomas" scrawled on the wall, and one word in much larger writing "BARBATOS". Batman suspects it was the Batcave of Thomas Stewart some time in the past. Alfred finds records of a rumor surrounding the house, of a tunnel between the Manor, a link to the Stewart family plot in the nearby cemetery, and a fabled "Garden of Death". In the cemetery, Robin kneels on the grave of Alan Stewart and weeps. There he is met by Oberon Sexton, who is being chased by the hit-squad. Meanwhile, in a large house, Dr. Hurt as El Penitente tells a priest that he must grant him absolution, or he will have the man killed. The priest agrees, just as the DEA agents storming the house shoot him. El Pentitente, who is now wearing a massive cape, says he is now free to commit new atrocities. He also says the "the mask of the penitent" is no longer needed, and that he will be returning home - to Gotham City. In the secret chamber under Stewart Manor, Batman puzzles over the graffiti he has found. The name Thomas, which he infers is connected to the devil-worshiper Thomas Stewart, is less than a year old, despite Thomas Stewart being dead for almost three centuries. Batman steps onto a bat-symbol on the floor of the room, and a wall slides back, revealing a hidden railway passage. Meanwhile, Alfred, who is watching from the air, sees trouble in the Stewart family cemetery. In the cemetery, Oberon Sexton and Robin have been cornered by the assassins sent to kill Sexton. They introduce themselves as a gang by the name of the 99 Fiends: Naberius, Dog of Hell; Duke Zepar; and a duo named Belial. The assassins expect two easy kills, but are terribly mistaken. In her headquarters, Lady Talia of the League of Assassins surveys her plan. When her son's spine was replaced by her doctor's, she included devices which allow her to take control of her son's movements. Satisfied that the device is working, Talia hands control of the device over to the man she has hired to kill Batman, using her son as the murder weapon. In the catacombs, Batman discovers the location of the portrait of Joshua Stewart, a pier on an underground river. Shooting a line across the river, Batman discovers a statue carved in the image of a man-bat monster. Alfred recognizes it as the demon Barbatos, sacred to the Miagani tribe who lived where Gotham is now located, and summoned by the diabolic Thomas Stewart in 1765. Batman pushes on through a gate, but some strange energy is distorting his radio contact. In the graveyard, Naberius starts muttering that Barbatos is awaking. Sexton and Robin take down the gang. Sexton searches Naberius' jacket, while Robin works something out - Oberon Sexton claims to be an English writer, yet he defeated four crooks while armed with a shovel; Robin can also tell that Sexton's English accent is false. Robin beings wondering if Oberon Sexton could be Bobby Stewart, and asks the masked man if he is in fact his father. However, Sexton says nothing, merely pointing out that Naberius is apparently working for the Domino Killer, as the gang must have came to Alan Stewart's mausoleum for some reason. Meanwhile, Talia, who is eager for her consultant to kill Batman, orders her consultant to take control of her son. Elsewhere, as Batman emerges from the crypt with the book from one of the paintings, the rest of the 99 Fiends gang emerge from the cemetery, and the consultant stands revealed as Joshua's old foe, Deathstroke, the Terminator! After Batman defeats the gang, Damian is taken control by Deathstroke, using Talia's device to attack Joshua. Although he in under the control of Slade Wilson, Damian manages to warn Joshua that Deathstroke controls him. Joshua incapacitates Damian and uses an electrical charge to shock Slade out of Damian's body. The resulting electric shock overwhelms Deathstroke's enhanced senses and renders the deadly mercenary unconscious. Joshua and Damian then make a trip to Talia's secret fortress. Talia threatens to disown Damian if he does not leave being Robin and come back to her. To back up her threat, she shows Damian a clone that she has made of him. The clone is an exact duplicate - except for the fact that the clone is ten years younger than Damian. Damian, though hurt, refuses to go along with his mother and leaves with Joshua, who was confronting Slade while Damian was with his mother. While Damian is talking to Taila, Joshua tracks Slade down and attacks him in his hospital bed for controlling Damian and for the Chemo attack, informing Slade that this assault will be just a "trailer" for what he will do later, if Slade comes after him or Damian again. Back in the cave, Joshua informs Damian that he is happy he chose to stay as Robin and tells him that he's proud of the person Damian is becoming. Damian then tells Joshua about what he discovered about Sexton and asks his mentor if he believes Sexton could be Bobby. However, Joshua reveals to Damian that he already deduced who both the Domino Killer and Oberon Sexton truly are. Joshua goes to confront Oberon Sexton, who is under police protection and confronted Oberon about all the domino killings actually being a set routine of jokes. Oberon then removes his mask to reveal the Joker grinning at his old foe, the bullet wound to the head seemingly healed. Not long after, Robin arrives at Oberon's apartment where Joshua has apprehended the Joker. As they begin questioning him, the Joker reveals that since the death of "his Batman" he is no longer the "clown prince" he once was and took on the identity of Oberon to gain the new Batman's trust. Joker warns Batman that everyone will die unless Joshua's Batman is as good as the last one. Batman brings Gordon to the Batcave, where Batman theorizes that Pyg's virus might have been carried throughout a common cold as a Trojan virus. As Gordon shows signs of being infected, they receive an alert that Joker has asked to see Robin alone. Batman and Gordon then rush to return to GCPD headquarters. Meanwhile, Robin (using a crowbar) is attempting to torture information out of the Joker. As Joshua and Gordon race to stop Damian from killing the Joker, they are shot down mid-air by the Black Glove and Joshua is knocked unconscious leaving Gordon surrounded by an army of Dollotrons. At the same time, Professor Pyg is freed from Arkham by El Penitente's men. Joker then manages to escape GCPD headquarters by scratching Damian with Joker Venom. Meanwhile, Batman and Commissioner Gordon are separated by the swarm of Dollotrons who deliver Gordon to Professor Pyg and Doctor Hurt. Joshua barely escapes when the new Batmobile self-destructs and wakes up in the Bat-Bunker. Joshua attempts to contact Damian but his com-link is answered by the Joker, who reveals his endgame: Batman and Robin, working for the Joker. Throughout the city, Pyg's infection has turned Gotham into a city of drug addicts, who are shown throwing the city into chaos. Gordon is then showcased by Hurt to a group of crime lords, with Hurt declaring Gotham 'the new Capital of Crime'. Batman and Joker attack the event by incapacitating Pyg's dollotrons and poisoning the audience with Joker venom, respectively. Joshua, however, is taken prisoner by Dr. Hurt after an addicted Gordon knocks him out. Joker (wearing his Oberon Sexton get-up and mask) is then seen preparing another attack on the Black Glove, implying that he intends to use a trussed-up Robin. After sending Batman out after Dr. Hurt, Joker prepares to send Robin. Robin obeys in order to save Batman, whom Joker claims is in 'the Devil's chopping block'. Meanwhile, Dr. Hurt (disguised as Thomas Stewart) returns and takes over Stewart Manor, addressing that he will save the city. Robin, meanwhile, manages to attack Professor Pyg, and frees a now-cured Gordon from the virus. Damian then advises the Commissioner (who guesses that enough rage can counter the virus) to take back the city, refusing Gordon's help. Robin, however, proves no match for Hurt's 99 Fiends gang, and is overpowered and delivered to Hurt, along with Batman. With Simon Hurt now holding both Batman and Robin hostage, he has Joshua beaten down and unmasked by his men. During which, Dr. Hurt taunts Joshua, asking whether Batman believes a Rollé is superior to a Stewart. As Joshua claims that Hurt has already been beaten, Hurt shoots Joshua in the back of the head, while Robin watches. However  Hurt reveals that the shot to Batman's head is not fatal, but in twelve hours would result in a hematoma that would leave Joshua incapacitated for life. In exchange for saving Joshua, Hurt makes Robin promise to give up his soul, and assist him in resurrecting Barbatos through Pandora’s Box; needing a Stewart's soul to complete the ritual. However, before Robin can pledge his soul to Hurt, someone whistles the tune that opens the box, revealing a note with the word "Gotcha." Batman and Robin (who were actually stalling all the time) then take down Hurt together. After Hurt's defeat, The Dynamic Duo point Hurt out to someone behind the villain. The shadowed figure is revealed to be Red Robin, who simply says, "It's all over. Hurt sics his 99 Fiends gang on the Dynamic Duo and the recently returned Tim Drake. The trio defeats Hurt's thugs in a matter of minutes, and subsequently splits up, with Tim pursuing Hurt into the Batcave and Joshua and Damian leaving to Gotham Square in order to defuse Professor Pyg's bomb. As Bobby sprints down to the Batcave, Hurt reveals that he has Alfred hostage underwater before trapping Tim in the decommissioned interrogation room. Meanwhile, Joshua and Damian confront Pyg and turn his dollotrons against him. As Joshua collapses from his head wound, Damian climbs atop Pyg's float and defuses the bomb with seconds to spare. Back at the Batcave, Tim escapes the interrogation chamber with ease and attacks Hurt. Red Robin reveals that Hurt is neither Bobby's Stewart's father nor Satan, but a delusional maniac driven insane (but granted extended longevity) by an encounter with an extraterrestrial weapon, who was treated by the real Dr. Thomas Stewart in the years before Bobby's birth. Hurt makes his escape by forcing Red Robin to choose between capturing him or saving Alfred from drowning. As Tim dives into the Batcave's waters to retrieve his butler from a flooded cockpit, Hurt flees the manor only to be poisoned and buried alive by the Joker outside. The Joker is shortly thereafter  pursued and beaten into submission by a slightly recovered Joshua, while Red Robin, Robin, and Alfred Pennyworth disarm the Clown Prince of Crime's weapon and defeat the remaining Black Glove members. The next day, Joshua is recovering from his bullet wound and the Gotham quarantine is lifted.

The Bright Knight and the Boy wonder
After healing from his injuries Batman and Robin investigate the disappearance the corpse of Una Nemo, one of Bobby Stewart's former girlfriends who was shot in the head during Stewart's disappearance. After following a trail of clues involving the woman's empty grave, the return of Nemo's fake corpse, and an exploding fingernail serving as a trap, the Dynamic Duo head out to a church, where they find a seemingly brainwashed crowd playing out a fake wedding, with a kidnapped technician. Fighting off the crowd, Batman and Robin rescue the technician, only to be trapped in the balcony above the church. Moments later, the technician flings himself down the crowd, removing the disguise to reveal Una Nemo, now calling herself The Absence. Batman and Robin are shot down from their hiding place by the Absence, who orders her people to restrain the two. She then proceeds to relate her origin story, beginning with her break-up with Bobby Stewart, which hurts her terribly. During a cruise with her friend, Terri, a group of thugs hold up the ship. After seeing Terri shot dead, Una attempts to cut one of the thugs with her wine glass, only to be shot in the head and fall in the water. Waking near the beach, she manages to return home and discovers she has Dandy Walker syndrome, which has allowed her to survive despite the gaping hole in her head. Disguising herself to attend her own funeral, she finds that none of the mourners cared for her very much, despite her status as a successful and kind businesswoman. The breaking point comes when she sees Bobby Stewart failed to attend, and Una removes her bandages, her obsession with absence forged. After telling her story to Batman and Robin, The Absence leaves, setting off an explosion in the church, saying "Until Bobby notices I'm gone...I'll keep reminding him." Batman and Robin manage to escape the conflagration, and regroup in the Bat-Bunker, where Damian muses on his father's habit of pretending to like women as a disguise. After discussing the matter, Alfred decides to call Joshua, who talks with him about the matter. Alfred says that he is sorry for Bobby, and warns Batman about what they both think The Absence will do next. Meanwhile, Bobby's ex-girlfriend, Vicki Vale is attempting to write an article in her new apartment when she is confronted by The Absence, wielding a scissor and a bag of body parts belonging to Bobby's old girlfriends. Although the Absence manages to capture Batman and Robin, trapping them into a device that is set to drill holes in the middle of their heads, the drill bits prove to be fake. They escape the trap and save Vicki, but the Absence escapes. Following the Absence case, Joshua, Damian and Alfred discuss Damian's choice to be Robin. However Batman and Robin are soon forced to deal with the White Knight, a luminous villain whose modus operandi is to force family members of Arkham inmates to commit suicide in order to cut off their bloodlines, thus ending what he believes to be the insanity running through their veins. The White Knight possesses a tree containing totems of famous Arkham inmates (such as Victor Zsasz, The Mad Hatter, and Man-Bat), with the names of their relations written on each totem. After a showdown with in an illuminated Arkham Asylum, the White Knight's mechanical wings explode, fusing them to his body. It is revealed that Batman and Robin's new rogue is named Lewis Bayard, the son of a murdered Arkham guard who was killed  at the hands of Doctor Phosphorus. As the weeks went by, Batman and Robin did their best to hunt down Lewis and try and save as many of the relatives as they could. But Lewis always seemed to stay one step ahead of them. Finally in one giant, grand gesture, he had all the remaining relatives jump from the tallest buildings in Gotham all at once. While Batman and Robin did their best to save as many as they could, Lewis made his way back to Arkham Asylum. There, he planned to take things to the next level by drowning all the inmates, ending those bloodlines once and for all. He intended to kill Dr. Phosphorus himself, however. Fortunately, Batman and Robin were able to arrive in just the nick of time. As Robin stopped the inmates from drowning, Batman fought Lewis. It didn't take long for Batman to be victorious, and Lewis Bayard, the White Knight of Gotham, became the newest resident of Arkham Asylum. At his own Arkham cell, the White Knight begins a new Tree of Blood from a bonsai tree, hanging Batman and Robin's emblems from the limbs as the light goes out. Upon returning home, Joshua has a conversation with Tim and it is revealed that Jason, has requested for a transfer from Arkham Asylum. Batman and Robin decide to keep a close eye on Red Hood; meanwhile, Jason proceeds to cause havoc on the minimal prison he is now incarcerated in. After a spree which ends with many people poisoned in the cafeteria, the warden of the prison returns Red Hood to Arkham. Before Batman and Robin can arrive at the scene, the convoy transporting Jason is ambushed, and he is sprung free by a group of mercenaries with features like that of animals. Introducing themselves as the Menagerie (a group of mercenaries whom Batman and the Red Hood identify as working in South America), the team was assigned to deliver Red Hood to a mysterious woman acting as their financier. Red Hood attempts to fight the Menagerie off but remains on the verge of defeat until Batman and Robin arrive. A sarcastic Jason sighs, "Thank God. It's Batman and Robin." Batman and Robin take out the mercenaries and attempt to recapture Todd, who, during the fight, uses one of the Menagerie as a hostage against both parties. At that moment, the mysterious person who orchestrated Todd's escape tells the Red Hood she holds his previous sidekick, Scarlet, in a similar predicament. Todd is then forced to work with Batman and Robin in an attempt to free Scarlet. He sets up a meeting with the woman, pretending to have gone off Batman and Robin's radar. The two crash the meeting thanks to the Batmobile's stealth mode and a tracer swallowed by the Todd, after which Batman, Robin and Red Hood fight off their opponents together. The Red Hood once again flees during the battle with Scarlet by his side, hijacking a helicopter and preventing Batman and Robin from taking chase by setting off a series of charges throughout Gotham, with the promise to set off more. Batman and Robin reluctantly take off to defuse the bombs, while Jason Todd and Scarlet head towards an unknown destination. Unable to catch Red Hood's trail, Joshua and Damian head to Paris, France to team up with Nightrunner, the cities hero, in order to stop a breakout in Le Jardin Noir (The Black Garden), which acts as the Parisian equivalent of Arkham Asylum. The three attempt to quell a riot at the Louvre, which was incited by four Black Garden inmates, led by the mysterious Son of Man (garbed after the famous Magritte painting). The Son of Man appears to be obsessed with surrealist themes, which the Black Garden inmates apply to the famous museum. The Id (an empathic manipulator), Sister Crystal (who possesses a hand that can turn anything into glass), Skin Talker (a man who makes hypnotic suggestions through the skin), and Ray Man (an illusion caster) initially cause trouble for all three. They eventually appear to splice Batman in half, turn Robin into glass, and Nightrunner into a cloth-like boneless structure. After a moment, Batman shakes off what is revealed as an illusion and rallies his allies, enabling them to take down the inmates. The three realize that the entire fight was being watched by the Son of Man. Bursting into the Son of Man's headquarters, Batman, Robin and Nightrunner watch as the Son of Man presents his story through a giant screen. Moments after his birth and his mother's subsequent death, the Son of Man's father decided to turn his son into a work of art. It is revealed that the father mutilates his infant son's face, taking his inspiration from Victor Hugo's 'The Man Who Laughs'. The Son of Man then reveals himself to be a red-haired lookalike of the Joker, after which he attempts to blow up the heroes using a remote-control device. Batman manages to stop him by using a riot foam dispenser he used against Sister Crystal. After his arrest, another surprise is revealed: the Son of Man, obsessed with the surreal, has managed to keep his father alive eternally by taking apart his body, encasing each part(including the organs) in a glass case. His father,now dismembered and arranged to form an art sculpture, and  is forced to watch the same sepia-colored home videos of his infant child in a continuous loop

Court of Owls
Later, Batman and Robin begin to investigate a conspiracy that is believed to have secretly controlled Gotham for centuries, the Court of Owls fabled in nursery rhyme. However, Haly's Circus, now run by Bryan Haly, returns to Gotham City for the first time since the Flying Tullochs were murdered and Joshua is compelled to halt the investigation so he can attend the show. There Joshua reunites with many of his old friends, including acrobat Raya Vestri. On the way home he is attacked by the assassin Saiko who claims he is the most dangerous killer in Gotham and doesn't know it yet. Saiko escapes by putting innocent lives in danger as a diversion. Raya takes him to see the dying old man C.C. Haly, reveals that he's aware of Joshua's secret identity and gives him the deed to the circus. Saiko tortures Haly to obtain Batman's identity while Joshua is sleeping with Raya. The next day Joshua finds Haly just in time for the old man to die in his arms, after telling him the circus holds a terrible secret. Joshua and Damian attend Haly's funeral, and they then track down an old friend from the circus now involved with contract killers as a lead, but Feedback can't tell them anything. Returning to Raya, Joshua tells her he's going to stay as long as he needs to to make things work and Damain heads back to Stewart Manor. It's later revealed that Bryan Haly is involved with Saiko. Batman then takes down a shape-shifter named Spinebender. Discovering Haly's secret hiding place, Joshua finds a book full of names that has his on the last page. The circus' clown Jimmy Clark is attacked by a ex-lover who practices the dark arts, and Batman has to fight the demon Acheron to save him. Tracking down potential names, he gets another bad lead from Terrence Clark after fighting his bodyguard Shox. Raya tells Joshua that they're doing a surprise memorial show for the anniversary of his parents' death. Despite his attempts to protect the ceremony, Saiko attacks and reveals himself to be an old friend of Joshua's from the circus, as he detonates an explosive in the crowded circus. In their final battle, Batman manages to put out the fire and save the crowd but Saiko plummets to his death. Before dying, he reveals that Raya was his lover and was in on their plan and explains the terrible secrets of Haly's Circus. They have been supplying the Court of Owls with young athletes to train as Talons for years, and Joshua had been selected until he was adopted by Batman. Saiko had been chosen in his place, and became obsessed with revenge after he failed the training and it destroyed him. Raya confesses for her crimes as an accomplice and is arrested. Returning to the Batcave, Batman talks to Damian who informs Joshua that after he returned from their patrol, he was captured by the Court but managed to escape. Joshua ask about the Court and Damian revealed that the current Talon is Joshua's great-grandfather William Cobb. Later, a group of Talons attack Stewart Manor, but Batman and Robin defeat some of them due to their outdated fighting style. Wearing a new armored suit, Joshua prepares to fight the Talons as Batman while Alfred discovers the Court's forty targets and sends a radio message to the Batman Family and the Birds of Prey for help. After a short battle, Batman and Robin defeat the Talons and heads out to Arkham Asylum to save Jeremiah Arkham. Then, they goes to save mayoral candidate Lincoln March, but are too late and March is mortally wounded. Before he dies, however, March gives Batman a package that will make Gotham a better place. Resolute, Batman decides to burn down the Court of Owls's house. Infiltrating the Powers Hotel, Batman interrogates Maria Powers, knowing she and her husband are members of the Court. Damian traces Maria's phone call and Batman deduces the Court is at Harbor House. When he enters the house, however, Batman finds that every member of the Court is dead. Batman and Robin later discover Talon's body adrift in the Gotham river and bring it back to the Batcave for further examination. Batman strips away the assassin's costume to reveal the body of William Cobb. It seems that William was never truly dead, but rather kept in an odd form of stasis, neither living nor dead, and only awoken when the Court had need of his skills. Later after Joshua sends Robin away to stay at Barbara's fearing the Court's demise maybe a ruse, he checks up on one of the Court's targets: Mayor Sebastian Hady and comes face-to-face with another Talon. Using lethal force on the Talon, Batman stabs him across the eye with his batarang, as the Talon is already dead, Batman's Batarang slows  down his healing factor down. However, it is revealed that the Talon, Joshua defeated resuscitated William and he attacked his great-grandson. Though apparently evenly matched, in terms of training, and experience, Cobb's regenerative capabilities, combined with Batman's injuries, sustained during his prior fights with the Talons, give Cobb the advantage. Cobb says that Joshua betrayed him by becoming a vigilante instead of a Talon like Joshua was supposed to be. Cobb, disappointed, throws four knives into his descendent, and waits over him, preparing to kill Batman. Batman manages to get away and proceeds to lead William on a chase through Gotham, and finally down into a subway station. The entire way, William expresses his disgust and disappointment with Joshua for turning his back on his birthright to be a Talon, saying that Joshua could have been the greatest of them all. Joshua finally says he couldn't care less what his great-grandfather wanted for him and reveals he has led the undead assassin into a trap. He then uses his gadgets to rupture a cooling pipe overhead, covering William in liquid nitrogen and sending him back into hibernation. Joshua picks up his ancestor's body and carries him outside, first stripping away his Talon mask and tossing it to the floor. He then tells the frozen Cobb that this is his destiny, as The Batman.

Black Mirror
A month later when several murders are committed with old super-villain weapons, Joshua begins pursuing a villain known as the Dealer. He infiltrates the Dealer's headquarters Mirror House and finds a dark cult, although he's quickly discovered and drugged. Escaping through violent hallucinations, he returns and takes the Dealer's plane down when he tries to leave Gotham. James Gordon, Jr. returns to Gotham after many years and is rejected by his family as a psychopath, although he requests a recommendation from Joshua to work with Leslie Thompkins. Commissioner Gordon suspects that his son is a murderer, and hunts down old leads with Batman's help. Joshua Zucco's daughter Sonia Zucco is targeted by super-villains, and Joshua agrees to help her as she's become a legitimate businesswoman. This leads him to a weapons dealer named Roadrunner who tries to kill him in a car-crusher. The real culprit is a pirate named Tiger Shark who gets away because Sonia manipulated Batman into dealing with her other enemies. Joshua meets with James Jr. and gives him a good recommendation, although it's revealed that James is still torturing people. The Commissioner discovers his son plans to drug a nutrition facility and turn thousands of infants into future psychopaths, while the Joker escapes simultaneously. Joshua goes after the Joker when Barbara Eileen is attacked with toxin, but the Joker only wants to fight his own Batman and insists he didn't commit the assault. James Jr. finally kidnaps Oracle to murder her, but Joshua rescues her at the last moment. She thanks him for her rescue but Joshua is soon off as he must save the nutrition facility.

Forever Evil
He is later surprised to receive a call from Barbara who tells him that there has been too much turmoil in their lives to let their pride keep them away from each other, and she suggests they meet with later-without masks. Just as Batman reaches the nutrition facility, an energy pulse shuts down all power in Gotham, and fills his audio receiver with the message: "THIS WORLD IS OURS." Having lost contact with Barbara, Joshua is disturbed to see a caped woman fly down to the doors of the facility, and then rip the doors open. Determined, he attempts to intervene, only to be punched in the face by a man resembling Batman - only not. Before he can react, a barbed lasso circles 'round Batman's neck and yanks him aloft, as the two villains decide that he will do. Broadcasting across the world, an alien invader known as Brutaal introduces the members of the Justice Lords, explaining that they come from another world. They ruled it until the people of that world turned against them; so they destroyed it. Now, they have chosen this world to conquer next, and have already killed those that stood against them; remaining the Justice League. To prove their dominion, the Justice Lords reveal its prisoner: Batman. Holding him up over the crowded criminals, Circe takes great pleasure in tearing off his cowl, revealing his identity as Joshua Rollé. Those viewing on their televisions are filled with confusion and horror, unsure of what to do with the knowledge that Batman and Joshua Rollé are one and the same - especially in cases where that information could affect their secret identities too. The Justice Lords warns that they know everything about Joshua, and they intend to hunt down and destroy everything he holds dear, along with everything that might obstruct their doing so. Brutaal then addresses the newly assembled Secret Society, explaining that this world wastes its time protecting the weak at the expense of the strong. That shall end now. With their power, they can take the world together so that a new world order can rise; one that is Forever Evil. Batman is then held prisoner. The batman like figure, is revealed to be a new Wingman, and Joshua soon discovers he is Jason Todd. To Joshua's surprise Jason offers Batman freedom if he agrees to help him take down Brutaal; with nothing left to lose, Batman complies. Before they can act however, Batman is accosted by Grid, severely beaten by Brutaal, and strapped to the Murder Machine, a containment device originally built to contain Doomsday, that will detonate if Batman's heart isn't stopped within a set amount of time. Red Robin, Catwoman and Wingman find Batman and Red Robin tries to break him free, but to no avail as the prison's wiring self-repairs whenever he tries to cut it. Wingman stops Batman's heart, causing Red Robin to angrily beat Jason up for killing his friend and mentor, but Jason reveals that he fed Batman a muscle-hardening pill that would keep him from dying as long as they revive him immediately. Jason then injects his predecessor with a shot of adrenaline to jump-start his heart, and soon, Joshua coughs back to life, and Red Robin immediately, hugs his friend. Joshua, Tim, and Jason then help stop the Justice Lords.

Good-Bye, Bat-Family
After the Justice Lords were defeated, Batman had one last plan to save the Bat-Family, and called for a final meeting within the Bat-Cave between him and Tim. Joshua put Tim to the test in combat, trying to figure out if what he sees in him is still there, if he's got fight left in him, because he's got a difficult thing to ask of Tim, and that's become Batman. Tim flat out refuses Joshua's request, citing what this would do to everyone, but Joshua points out his request is an attempt to save everyone. As they brawl Joshua tells Tim, of his plan to distance himself from the Bat-Family as much as possible and sights Tim as his successor. Tim once again refuses telling Joshua that he vowed to never take up the mantle again. However after a long discussion/fight resulting in the destruction of Joshua's Bat-Cave, the two come to an understanding, Batman-Joshua Rollé is dead, and Batman-Tim Drake is born. Joshua next spoke with Damian and informed him of how proud he was of him, and all they were able to accomplish within the year they were Batman and Robin. Damian is confused by Joshua using the past tense and ask him whats going on. Joshua then tells Damian that because of his world-wide exposure as Batman, he must distance himself from the role, and his friends, informing him he has to retire as Batman. Damian doesn’t understand, and was upset that he was losing his only friend, to which Joshua tells him that he's ensured Damian's place as Robin, and that he will now have the opportunity to befriend Tim the same way. Damian groans about his feelings of Tim, and Joshua laughs as he hugs his Robin goodbye, before telling him to stay safe. Joshua then has a tearful farewell to Alfred and leaves Stewart Manor for the last time. After leaving, Joshua assembles the League fresh off of their defeat and  disbands the team due to most of the individual members becoming preoccupied with personal commitments, himself included. Joshua then tracks down Jason to task him with a mission he holds to the utmost importance. Joshua tells Jason that Spyral is out for masks, and that he wants Tim to have a man on the inside. Joshua tells Jason that he is his only choice, because he knows Jason would see the mission through, where the others wouldn't. Joshua also believes Spyral will seek Jason out in an attempt to use him against the Bat family, so it's a perfect way in. Jason is confused as to why Joshua is entrusting him with such a mission, to which Joshua simply tells Jason, “Because I Believe in You”. Jason nods his head in agreement thanking Joshua for his belief and acceptance. The next day Joshua holds a press conference in the heart of Gotham. Joshua publicly retires as Batman and asks that Gotham stays strong through what ever comes its way. Joshua then tells the world that since he is no longer able to continue serving Gotham, he will serve his country, and enlist in the Air Force. As he leaves the press conference he is confronted by Barbara. Barbara with tears in her eyes asks Joshua what he thought he was doing, to which Joshua tells her that he's trying to save Gotham and everyone he ever loved. She cries into his chest and he holds her helping her into his limo and he has his chauffeur, “Happy” Hogan take them to Barbara's home. The two share a final night together wrapped up in each others arms. The morning after, Barbara confesses to Joshua that she's ready to marry him, that she had been for months but Joshua's duties as Batman prevented her from telling him so. Joshua looks at her and tells her that he wished for nothing more than to run away with her right now, but because he's been exposed he couldn't risk jeopardizing her safety, and reluctantly told her good bye, kissing her one last time before he left the house, got in his limo and drove off. To prove he was no longer acting as Batman, Joshua used his estranged father's money to flaunt his lifestyle as the idle rich, shiftless, and rootless, 19 year old the world made him out to be, and Joshua traipsed around the world turning into a jet set playboy adventurer, while Batman continued to stop crime in Gotham, proving there was a new Batman. During his time abroad, Joshua discovered the rarest known metal on earth, Vibranium, in Africa. Joshua also attended multiple international conferences, such as the one where he met Doctor Abraham Erskine in Geneva, Switzerland. Joshua would then find his mother, who had been stuck in Cuba for years after searching all over the world for her lost son, Joshua and Cherie publicly reunited as to draw media attention, and Joshua apologizes to her for all the hardship he had caused her. When the two return home, Joshua buys him and his mother a mansion in New York, a place where Joshua would have many one-night stands; wanting the world to view him as a well-known womanizer. He even went so far as to have a jeweler create the "Rollé Special", a bracelet created of the highest quality of gold and diamonds, to be given to each lover after he had his mother dismiss them; A few of his lovers included: Lana Turner, Jane Russell, Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck, Rosalind Russell, Edith Oberon, Thelma Crawford, Josephine, Hugh Jones' Wife, Lorraine, Helen, Kim Walker, Esther Robinson, Doris Meyer, Margaret Parker, Ann Greenberg, Donna Russo, and Tiffany White. During that time, Joshua spent the month with his mother until his deployment, at which time he asked Tim to watch out for her.

Air Force-19
Ironically, just as Joshua was entering the United States Military, the military was entering in a new war; one that was to be waged in the Persian Gulf region, by the coalition forces, the largest military alliance since World War II that was gathered from 34 nations and led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait. Upon arriving at the Air Force base, Joshua and the other cadets were told by his commanding officer, USAF Lieutenant General Chuck Horner, that they might have as little as a week of training before they are forced to execute the air campaign of Operation Desert Storm, which consisted of an extensive aerial bombing of Iraq. Over the course of his training, Joshua showed that he was already a highly skilled fighter pilot, having flown the Batwing countless times. While on his down time in the barracks of the training camp, Joshua would publicly display both his genius level-intellect and his passion for inventing; something that caught the eye of Colonel Chester Phillips, who was creating a strategic scientific reserve. Phillips requests Joshua to join the Strategic Scientific Reserve due to the President having personally asked for Batman himself and sends, Joshua's life long best friend, Reed Richards to recruit him. Seeing Reed as a member of the SSR, shocked Joshua as he knew Reed was still developing the Quantum Gate device. Upon Joshua's request, Reed explained his presence with the army telling Joshua that the development of the Quantum Gate was temporarily halted due to government funding going fully toward the war effort, prompting him to enlist in order to put an end to the war as soon as possible and continue his research. After the two friends catch up, Joshua tells Reed to inform the Colonel that he has to respectfully decline the offer as he wanted to focus on his duties as a pilot first and foremost. During Operation Desert Storm, Joshua was forced to use guns with real bullets and kill his enemies, something that he had never done before. Joshua and the coalition flew over 100,000 sorties, and dropped 88,500 tons of bombs, which widely destroyed both military and civilian infrastructure. On the last day of the Air Campaign of Operation Desert Storm, Joshua's plane was shot down, during his rescue attempt of another pilot. After being shot down, Joshua was briefly captured by the Ba'athist Iraqi Defense Minister, Interior Minister, military commander and chief of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, Ali Hassan al-Majid and his enemy forces until he was rescued by American troops. However, a fight erupted between them, leaving Joshua the only surviving American. With Ali Hassan al-Majid's guerrilla troops scattered from the fire fight, Joshua made his way to the desert, trying to escape enemy territory. Just as Joshua was making his way through the desert, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, a pilot in the United States Marines who was taking part in the Air Campaign, gets shot down into the desert by rockets. Rhodes managed to land safely and was attempting to get his USAF F-117 Nighthawk air-worthy when he encountered Joshua. After Joshua helped Rhodes fight off an attack by enemy forces, the two tracked through the barren desert together, finally discovering a hidden nuclear rocket base being run by the President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein's, special weapons division HYDRA; an organization that was comprised entirely of German Neo-Nazi defectors following the German Reunification. After disarming the nuclear devices, the duo steal an enemy helicopter and they destroyed the site before flying to the nearest American base. Although with the Air Campaign finished, Joshua had completed his active tour of duty, after seeing how advanced and deadly HYDRA truly was, Joshua agreed to continue his service and join Phillips' Strategic Scientific Reserve.

Strategic Scientific Reserve
After joining the team, Joshua meets with Phillips hoping to find Reed, but Phillips informs Joshua that he will not be working with Reed as he was reassigned on a special mission to help fellow agent Nick Fury. Phillips then shows Joshua footage of the original HYDRA during World War II, wanting to have him have a better understanding of just who they are up against. The footage showed that HYDRA had both a legacy of advanced weapons and vehicles as well as ruthless tactics for attacking the allied forces. After the presentation Joshua drives Phillips back to the base, but while driving they are attacked by HYDRA assassins in another vehicle, wanting revenge for the destruction of their base. As they are attacked, Joshua tells Phillips to press the button on the hand rest, to which missiles fire out the back of the car causing the Neo-Nazi agents to be engulfed in flames. Philips seeing in Joshua's eyes that he was uneasy with taking life, asks Joshua if he's sure he wants to join the SSR, giving him the option to instead return home, to which Joshua jokingly states what are you kidding, that was the most fun I've had in months. While working for the SSR, Joshua would make a vast amount of inventions with such prototypes as Nitramene, a highly dangerous chemical compound; the Constrictor, which Joshua created for simple back massages but the device caused involuntary muscle contraction to the point of breaking bones; The Rollé Heat Vest which was Joshua's prototype for a new armor system intended to double as a heat-source for use during the freezing temperatures of the nighttime desert; The Photonic Amplifier, which was a device designed by Joshua that is able to alter the behavior of the waves that compose light; L.O.L.A. which was a Levitating Over Land Automobile; as well as a Vibranium Shield, using all of the Vibranium Joshua found in Africa to make it. Not long after, Joshua finally met the pilot he rescued during the final air strike of Operation Desert Storm, Edwin Jarvis. Jarvis and Joshua would become quick and loyal friends soon after their first meeting and it greatly upset Joshua when he learned that his new friend was about to receive a court martial. Jarvis explained to Joshua that on one of the general's journeys over the now Iraqi occupied Kuwait, Jarvis met Ana, a girl of Kuwaiti descent who was forced to work in a hotel given to it's HYDRA occupants. The general had several letters of transit that could secure Ana's safety from the Neo-Nazi extremest, but the general refused to sign them, so Jarvis stole one of the letters and forged the general's signature. The scandal that ensued when the forgery was discovered caused the accusation of treason for Jarvis. After explaining his story, Joshua used his influence as a member of the SSR to not only save Jarvis from court martial, but also secure Ana's safety. Unfortunately Jarvis was still dishonorably discharged from the British Army, however, Joshua would offer him a job within the SSR as his assistant. Despite Jarvis knowing little to nothing about science, he accepts Joshua's gracious offer. Joshua was later tapped by Philips to fly a new prototype stealth plane into Iraqi territory to investigate why the Iraqi forces were setting up ultra-low frequency radio wave transmitters. Joining him on this mission was the American black ops soldier known only as Duke and fellow SSR agent Peggy Carter. They were sent on a secret sealed mission the details of which they would know only once they crossed over into Iraqi airspace. As they crossed over into Iraq they were surprisingly intercepted by KGB fighters led by Russian operative Natalia Shostakova, soon realizing that someone betrayed them and their mission. Forced to land their plane, Joshua and Duke faced off against Russian forces while Carter fled into the woods with their black box flight recorder. Joshua and Duke were soon captured and loaded aboard a prisoner train that was also carrying a Soviet weapon called Project: Red Storm, the objective of Duke's mission. Joshua and Duke managed to break free, steal Red Storm and were pulled off the train by Carter who had stolen a scout plane. The trio then managed to recover their stolen plane and escape the Russians. Following this, Joshua is assigned to a top secret mission entitled Project: Rebirth, a US government project originally administered by the US Army to create a new line of Super-Soldiers for the War effort. Colonel Phillips explains to Joshua that Operation Rebirth began as a collaboration between US, British and German eugenicists led by Doctors Abraham Erskine and Koch. When the War began, Koch took over the German program, and Erskine (under the code name of "Joseph Reinstein") became the primary source of the USA program with him independently creating the chemical portion of the project, called the Super Solider Serum, a formula capable of enhancing human beings into "Super Soldiers." Colonel Phillips then informs Joshua that his mission is to create the Vita Ray treatment needed to make the serum work correctly. Once Joshua's calculations are done, he participates in Peggy Carter's rescue operation of Dr. Abraham Erskine, who had been locked up in the castle of Johann Schmidt. Once Carter has Erskine safely secured, Joshua pilots their getaway and the two are reintroduced to each other. With Erskine and Joshua finally able to work together, the two quickly finished "Project Rebirth". While Joshua and Dr. Erskine worked, the SSR trained several candidates but it would ultimately be Jonathan Curry who is chosen to become the U.S. Army's first super soldier. However Jonathan Curry was no longer the mighty hero he used to be as he was no longer a member of the Green Lantern Corps and had suffered deep depression following the death of his Atlantean wife; developing anorexia. Nonetheless Joshua's used his Vita Ray machine which ended up using half of the power in Brooklyn to douse Jonathan with Vita Radiation following Jonathan's receiving of the Super Soldier Serum from Dr. Abraham Erskine. The process successfully transformed the now scrawny Jonathan Curry into the muscular Captain America. However immediately after the experiment, Erskine was assassinated. Jonathan managed to catch the assassin, who killed himself before he could be arrested. Jonathan did capture the HYDRA submarine that the assassin tried to escape in and Joshua was tasked with understanding its technology, which he said was years ahead of the Allies technology. With the death of Erskine, the formula of the Super Soldier Serum was lost as well. Blood samples of Jonathan Curry were taken to try to recreate the serum; from the twelve taken, one was given to Joshua. Instead of being used as the soldier he was intended to be, Jonathan Curry was used as propaganda and traveled to help spread encouragement and hope. Shortly before one of his performances in Italy, many soldiers were captured by the enemy, one of which was Jonathan's friend Bucky Barnes. In order to help Jonathan, Peggy Carter convinced Joshua to fly him to the HYDRA factory in Israel. During the flight, Joshua asked Carter if she wanted to join him after the mission for a late night fondue date; making Jonathan think that they were already in a relationship. Jonathan leapt from the plane and he completed his mission, helping all the soldiers escape. After the mission Joshua was stationed at a secret SSR base and met with Jonathan Curry again, who gave him a piece of HYDRA tech which Jonathan claimed was the most powerful explosive known to man; Joshua was doubtful but took the device for testing anyway. He explained to Jonathan what he meant by the earlier fondue reference and they had a brief talk about women. Joshua then showed Jonathan a collection of new shields he had designed for him, as Jonathan had grown attached to the one he had taken on the mission. Jonathan choose a prototype Vibranium shield; while trying it on for size, Peggy Carter fired four gunshots at him to test its strength. Jonathan then told Joshua that he had his own ideas for his costume. After making Jonathan's new Captain America costume, Joshua and his team of scientists were tasked with testing the power source of the weapon that Jonathan had given him, trying to learn its potential and its origin. As the experiments took place, Joshua felt the device was not as impressive as he was told and commented on Jonathan' lack of understanding of the device. However when the device was touched, it exploded, shattering the glass and throwing Joshua backwards. Stunned by the amount of force, Joshua could only jokingly say "write that down". After spending several days studying the device, Joshua was ordered by General John McGinnis of the US Army to design a gas that would keep soldiers awake for days. However, his experiments failed. The final product, which he named the Midnight Oil, caused symptoms similar to sleep deprivation, anger, hallucinations, and psychosis. Joshua decided not to hand it over to the Army. However, General McGinnis had other plans, stealing the gas which his soldiers dropped on the Israeli troops near the Iraqi city of Sāmarrā, hoping to help them crush the Iraqi defenses. The gas turned the Israeli soldiers into bloodthirsty savages, and hundreds of them killed each other. A day later, Joshua arrived in Sāmarrā and saw the carnage. He returned from there distressed and temporarily went back to New York where he began construction of his vault in his mansion.

An End to the War
When Joshua returned to the battlefront, he learned that Captain America successfully captured the HYDRA scientist Arnim Zola, at the loss of Bucky Barnes. However, Joshua is relived that Zola was able to tell the Coalition of Johann Schmidt, now known as the Red Skull's plan to destroy much of the world. Joshua then joined Captain America and the Howling Commandos as Chester Phillips discussed their mission plan, noting what was at risk if Red Skull succeed in his plan, telling them "Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire eastern sea board in an hour." A plan was then devised by Jonathan to attack the base alone before later being joined by the rest of the US army, in what was to be the last mission of the Ground Campaign of Operation Desert Storm. After Captain America's defeat of the Red Skull aboard Schmidt's aircraft carrying weapons of mass destruction, Jonathan saw no way to land the plane without the risk of detonating its weapons, so he decides to crash it in the Arctic. 48 hours after Captain America's climatic battle with the Red Skull, President Bush declared a ceasefire, stating that Kuwait had been finally liberated and the Coaltiton Forces have won the war. Upon hearing of Iraq's surrender, a drunk Joshua tried to kiss Peggy to celebrate the victory, and she knocked him into the Thames river, as she was still in love with Jonathan.

Meeting His Maker
With the war now over, Joshua felt he had one last task to complete as he refused to abandon his friend, believing him to be somewhere in the Arctic. However, before Joshua is able to search for Jonathan, he is informed by Colonel Philips that the leader of the expedition will be Howard Tulloch, Joshua's estranged father and Founder of Tulloch Industries. Before Joshua could even react, Howard appeared and the two were officially introduced to one another. However, the pair both quickly inform Philips that they already know one another. Wanting to talk in private Howard request tot Philips that he give the two a moment to catch up. Joshua is originally apprehensive about talking to father, but after realizing that he only knew of Howard from his mother's far and inbetween mentions of him, he decides to see what kind of man Howard is for himself. Growing up Joshua had always pictured his father as a cold and calculating man, and as it turned out, he was absolutely right. The two estranged family members have a big blowout when Howard called Joshua's war-time inventions lackadaisical and dangerously ineffective, which leads to Joshua quitting the rescue task force to retrieve Jonathan and completely bash Howard's character or as Joshua put it lack there of. After the argument, Jarvis found Joshua seething at the roots over meeting his father and he attempted to comfort him, urging Joshua not to take his father's outburst to heart. Joshua then told Jarvis to leave him alone, and Jarvis commented that the relationship between a father and son was often difficult to maneuver, but insisted that time would heal all wounds.

Fugitive
Although no longer a member of the retrieval task force, Joshua continued to work for the SSR. When Joshua returned home he began dating a woman named Ida Emke and tried to impress her by inviting her to his mansion and one of his warehouses to see many of his inventions, including a self-flying plane and his vault full of weapons. A month later, Joshua attempted to buy Roxxon Oil Corporation from his friend Hugh Jones; however the friendship and deal ended when Joshua had an affair with Jones' wife. Later that year, some of his inventions, including a document with the formula of the explosive Molecular Nitramene as well as many other weapons, were stolen. He had discovered that someone had cut a hole into the vault in his mansion when he returned from a pleasurable trip to Monaco. Congressional hearings led by Senator Webster were held to determine if Joshua was a traitor when some inventions were found overseas in enemy hands. Although Joshua defended himself, much of America believed he had sold the weapons to the Russian army. Believing that he would never be able to convince the public or government of his innocence, Joshua decided to travel overseas to avoid being arrested and to recover his property. Joshua later met with Peggy Carter and commissioned Carter to recover his weapons and the Nitramene document before it was sold on the black market. He left his butler Edwin Jarvis to assist his friend on her mission, despite Carter's protests, before getting on a boat and leaving the United States. However, his absence of the hearings caused him to be labeled a fugitive, which put him on the top of the Strategic Scientific Reserve's most wanted list. Joshua eventually returned from overseas with his recovered stolen items and was rescued from subordinates of Otto Mink by Peggy Carter and Edwin Jarvis. However, they soon discovered that the SSR was staking out Joshua's intended safehouse; the SSR was more determined to apprehend Joshua, believing him responsible for Ray Krzeminski's death. Joshua then went to the Griffith Hotel, much to Carter's dismay because she had to hide his presence from Miriam Fry, which Joshua did not make easy with his flings with Lorraine and other tenants. Joshua soon asked Carter to obtain from the New York Bell Company the Blitzkrieg Button, a container holding Jonathan's blood. Joshua figured that Jonathan's blood had extraordinary abilities, including the cure for the common cold, which he did not want to lose to the Strategic Scientific Reserve. However Joshua did not want Carter to know what the device held, so he instead told her that it was a device which would cause a city wide black out if handled incorrectly. He gave Carter a Camera Pen so she could first confirm where it was being held before bringing it back to him. When Carter returned with the Blitzkrieg Button, she had already opened it and learned of Joshua's lie; she did not give Joshua the sample. Furious at his lies, Carter instead punched and berated Joshua for attempting to use something of their friend's for personal gain. Joshua tried to defend himself claiming that because of his family history he lies to protect himself and others from the truth. He apologized but Carter did not accept. Feeling guilty about his actions in lying to her, Joshua later had Edwin Jarvis try and speak to Peggy Carter and reason with her, but the furious Carter ignored him as well. Joshua waited at a shoeshine vendor for Jarvis, who claimed that, despite all the many times he had apologized for Joshua over the past months for various reasons, he also was disgusted by Joshua's behavior with how he had treated Agent Carter. Shortly after Jarvis had left, the man sitting next to Joshua asked to borrow the sports section of the newspaper Joshua was using to hide his face from police; tired and frustrated, Joshua handed the entire newspaper to the man.

Clearing His Name
Wanting to help Carter, Joshua and Edwin Jarvis entered the New York Bell Company Office and were greeted with guns drawn; Joshua explained that since he was not hired to build the security systems, he could easily bypass them. Joshua knew that Johann Fennhoff wanted revenge on him and killed Roger Dooley and various others in his quest; however, Joshua had no idea why. In an attempt to draw Fennhoff into the open so he could be captured, Joshua and the SSR set up a press conference presenting Joshua as no longer a fugitive, but a hero, believing that Fennhoff would be forced to come and attempt to kill him. Joshua ensured that Agent Jack Thompson gave a long winded speech where he continued to compliment Joshua, much to Thompson's annoyance. Fennhoff was not deceived; setting up a rifle to fire at the hearing. When Joshua and Jarvis attempted to escape, they discovered that Fennhoff was using Officer Pike of the New York City Police Department as his thrall and he was able to capture Joshua while Jarvis was helpless to save him. Dottie Underwood and Fennhoff took Joshua to one of his warehouses that Joshua had shown Underwood months earlier; he did not recognize her as "Ida Emke". Fennhoff explained his hatred for Joshua; his brother was killed when Midnight Oil was deployed in Finow and, since Joshua was its creator, Joshua was ultimately to blame. Joshua explained that he did not want the gas deployed; Fennhoff did not care and hypnotized him to fly a plane over the V-E Day anniversary celebration in Times Square, dispensing nine canisters of Midnight Oil, hoping the chaos would destroy New York City. Flying the plane, Joshua was continually hypnotized by Fennhoff using the radio. Suddenly Peggy Carter interrupted and begged Joshua to return to normal. In his trance, he revealed that Captain America was his greatest creation and he wanted to find his friend so he and Carter could be reunited. Knowing that if Joshua reached the city, Jarvis was tasked to shoot him from the sky, Carter cried for Joshua to let Jonathan rest in peace and let him go. Joshua finally listened and returned to the hangar. With New York City saved, Joshua thanked Carter and Angie Martinelli by giving them his house to share with his mother, Jarvis and Anna. Joshua then decided that no one could be trusted with his inventions, so he began a legal battle with the United States Government to have them returned and destroyed. During his legal battle with the US Government, Joshua began his first true romance, since leaving Barbara, with Dr. Linda McGill against his better judgment, not wanting to put her at harm's risk.

The Thing-20-22
During an outing at a freak show, Linda admitted to Joshua that she loved him no matter what he looked like, as she cared about who he was on the inside. In the meantime, Reed finally finished the Quantum Gate device, but unfortunately, Reed's supervisor, Dr. Allen, planed to send a group from NASA to venture into the new unexplored planet the Quantum Gate discovered known as "Planet Zero" instead of Reed and his scientific team. Disappointed at being denied the chance to join the expedition, Reed and his scientific associates get drunk and decide to use the Quantum Gate to embark on an unsanctioned voyage to Planet Zero themselves. Reed then contacted Joshua telling him that he had finished the teleporter and what he planned to do, not wanting to go on the voyage without him. Arriving at the building soon after, Reed introduced Joshua to his fellow co-workers Johnny Parr and Victor Von Doom. After introductions, the four successfully teleported to the planet which they learn is a world filled with otherworldly substances. As the four explore, Victor attempts to touch the green-lava like substance found throughout the planet, causing the surface they are on to collapse and the ground to erupt. They all then run back to the shuttle as quickly as possible, but Victor is left behind after Reed fails to save him and he falls from the collapsing landscape into the Lava. Reed, Johnny, and Joshua continue to return to their shuttle as Johnny contacts his older sister Sue to bring them back. However as  the boys enter the machine and prepare to return home, Joshua’s door became unlocked and he was struck by the rock like debris of the planet, while Johnny became infected by the planet's fiery plasma just before the three were teleported back to Earth. Once back, the machine explodes hitting Susan with a powerful shock wave rendering everyone but Reed unconscious. Waking up in government custody, Joshua discovered that he had been affected on a molecular level with him being turned into an orange-colored, thick-skinned, heavily-muscled rock like creature. Not long after, Joshua found Reed, who was similarly affected  by the planet and could now stretch his body like rubber, in the process of escaping the facility through a nearby ventilation shaft. Joshua begged Reed for help but his friend, after being startled by some alarms, only promises to come back before escaping the facility. After this, Joshua tired his own escape from the facility discovering that he had become superhumanly strong, but also found that his athletic ability and genius level-intellect were also effected by the cosmic radiation of the planet, leaving them rendered minute. Following his breakout, Joshua returned home to find Linda horrified to see him in this new form, running out on him. This threw Joshua into a rage, destroying his apartment. Slipping into a depression, Joshua traveled back to the government facility, Area 57, hoping Reed will soon return with a solution to his affliction. Dr. Harvey Allen then confronts Joshua telling him that Reed abandoned him and would not be coming back. Allen, however, assured him that his scientist would fix Joshua but in exchange he would have to help them, once again becoming an agent of the SSR to which Joshua reluctantly agreed. Over the next five months, Reed never returned, and Joshua was forced to go through with his commitment to the SSR as Allen's scientists worked around the clock to find a cure. During this time Joshua became close to Susan and Johnny Parr as they too were empowered by the freak accident with Johnny gaining the ability to engulf his body in flames and manipulate it, while Sue could become invisible and generate force fields of energy. All three were  kept within government custody with the siblings spending most of their time training to gain control over their powers, although Johnny would take more solace in playing pranks on Joshua rather than train, sometimes proving to be more nuisance than friend. The transformed trio were all given SSR specialized suits, designed to keep up with their body's unique conditions and abilities in order to help them stabilize, control, and contain those said abilities. As a superhuman agent of the SSR, Joshua was assigned the code name of The Thing, something Joshua embraced, morose over his new grotesque appearance. As The Thing, Joshua frequently teamed up with fellow SSR agent Hank Pym code named Ant-Man. Over their numerous assignments, the duo would form a close friendship but the duo would split once Ant-Man defected from the SSR deciding to use his powers to help the city of New York and become a vigilante. Dispite this, Joshua continued his assignments, killing at least 43 enemies of the U.S. and Johnny soon began training to join the SSR and replace Ant-Man and The Thing's partner. Not long after, the government finally locates Reed in the South America, and Harry sends Joshua to retrieve him. Joshua and his team would soon land at Reed's location and confront his old friend who tried to explain to Joshua that he has been working on a cure to reverse the effects of the planet's cosmic radiation, but Joshua refuses to listen to Reed and knocks him out, dragging his unconscious body to the SSR carrier in order to bring Reed back to the states. While in the plane, Reed awakens and attempts to apologize, but Joshua is still upset at Reed for abandoning the group back at the facility, and subsequently tells him that they are no longer friends. Later back at the base, Dr. Allen reveals that he brought Reed back to Area 57, so that he could conscript him to open another portal to Planet Zero in exchange for giving Reed the necessary resources to find a cure. Reed agrees and is soon outfitted with his own SSR specialized suit, before helping Dr. Allen. Arriving in Planet Zero, Dr. Allen's explorers surprisingly and shockingly find Victor, who survived his fall to the lava and has been fused to his spacesuit. The explorers then abort their exploration and bring Victor back to Earth. Over the next several weeks, Reed uses Area 57's resources and starts to study his, Joshua, Johnny, and Sue's powers tiring to find a way to reverse the process and mend his broken relationships. During this time, Joshua would meet with a recovering Victor, who, unknowingly to Joshua and the others, was driven insane by his experience on Planet Zero. Victor tries to convince Joshua that Reed is doing nothing to cure them, but Joshua decides to trust his former friend and leaves reassuring Victor that one day they all will be back to normal. However, after talking with Victor, Joshua goes to find Reed and he finds him with Susan, not working on his researches, making him start to believe Von Doom's words. Furious with Reed, Joshua has a brief fight with him and leaves slipping into a depression over never being able to be himself again. Joshua then traveled to a nearby bridge and contemplated committing suicide but in an ironic turn of events, he attempts to prevent a man from committing suicide instead, but due to his monstrous appearance, he scares him and causes a massive car pile-up. Along with Reed, Sue and Johnny, who reached him, Joshua uses his powers for saving the lives of the people on the bridge, stopping a truck with his own body. When the press arrives and claims the four of them as heroes, nicknaming them as the Fantastic Four, Richards tries to convince the three others that the four of them should use their new powers for the good of humanity as the Fantastic Four. Richards gives himself the code name of Mister Fantastic, with Susan and Johnny Parr taking the names of the Invisible Girl and the Human Torch respectively, while Joshua was the one left suffering, as Linda, seeing him in his rocky form once again and leaves her promise ring, Joshua gave her, on the street before fleeing. Reed, realizing his friend's pain, promises him that he'll continue to do anything to make him come back to his human form, but Joshua brushes off Reed's words and storms off. Nonetheless, Joshua would soon return after being informed that Victor, using his powers of magic given to him by the cosmic radioactivity of Planet Zero, killed Dr. Allen and went on a deadly rampage throughout the base, before disappearing off the grid. Joshua immediately wishes to go after Victor, but the SSR veto that decision, stating that they already have capable people on the job and instead assigned Joshua to help, Reed and the others in determining what was causing nuclear facilities all over the world to suddenly sink into the Earth. Reed had tracked the tremors to their source: Monster Island. There Joshua and the others found an underground world filled with monsters under the control of the so-called Mole Man who sought to conquer the surface world. Joshua's superior strength was a great help to the team in fighting off the Mole Man's various creatures, and facilitating their escape. Defeating the Mole Man detonated the island, seemingly sealing off Subterranea from the rest of the world. The group then spent the next few months taking down various monsters and imprisoning them on Monster Island. During this time, Joshua contributed in taking down such creatures as Fin Fang Foom, Gruto, Klagg and Googam, while finally healing his friendship with Reed. With his friendship with Reed renewed, Richards convinces Joshua to defect from the SSR and officially join the Fantastic Four.

Fantastic Four
Shortly after this, the Skrulls resumed their plans to invade the Earth, sending four of their minions to pose as the Fantastic Four and framing them for acts of treason. This led to Joshua and the others becoming wanted criminals. They were apprehended but the Four soon broke out and captured their impostors. Posing as the Skrull invaders, the Fantastic Four traveled to the mothership where Reed tricked the Skrulls into thinking the Earth was filled with giant creatures by using pictures clipped out of comic books, thwarting the invasion. On their return to Earth, they passed through the same cosmic radiation that transformed them, changing Joshua back into human form, however this transformation to be the first in many short lived restorations to his human form. With each subsequent transformation, Joshua gradually went from having a reptilian like hide to more stonier features. With the Skrulls defeated, the Fantastic Four took their captives and Reed used hypnosis to make them believe they were ordinary cows. Reed then developed costumes for the Fantastic Four, as well as a new headquarters at the Baxter Building in New York, before publicly unveiling the team. The Fantastic Four later clashed with the illusion casting Mircale Man, Sue had created a new costume for Joshua, which included a long sleeved shirt, pants, and a helmet to cover his face. Despite the fact that he was upset over his transformation and hated those who gawked at him, Joshua abandoned them early in the battle, preferring to wear only shorts in battle. When Sue was captured by Miracle Man along with an atomic tank, the remaining trio bickered among each other over various reasons. Joshua took issue over the fact that Reed's experiment turned him into a monster. Despite their differences, they managed to defeat Miracle Man, although Johnny left the team in anger after his defeat. Joshua and the others went looking for Johnny. Joshua found Johnny first but failed to nab him when he briefly reverted to human form again. The group did eventually find Johnny but not before the boy revived the memories of the Sub-Mariner who had been living in a flop house for decades with amnesia. Furious at the seeming destruction of his kingdom, Namor then unleashed an attack on New York City, using the gigantic creature known as Giganto. Joshua ultimately slew Giganto with an atomic bomb which he tricked Giganto into swallowing it. With Giganto defeated, the reunited Fantastic Four defeated the Sub-Mariner in battle, sending him fleeing back into the ocean vowing revenge. By this time, Victor Von Doom, who had killed Dr. Allen and escaped from SSR custody, finally resurfaced and confronted Joshua alone. During their meeting, Victor reveals that over the past months, he traveled the world, eventually coming upon a small Tibetan village of monks who trained him in martial arts, becoming vastly skilled in many combat techniques, both armed and unarmed prior to returning to his homeland of Latveria where he overthrew the leader and declare himself king. Victor goes on to explain that since then he has begun to use his country's resources in order to find a cure for both his and Joshua's mutations, finding a mutual understanding within Joshua as they both are forced to live a life as monsters. Manipulating Joshua's insecurity and anguish about being a monster, Victor convinces him to experiment with his curative machine. Joshua then returns to one of Victor's hidden bases in New York and enters his machine to which Joshua becomes normal again. Upon becoming normal, Joshua is severely weakened as his rock-like form proved to be symbiotic in nature as the otherworldly rocks which had been once grafted to Joshua's flesh, was slowly and forcibly peeled off by the curative machine. With Joshua in his weakened state, Victor reveals his true intent was never to cure himself, but to instead enact his revenge on Reed, whom he blamed for leaving him behind on Planet Zero. Joshua then realizes that Victor merely wanted the super-strong Thing out of the way so that no one could stop him from reaching Reed and musters up his strength to combat Victor who easily immobilizes Joshua in his weakened state. Reed who had tracked Joshua down, discovers them and Victor attacks him, defeating Richards and taking him prisoner. When Reed wakes up he finds that his hands and feet are tied, and Victor sarcastically asks him "What happens when you super-cool rubber?" while freezing Reed to prevent him using his powers of distention. When Susan and Johnny realize what has happened, Victor - now calling himself 'Dr. Doom' - fires a heat-seeker missile at the Baxter Building, intending it to target and kill Johnny. Johnny uses his powers of heat and flight to lead the missile to open water, where he ignites a garbage scow to dispose of the missile. However, he is thrown into the water. Meanwhile, Susan attempts to rescue Reed. She unties him and confronts Dr. Doom, but she too proves to be no match for the powerful Doom, and as he is on the verge of killing her, Joshua - having activated Victor's machine and used it upon himself to restore his mutation - bursts into the room. Dr. Doom and Joshua fight, until the battle spills onto the street below. However no matter how hard Joshua attacks him, he is unable to overpower Dr. Doom, and he knocks the Thing flat on his back. He is about to deal the finishing strike, when a recovered Reed and Susan arrive to save Joshua. Dr. Doom begins to scorn them, when he is blasted from behind with fire from none other than Johnny, who survived his encounter with the missile unharmed. Dr. Doom then summons all of the mystic energy in the area so that he can to begin the final showdown. At first, it seems that Dr. Doom has the advantage, as the team struggles under his onslaught of Mystic blasts. Reed manages to use his elastic body to temporarily restrain Doom, and then coordinates the team for an offensive attack, trusting his initial judgment for the first time. He starts by telling Johnny to unleash his supernova heat on Dr. Doom, despite the fact that even Johnny agreed this was dangerous. Johnny uses this to surround Dr. Doom in a vortex of fire, while Reed gets Susan to try to contain it and its dangerous amount of heat within a force field. She manages to do so while Dr. Doom makes futile attempts to break free with his Mystic blasts. When Johnny and Susan give out, it looks as if Dr. Doom is just starting to melt, but he is still on his feet and merely sneers "Is that the best you can do? A little heat?". Reed responds "Time for your lesson - Chem 101. What happens when you rapidly cool hot metal?" Joshua then kicks the top off of a fire hydrant, and he and Reed direct the water shooting out of it at Dr. Doom. The steam created as the water hits Dr. Doom forms a thick cloud, and when it settles, Dr. Doom is seemingly left as a statue of inert metal. Dr. Doom's remains are then transported back to his homeland of Latveria but the ship carrying them experiences unusual electronic interference. Back at the Baxter Building, Joshua received a letter from the Yancy Street Gang, beginning a long series of antagonizing interactions between Joshua and the gang. That same day, a revived Dr. Doom established an alliance with the Sub-Mariner to defeat the Fantastic Four. The pair planted a magnetic device in the Baxter Building to pull it into the sun. Doom betrayed Namor, forcing him to put aside his differences to help the Fantastic Four defeat Doom, leaving him stranded in space while the Baxter Building was returned to its rightful place. Joshua and the other were next manipulated in leaving Earth by Kurrgo of the planet Xanth, who sought to use Reed to save his people from a runaway asteroid. Joshua came along for the ride and was on Xanth until Reed devised a shrink gas to reduce the size of the planet's people so they could fit in one of the two only space craft. After saving the race from eradication, Joshua and the others returned to Earth. During this period, Sue and Johnny spent time between living in New York and the suburb of Glenville while Johnny finished high school. When Johnny was dealing with the Communist saboteur known as the Destroyer, Joshua offered his assistance, but Johnny refused, sending Joshua away angry.

Meeting Alicia Masters
Back in New York, Joshua stormed out on the team when they refused to let him see what Reed was working on, unaware that Richards was working on yet another attempt to cure Joshua of his mutation. While out on the street Joshua was put under the thrall of the Puppet Master, who was seeking to conquer the world using his radioactive clay. When the Puppet Master realized that the Invisible Girl was with Joshua, he knocked Sue out and forced his blind step-daughter Alicia to disguise herself as Sue and help infiltrate the Baxter Building. There the Puppet Master ordered Joshua to attack his remaining teammates, but Reed tricked the mindless Thing into slamming into his experiment, causing Joshua to revert back into human form, freeing him from the Puppet Master's control. The cure proved short lived as the others, and Joshua was more disheartened to find that Alicia seemed to be only interested in him as the Thing. Joshua and the others then thwarted the Puppet Master's attempt to stage a jail break, rescued Sue and the Puppet Master was seemingly slain after he tripped over one of his own puppets and went crashing out a window.

Bankruptcy
Joshua and Alicia soon started dating, and not long after this the Fantastic Four went into bankruptcy, forcing Reed to sell off their assets to keep creditors at bay. However a letter from SM Studios expressing interest in a Fantastic Four movie brought the team to Hollywood to take them up on the million dollar offer. To their surprise, SM Studios was run by the Sub-Mariner who insisted that he legitimately wished to cast them in a movie. With no other choice, the Four agreed to he deal as they needed the money. Namor used this as an attempt to lure the male members of the team into various death traps in the hopes of taking Sue as his betrothed. While Namor chose elaborate traps for Reed and Johnny, he chose to fight Joshua one-on-one along a beach. Joshua managed to get the upper hand until a fluke bolt of lightning struck him, changing him back into human form, allowing Namor to defeat him. Joshua eventually returned to his monstrous form and reunited with Reed and Johnny and rescued Sue. Namor was forced to honor his deal and a film was completed, allowing the Fantastic Four to resume their operations in New York.

Saving the World
Upon returning to New York, Joshua and the others got an unexpected visit from Ben Riley, the second Spider-Man, who came seeking membership with the group. Joshua clashed with Spider-Man until Reed stopped the battle. When Spider-Man learned that membership in the Fantastic Four was not an income earning job, he stormed out on the group. Also during this period Joshua met the extremely powerful hero known as the Sentry, who fought along the side the Fantastic Four against such foes as Dr. Doom, and later the Android Pirates of Dimension Nine. By this time, Joshua's mutation had stabilized into a more rocky form. Shortly thereafter, Reed was forced into switching bodies with Dr. Doom, who had mastered the ability after being rescued by the alien Ovoid race. Doom tricked the other members of the team into thinking that he was truly Reed Richards, and used them to capture "Doom". "Reed" developed a shrink ray to dispose of "Doom" once and for all, intending to use it against the rest of the team as well. Reed broke out and convinced Alicia who he really was, and later the team. Upon admitting that he was really Dr. Doom, Victor was forced back into his own body and became the victim of his own shrink ray, and was shrunk to seeming nothingness. After more harassing mail from the Yancy Street Gang and another failed attempt at a cure, Joshua assisted Reed and Sue in stopping Johnny from being exploited by Acrobat who enticed Johnny into quitting the Fantastic Four and joining his Torrid Twosome in order to trick Johnny into robbing a bank. Joshua then joined his fellow teammates in clashing with a strange alien that could change its shape into anything it wanted and was causing trouble throughout the city. Joshua dubbed the alien the Impossible Man, whom they learned was on vacation and really enjoyed entertaining himself by playing pranks. Reed eventually deduced that ignoring the Impossible Man would make him so bored he willingly left Earth. During this adventure, Joshua also encountered Turbo a female hero from a few years in his future who was briefly trapped in their time. Joshua and the rest of the Fantastic Four were next enlisted by General Thaddeus Ross to go to Nevada to stop a transformed version of his older brother Elijah, who was now referring to himself as the Hulk and was accused of sabotaging equipment being tested by the military. This ultimately led to Joshua as the Thing clashing with Elijah as the Hulk, the first of many clashes. However the results of the bout were inconclusive when the real saboteur, a communist agent calling himself the Wrecker, felled the Hulk with a powerful ray. The Fantastic Four easily captured the Wrecker, but the Hulk managed to escape. Back in New York, Joshua joined Reed and his teammates on a rocket trip to the fabled Blue Area of the Moon. There they found they were followed by the Russian scientist known as the Red Ghost who purposely bombarded himself and his so-called Super-Apes with cosmic rays to gain super powers. Clashing on the moon with the enhanced creatures, Joshua was confronted by Uatu the Watcher, an alien who was charged with examining and recording all Earth history. Uatu issued a challenge to see which nation was the greatest, pitting the Fantastic Four against Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, a battle the Four ultimately won. When they returned to Earth, Sue was captured by the Sub-Mariner who was under the thrall of the Puppet Master who had survived their last encounter. Bringing Alicia with him to face the Sub-Mariner, Joshua played an integral part in freeing Sue and the Puppet Master's defeat, freeing Namor from his control. The Fantastic Four were next manipulated into taking a leave of absence by the criminal mastermind who called himself the Mad Thinker. Through these manipulations, Joshua left the group to become a professional wrestler in the mid-west. Growing bored with the scripted matches, Joshua eventually quit and returned to the Baxter Building, reunited with his comrades. They found their base taken over by the Thinker and his minions, but Joshua and the others managed to retake their headquarters, defeating the Thinker and his creation the Awesome Android. After yet another temporary cure, Dr. Doom soon resurfaced and captured Alicia using her as a hostage and attempted to force the United States into surrendering to him, using special disintegrates on his ship to the Fantastic Four's unique DNA. Since the weapons were designed to destroy the Thing in his mutated form, Reed administered the temporary cure allowing Joshua to break through the barrier and gain the others access to the ship. They then rescued Alicia, and Doom seemingly perished when he fell out of the ship. Doom survived however taking Sue prisoner, he forced Joshua and the others to use his time machine to go back in time to recover Blackbeard's treasure chest in order to claim jewels within that supposedly belonged to the wizard Merlin. Sent centuries into the past, the three men disguised themselves in that era's clothing and when they were captured by a band of pirates, they took their ship. Much to Reed and Johnny's surprise, the pirates took Joshua to be their master, calling him Blackbeard. Recovering the treasure chest, Joshua refused to go, wanting to stay behind now that he was finally accepted. However a tornado soon wrecked the ship, and Joshua came to his senses deciding to return to the present with them. Before Doom could bring them back to the present, Reed replaced the treasure inside the chest with chains. Learning this Doom furiously trapped them in an air tight room but they were rescued by Sue, and forced Doom to retreat. Doom later attempted to lure the Fantastic Four into another trap by holding Spider-Man hostage. However unknown to Doom he had really captured Flash Thompson, a devote Spider-Man fan. By the time Joshua and the others arrived to rescue Flash, Doom had already been defeated and forced to retreat by the real Spider-Man, Ben Riley. Next, the Skrulls sent their enhanced warrior the Super-Skrull to Earth. The Super-Skrull was able to imitate all the powers of the Fantastic Four, and had the team on the ropes until Reed deduced that the alien's power source was beamed to him. Joshua was instrumental in his defeat, brawling with the Skrull until Sue could plant a jammer on him leading to his defeat and burial in a dormant volcano. When the villain known as the Eel was loose with an active nuclear miniature nuclear pile which threatened to explode, Joshua attempted to find the villain on his own, but was unsuccessful in capturing the criminal. Later, Johnny nearly lost his life capturing the Eel and absorbing the nuclear blast. Joshua was incredibly shaken by Johnny's near-death experience. Reed decided it was time for the team to take a vacation and Joshua brought Alicia along with him on a cruise. At this time, Namor had finally found his lost people and reclaimed the Atlantean throne. Seeking to claim dominion over the seven seas, Namor kidnapped the Fantastic Four and ordered them to deliver his ultimatum to the United Nations before releasing them. When the United Nations refused, Namor led an invasion of New York City. Joshua was sent out to capture an Atlantean soldier so that Reed could learn their weakness. This allowed Reed to develop a device that evaporated the water in the Atlanteans' helmets forcing them into retreat, however Namor attacked the group and kidnapped Sue. Joshua and the others went after him and clashed with him again, until his minions Lady Dorma and Warlord Krang attempted to drown Sue, prompting her teammates and Namor to come to her rescue, ending the fight. After Sue was delivered to a hospital by Namor, the undersea monarch fled, only to find that his people had abandoned him for saving the life of a surface dweller. Not long after this, Reed began studying Egyptology and discovered evidence that an ancient Pharaoh named Rama-Tut had managed to cure himself of his blindness with a special radioactive herb. Joshua agreed with a plan to travel back to the year 2950 BC using Dr. Doom's time machine. Traveling into the past they were shocked to learn that Rama-Tut was really a time traveler from the 30th Century who had come to this era to conquer it. The Four were easily defeated by Tut's future technology, Sue was made Rama-Tut's slave while the others were taken prisoner. Joshua was forced to row on a ship, when suddenly he reverted to human form. Unknown to Joshua, the transformation was caused by the secret assistance of Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange who traveled to this era from a few years in the Fantastic Four's future. Joshua then broke free and fought his way to Rama-Tut's throne room, freeing Sue before reverting back to his monstrous form. Freeing the others they fought against Rama-Tut forcing him to retreat in his time machine. Reed and the others recovered the needed radioactive herb and returned to their own era. However when they returned to the present they were disappointed to find that Doom's machine neutralized the radioactivity of the herb, rendering it useless. Joshua and the others were next warned by the Watcher of the creation of a new super-powered menace known as the Molecule Man whose powers threatened to destroy the universe. Joshua joined the others in clashing with the Molecule Man. Reed deduced that their foe could not manipulate organic matter, and they tricked the Molecule Man into going to Alicia's apartment where the team posed as clay statues, easily over powering the Molecule Man, subduing him long enough for Utatu to take him away. The group next went after a racist rabble rouser calling himself the Hate-Monger who was spreading prejudice across New York. The Four were subjected to his Hate-Ray causing them to fight amongst themselves, leading to the group splitting up yet again. When Reed went off to San Gusto to stop the Hate-Monger's coup there, the other members of the team went after him to fight Reed again. Reed administered a cure to Joshua and the others, and when the Hate-Monger was slain, they were surprised to find that he was a clone of Adolf Hitler. Back in New York, the Puppet Master soon returned to get revenge against the Fantastic Four, using his puppets to turn Joshua against Johnny and forcing them to fight across the city. This was until Alicia spotted her step-father, who informed Johnny. Johnny destroyed the Puppet Master's puppets freeing Joshua from his control. Before Joshua could pummel the Puppet Master, Alicia convinced him to let her step-father go. The Mole Man resurfaced and tricked the Fantastic Four to seek the purchase of an island to store some of Reed's equipment, leading themselves into a trap. Joshua and the others managed to stop the Mole Man from lowering Manhattan and Moscow into the Earth to set off World War III. Sometime after this, Johnny was present when Reed began experimenting with the Cosmic Cube with the Sentry. When the Cube took possession of Cloc, the Sentry's computer system, Johnny helped defend the group from various threats created by the computer until the Cube was ultimately stopped. Soon Joshua and the others became discontented with Reed's leadership and fought over who would be the new leader of the team. Dr. Doom resurfaced around this time and empowered Bull Brogin, "Handsome" Harry Phillips and Yogi Dakor as his Terrible Trio to fight with the Fantastic Four. Doom sent Bull Brogin to lure Joshua to Yancy Street, where the battle ended in Joshua's defeat when he once more briefly reverted to human form. The group was captured and Doom intended to trap them in a room that would dump them into space by the passage of a solar wave that would create an opening through time and space. Joshua and the others managed to escape and left Doom to fall through the solar wave. Realizing that Reed was indeed the only person fit to lead, the Fantastic Four stopped seeking a new leader among the group. Joshua and his teammates next defended New York from the so-called Infant Terrible, an infant alien with reality altering powers, stopping mobster Big Joe from manipulating the creature until the alien's parents came to recover their child before it could destroy the Earth. When the Hulk arrived in New York, Joshua was the only member available to stop him as Reed fell ill, Sue was looking after his treatment and Johnny was injured in the Hulk's attack. Joshua held his own against the Hulk until both Reed and Johnny recovered and the Fantastic Four then defeated the Hulk, who was swept away in the Hudson River. When the Sub-Mariner once again kidnapped Sue to force her to be with him, Reed -- who was about to propose to her -- went after Namor alone. Not wanting Reed to go up against their foe, Johnny and the Thing enlisted the aid of Dr. Strange to help them locate Namor and rescue Sue.

Meeting the X-Men
The Puppet Master and Mad Thinker later joined forces and used a puppet to take control of a group of mutants known as the X-Men's leader Professor X in order to trick the X-Men into battling the Fantastic Four. It was at this time that Joshua saw him; Bobby Stewart. Bobby had returned from the past but for some reason, had no memory, beyond him becoming Weapon X and joining the X-Men, meanwhile Johnny clashed with the rest of the group until Professor X managed to fight off the Puppet Master's control and the two teams defeated their foes, who managed to flee. Joshua would then try to convince Bobby, now going by the persona of The Wolverine that he was Batman, and that his city needed him. However Bobby remained unconvinced and brushed off the Things words, simply telling him that he had the wrong man and that his name was Logan.

Old Foes
Joshua and Alicia next went on a double-date with Johnny and his girlfriend Doris Evans to the World's Fair grounds. Their date was interrupted by the armored criminal calling himself the Beetle, whom the duo managed to defeat. Not long after this an ancient mummy named Gomdulla was re-awoken and went on a rampage. Joshua and his teammates attempted to go after the creature with the help of Spider-Man. Later when Spider-Man accidentally knocked out Sue while trying to stop Electro from robbing a bank, the Fantastic Four fought with Spider-Man until Sue stopped them and they all worked together to bring Electro to justice. The Red Ghost later resurfaced and attempted to kill the Fantastic Four by stranding them on the moon. The heroes managed to seek refuge in the Watcher's citadel, defending it from Red Ghost. When the Red Ghost was defeated the Watcher returned the group to Earth. Joshua joined his teammates on a vacation to Transylvania where the he was tricked into freeing the ancient alchemist known as Diablo who offered him the false promise of a cure for his mutation, administering a partial cure. Diablo then began his plans to try and take over the world, however due to the limited effects of his potions, Joshua returned to his mutated state after a short period of time and joined his teammates in stopping Diablo's plans. Fearing that they were getting less publicity, Johnny and Joshua attempted to get a name for themselves by attacking the Sub-Mariner, foiling a plan of Reed's to make peace. Adding insult to injury, the reporters whom they believed were covering stories on Sue and Reed turned out to be researching a surprise article for both Joshua and Johnny. Johnny and Joshua were once again targeted by the Puppet Master and the Mad Thinker, turning the Thing against the Torch. However one of the Thing's unstable and temporary reversions to human form eventually freed Joshua from their control. With the help of Reed, the duo foiled the Thinker and Puppet Master's plot. While out on another double date with Johnny, Doris and Alicia, both Johnny and Joshua had to defend the city from a reptilian creature calling himself the Golden Gator, who was trying to use alligators from the sewers to invade the city. Unknown to them at the time, the creature was an aspect of the demon KhLΘG. Once more having issue with Reed being the leader of the team, both Johnny and Joshua were set straight when Reed posing as a mysterious villain soundly defeated them. Unaware that their foe Dr. Doom had returned from space, nor that he was the secret ruler of the nation of Latveria, Joshua and the others agreed an invitation to the Latverian embassy. There Doom tricked the Fantastic Four into drinking a drugged beverage that made them see the worst of each other forcing the team to fight each other. Johnny and Joshua duked it out until Reed uncovered Doom's involvement and defeated him in battle. The Mole Man then resurfaced and sunk a New York City block, taking Sue hostage. Joshua and the others freed her and defeated the Mole Man, but Sue was injured. Johnny and Sue's father Franklin, who had just broken out of prison, treated Sue, saving her life before being apprehended again. Johnny and Sue were in for a shock when he father seemingly broke out of prison again after gaining similar powers to the Fantastic Four and then committed a series of crimes calling himself the Invincible Man. However Reed correctly deduced that Franklin had been captured by the Skrulls and that their agent the Super-Skrull was posing as Franklin in order to prevent the Fantastic Four from interfering with their invasion plans. Reed forced the Skrulls to return Franklin to Earth, but they rigged him with a bomb to kill the Fantastic Four. Unwilling to harm his children, Franklin Storm sacrificed his life to blunt the blow. Later, Oscorp employee David Lowell experimented on himself turning into the super-powered Sundown and began terrorizing the city. Joshua joined Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Dr. Strange and the X-Men in defeating the foe. Joshua next joined his teammates in accompanying Lady Dorma back to Atlantis to assist Namor in repelling the invasion forces of the warlord Attuma. When mutant twins Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch sought refuge from Mangeto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants they sought out the aid of the Fantastic Four. Only Johnny and Joshua were home when they came calling and a fight broke out. Ultimately, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch got away, deciding to remain with Magneto for the time being. Joshua was later tricked into thinking that Reed was really a Skrull spy by millionaire Gregory Gideon who sought to eliminate the Fantastic Four in a bid to rule the world. However the Four realized the deception and Gideon. Gideon's master plan was to set up a Reed' Time-Platform as a trap, but when Gideon's son was transported back in time with Joshua, Gideon relented and Reed brought them back to the present. Spider-Man later attempted to crash one of Johnny's parties, leading to a clash between the wall crawler and the Fantastic Four that was quickly stopped by Sue. By this time the Terrible Trio had broken out of prison once again and targeted both Johnny and Joshua. Their ridiculously clichéd plot to tie the two heroes to a railroad track was easily thwarted and the Trio were recaptured once again. Joshua then accompanied the team to a speaking engagement at his old University. There their old foe Diablo resurfaced and brought to life Professor Gregson Gilbert's Dragon Man android. Joshua fought the creature along side his teammates until it and Diablo were seemingly drowned in underwater whirlpools beneath Dead Man's Lake. Following this adventure, Reed finally proposed to Sue. Joshua later joined Johnny, Doris and Alicia on a date to see a popular British rock and roll group, in one of their more mundane roles as super-heroes, the pair stopped a gang of robbers from stealing from the show's box office. Days later, Johnny's rogue gallery soon came back to haunt him when the Wizard organized his counter group called the Frightful Four which consisted of Paste-Pot Pete (who quickly changed his name to the Trapster), the Sandman and the mysterious woman known only as Medusa. Reed, Sue and Joshua were attacked after celebrating and captured. However Alicia managed to signal Johnny who was away from the Baxter Building at the time. Johnny helped free his teammates and they defeated the Frightful Four, who managed to escape capture. Not long after this both Johnny and Joshua were targeted by the Mad Thinker, who unleashed his ridiculous "Bouncing Ball of Doom" against the pair as they attempted to thwart a bank robbery, it was a scheme that the pair quickly foiled. Before she could go to the altar, Sue insisted that they bring down the Skrull responsible for murdering their father. Reed was convinced and soon the Fantastic Four flew to the Skrull homeworld. There they found that their powers were weakening, and they were soon captured by Warlord Morrat the man responsible for killing Franklin Richards. Unknown to the Four at the time, Morrat was attempting to usurp the throne from Skrull ruler Emperor Dorrek and win the hand of Princess Anelle. The Four freed themselves and restored their powers using Reed's power-booster weapon. When Morrat's schemes were revealed he died under the orders of Dorrek VII who allowed the Fantastic Four to return home to Earth.

Solo Adventures with Johnny Parr-21
The Next year began with Joshua getting involved in a series of solo adventures with the aid of the Human Torch. First, he tested out a new rocket capsule for NASA, foiling the machinations of mad scientist Professor Jack. The pair were next attacked by the Puppet Master who briefly used mechanical dolls to try and defeat the pair, but to no avail. The Watcher recruited Johnny and Joshua to travel back in time to 6th century Camelot where they assisted King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table stave off an invasion from Kang the Conqueror a time traveler from the 30th Century, driving him out of that era before returning to their own time. The Frightful Four then struck at Joshua and his teammates again. This time the villains were successful in capturing the entire group and leaving them stranded on an island with a Q-Bomb. Although the bomb went off, Sue saved their lives with an invisible force field at the last minute. However their exposure to Q-Bomb radiation stripped Joshua and the others of their super-human powers. With no immediate means of restoring their powers, Reed quickly devised crude mechanical imitations of each members abilities. Joshua built a robotic version of his monstrous form which he had to learn how to operate via remote control. At this time Dr. Doom recovered from the hypnosis that led him to believe he defeated the Fantastic Four and launched a revenge plot against them. The Four were helped to cover by The Question. Doom had taken over the Baxter Building, prompting The Question to lead the powerless Fantastic Four into their headquarters. There Reed discovered that his power booster was fully recharged and used it to restore their powers, and Joshua easily defeated Doom, although he was none to happy to become the Thing again. Joshua then left the group and was captured by the Frightful Four and exposed to their ID Machine, making him evil. Johnny and the rest of the team went after Joshua, but found themselves captured. The FF broke free but Johnny was captured by the Frightful Four and also exposed to the ID Machine. Unknown to the foes at the time, Sue had sabotaged the machine during the fight, and Johnny was only pretending to be loyal to the Wizard. Eventually, the Frightful Four saw through this ruse and took Johnny prisoner. Their subsequent clash with the Fantastic Four led to their defeat as they managed to cure Joshua in time to turn the tide of battle, although Medusa managed to escape.

Reed and Sue's Wedding
Finally it was Reed and Sue's big day and with the wedding well under way, Dr. Doom plotted to spoil the festivities with an attack. Using his "Emotion Charger" device he brainwashed an army of super-villains to attack the wedding. Joshua saw the most action when he witnessed Nick Fury and his agents of SHIELD take down the Puppet Master, helped the X-Men fight off an attack by the Mole Man and his Moloids, then defended Sue and Alicia from Red Ghost and his Super-Apes with the help of Reed, Johnny and Dr. Strange. Soon Joshua got into a massive fight with an army of super-powered villains along with all the super-heroes who were attending the wedding. The battle was quickly ended when Reed obtained a Time Displacer device from the Watcher and used it to banish all the attackers. The wedding then resumed without further interruption and Reed and Sue became husband and wife.

Further Adventures
Later the Mad Thinker went on a rampage through Manhattan with his Awesome Android again soon after. This led to yet another clash with the Fantastic Four. The Thinker was defeated this time thanks to the assistance of Marvel Girl of the X-Men, who was under evaluation by the Invisible Girl for Professor X at the time. After the Thinker was apprehended, the Fantastic Four and X-Men dismantled his secret headquarters hidden in a rock quarry outside of New York. Following the wedding, Medusa approached the Fantastic Four for assistance in evading capture by a being named Gorgan, a member of her race of Inhumans. While the others fought Gorgan, Johnny took Medusa to Dead Man's Lake near Joshua and Reed's old university. Their presence there revived the Dragon Man who also attacked. In the three way battle, Dragon Man absconded with Sue, leaving Johnny and the others to be buried alive fighting Gorgon, who escaped with Medusa. Pulling themselves out of the rubble, they were quickly reunited with Sue who managed to tame the Dragon Man. While Joshua and the others were busy planning, Johnny ended up in a slum part of town slated for demolition. There he witnessed the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life but when he attempted to approach her she pushed him away with elemental powers and fled. Unable to get his mind off of this girl, Johnny searched the area for her until he found her again. When she fled a second time, Johnny showed off his powers a well. As it turned out, the girl was named Crystal and she was a member of the Inhumans as well. Mistaking Johnny for one of her people, she brought him to the secret location where she was hiding out with her leader Black Bolt, Karnak, Tritan, her sister Medusa, Gorgon and her teleporting dog Lockjaw. Recognized by Gorgon and Medusa, the Inhumans tried to stop Johnny before someone called the Seeker found them. Johnny in turn summoned his teammates who came to his aid. During the course of the battle, the Inhumans decided to flee before they were captured. Seeing Crystal in the midst of teleporting away with the others, Joshua accompanied his teammates back to headquarters where they learned that the Seeker captured Dragon Man, whom the Seeker mistook for an Inhuman. Going after Dragon Man the group later learned that the Seeker sought to capture the rogue Inhuman royal family to bring them back to his ruler, the insane Maximus, in the ensuing battle the Dragon Man managed to escape. Joshua and Johnny went after Dragon Man whose rampage was causing untold damage. Joshua ended up rescuing Alicia from danger when the monster neared her apartment. The Four followed the Seeker back to the Great Refuge, home of the Inhumans. They had arrived just as Black Bolt had retaken the throne from Maximus. However Maximus was not ready to admit defeat, seeking to conquer the Earth for his fellow Inhumans, Maximus activated his Atmo-Gun in the hopes of wiping out the human race. However Inhumans and humans proved to be much similar and the weapon had only a mild effect. Furious, Maximus then attempted to seal off the Great Refuge in a impenetrable "Negative Zone" barrier. Johnny refused to leave Crystal and was forced out by Joshua. Trapped outside the Great Refuge, Johnny vowed to find a way back to Crystal no matter what. However, this quest was quickly put on the back burner when the Watcher attempted to obscure the Earth from the Silver Surfer, herald of the planet eating Galactus. Johnny and Joshua tried to clash with the Surfer, but were too late to stop him from summoning his master to Earth. Further attacks directed at Galactus also were met with failure. The Watcher then approached Johnny giving him the power to travel great distances via space-time distortion. Johnny was then led to Galactus' Worldship to obtain the one weapon that could stop Galactus. Meanwhile, Joshua continued to fight with his other teammates against Galactus, clashing with his cyborg enforcer the Punisher. Johnny returned to Earth just as the Silver Surfer joined the Fantastic Four in trying to stop his master. Johnny then turned over the Ultimate Nullifier to Reed who used it to bluff Galactus into surrendering. Galactus agreed to not consume the Earth, and left but not before exiling the Surfer to the planet. When Joshua found out that the Surfer had learned compassion for human life from Alicia, and watching her come to the Surfer's defense when he threatened the alien, Joshua assumed the worst and left. Joshua was lured into the home of disgruntled scientist Ricardo Jones who sought to eliminate Reed Richards whom he assumed was a fame and glory seeker. Knocking Joshua out, Jones used his Duplication Apparatus to transfer Joshua's powers into him, transforming Jones into a near duplicate of the Thing while Joshua was restored to human form. Jones then went to eliminate Reed Richards by posing as his best friend. When Joshua woke up hours later he rushed to the Baxter Building to warn Reed but was dismissed as an impostor and thrown out of the building. Joshua decided to cut his losses and went to visit Alicia, hoping that his now human form would eliminate any barriers he saw in their relationships and prepared to propose. However moments before he could knock on Alicia's apartment door, Ricardo Jones sacrificed his life saving Reed from the Negative Zone. Jones' death caused Joshua to revert back to his mutated form. Joshua then fled Alicia's hallway and returned to his teammates. Joshua accompanied the Fantastic Four who were invited to the reclusive nation of Wakanda by the Black Panther. Accompanying them was Johnny's college roommate Wyatt Wingfoot. When arriving in Wakanda, the five were attacked by the Black Panther in a hunt to test their abilities. The Fantastic Four ultimately won, winning the friendship of the Panther. Joshua helped the Black Panther defend his nations supply of rare Vibranium metal from Ulysses Klaw who was responsible for murdering the Black Panther's father. While Johnny and the others fought against Klaw's solid sound constructs, the Black Panther fought Klaw to the seeming death. After a baseball game and receiving gifts from the Black Panther, Reed, Sue and Joshua returned to New York while Johnny and Wyatt went off to find a way to free Crystal and the Inhumans from the Great Refuge. Back in New York, Joshua went to visit Alicia, finding her vacationing at a cottage. Also at this time the Silver Surfer had come to visit Alicia to learn more about humanity. Assuming that the Surfer was trying to make time with his woman, the Thing got into a fight with the Silver Surfer. Reed and Sue eventually intervened, convincing Joshua that the Surfer posed no threat to his relationship. Soon Joshua and the others were reunited with Johnny and Wyatt who were teleported back to New York by Lockjaw on their quest to free the Inhumans. During this time, the Mad Thinker and his sentient computer Quasimodo recovered the body of the original android Human Torch, a hero from the 1940s and revived him. The Thinker then sent the original Human Torch after his successor. Reed and the others came to Johnny's aid and convinced the android Torch to join them in stopping the Thinker. However in the final battle, Quasimodo seemingly slew the android and the Mad Thinker successfully escaped. Wyatt and Johnny then left to resume their quest, leaving Reed and Sue to inter the original Torch's body in the Thinker's lab. The Baxter Building was later attacked by Ulysses Klaw, who had survived his last battle by converting himself into a being of solid sound. He trapped Joshua and Reed in the Negative Zone chamber and then terrorized Sue. However Reed ultimately defeated Klaw when the Black Panther sent him Vibranium knuckles which he used to beat Klaw into submission. Reed, Sue and Joshua were next called to State Prison where they found the Sandman trying to break the Wizard out of prison. While they thwarted the prison break, the Sandman managed to escape. They then returned to base where the Sandman ambushed them, and before they could stop him escaped with a bunch of equipment stolen from Reed's lab. Also at that time, unknown to them, Dr. Doom tricked the Silver Surfer into visiting his kingdom then used his scientific equipment to steal the Surfer's Power Cosmic for himself. Dr. Doom then attacked the Fantastic Four, and even the return of the Human Torch did little to stand against the cosmic powered Dr. Doom. Ultimately Reed had to admit defeat, and Doom decided to spare their lives for a while longer. After warning the world governments about Doom, Reed was granted permission from the United Nations to deal with Doom first. Recalling how the Surfer was exiled on Earth, Richards began working on a prototype of a Anti-Cosmic Flying Wing to defeat Doom. Reed led the Fantastic Four into battle while the US army worked on a larger version of the Flying Wing. Reed distracted Doom long enough for the Flying Wing to be completed. The device then lured Doom out of Earth's atmosphere and into the barrier that Galactus put in place to keep the Surfer on Earth. The resulting impact seemingly slew Doom and the Power Cosmic was reverted back to the Silver Surfer. When returning home the FF were attacked by the Sandman once again, who used the devices stolen from Reed to construct a new high-tech costume. During the fight, Reed's portal to the Negative Zone was accidentally opened and while the Sandman managed to escape, Reed was sucked into it and was at the risk of death as he drifted uncontrollably into a nullification zone. It was during this tragic turn of events that Crystal revealed that she and her people escaped the Great Refuge. Understanding the Fantastic Four's plight, Crystal obtained the aid of Tritan, who used his swimming prowess to rescue Reed from the Negative Zone. However they were followed back to Earth by an exiled criminal named Blastarr. Blastarr came across the Sandman and the two teamed up to attack New York City. While most of the team were busy fighting the pair, Reed developed a helmet that would subdue Blastarr. Joshua battled against the Sandman who managed to escape, meanwhile Blastarr fared worse when Reed succeeded in placing the helmet on his head, knocking him out. When Reed and Sue decided to take a vacation with Joshua on a remote island where they were attacked by the Kree Sentry left on Earth millions of years ago, Johnny rushed to his teammates' aid and helped destroy the robot. This earned the ire the Kree's leader the Supreme Intelligence who sent his agent Ronan the Accuser to punish the Fantastic Four. Joshua was teleported away while on a date with Alicia, but he and his teammates succeeded in defeating Ronan who fled back to the Kree galaxy. It was soon discovered that Alicia had went missing during their battle with Ronan and Reed went right to work to find clues to her whereabouts. This drove Joshua nearly insane with grief as he painfully waited for Reed to try and learn what happened to her. Developing a heat image scanner, Reed was able to reconstruct a scene in Alicia's apartment where she was lured away by a Jerome Hamilton a scientist who worked for the secret Enclave organization. Joshua then assisted Reed in duplicating a bracelet that Hamilton wore to teleport Alicia to the Enclave's scientific laboratories called the Beehive. There they learned the scientists in the Enclave were attempting to create new life and kidnapped Alicia so she could sculpt their un-see-able creation, known only as Him. With the Enclave seeking to destroy Him, the Fantastic Four defended the creature and Alicia until Him could emerge from his cocoon. When Him succeeded, Reed and the others returned home, and Him destroyed the Beehive. Not long after their return from the Enclave, Sue collapsed and Reed's examinations found that Sue was pregnant with his child, much to everyone's delight. Soon after this announcement, Johnny and Joshua were dispatched to Panther Island to assist the Inhuman Royal Family and the Black Panther in trying to stop the Psycho-Man from attempting to take control of Earth. Johnny assisted in destroying Psycho-Man's massive Emoto-Caster, but the Psycho-Man managed to escape. With Joshua once more depressed over his mutation, Reed enlisted the aid of famous chemist Dr. Santini to try and cure Joshua. However unknown to them at the time, Santini was replaced by the Mad Thinker who altered the experiment so that it turned Joshua evil instead of curing him. While Reed and the others fought Joshua, the Mad Thinker had free reign of all of Reed's experiments. Unwilling to destroy their teammate, the Fantastic Four were easily defeated by the Thing in the first bout. When Reed deduced that the Mad Thinker was involved, the team in stormed the Thinker's secret lab, rescuing Sanitni and apprehending the Thinker. Returning to base, they were attacked by the Thing once again, but Reed managed to blast him with a Menta-Wave Unit restoring Joshua to normal just as the Mad Thinker's newest android arrived to finish them off. Johnny, Joshua and Reed battled the android, ultimately dumping it into the Negative Zone, however the experienced proved to Reed that he and his pregnant wife could not be safe at the Baxter Building and he resolved to leave the group. While Reed and Sue headed off to California, Johnny, Joshua and Crystal were left to determine the fate of the group, when they were suddenly approached by the Watcher. The Watcher warned that the Silver Surfer was going to menace the world in a misguided attempt to unify humanity. Johnny and Joshua were joined by Reed who was teleported back to New York by the Watcher in stopping the Surfer, convincing the alien the folly of his plans. Reed and Sue then decided to remain at the Baxter building. Having survived his last encounter with the Fantastic Four, Dr. Doom tricked the Fantastic Four into thinking that the heroic Question had been possessed by Doom himself, putting the team on alert. Thinking that their headquarters was under attack the Fantastic Four attacked Question. Question then enlisted the aid of Spider-Man and the Magical Champion of Earth, Shazam, to try to convince the Fantastic Four that they had been duped. Joshua fought Shazam thinking he was a robot duplicate created by Doom until Sue stopped the fight and revealed the truth to all gathered. Soon the Surfer sought out the Fantastic Four for help when Galactus was on his way to force the Surfer to be his herald once more. Joshua and the others stood up against Galactus' Punisher cyborg, while the Silver Surfer -- unknown to them -- fled. Galactus soon called off his enforcer and demanded that the Fantastic Four find the Surfer or he would have no choice but to consume Earth. The Fantastic Four initially refused and so Galactus created cosmic powered duplicates of Reed, Joshua and Johnny to attack the heroes. They ultimately defeated these constructs, but had no choice but to find the Surfer. Reed deduced that the Surfer fled to the Alaskan wilderness and they followed after him in Reed's newly constructed Reducta-Craft. There they clashed with the Surfer and convinced him to help Galactus. The Surfer did help Galactus in finding the energy he needed in an uninhabited solar system but found himself exiled on Earth to be used by Galactus again in the future. Meanwhile, Reed devised a means of restoring Joshua back to his human form, however he cautioned that should Joshua change back into the Thing the transformation would be permanent. Although initially happy to be back in human form, Joshua began to doubt if Alicia ever loved him as anything but the Thing. Soon more doubt was heaped upon Joshua after the group was attacked by the recently escaped Wizard, who nearly defeated the team with his new "Wonder Gloves", but was defeated, making Joshua question his decision to renounce his powers, as he was a liability to his teammates who had just lost a great asset to the team. Joshua then went on a date to meet Alicia, bringing with him the Wizard's Wonder Gloves. Signals given off the gloves somehow activated the Mad Thinker's latest creation, Android Man who followed it to where Joshua and Alicia had gone for dinner. Joshua found himself no match for the Android Man, and had no choice but to use the Wonder Gloves to mutate himself back into the Thing and destroy the android before it could harm Alicia or any of the other patrons. Even though he was hailed as a hero, Joshua was thoroughly depressed as it seemed that he was trapped as the Thing forever. Joshua returned to the Baxter building where he learned that Johnny got a letter asking for Johnny's help on the land owned by his people the Keewazi tribe. There Reed and his teammates learned that the Red Star Oil Company had constructed a massive robot based on the Keewazi god Tomazooma to try to force the Keewazi off their oil rich land. They Helped the Keewazi leader Silent Fox in driving away the Communist backed corporation. Returning home, Reed revealed to Joshua and Johnny that the cosmic rays that powered Sue were complicating her pregnancy, threatening to kill both Sue and her unborn child during birth. Having discovered that a power source in the Negative Zone could save his wife Reed was determined to go alone, but Johnny and Joshua refused to let do so and accompanied him. Traveling into the Negative Zone together they were captured by the brutal Darwinist known as Annihilus who captured the group. Learning that Annihilus' Cosmic Control Rod was the energy source Reed needed, the trio stole it and attempted to flee the Negative Zone, however caught between Annihilus and the Annihilation Zone, Reed compromised with the strange creature, syphoning the energy he needed and returning it to Annihilus in exchange for safe passage back to Earth. Rushing to the hospital, Reed succeeded in saving Sue's life, who gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Franklin, Reed and Sue decided to make Joshua the godfather to the newborn. With Sue unable to play an active role on the team to raise her newborn son, Crystal petitioned to join the team. Both Johnny and Reed were both apprehensive about the idea, but she proved herself during a rematch with the Wizard who attacked them with new and improved Wonder Gloves. Although the Wizard managed to escape, Crystal convinced both Reed and Johnny that she was the perfect replacement for Sue while she was away from the group. Shortly thereafter, Joshua and his teammates were invited to a wedding party being thrown for Yellowjacket and the Wasp. Needing royal approval from the Inhumans, Crystal insisted on returning to the Great Refuge, but upon summoning Lockjaw she was captured by the Alpha Primitives a slave class that carried out menial tasks for the Inhumans. Joshua and the rest of the team traveled to the Hidden Land where they were captured and learned that Maximus had once again taken over the Inhuman throne and sought to take over the world with a Hypno-Gun. Black Bolt managed to free himself and the Royal Family and they in turn freed the Fantastic Four. Working together, the two groups destroyed Maximus' Hypno-Gun, but Maximus and his minions managed to flee into space. On their way back to America, Joshua and the others were stopped by Nick Fury and his agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. who requested the Fantastic Four's help investigating reports that Dr. Doom was supplying robots to a communist nation in Eastern Europe. Traveling there the group was easily captured and made prisoner in Dr. Doom's homeland of Latveria, unable to leave due to defenses around the nation. Doom intended them to live there until the day they died. With the people of Latveria revolting against Doom's rule, Dr. Doom had the Fantastic Four knocked out and brainwashed into thinking they had lost their powers before ordering all the dissidents, and his hated foes eliminated. Overcoming their brainwashing in the attack by Doom's robots, Joshua and the others succeeded in destroying the robots. Before taking the fight to Doom, the group was joined by Sue who had come searching for them. Splitting up, Johnny, Reed and Joshua fought with Doom's minion Gustav Hauptmann a Nazi war criminal. However when Hauptmann almost destroyed some of Doom's priceless artwork, the monarch grew tired of the match, slew Hauptmann and allowed the Fantastic Four to leave unscathed. Reed and Sue then began seeking out a suitable home where they could raise their child. They went out of their way to purchase a bizarre metallic home that just appeared one day, unaware that this was a trap laid out by the Mole Man to blind the entire team and defeat them in battle before turning his blinding device on the entire world. Joshua and the others were outmatched without their vision, until a stray shot seriously wounded Reed and destroyed the device making them blind. Furious, Johnny savagely went after the Mole Man and subdued him before he could activate the device that would blind the entire world. After the battle was over, Joshua decided to leave to go make a date with Alicia. However along the way he was tricked by the Skrullian Slave Master who disguised himself as Reed and lured him into capture. Joshua was then taken to the planet Kral IV. There Joshua was surprised to learn that the Skrulls became obsessed with the Prohibition Era of American history since they captured mobster Machine-Gun Martin decades earlier. The Skrulls of this world operated as gangs who settled turf wars by capturing slaves from various worlds and forcing them to fight to the death in an arena. Joshua was then locked into a cell that controlled his actions with a hypnotic device. He also met the alien being that he would soon have to fight to the death, the mechanical being known as Torgo. Joshua was then forced to practice against other alien combatants, but revolted every step of the way only to be punished with various high tech devices. He also attempted to convince Torgo to stand up against their captors, leading to a fight before they were placed out into the arena for a final battle to the death. During the final battle, Joshua refused to bring himself to kill Torgo in combat and frequently destroyed their weapons, even at risk of injuring himself. Torgo meanwhile was forced to fight on despite this due to the fact that the Skrulls threatened to use a magnetic displacer device to throw either of their world's into a nearby star if they refused to fight. However by this time, Reed and the others had tracked Joshua and fought their way into the arena. Destroying the Skrull device and freeing Joshua they inspired Torgo to lead a revolt against the Skrulls. During the war, Joshua discovered that he could resume his human form at will, to which Reed began to suspect that Joshua's inability to assume human form before was a strictly psychological limitation tied to Joshua's relationship with Alicia, who had fallen in love with him in his Thing form. Reed theorized that Joshua's fear of losing Alicia was the only thing preventing him from resuming his human form at will, but he was unsure of this theory and kept it to himself, not wanting to undermine Joshua's romance. Joshua on the other hand, assumed it was caused by some strange properties of the planet itself.

Quiting The Fantastic Four
When the war ended, Joshua decided to remain behind, and the Fantastic four recruited She-Hulk to take his place in the FF. Joshua had a series of strange encounters, unaware they were mostly formed from his own subconscious-including Tarianna, an idealized warrior woman with whom Joshua fell in love, and the sorcerer Rollé, an evil mystical personification of Joshua's human side. Tarianna and Rollé eventually killed each other, leaving Joshua unable to retake the Thing form. Returning to Earth, Joshua learned too late of Reed's theory that his transformations had been psychologically-based, and also discovered that Alicia had apparently left him for Johnny in his absence. Feeling bitter and betrayed, Joshua quit the FF altogether and hit the road, trying to find himself. He briefly joined the motorcycle stunt-riding Thunderiders, where he met and became smitten with champion sportswoman Sharon Ventura, a virtual twin of Tarianna. During his travels, Joshua became a friend and mentor to the troubled young mutant runaway Vance Astrovik. Joshua, Vance and Sharon all became involved in the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, a professional wrestling league for super-humans (Sharon having become a superhuman and taking the codename Ms. Marvel). Joshua befriended fellow wrestler Demolition Dunphy and began associating with the new roster of the JLA, whose leader Roy Harper worked relentlessly to recruit him. Joshua was the reigning UCWF champion for some time, but personal concerns (including his growing awareness of corruption in the sport) led him to purposely throw an exhibition match and quit the league. He finally accepted JLA membership, but resigned once he learned Reed and Sue retired from active FF duty to focus on raising their son, and personally asked Joshua to lead the FF.

Leader of the Fantastic Four
He built a suit of strength-enhancing armor that outwardly resembled his Thing form, then recruited Crystal and Ms. Marvel to replace them and served capably as team leader, starting a romance with Sharon that deepened after new cosmic radiation exposure mutated Sharon into a sort of "She-Thing". Their romance continued; but they were estranged after Sharon accepted Doctor Doom's aid in regaining human form. After this Joshua briefly dated Damage Control executive Kathleen O'Meara, began relations with a woman named Joanna Nivena, and led his final mission as a member of the Fantastic Four when the Alicia who had eventually married Johnny was revealed to be the shape-shifting Skrull spy Lyja. The FF found and rescued the real Alicia, but she and Joshua decided to remained only good friends as Joshua decided to retire from being the Thing, forever, and gave her the suit to remember him by.

The Thing, No More-22
Later Joshua receives news that his father had been missing and that because of Elijah's status as a fugitive, and his own status as the leader of the Fantastic Four, Howard's best friend and Joshua's God Father, Obadiah Stane has been running the company. Joshua is at first confused as to why he is being informed this but the messenger continues telling Joshua that it was the Board of Executives wish that he would lead the company as its sole legal heir once he was cured of his “condition”. Seeing no other alternative for himself financially, Joshua agrees to join, booking a flight for Los Angeles, California as soon as possible. Within a few months he turned Tulloch Industries into a multi-billion dollar industry complex whose chief contracts were for advanced weaponry and munitions for the U.S. Government, later renaming the said company to Rollé Industries. During this time, Joshua becomes famous for his professional life and infamous for his partying, alcoholic, and playboy-like personal life, even tho he became recently engaged to Nivena. Joshua would later attend a Science Conference in Berlin Switzerland and spends his New Year there. He books himself with his bodyguard Happy Hogan, in a hotel and later on meets a scientist paramour named Maya Hansen during the conference, whom he quickly develops a relationship with. After the conference, he goes with Maya through the crowd together with his chauffeur, Happy Hogan as the people celebrate the incoming New Year. Happy tells him that it was only half an hour before New Year as Joshua talks with Maya regarding the conference and her research. While passing by to go the hotel, he meets up with Physicist Ho Yinsen and Cardiologist Dr. Wu. The two are honored to meet him, and Joshua introduces himself to them while joking around. Yinsen tries to ask Joshua if he could spend some time helping them with their research, but Joshua holds the offer and ignores it after. When he leaves with Maya, Yinsen asks Joshua if they could do it another time but Joshua doesn't reply, and continues to go through the crowd into the hotel. Upon arriving in the hotel lobby, he meets crippled scientist Aldrich Killian, who works for a privately funded think-tank called Advanced Idea Mechanics or A.I.M. for short, and is it's CEO and founder. Aldrich introduces himself to them as Joshua and Maya enter the elevator. Aldrich is able to make the cut to the elevator despite it being nearly full, and Happy asks him where he would like to go. Aldrich replies to him with the "Ground Floor". After, he tries to offer Joshua a job in his think-tank and gives both Joshua and Maya his contact cards. When Joshua reaches his floor, he tells the others to go and then tells Aldrich that he's heard of his think-tank and is interested. He tells Aldrcih to meet him up on the roof later on, and Aldrich agrees. Joshua leaves the elevator and goes to his room. When there, he spends time with Maya and looks at her research. Happy then touches a sample plant injected with Extremis and breaks off some off the plants leaves. Maya immediately tells him to stop touching it and Joshua tells Happy not to touch it as well. Happy questions why, and Maya just answers that she doesn't like it, and Joshua agrees. When they go into the bedroom, Maya tells Joshua about her research. Joshua is amazed at what she's created, - "A biological virus called Extremis, which hacks the brain's DNA center and is able to recode it. Allowing regrowth of limbs, increased strength and instant healing of any living organism." Joshua, who is amazed by Maya's Research, tells her that she's "The best woman he's ever met. In Switzerland." Maya is surprised, and then agrees to Joshua when he said that she was the best woman in Switzerland. Maya then takes off Joshua's glasses and wears it herself. Joshua laughs and looks at her, and the two share a kiss. With Happy closing the room door, Maya's sample plant suddenly explodes and after, Maya explains to Joshua that, the resulting explosion was a glitch in her work. Joshua is surprised with the effect and asks here of she's tried using an incentive to her Extremis, to which Maya questions what Joshua just said. Happy, unbeknownst to him that it was simply a glitch, runs to Joshua and jumps on him. Protecting Joshua, as he thought that there was bomb or an attack from the explosion. Joshua reassures Happy that it was nothing and tells Happy to get off of him. Happy asks what just happened, and Maya tells him that it was just a glitch from her work. Happy helps Joshua up and then the fireworks start exploding, with everybody celebrating New Year outside. The three then greet each other Happy New Year and Happy leaves the room saying Goodnight to Joshua. Joshua and Maya then spend the rest of their time in the room, and later have sex over night. In the morning, Joshua writes down the formula for an incentive on a piece of card taken from the conference, and leaves it on his table. He then leaves Maya in the room without saying any goodbye.

Iron Man-22-38
Weeks after Nivena, tired of being cheated on, ended their engagement, Joshua receives an award and a presentation about Joshua's life plays on-screen to a wide audience of celebrities. Meanwhile, Joshua plays in the Casino, playing dice, and wins multiple games, but he misses out his awarding ceremony. As Joshua's old friend from the Air force, Rhodey presents Joshua's award, he does not show up, which infuriates his old comrade. Obadiah Stane then takes his place and gives a speech. He ends with, "You know the best thing about Joshua is also the worst thing. He's always working”. After, Rodey confronts Joshua, about missing his ceremony to which Joshua apologizes and tells him that he'll make sure to be their next time. Joshua then ask Rodey to blow on his dice to help him win but instead, Rodey knocks the dice out of his hand which rolls a losing number and ends Joshua's hot-streak. Later as Joshua leaves the casino, he meets Christine Everhart, an investigative reporter for the Daily Bugle, to which he later brings her to his mulit-million dollar home, from which he inherited from his father, and has sex with her. 36 hours later, somewhere within a deserted place in war-torn Afghanistan Joshua and Rhodey demonstrate the new "Jericho" missile. After, the three Military convoys head back to their base, and Joshua rides without Rodey telling him that his Convoy was the “fun one”. In the Convoy, Joshua tries to talk to the other soldiers to try and break the silence. Suddenly the convoy comes under attack and the soldiers are killed while Joshua is seriously wounded by shrapnel from an RPG made from Rollé Industries. His attackers, a terrorist group named the Ten Rings, take him captive and then make a broadcast about the event to Obadiah Stane. Joshua later learns that shrapnel from the bomb is embedded in his heart and the only thing keeping him alive is a car battery attached to a electromagnet. Incarcerated, Joshua learns that many of his weapons are somehow in the hands of these terrorists and that they want him to provide them with the devastating Jericho Missile. Initially despondent at the idea that he will soon die whether or not he builds the missile, fellow captive Ho Yinsen convinces Joshua not to give up and helps Joshua start working to escape. He first builds a Minature Arc Reactor to power his electromagnet and then works on creating the Mark I armor. The Ten Rings' leader, Kahn, realizes he's up to something and gives him only a day to complete the missile. Having less than 24 hours to build the Jericho Missile, Joshua wastes no time trying to finish building his powerful Mark I armor. Together with the help of Ho Yinsen, Joshua works overnight building the armor's metal plating and systems, starting with the armor's face mask, and ending with the attachment of the body armor and systems. Together, they succeed in finishing the Mark I armor, but run out of time to power it up, so Yinsen distracts the guards. This buy's Joshua enough time to finish putting the armor on and he fights his way through the cave, killing many of the Ten Rings and finding a mortally wounded Yinsen who asks Joshua not to waste his life before dying. Joshua makes his way out of the cave and under heavy fire, destroys the Ten Rings' weapons stockpile before flying off. He soon crashes and his armor is destroyed, but Rhodey finds and rescues him in the desert. After being escorted back to America, Joshua gets a cheeseburger and calls a press conference in which he declares that as a result of his experience, Rollé Industries will no longer make and sell weapons. This causes great outrage and stock prices drop. Obadiah Stane convinces Joshua to stay out of the spotlight while he handles things with the company. Joshua considers using Arc Reactor technology to replace weapons for the company's production and with the help of his assistant Pepper, he installs a new, more powerful Arc Reactor to power his electromagnet. Taking Yinsen's last request, to not let his life go to waste, to heart, Joshua decides to continue designing armors. Deciding that in the right hands, specifically his own, his new armor technology could do great good in the world, Joshua tries and fails to entice Rhodey into joining him and sets to work on upgrading his Mark I design to become the new Mark II armor. While working on repulsors to act as flight stabilizers, Joshua discovers that they can also be used as a weapon. As Joshua works, Obadiah Stane informs him that the Board of Directors has filed an injunction to lock him out in order to keep working on weapons. Joshua brushes this off and goes back to work on his armor. After several successful tests with just his new flight systems, Joshua takes the Mark II armor on a full-scale test and besides icing up when he gets too high and accidentally crashing through two floors of his own house when landing, it is a success. Joshua then designs the Mark III armor to deal with the glitches in the Mark II and as Joshua's own designed artificial intelligence, J.A.R.V.I.S., works on building the Mark III, Joshua learns from a news report that he's not been invited to his own annual fireman's charity ball and goes. At the ball, Joshua dances with and nearly kisses Pepper, but while getting them drinks, is approached by Christine Everhart who reveals that his weapons are still being sold and shows him pictures of Yinsen's village Gulmira with boxes of weapons clearly marked Rollé Industries. Joshua confronts Obadiah Stane who not only admits to selling weapons to terrorists, but that he was the one that locked Joshua out of his company. Later, watching a news report on the situation in Gulmira and recognizing the terrorists as his captors, the Ten Rings, Joshua decides to take action and after testing out the weapon properties of his repulsors, he dons the Mark III suit and travels to Gulmira. There, he takes out the terrorists terrorizing the villagers and leaves their leader, Abu Bakaar, at the villagers' mercy. Joshua then goes after the weapons stockpiles and destroys them and a tank. His presence and actions are detected by the Air Force and they dispatch two F-22's to stop him. After a brief confrontation with the jets, Joshua calls Rhodey to get him to call off the fighters but accidentally destroys one in the process, forcing the pilot to eject. While the other jet is still ordered to engage despite Rhodey's efforts to stop them, when Joshua saves the ejected pilot from death, the attack is called off. Feeling the need to make up for the damage his weapons do, Joshua asks Pepper to hack into the company servers and find out where else they shipped weapons to so he can destroy those too. Pepper initially refuses and quits, but Joshua explains his motives and how he feels its the right thing to do, Pepper agrees, telling him that he's all she has too. Later that night, Stane paralyzes Joshua with a sonic device as Pepper calls him and reveals that he was the one that hired the Ten Rings to kill him. Stane tells Joshua he was using him all the time for his ideas and that when he tried to have him killed, he worried that he was getting rid of his idea source, but that Joshua came up with one final thing that will perfect weapons technology and allow them to reign supreme: the Arc Reactor. Stane, needing the Arc Reactor to power his own iron suit, in which he named Iron Monger, as his scientists couldn't duplicate the technology, steals it from Joshua's chest and leaves a helpless Joshua to die. Weak, Joshua makes his way to his lab where he tries to reach his Mark I Reactor which Pepper has put into a display. Though he fails, his robot arm, DUMM-E gives it to him and he is able to install it. Found soon afterward by Rhodey, Joshua dons the Mark III once more to stop Stane and orders Rhodey to keep fighters out of his way. Calling Pepper, she tells him Stane has gone insane and is then attacked by Stane in his Iron Monger suit which he donned after Pepper brought Agent Phil Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to stop him. Joshua, warned by J.A.R.V.I.S. that with the Mark I Reactor he has less than 50% power, arrives just in time to save Pepper and engages Iron Monger in battle. With Stane's superior suit and his dwindling power supply, Joshua has a hard time against Stane. After saving a family in a van from being killed in Stane's efforts to take him out, Joshua leads the fight high into the atmosphere where Stane's suit ices up as he didn't know about or correct for the problem Joshua discovered with the Mark II suit. Joshua knocks Stane from the air, but runs out of power and barely manages to land on the roof of Rollé Industries on back-up power. Realizing that he can't defeat Stane, Joshua calls Pepper and orders her to overload the factory's Arc Reactor and blast the roof with energy on his order once he's off of it. Stane attacks Joshua while he's distracted, attempting to crush him, but Joshua breaks free by distracting him with flares. Joshua then rips out Stane's hud and weapon's targeting systems while he's distracted, but Stane throws him onto the skylight then repeatedly tries to blast him with machine guns and missiles, getting closer each time. With no other choice, Joshua orders Pepper to activate the blast even though he is in the way. The blast throws Joshua to safety on another part of the roof while the Iron Monger suit is fried and Stane is knocked unconscious. Stane and the Iron Monger suit fall into the Arc Reactor which explodes, destroying the suit and killing Stane. Joshua is knocked out and his Arc Reactor temporarily knocked off-line, but he recovers. Joshua would soon build himself a new Mark III Miniature Arc Reactor to replace the one destroyed with the Iron Monger suit and is prepared for a press conference by Pepper and Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Coulson gives him a cover story that he was on his yacht far away with many witnesses while Stane was on vacation and died in a plane crash while what the press have dubbed Iron Man was a bodyguard of his. Joshua flirts with Pepper, reminding her of the night they danced at the ball until she reminds him that he left her waiting for him on the roof. As Joshua starts to address the press, Christine Everhart questions the story about Iron Man being a bodyguard. Joshua at first defends that he is not the hero type, but ultimately admits that he is Iron Man to the press' shock. Returning home, Joshua finds Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. who tells him that he wants to discuss "The Avengers Initiative."

Dealing With A Public Identity
However, Joshua had no interest in the Initiative as he wanted to focus his efforts in destroying the Ten Rings organization. Nonetheless, when Nick Fury sent a team of United States Navy SEALs to board a ship controlled by the Ten Rings in the port of Aden, Iron Man appeared and attacked the terrorists. Though Iron Man and the SEALs were outnumbered by the terrorists, Iron Man defeated all the terrorists and saved the SEALs. Four days after he revealed himself as Iron Man, Joshua made his true debut as Iron Man when he along with his ex-finance attended a tennis match in Forest Hills, N.Y. one afternoon. Joshua brought along his armor, which he was taking to a nearby laboratory for more tests. The Ten Rings terrorists who threatened to kill everyone present with a bomb invaded the match. Joanna urged Joshua to don the armor to stop the terrorists. Joshua did so, captured the terrorists and saved the spectators by throwing himself atop the bomb. After this, Joshua used his Iron Man armor mostly to combat spies, like the Actor, and criminals who threatened Rollé Industries, like the Melter or Mr. Doll. Taking a break from his constant battles, Joshua went to Germany for a meeting with the representatives of Gorani Insurance, a company that was financially backing most of his foreign factories, to talk about the new rates, however, he encountered a roadblock in the German autobahns. The policemen then told him that some thieves had stolen paintings worth over 100 million dollars. Later, he encountered a girl with a small problem ― a flat car tire. He helped her to change the tire but when he asked her for her phone number, she said he would have to wait until fate brought them back together. After the girl left, Joshua saw a vehicle in the forest that matched the description of the van that thieves used in their robbery. He decided to check and saw the whole gang. Though he did not bring his entire Iron Man Armor, he had the left glove and used it to defeat and capture all of the thieves. Joshua then called the police, who arrested the criminals, and he took the paintings back to the museum, but did not take any reward for returning the paintings. He then rushed to arrive on time to his meeting. Later, when he arrived at his postponed meeting, he was reunited with the girl he met in the autobahns, and discovered that she was Evetta Gorani, the vice president of Gorani Insurance, who was eventually going to take the mantle of president from her father, Michael. When he asked Evetta again for her phone number, she said they would "negotiate" after the meeting.

Tulloch Expo


For the next 3 weeks, Joshua continued to help ensuring peace in the world while also removing the Ten Rings terrorists, including saving a U.N. peace keeping mission that was under attack. Joshua also helped General Thaddeus Ross in saving the pilot of the Aerodynamic Marvel that crashed in the Congo, leading to Senator Stern to express his concerns of the Iron Man suit as a topic in national security. Meanwhile Joshua himself wanted to fulfill his father Howard's legacy, feeling that he owes his estranged father for the life he now lives. Joshua then reopens Howard's dream, Tulloch Expo, for the first time since 1974 to bring scientists from around the world together to share ideas all year. Joshua arrives at the grand-opening of the Expo by dropping in from a plane in his Mark IV suit and gives a speech about the Expo before playing a video recorded by his father before the last Tulloch Expo. Having discovered that his Palladium Arc Reactor is slowly poisoning him, Joshua checks his blood toxicity levels to discover that it has reached 19%. After the speech, Joshua leaves, signing autographs only to be met by a process server named Marsha at his car who has a subpoena for him to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Following the subpoena, Joshua attends the Senate hearing where Senator Stern demands he hand over the Iron Man technology, which he refers to as a weapon, to the government. Joshua refuses, stating its not a weapon and calls it a prosthesis. Senator Stern brings in Joshua's company rival, Justin Hammer of Hammer Industries to testify on how they need the technology. Hammer claims that Joshua is not a shield which they should hide behind. Stern then calls in Rhodey to testify how in his report he claimed that Joshua as Iron Man is dangerous as he has no national allegiances which his technology falls under. Rhodey goes on to testify against Stern's wishes as he also stated that he saw Iron Man as an asset that should be utilized and worked with, not taken. Stern tries to use images of attempts to create Iron Man suits by other people, but Joshua hacks into the system and shows how the efforts by Iran, North Korea and even Hammer Industries are dismal failures. After Joshua tells the committee that everyone else is years away from copying his technology, Stern, humiliated, calls an end to the proceedings. At home, Joshua is greeted by J.A.R.V.I.S. who reveals that his use of the Iron Man armor is increasing his Palladium poisoning. Joshua's blood toxicity levels are now up to 24% and his Arc Reactor core has burned out. Joshua replaces with it a new core, commenting that he is burning through them fast while J.A.R.V.I.S. tells him that he has tested every known element to replace Palladium as his power source, but none are viable. As a result, the very thing that is keeping Joshua alive is slowly killing him as well. As Joshua is drinking an organic drink to alleviate the symptoms of the poisoning, Pepper arrives to berate Joshua for donating their entire collection of modern art to the Boy Scouts and for reopening the Tulloch Expo which she sees as him stroking his own ego. As Pepper tries to demand his attention for things that the company needs done, Joshua tells Pepper to handle it and makes her CEO so that he'll have a successor that he can trust when he dies, though he doesn't tell her that, simply saying that she's the best choice he could think of to succeed him and that the company is now boring to him. Pepper is left clearly touched by his actions. The next day, while Joshua is boxing with “Happy” Hogan, Pepper arrives with Natalie Rushman from legal for him to officially sign the company over to her. Joshua is attracted to Natalie, especially after she easily beats Happy in the ring and considers her as his new assistant to replace Pepper. Joshua travels to Monaco on vacation to visit the Grand Prix there and while at the hotel, he reveals to an annoyed Pepper that he has hired Natalie Rushman as his new assistant. He meets up with Justin Hammer and Christine Everhart and reveals his previous relationship with Christine to Justin who tries to flaunt the fact that she is doing a news article on him to Joshua. Joshua further embarrasses Hammer by publicly revealing that his contract with the government has been revoked before going to the bathroom to check his blood toxicity levels. Discovering that it has now reached 53%, Joshua enters the Grand Prix as a driver to the shock of everyone, especially Pepper. During the race, Joshua encounters Ivan Vanko who destroys his car and repeatedly attacks him with electro-whips. Joshua dodges the attacks until Pepper and Happy rescue him by ramming Vanko with their car. Despite Vanko's repeated attacks, Joshua manages to retrieve the Mark V suit from Pepper and don it. However, Vanko's electro-whips prove powerful enough to damage the armor and deflect his repulsor blasts. Vanko snares Joshua in his whips, but Joshua uses them to reel in and throw down Vanko. Joshua then removes Vanko's power supply, defeating him and he is arrested yelling to Joshua "you lose." Joshua is shocked to discover that the power source, which he quickly destroys, is another Arc Reactor. Wanting answers, Joshua visits Vanko in prison. Vanko calls Joshua a thief from a family of thieves and tells him that the Arc Reactor technology he used came from his father Anton Vanko who Vanko claims is the reason Joshua is still alive. Joshua points out that he's still alive because Vanko missed his chance to kill him, but Vanko tells him he did that on purpose to show the world that Iron Man is not invincible. He plans to sit back and watch as Joshua's enemies descend on him and destroy him. As Joshua leaves, Vanko reveals his knowledge of Joshua's condition, telling him that "Palladium in the chest is a painful way to die." On the way home, Joshua cooks Pepper dinner and mutes an interview with Senator Stern who uses Vanko's actions as proof that the Iron Man technology is out there despite Joshua's assurances and furthers his demands that Joshua turn it over to the government. Wanting to enjoy the time he has left, Joshua tries to convince Pepper to go to Venice instead of home and to his birthday party so he can enjoy himself, dodging her questions about what's wrong. However, Pepper refuses, citing her new position as having too many responsibilities to do it. Returning home, Joshua has J.A.R.V.I.S. investigate Anton Vanko and learns that he is a Soviet physicist who defected in 1963 only to be deported in 1967 after accusations of espionage. J.A.R.V.I.S. identifies Ivan Vanko as his son and also a physicist who sold Soviet plutonium and spent 15 years in prison for it though J.A.R.V.I.S. is unable to find anything more on them. As Joshua contemplates this, Rhodey arrives, demanding answers from Joshua as people are panicking over the revelation that someone else has Iron Man technology and he had to stop the National Guard from coming and taking the armors. Joshua has Rhodey, who notices the infected veins on his neck from his Palladium poisoning, help him install a new core in his Arc Reactor. Joshua asks Rhodey to trust him to handle it. Learning that his blood toxicity levels have reached 89% and he now has a week to live, Joshua takes Natalie's suggestion of enjoying the time he has left and gets drunk at his birthday party while wearing the Mark IV suit. Pepper tries to stop the party as Joshua is out of control, but he refuses and after he starts blasting objects out of the air and endangering people's lives, Rhodey dons the Mark II to stop him. Joshua doesn't take his friend seriously and they end up fighting through Joshua's house, damaging it and scaring off the guests. Finally, Joshua and Rhodey end up in a stalemate when they fire their repulsors at each other, creating a massive explosion. A disgusted Rhodey then flies off in the Mark II to deliver it to the military as he feels Joshua is no longer fit to protect the world. The next morning, Joshua is eating donuts in the giant donut of a donut shop when Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives and has a meeting with him in the shop. Fury reveals that "Natalie Rushman" is actually a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Natasha Romanoff, other wise known to Joshua as Natalia Shostakova, who has been following him since he got sick. Fury has Romanoff inject Joshua with lithium dioxide which deals with some of his symptoms, though it isn't a cure for Joshua's condition. When Joshua insists that there is no element in existence that can work instead of Palladium and insists that he has tried everything, Fury tells him there is something he hasn't tried. Moving the meeting to the Rollé Mansion, Fury tells Joshua that the Arc Reactor technology is incomplete and his father discovered something that would make the energy race outstrip the arms race and make nuclear energy look insignificant. Fury explains that Anton Vanko was his father's partner in developing the Arc Reactor but when he tried to make profit off of it, Howard had him deported. When Vanko couldn't give the Russians the technology, they sent him to Siberia where he spent the rest of his life in a vodka-fueled rage which was bad to raise his son in. Fury tells Joshua that Howard told him that Joshua and his brother were the only ones with the knowledge and resources to create this new energy source which Joshua finds hard to believe as his father was very distant to both him and his brother. Fury reveals that he knew Howard well as he was a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and leaves, leaving Joshua with a case of his father's stuff and Agent Phil Coulson to ensure he keeps on track. Joshua starts to work on trying to figure out what his father discovered, going through his notes and old videos from the crate Nick Fury gave him but has no luck in figuring things out. To his surprise, the videos contain a message from his father who tells him that the diorama of the original Tulloch Expo represents more than just the inventions being displayed of other inventors, but the key to his life's work. Howard tells Joshua that he created it for Joshua and Elijah but is limited in his ability to use his discoveries by the technology of his time but that one of them will be able to pick up where he left off and change the world. Howard ends his message by telling both Elijah and Joshua that they are Howard's greatest creation, something that stuns and touches Joshua as he didn't believe Howard cared about him at all. Escaping from his house, Joshua travels to Rollé Industries, picking up strawberries for Pepper along the way. Joshua tries to make up with Pepper but she is not interested and he is surprised to find her and Agent Romanoff getting along well. As Joshua starts to leave, he notices something about the 1974 Tulloch Expo diorama which is in the office and entitled "the key to the future is here" and takes it home with him. Studying a holographic projection of the diorama with the help of J.A.R.V.I.S., Joshua realizes that part of it resembles an atom. Joshua realizes what his father's discovery is: a new element. Assembling the protons and neutrons based off of the pavilions of the Expo, Joshua successfully rediscovers the element Vibranium which J.A.R.V.I.S. determines is a viable alternative for Palladium but believes is impossible to synthesize. Joshua however is determined and begins building a miniature particle accelerator to try. As he works, Agent Phil Coulson approaches him to demand answers about him leaving. Joshua is annoyed that Coulson is after him about that so long after it happened and is pleased to learn that Coulson is being reassigned to New Mexico. Joshua has Coulson help him balance the accelerator with Captain America's Vibranium Shield. After Coulson leaves, Joshua is able to use the particle accelerator to successfully synthesize Vibranium and builds the new Mark VI suit to go with it. As Joshua and J.A.R.V.I.S. run tests on the new Vibranium Arc Reactor, Joshua gets a call from Ivan Vanko which surprises Joshua as Vanko is supposed to be dead. Joshua has J.A.R.V.I.S. trace the call and Vanko promises to ruin Howard's family like Howard ruined his family before hanging up. The call is only traced to Manhattan and seeing an article about Justin Hammer's demonstration at the Tulloch Expo, Joshua realizes what Vanko is up to and puts in his new Arc Reactor which clears up his Palladium poisoning and dons the new Mark VI armor to stop Vanko. Joshua flies to the Expo where he tries to warn Rhodey wearing the War Machine armor about Vanko, but Rhodey believes him too late and Vanko takes control of the War Machine and the Hammer Drones remotely and uses them to attack Joshua. Joshua quickly takes to the air to lead the drones and War Machine away while J.A.R.V.I.S. unsuccessfully tries to restore control to Rhodey. Joshua works to keep the fight away from civilians, saving a young boy wearing an Iron Man mask from a drone along the way. The drones and War Machine continue to chase Joshua, but he manages to destroy the drones by tricking them into crashing into a giant metal globe. However, War Machine survives and forces Joshua to crash in a dome. Joshua and War Machine battle with the Mark VI getting the worst of the fight until Natasha Romanoff makes her way to Hammer Industries and reboots the War Machine suit, restoring control to Rhodey. Romanoff also detects that Joshua is no longer dying which shocks Pepper who hears the conversation. Joshua and Pepper argue until Romanoff warns Joshua of a massive amount of drones that are on their way. Joshua quickly gets Rhodey up and warns him. The two make up then prepare to fight the drones together. However, while they are figuring out their positions, the drones arrive and Joshua and Rhodey fight together, destroying many but end up surrounded. Realizing they're in danger, Joshua orders Rhodey to duck then uses the Mark VI's one-time use lasers to destroy the remaining drones. Romanoff then warns them that something bigger is coming their way and Vanko arrives in a powerful suit. Even working together, Joshua and Rhodey are unable to defeat Vanko so Joshua has Rhodey fire his repulsor at Joshua at the same time that Joshua fires at him with Vanko in the middle creating a massive explosion that destroys Vanko's suit and defeats him. Vanko declares they lose and activates a self-destruct in his suit and all his drones. Realizing Pepper's in danger, Joshua flies off to save her as Rhodey flies off to safety. Joshua reaches Pepper in time to rescue her from the explosions and flies her to a nearby roof. On the roof, Pepper decides she has had enough and resigns but Joshua kisses her. She is pleased and they kiss again until Rhodey interrupts them. Rhodey makes fun of them and then flies off, telling Joshua he needs to keep the War Machine for awhile longer as his car got destroyed. Joshua refuses, but Rhodey flies off anyway. Joshua and Pepper start a relationship afterward. Sometime later, Joshua meets with Nick Fury about his participation in the Avengers Initiative. Fury has Joshua read a file that states that while they want Iron Man, they don't want Joshua because of the destructive tendencies he displayed while he thought he was dying. Joshua contends that that was due to his physical and mental state at the time and he is trying to turn his life around now. Fury offers to hire Joshua as a consultant but he refuses until he tells Fury he needs someone to present medals to him and Rhodey at an upcoming ceremony. Knowing who Joshua has in mind, Fury promises to take care of it. Joshua and Rhodey are presented medals for their bravery by a reluctant Senator Stern who pointedly stabs Joshua with the award, telling him how annoying "a little prick" can be.

New Foes
After the incident at the Tulloch Expo, Joshua retrieved the War Machine armor and stripped it of the Hammer Industries weapons and turned it back into the Mark II. When James Rhodes arrived, Joshua informed him he would never wear that armor again because he made him a new one with better technology and weaponry. Later, while keeping with his new job as consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D., Joshua was tasked with preventing General Thaddeus Ross from releasing Emil Blonsky onto the Avengers Initiative, ordered by the World Security Council. Joshua arrived at a bar where he found a drunken Ross. The two exchanged insults before Joshua told him that a team was being made. In the subsequent talk, Joshua annoyed Ross so much that the latter tried to have him removed from the bar, which Joshua bought and arranged to be demolished. The task was complete with Ross refusing to release Blonsky from his custody. With his job complete, Joshua immediately decides that he needed to focus more on other important matters such as managing his company, in which he resumed his position as CEO. During this time, the original Crimson Dynamo attacked Rollé Industries, but Iron Man persuaded him to defect. Soon Iron Man was called upon by the US military high command and the CIA to investigate reports of a powerful man operating in China calling himself the Mandarin, who was in fact the mysterious leader of the Ten Rings organization, who over the years became a myth to his followers, with only his most trusted men being aware that he really exists. Iron Man smuggled himself into China and was air dropped near the Mandarin's castle. He fought his way through the Mandarin's troops and the pair confronted each other, however the Mandarin's power rings were able to incapacitate Iron Man and he was taken prisoner. The Mandarin then attempted to have his minions examine Iron Man's armor, but it was too well protected for them to learn its secrets. Iron Man eventually revived and broke free from his imprisonment and engaged in a rematch against the Mandarin. Iron Man was able to hold his own against the Mandarin but was forced to flee when his armor was heavily damaged and Joshua himself seriously injured battling his foe. Iron Man managed to escape after detonating the Mandarin's castle. Joshua barely managed to make it back to the United States in order to receive repairs and medical attention in time. Following his battle with the Mandrain, Joshua works on various projects such as improving the Mark VI's capabilities, by adding more weapons to it and heavily modifying the armor to have the ability to go on sub-aqueous journeys. Not long after, he begins to work on the next version of his Iron Man armor, in which he directs his attention to a suit with more firepower, which leads to the creation of the Mark VII. An armor equipped with a variety of deadly weapons, such as Heat-Seeking Missiles, Air-to-Air Missiles and Ground-to-Ground Missiles, as well as a perfected Laser Weapon, based on the Mark VI's older "Turn and Burn" Laser Weapon, which can fire a concentrated laser beam at a target, but drains more power from the suit's Arc Reactor. Although near completion, the Mark VII was still in it's prototype stage. It was still awaiting more upgrades, such as the "Spinning Rims", and had not yet been tested, along with its unique deployment system that Joshua developed himself. While working on the Mark VII, Joshua also planned to replace the energy used by the Rollé Tower with "clean" Vibranium energy that he used, incorporate it into an Arc Reactor, and connect it to the building's electrical circuits, for it to be able to run on clean, reliable energy.

The Avengers
Meanwhile, The Asgardian Loki encounters the Other, the leader of an extraterrestrial race known as the Chitauri. In exchange for retrieving the Tesseract, a powerful energy source of unknown potential, the Other promises Loki an army with which he can subjugate Earth. Nick Fury, director of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D., and his lieutenant Agent Maria Hill arrive at the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility (a remote research facility) during an evacuation, where physicist Dr. Erik Selvig is leading a research team experimenting on the Tesseract. Agent Phil Coulson explains that the object has begun radiating an unusual form of energy. The Tesseract suddenly activates and opens a wormhole, allowing Loki to reach Earth. Loki takes the Tesseract and uses his scepter to enslave Selvig and several agents, including Clint Barton, codenamed Hawkeye, to aid him in his getaway. In response to the attack, Fury reactivates the "Avengers Initiative". Agent Phil Coulson then travels to the newly built Rollé Tower where Joshua and Pepper Potts were celebrating the successful creation of a new, clean energy source. Joshua was informed of Coulson's presence at Rollé Tower by J.A.R.V.I.S. to which he informed him that he had "reached the Life Model Decoy of Joshua Rollé" and refused to see him. Coulson entered the building anyway and informed Joshua that the Initiative was now active, and they needed him to come in, handing Joshua holographic screens with information about the recently discovered Captain America, the Asgardian Thor, his brother Elijah, and Loki. Joshua suited up in his Mark VI armor and traveled to Stuttgart, Germany where he found his old acquaintance, Natasha Romanoff in a Quinjet overlooking his old friend and newly unfrozen Captain America in the middle of a battle with the hostile god, Loki. Joshua jetted right in and blasted Loki with his repulsors and stood tall next to Captain America, forcing Loki to surrender. Escorting Loki onto the Quinjet, the team headed back to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier. Joshua commented on Jonathan's rusty fighting skills and subtly mocked him. The Quinjet was then surrounded by a storm and attacked by Thor, who broke in and grabbed Loki before he flew away. Joshua immediately pursued them. While Thor threatened Loki atop a mountain, Joshua blasted straight into him, hurling him onto the forest floor. Joshua refused to let Thor get close to Loki, and the two began a battle. During the fight, Thor summoned lightning to his hammer, Mjølnir, and electrocuted Joshua, only for J.A.R.V.I.S. to inform him that his suit was at 400% capacity, allowing him to blast Thor off his feet. The armor took a beating during the battle as Thor easily began to crush one of the gauntlets with his bare hands. The fight was broken up by Captain America who, after matching Mjølnir with his shield, managed to stop Thor. They took Loki back to the Helicarrier where Joshua was reunited with his brother Elijah and discussed the Tesseract but not before Joshua planted a hacking device and allowed J.A.R.V.I.S. to begin searching S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database to find out its secrets. Joshua and Elijah learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. was trying to harness the Tesseract's powers to create weapons of mass destruction and Captain America found out that S.H.I.E.L.D. was using HYDRA technology to learn how to harness it. During a huge argument between Nick Fury, Natasha Romanoff, Jonathan, Elijah and Thor, Loki's troops led by a brainwashed Clint Barton caused an explosion on the Helicarrier in order to free Loki. Joshua suited up as Iron Man and began to fix the ship from the outside with the aid of Jonathan. Upon fixing the ship and fighting off some of Loki's troops, the duo learned that Elijah had transformed into Hulk and escaped from the ship, as well as Thor being ejected from the Helicarrier by Loki who escaped and murdered Agent Phil Coulson. Nick Fury informed the two that the Avengers Initiative was started so that the isolated individuals could become something more and that Coulson died still believing this. Joshua took his death hard and worked out where Loki was planning his attack. Joshua, Jonathan, Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton (now free from Loki's mind control) traveled to Rollé Tower where Joshua found Loki had installed a device powered by the Tesseract. Joshua took off his armor and began to "threaten" Loki, secretly putting on two metal bracelets moments before Loki threw him out of the window, as he fell he ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to deploy his new Mark VII suit which jet packed out through the window after him and formed around him moments before he almost hit the ground. Joshua flew back up to Loki and blasted him backwards in the name of Agent Coulson. Joshua was however confronted by Loki's device which opened a portal into space where Loki's army of Chitauri flew into New York City and began their war against Earth. Joshua fought off the Chitauri and tried to call James Rhodes, who told Joshua that he was too busy fighting soldiers working for the Ten Rings, but would come to help as soon as possible. Joshua was joined by his teammates as they begin to battle the alien menace. Joshua began to chase after a Leviathan, a giant alien serpent and the warship to dozens of Chitauri. When he was notified of Elijah's arrival on the field, Joshua led the serpent towards him so that Elijah would transform into Hulk and defeat it. Joshua landed on the ground alongside his fellow heroes, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow. The team were then confronted by hundreds of Chitauri who flew in through the portal as well as several more Leviathans. Jonathan gave out orders and instructed Joshua to take to the skies and take out more Chitauri. Joshua even took out a Leviathan by flying head first into its mouth and launching missiles from the inside. Joshua asked Thor if he had ever seen Game of Thrones, saying he reminded him of it. Thor asked him how he can joke around during a war, but was then eaten by a Leviathan. Out of rage, Thor used Mjølnir to get out of the Leviathan. After a long battle, the team were still outnumbered and learned that Natasha had found a way to close the portal. Joshua hindered this as Fury has instructed him that the World Security Council had sent a missile in to blow up Manhattan. Joshua intercepted the missile and flew it up through the portal and blew up the Chitauri Command Center, losing power in the process and falling unconscious back through the portal just before it closed. As Joshua fell back to earth, he was caught by Hulk who landed with him back on the ground. and Thor ran over to Iron Man who appeared to be dead, only for Hulk to scream in his face, waking him up. The team reformed and made sure that Loki surrendered, taking him into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. A few hours later, Joshua and the rest of the Avengers went to the Shawarma Palace where they ate silently. They were soon interrupted by War Machine, who arrived too late to aid in the battle. The next day, the Avengers met in Central Park and made sure Loki was taken back to Asgard by Thor along with the Tesseract. Joshua was later joined by Pepper Potts in Rollé Tower and the two discussed how to rebuild after the damage that was done. Joshua then makes the decision to turn Rollé Tower into the Avengers Mansion as a headquarters for the group.

Avengers Assemble !
However, after the events of the Chitauri Invasion, Joshua starts to have panic attacks and no longer believes that the world is safe, now knowing there are Gods out there, and that threat is imminent. In response to this, he builds the Iron Legion, unwearable armors that could be remotely controlled by J.A.R.V.I.S. to assist him in any future battles should a world from the Nine Realms ever invade again. However until that invasion occurs, the Iron Legion is programmed to aid the Avengers by getting civilians to safety to prevent any civilian causalities from occurring, during their battles. However, Joshua does not stop there as he continues to build more Iron Man suits to help in every kind of situation, paranoid about the dangers of the unknown. This causes friction with Pepper, and Hogan soon reveals that he was secretly in love with Pepper. Even though Pepper still loved Joshua, she eventually began a secret whirlwind romance with Hogan, which ended with the two of them secretly eloping. Meanwhile as Iron Man, on three separate occasions in their next confrontations, the Mandarin managed to take Iron Man (or his alter ego Joshua Rollé) captive, but failed to kill him. Conversely, Iron Man thwarted the Mandarin's various schemes, but was unable to bring him to justice. Following these battles, the Mandarin began to study his foe, wanting to find Iron Man's weaknesses. The Mandarin then teleported ''Happy" Hogan, to his new castle in China half a world away. Rescuing Hogan, Iron Man physically bested the Mandarin for the first time in personal combat and redirected the missiles that the Mandarin had launched back at the Mandarin's castle, destroying it. However, The Mandarin escaped by means of his teleportational machinery, and materialized aboard his orbiting satellite. There he constructed a gem-like device capable of broadcasting "hate-rays" toward Earth, and assembled several superhuman allies to perform certain missions for him, Living Laser, the original Power Man, Swordsman, Enchantress, and Executioner. The Avengers managed to thwart the Mandarin's scheme and destroyed his satellite. After this, The Avengers faced enemies like Vuk, an alien stranded on Earth; the Lava Men; the Mole Man, the Red Ghost, Count Nefaria, the Maggia, the Kallusians, as well as teaming up with the new Fantastic Four against Galactus. The Avengers soon found themselves facing the Masters of Evil, a group of villains with grudges against certain heroes within the team; the original Masters consisted of Baron Heinrich Zemo, Black Knight, Melter, and Radioactive Man. Following several more battles with the Masters (at one time assisted by Immortus), their foes finally fell; Zemo was killed in a fatal rock-slide triggered by his own weaponry as he and Captain America were fighting. The time traveler Kang the Conqueror fought the Avengers in between battles with the Masters, trying to take over the world with his advanced technology from the 30th century. Losing once, Kang used a Spider-Man robot to fool the Avengers and then betray them. Yet, his second plan failed thanks to the intervention of the real Spider-Man and Kang escaped back into the time stream.

Age of Ultron
After their battles with Kang and the Masters of Evil, The Avengers focused the efforts to put a stop to the rising threat of HYDRA. Using the Avengers Tower, as their headquarters, they embarked on several missions to ruin HYDRA's plans for world domination, eventually leading to Joshua and the other Avengers attacking Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's research base. While the other Avengers fought the soldiers on the ground, Joshua worked on destroying the base's shields to allow the team access. When Joshua swore during the mission, Jonathan told him to watch his language, much to Joshua's amusement. Joshua soon managed to disable the shields and entered the base; once inside he killed Doctor List before making his way through the hallways. Joshua located inside the base a giant Leviathan, which HYDRA had stolen after the Battle of New York, and the Scepter. While Joshua was looking at the Scepter, Wanda Maximoff sneaked up behind him and caused him to have a vision of the future; in the vision, Joshua saw the other Avengers lying dead after a mysterious battle. Shaken by what he had seen, Maximoff allowed Joshua to retrieve the Sceptre, knowing its power would ultimately cause his downfall. Continuing his mindset toward protecting humanity while realizing the void that the downfall of S.H.I.E.L.D. created, Joshua Rollé created an intelligence with the mandate to ensure global peace at any cost. The intelligence, Ultron, in turn created the Ultron Sentinels to defend humanity as a sort of makeshift army. At a party celebrating the launch of Ultron, Joshua and the Avengers decided to try to lift Mjølnir; Joshua initially tried to lift it on his own, when that failed he called for James Rhodes' help to no avail. Upon his defeat, Joshua looked for fingerprint recognition software in Thor's hammer. Ultron Sentinels then attacked the party. After a brief battle, the lead Ultron robot was destroyed, although it claimed it would attack again. With the team gathered together, Joshua began examining the robot to understand what caused it. He learned that it had destroyed J.A.R.V.I.S.' mainframe in a rage. Thor stormed in and grabbed Joshua by the throat, accusing him of bringing destruction to the earth, Joshua defended himself however claiming that he was coming up with a solution to end a war that would destroy the Earth. The team later learned that Ultron had built himself a new body and had killed Wolfgang von Strucker and was planning on stealing Vibranium from Ulysses Klaue. Joshua led the team to South Africa where they found Ultron, along with Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, taking the Vibranium. They engaged in a fierce battle, with Joshua taking on Ultron alone while the rest of the team fought the Ultron Sentries and the Maximoff twins. Eventually, Joshua brought down Ultron and destroyed his body. Not long afterward, however, he learned that the team had been mentally taken down by Wanda Maximoff, who had proceeded to cause Elijah to transform into Hulk in the middle of South Africa and started to destroy everything he could. Joshua called for his Mark XLIV armor; he tried to contain Hulk in an enforced metal cage, but when this failed, the two began to fight. When Hulk damaged the armor, Joshua called for extra parts and used its many capabilities to try to knock Hulk down or fly him from the city. Eventually, he resorted to dropping him through a building still going through construction; this seemingly calmed Hulk enough that Joshua could knock him out with a final massive punch. After the battle was over, the Avengers were on the Quinjet. Maria Hill told Joshua and Clint Barton that there were negative criticisms against the Avengers' actions in South Africa and also voices that wanted Elijah's arrest. Hill also suggested that they should to go somewhere where the rest of the team could relax from their dreams until they could find Ultron. Barton said to Joshua he should get some sleep because they would land in a few hours. Joshua asked him where and Barton responded to "a Safe house". They landed in a countryside and entered into a small house. The team was surprised to learn that it was Barton's family home and that he has a wife and three children. Barton explained that the reason the team were unaware of his family was due to Nick Fury helping him to have this second peaceful life outside S.H.I.E.L.D. where his family could be safe. Joshua and Jonathan went outside and chopped wood together. They discussed how Wanda Maximoff had been able to use her powers to pull the team apart. When the conversation moved to how Joshua and Elijah inadvertently created Ultron, they began to argue and debate whether or not Joshua should have ever experimented on the Scepter. Joshua explained his action by using the argument that the true reason they fight is only to end the fight and go home, and Ultron was supposed to replace them. Laura Barton then asked Joshua if he could help to fix the their tractor. As Joshua examined the tractor, Nick Fury revealed himself; Joshua realized that Maria Hill called him. Fury tried to convince Joshua that Wanda Maximoff had just tricked him, but Joshua said that the vision he had seen where all of his friends are dead would be the future, if Joshua would not do everything he could to save them and humanity. Fury then showed himself to the rest of the team and started to discuss their next move. Fury said that his contact people in "NEXUS" in Oslo had informed him that Ultron had tried to get nuclear codes but someone changed the codes all the time. Elijah then realized that Ultron wanted always to improved his body, so he needed Helen Cho and her Cradle device to create his ultimate body. Joshua then made it clear to Jonathan that if Ultron succeed to upload himself to the body, he might be stronger then any of them. Fury then told them that he will take Elijah to the Avengers Tower and said to Joshua that he needed Hill for "something dramatic". As Jonathan, Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton flew to Seoul to retrieve the synthetic body, Joshua was in the NEXUS base searching for the person who prevented Ultron from obtaining launch codes for nuclear missiles. He discovered that it was J.A.R.V.I.S. who did that. Joshua discovered that Ultron was afraid of J.A.R.V.I.S. and of what he can do, so J.A.R.V.I.S. went underground and prevent from Ultron to get the codes. Joshua then reconnected him. Joshua went back to the Avengers Tower where Elijah and Barton waited for him. Barton was with the Cradle with the synthetic body inside it. Barton informed Joshua that Ultron had kidnapped Romanoff, so Barton began to search for her. Joshua then told Elijah everything he discovered and he asked for his help him upload J.A.R.V.I.S. to the synthetic body. As the two were almost finished, Jonathan with Wanda and Pietro Maximoff came and ordered him to shut it down. After Joshua and Elijah refused, the two and Barton fight against the three, but suddenly Thor came in and revived the synthetic body with his lightning. The living body jumped out and briefly attacked Thor until he looked out over the city, the living body apologized and called itself the Vision and claimed to wish to assist them to fight Ultron. Thor explained that he had seen the Vision in his vision and the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones, that is in the Vision's forehead. At first the team did not trust him, bur as proof of his honor, Vision handed Thor Mjølnir. The Avengers tracked Ultron down in Sokovia, where Natasha Romanoff was held. Joshua uploaded his artificial intelligent computer, F.R.I.D.A.Y., to his newest suit. The team flew there with Wanda and Pietro Maximoff and Vision. As the rest of the team helped to evacuate Novi Grad and Elijah went to free Romanoff, Joshua confronted Ultron in the city's church. Ultron had created a new body for himself and a drill that emerged from the center of the church, revealing a Vibranium detonator with a mechanism located underground. Vision then came and succeeded to disconnect Ultron from the internet. Ultron then activated the drill and a part from the city flew to the sky. F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed Joshua that if the city would get high enough, the impact of its fall to the ground would cause a global extinction. While the Avengers fought against the Ultron Sentries and made sure the civilians were safe, Joshua and F.R.I.D.A.Y. debated about a way to make sure the city would not hit the ground. He came to the idea that he and Thor can destroy the rock in the air. Eventually, Nick Fury and Maria Hill came with a Helicarrier and helped the Avengers with evacuating Novi Grad while War Machine helped with the battle. The Avengers guarded the vibranium drill from the Ultron Sentries to prevent the city from falling. However, one sentry caused the city to fall, but Joshua and Thor succeeded in exploding it before it touched the ground. New Avengers Facility was constructed in upstate New York; Joshua informed the others about his resignation from the Avengers. Joshua, Jonathan and Thor met at the facility where they discussed the Vision keeping the Mind Stone in his head; Thor insisted that he could as he had proven himself worthy by lifting Mjølnir, although Jonathan questioned if this counted as Vision was a machine. Thor then returned to Asgard to learn more about the Infinity Stones. Jonathan then said to Joshua that he will miss him too, and Joshua joked that he will build for Pepper Potts a house in the country, like Clint Barton. Joshua then drove home where he expressed to Pepper his adamant thoughts about retiring from everything and living the quite life in the county. This leads Pepper to breakdown in tears as she states that she can no longer lead Joshua on and reveals her affair with Happy, before leaving. Joshua feeling broken inside, decides not to give up his crusade against crime, now needing it to fill the void in his heart.

Founding The Illuminati
Joshua would soon initiate a meeting in Wakanda with Professor X, Mister Fantastic, Black Bolt, Doctor Strange, and Namor to form a clandestine, unnamed group to devise strategy and policy regarding overarching menaces (the "Illuminati"). Joshua's original goal was to create a governing body for all superheroes in the world to answer to with him being the head of that group. However, the different beliefs and philosophies, besides the fact that many heroes chose to conceal their real identities, made Joshua's plan impractical. Despite this, the group agreed to share vital information and formed the group amongst themselves. On their first mission “The Illuminati” traveled to the homeworld of the Skrulls, who were still reeling from their defeat during the Kree-Skrull War on Earth. The group warned the Empire not to attack Earth again, but were unable to escape afterward. The Skrulls analyzed their captives (physiology, genetics, technology, etc) and gleaned information from their behavior, until Iron Man was able to lead an escape. The Illuminati recognized that another attack was inevitable, while the Skrull Empire began to make use of the data they compiled. By using a clone of Reed Richards, the Skrulls were able to be undetected by superheroes. Later a revived Agent Phil Coulson, the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. since Col. Nick Fury's departure following Hydra's infiltration of shield, approached Iron Man concerning the Hulk, who had recently destroyed Las Vegas with several casualties. Iron Man presented a solution to the problem of his brothers' monstrous half to the Illuminati (excluding an absent Professor Xavier), suggesting that they shoot him into space, sending him to an uninhabited planet where he could live out the rest of his days alone, in peace. Namor, alone, dissented to the plan. He believed that they had no right to banish their ally from Earth and accused them of not helping to cure Elijah to the best of their abilities. The other four members voted in favor of the plan, and Namor departed. While leaving, he predicted that the Hulk would return to seek justified revenge. After Namor was gone, Mr. Fantastic revealed to the group that he had been collecting the Infinity Gems, and hoped to collect them all with the help of the Illuminati. Despite a general apprehension, the group managed to acquire all six gems. Upon doing so, Mr. Fantastic attempted to will the Gems out of existence, but he was unable to do so. Faced with this failure, and a reprimand from Uatu, the Watcher, he made the controversial decision to give each Illuminati member one gem to hide so that they would never be combined and used again, due to this the Illuminati were forced to disband.

Demon in a Bottle-23
Now without friends to distract him from his hurt and loss, since Pepper and Happy's betrayal, Joshua's greatest nemesis becomes alcoholism. During this time his company, which had changed its name from Rollé Industries to Rollé International, was threatened with a takeover, leading Joshua to further abuse alcohol. Although he managed to recover quickly from his first serious bout with the help of his personal bodyguard, Bethany Cabe; the compulsion to drink remained a constant temptation. However, Bethany was instrumental in helping Joshua in his fight against alcoholism as she became his confidant, lover and best friend and it seemed for a time that he had finally met his perfect match. The relationship sadly came to an end when Bethany learned that her husband, Alex Von Tilburg, a man she believed to be dead, was in fact still alive in Germany. Recovered, Joshua began seeing the newly divorced superheronie, Wasp, as she left her husband Pym for his infidelity, however after Captain America reprimanded them both, Janet realized that it was morally wrong to pursue a relationship with one of her ex-husband's friends. The two heroes nonetheless remained good friends. The second time Joshua succumbed to alcoholism, was when Joshua became involved with Indries Moomji. What he did not know is that she had been hired by his worst enemy, Obadiah Stane's son, Ezekiel Stane, who used Moomji in his plot to destroy Joshua and take control of Rollé International. Following orders, she manipulated him into falling in love with her, and then rejected him coldly. Heartbroken, Joshua sought relief in alcohol. Joshua went on a several month binge during which he was cheated out of Rollé International, had all Iron Man suits destroyed (except one), lost the leases on his various apartments, and had his personal assets frozen so that he could not touch his fortune. All of this was the result of the machinations of the mysterious European entrepreneur, Ezekiel Stane, who successfully took over Joshua's company, renaming it Stane International. During this time, Rhodey, who had gone to work for Joshua, after leaving the military, assumed custody of the Iron Man armor and operated as Iron Man in his stead. The worst person Joshua could have met after his painful relationship with Moomji is probably Liu, Joshua's Yancy street neighbor that he lost his virginity to when they were 13. Herself an alcoholic, the two dragged each other even deeper in alcohol abuse. Joshua soon found himself completely homeless, and dispossessed. Liu met her end most dramatically; she committed suicide. Following Liu's suicide, Joshua saw first hand the road he was going down, and decided to change his life by getting sober.

Sobriety
When Joshua finally regained his sobriety, he joined with Rhodes and two of his friends, Morley Erwin (late of Rollé International) and his sister Clytemnestra Erwin of Richmond Enterprises, to set up a new electronics firm in California named Circuits Maximus. In its brief existence, Circuits Maximus became a prestigious and successful firm. While the armor was in his custody, Rhodey became increasingly enamored with being Iron Man and, upon Joshua's return to sobriety, feared that Joshua would ask for it back. The cybernetic helmet had never been properly calibrated to Rhodey's brain patterns; he began to have severe headaches and his thinking was clouded. As a result Rhodes began to manifest hostility toward Joshua. As part of his therapy, Joshua constructed a simple suit of armor based on his original design with no intention of donning it until he felt in control of his alcoholism. When Rhodes began acting irrationally, however, Joshua felt obligated to put on this crude suit of armor to prevent Rhodes from doing harm. Joshua managed to subdue Rhodes and made necessary recalibrations on the cybernetics. For a brief time Joshua and Rhodes used their respective suits of armor as Iron Men, although Joshua did so reluctantly. At the suggestion of the West Coast Avengers chairman, Hawkeye, Joshua designed and built his most sophisticated armor to date, presumably so that the Avengers could find someone to wear the suit and bolster the team's strength. However, soon after its completion, Ezekiel Stane became alarmed at Joshua's steps toward recovery. Circuits Maximus was bombed, injuring Rhodes and killing Morley Erwin. Desiring vengeance, Joshua donned the untested new armor and sought out Stane. Stane himself put on a suit his engineers had built using Joshua's plans, and met Iron Man in battle as the new Iron Monger. Losing the battle against Joshua, Stane contemplated suicide and fled. After Stane's defeat, Joshua decided that although one is never truly cured of alcoholism, he could also not deny the responsibility of being Iron Man. He resumed his career as Iron Man, and joined the new West Coast branch of the Avengers.

Joining the West Coast Avengers
Iron Man informed his former Illuminati memebers of the formation of a new Avengers team, and all but Namor wished him well in his endeavor. Iron Man moved on to the issue of the Sentry. Although none of the Illuminati had any recollection of him, Mr. Fantastic discovered that he had files on the Sentry and Professor Xavier discovered that his mind had been tampered with. Mr. Fantastic was able to use the files to get through to Robert Reynolds, aka the Sentry, and help him reverse what has been done to him. Iron Man told the group that the Avengers took full responsibility for the Sentry, should he ever lose control, but dodged their questions about other recent Avengers inquiries. Joshua later managed to reclaim control of his fortune, although he decided not to claim ownership of the company formerly known as Rollé International. Rather, he founded a new technological design and manufacturing company, Rollé Enterprises, based in Silicon Valley in Southern California. Rollé Enterprises quickly became a highly successful and innovative company.

The Armor Wars
Joshua learned that an industrialist calling himself Spymaster had stolen the plans for the many secret technological innovations found in the Iron Man armor. Spymaster had then turned these plans over to Joshua's most powerful and antagonistic business rival, Justin Hammer, who in turn had made them available to criminals. These criminals had then incorporated the stolen technological innovations into their own armored battle suits. Outraged that his inventions were being used for criminal activity, and even for killing, Joshua determined to deprive these criminals of his secrets. He planted a computer virus in Hammer's computer system that would wipe out all traces of the plans for Joshua's Iron Man technology. As Iron Man, Joshua sought out and caught many criminals and others (such as the United States government's Guardsmen) who wore a battle suit utilizing his technology. He implanted devices called 'negator packs' on their armor to fuse the circuits, rendering the suit useless. With the computer records of the plans for his technology gone, presumably it could not be used in reconstructing the suits. The United States government branded Iron Man an outlaw as a result of these and other vigilante actions, and his elder brother Captain America was among those opposing him. Joshua publicly claimed that he had “fired” Iron Man in displeasure over his illegal activity. Shortly afterward, Iron Man was apparently destroyed in combat with government forces. In fact, however, Joshua had survived. He created an even more sophisticated armored battle suit to wear as Iron Man using technology far more advanced than that which Spymaster had stolen from him. Joshua continued to go into action as Iron Man, but publicly claimed that his previous role as Iron Man was dead and that another employee of his whose identity was being kept secret was now wearing the armored suit. During this time, Joshua met Janice Cord, the daughter of Drexel Cord, one of Joshua's business rivals. Her father demanded that his daughter ended the relationship with his young competitor. When her father died, she became Joshua's girlfriend. It was at this time,the Mandarin tried desperately to prove that Joshua Rollé was still Iron Man. He received a Hulk android and kidnapped Janice Cord in order to see if Iron Man would try and save her. Iron Man was lead to a factory where he destroyed the robot. He then was kidnapped and his mask removed. The Mandarin saw that the face under the mask wasn't Joshua's while at the same time seeing how Mr. Rollé was giving a speech. Mandarin went into a rage allowing Iron Man (who had hidden his true face under another mask) to escape. Meanwhile, the Mandarin approached the Rollé robot after the press conference and broke him, at which moment the real Iron Man entered and fought the Mandarin. In the middle of the fight, the Mandarin escaped with his aircraft, but was shot down and brought into custody. Later, the relationship between Janice and Joshua ended tragically. She was seriously injured during a battle that opposed Iron Man to his two worst enemies of the time (Titanium-Man and Crimson Dynamo III). She died in Iron Man's arms, unaware that he was the man she loved. Not wanting to have an alcoholic relapse, Joshua quickly rebounded, and began dating Brie Daniels for a while, but she turned out to be an awful opportunist. She used Joshua to meet important Hollywood people. When success came, she abandoned Joshua completely. Joshua then met, Rae Lacoste, the owner of a beauty salon on the very renown Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles. She became an occasional lady friend of Joshua's, and had no objection to Joshua seeing other women. The relationship became purely friendship when Rae started dating Rhodey.

Shot
Later, when Joshua met a woman named Kathy Dare, he was not interested in any exclusive love relationship, and he let her know that. She said she was OK with it at first, but then grew ever more jealous and possessive. Joshua had enough and decided to end the relationship. Dare, mad with rage, shot Rollé. The bullet tore through Joshua's spine and it appeared he could be crippled for the rest of his life, unable to walk. However he could still function normally within his Iron Man armor. Guilt finally overcame Dare who ended up killing herself. Meanwhile, a microchip device was later implanted in Joshua's spine that enabled him to walk and move normally once again. This 'bio-chip' proved problematic and degenerative nerve damage occurred. This was aggravated by the attack of Kearson DeWitt, a madman who claimed Joshua had stolen his father's designs. DeWitt had Joshua's nervous system attacked with a techno-organic virus, but Joshua was able to survive. He temporarily had to be placed in cryo-stasis, with Rhodey taking his place as CEO. During this time, one of the most brilliant neurologists in the world, Doctor Su Yin tried to help Joshua overcome his injuries. The two fell in love but Su Yin quickly put a stop to the affair, revealing that she was married and desired to remain faithful to her husband. The two remained good friends. Joshua later hired Veronica Benning as his personal physiotherapist. She helped him to regain his coordination and relearn to walk. After many months of daily contact, the professional relationship became one of affection and love. A while later, in a rather strange turn of events, Joshua was re-injured from feedback from a 'telepresence' system to remotely control his Iron Man armor and battle Ultimo. The computer virus, named Vor/tex, took control of Joshua's body. Unable to overcome his new urges, Vor/Tex consumed a large quantity of alcohol and behaved in a very rude manner with Veronica. Not knowing that Joshua was not himself, she left, never to be seen again. Joshua eventually recovered after more extensive rehabilitation. Joshua was then forced to restructure Rollé Enterprises when several of Stane's business decisions were leaked to the press. This also caused a number of other heroes to confront Iron Man, such as Elijah's wife Betty Ross regarding gamma bomb production plants. Joshua also quarreled with Rhodes over several good-intentioned but wrong decisions Jim made as CEO (such as selling off nuclear assets to a dummy company secretly operated by AIM), as well as his actions in Imaya.. The two briefly clashed in battle, but have since resumed their friendship. However, it was soon revealed that during his absence in cryo-stasis, Rollé Enterprises was bought by the Japanese firm Fujikawa, to become the Rollé-Fujikawa conglomerate, without Rodey even realizing. Joshua declined to challenge the Fujikawa acquisition and formed a new company, Rollé Solutions. The daughter of the new owner was the beautiful Rumiko. In order to rebel against her father's authority, she began to date Rollé, despite her father's misgivings. But the relationship quickly became a rocky one when the adventurous and frivolous woman thought that Joshua worked too much and didn't have enough fun. The relationship ended when Rollé walked in on her in bed with his old childhood friend and former Yancy Street member, Tiberius Stone. To make amends, Rumiko later arranged for her father to sell back 49% of Rollé-Fujikawa back to Joshua, and then gave her own 2% of shares to him, thus giving him back control over his old company.

World War Hulk
During this time, Reed was contacted by the Sliver Surfer, who informed him that Hulk did not land on the intended planet and instead landed on the slave planet, Sakaar. When the Hulk ultimately returned to Earth, he sought revenge on the Illuminati as Namor had warned. His first act was to attack and defeat the Skrull Black Bolt at the Inhuman settlement on the Moon. After providing New York with a twenty-four-hour time limit to hand the other three Illuminati over to him, the Hulk approached Xavier at his mansion to determine whether he would have supported the Illuminati plan had he been present. He battled the X-Men, easily defeating them. Xavier told Hulk that had he been there, he would have voted yes, and offered himself to the Hulk in exchange for the safety of the X-Men, but after learning of the mutant population's recent severe losses as a result of M-Day, and the deaths of several of Xaviers students, the Hulk decided that the X-Men had suffered enough and departed. The Hulk soon took over Manhattan Island, but luckily, Joshua saw Hulk's return as an eventuality, and was prepared to engage the Hulk with a brand new Hulk-Buster armor. The Hulk was attacked by Iron Man in this new Hulkbuster armor and the battle between them destroyed most of New York City, blows were thrown so powerful that no other hero could get close enough to help or act. Rollé Tower collapsed on top of the two during the battle, and ultimately, Hulk took Joshua captive. Despite the aid of the other members of the Fantastic Four, including temporary members the Black Panther and Storm, the same fate befell Mr. Fantastic. Dr. Strange tried to enter the Hulk's mind, but Hulk tricked Strange into presenting himself in a physical form that he attacked upon appearance. Strange later invoked and is possessed by the demon spirit of Zom, hoping that he could stop the Hulk before it was too late. However he lost control of his new found power, and he almost caused some civilians to die during his battle with the Hulk. Although the Hulk saved them, this action made Strange lose his confidence in his powers and made him weak enough for the Hulk to defeat him. Hulk then implanted the Illuminati members with obedience discs and forced them to fight each other in his makeshift gladiatorial ring in Madison Square Garden. However the Hulk spared them from killing each other, showing them that he proved his point to the world. They survived the encounter by Hulk's mercy and the timely intervention of the Sentry, who weakened Hulk enough for Joshua to use prototype defense satellites to render the Hulk unconscious. The Illuminati were then cleared from the responsibility of Sakaar's destruction when Hulk's friend Miek admitted he saw the Red King's forces breach the ship's warp core and kept quiet to initiate what Miek felt was Hulk's destiny as the "Worldbreaker". Namor, being the only Illuminati member opposed to shooting Hulk into space from the beginning, was spared by Hulk for that reason, and remained uninvolved throughout the conflict.

Dead?
Sometime after, Joshua discovered that injuries from battling the Hulk and other foes revealed a danger of long-term armor exposure. The armor's power systems and insulation were significantly redesigned to compensate, but he was dying yet again. After defeating the Mandarin, and using a rogue team of Avengers to seemingly destroy the Supreme Intelligence (against Captain America’s command), he expressed his regret to Captain America and the two began trying to repair their fractured relationship. As Joshua’s health continued to deteriorate, he designed his variable threat assessment armor (model 11, also called the “War Machine”) and won back Stane International’s assets from its last owner, Justin Hammer. Succumbing to total nervous system failure, Joshua seemingly died on an operating table. In his will, he made Rhodey the new CEO of Rollé Enterprises, telling him that he knows he'll do a better job now and left the new War Machine armor for him to carry on as Iron Man. Rhodes respected his wishes. However Joshua was secretly in cryogenic storage while his body’s entire nervous system was essentially rebuilt. Revived, Joshua goes to see Rhodes, who was infuriated at being deceived, and immediately quit Rollé Enterprises. Joshua allowed Rhodes to keep the War Machine armor and launched a new model of armor, the Neuromimetic Telepresence Unit 150, which he could control remotely while he recovered. He also used new artificial intelligences to aid him in his work, including H.O.M.E.R. and P.L.A.T.O. After a long period of disagreeing with Avengers' policies and direction, Iron Man, outfitted in his new modular armor, voted to disband the West Coast Avengers to form his own proactive team: Force Works.

Force Works-24
He recruited some of his former teammates: the Scarlet Witch, who assumed leadership duties, and Spider-Woman, U.S. Agent and Wonder Man. Serving as support staff were Fisher Todd (tech support), Amanda Chaney (public relations) and Consuela (maid and nanny). The group was based in former Rollé Enterprises R&D facility the Works, including a virtual reality training area (the VROOM Room) and holographic master computer P.L.A.T.O. Joshua's ideological basis for the team's existence was that heroes should respond to crisis situations before they swelled out of control. The Scarlet Witch's hex powers were expected to interface with PLATO's probability programs, predicting crisis points. Unfortunately, the team's first mission was beyond P.L.A.T.O.'s ability to predict - the Starstealth, a group of Kree warriors, came to Earth along side a Recorder android, erroneously believing that Wonder Man and the Vision had destroyed their homeworld, Hala. During a confrontation at the old Avengers West Coast facility, the Kree's powerful Ion Cannon threatened to destroy the Earth. Wonder Man seemingly died ending the threat, and the team's forces were bolstered by the unexpected arrival of amnesiac alien Century. Century was followed by the Scatter, carnivorous colony insects who laid waste to whole worlds. Force Works drove them away from Earth after a fierce battle in the streets of Houston, Texas. Flush with early success but still reeling from Wonder Man's death, Force Works embarked on a series of globe-trotting adventures: in the Baltic nation Slorenia, they encountered the mystic champion of an oppressed people, Ember, and the armored warrior Black Brigade; in Hong Kong, they united with War Machine against the Mandarin; and in Australia, they discovered a neophyte hero named Dreamguard, assisting him against the enigmatic alien Orphan. During these missions, the team was secretly hampered by the Recorder, who had remained with them following their initial mission. The Recorder's deceptions were eventually exposed after he aided the Starstealth in escaping from the metahuman prison known as the Vault. After teaming with the Avengers against the Starstealth and escaping the clutches of an alien merchant named Broker, Force Works became embroiled in an elaborate scheme known as the Crossing.

Frameup
Iron Man, acting under the influence of a new Kang the Conqueror, betrayed the team's newest associate, Suzi Endo, replacing her with a clone of herself who usurped her identity as Cybermancer. Moonraker, an alleged Space Phantom masquerading as a dimensionally displaced hero, joined the group, altering memories so that it seemed he had been a member for months and was romantically involved with Spider-Woman. Moonraker successfully sowed confusion and doubt, then led the team to Vietnam, distracting them from Immortus and his true plans. Force Works barely survived these events, working in tandem with the Avengers, but the group was without focus after Iron Man's departure. They remained together long enough to foil an attempt by the evil Suzi Endo. Meanwhile under the influence of this new and mysterious Kang, Joshua committed a number of horrible acts as he was forced to kill Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara) and Crystal's Nanny, Marilla. To battle the combined forces of Iron Man and “Kang,” the Avengers were forced to recruit War Machine. Rodey donned his new War Machine suit and aided the Avengers in battle. When Joshua came face to face with Rodey he was finally able to overcome Kang' s control. Joshua nearly sacrificed himself to save Rodey's life and defeated Immortus. Shortly after returning to normal, he subjected himself to judgment by his fellow Avengers and was exonerated.

Sentient Armor
Joshua then tired to return to Force Works but most of the members went their separate ways. During a battle with Whiplash a bolt of lighting hit Iron Man and the armor became sentient. This would be later revealed due to the Ultron Imperative. Iron Man (Sentient Armor) decided it would replace Joshua, but ultimately sacrificed itself to repair damage to its creator's heart. Joshua next posed as simple worker 'Hogan Potts' at Askew Electronics, incorporating a new alloy called SKIN into his armor designs. After tests against the Shocker, he went into battle against AIM, the Ghost, and finally Ultron after the villain revealed his manipulation of the Sons of Yinsen, his role in the sentient armor, and corrupting the SKIN technology. Joshua investigated an early military armor that had been distributed to rebel forces around the world. Temugin also made his presence felt, challenging Iron Man for the apparent death of his father, the Mandarin. A strange alien bio-plasm was investigated in Las Vegas. Joshua infiltrated the Thunderbolts posing as the Cobalt Man.

Extremis
Then, The US military attempted to claim older model Iron Man armors. Their pretense was that Joshua had not patented the technology and that he violated agreements made after the Armor Wars by continuing to adventure as Iron Man. At the same time, a new Secretary of Defense was needed. Joshua vied for the position and halted a disaster involving the technology as Iron Man, wining the election. Joshua (later revealed to be manipulated by the Scarlet Witch) suddenly threatened a Latverian ambassador at a UN meeting. Soon after, Clarence Ward used a stolen armor to kill nearly all of Rollé Industries' board and Rumiko Fujikawa. In light of the incidents, Joshua resigned as secretary. Joshua returned to work at a hectic pace, often sleeping in his lab. Joshua was later asked for help, when a super soldier project named Extremis had been given to a small terrorist group. Iron Man battled the augmented terrorist Mallen, but suffered massive injuries. Taking Extremis, Iron Man healed and found himself able to directly interface with technology, especially the armor. Going after Mallen again, Joshua was forced to kill him. Joshua found he was becoming more and more aggressive battling the Crimson Dynamo and assisting the Avengers against Graviton. He also began building a group of drones nicknamed the Argonauts. 'Iron Man' was then spotted attacking several officials, including those involved in his and Ho Yinsen's imprisonment. Joshua agreed to go under watch, but armored up and escaped. He confronted Extremis' creator, only to learn the enhancement was not part of it. An outside force was controlling him. The Sentry was sent to apprehend Iron Man, only to find a remote unit and stopped via Joshua's manipulation of C.L.O.C.. Joshua tracked down the owner of the remote at a press conference, finding Ho Yinsen's son. He learned Yinsen had been forced to secretly implant a control chip in Joshua during their imprisonment years ago. This chip operated on Yinsen's breakthrough in using electromagnetic signals to control the body. Operatives looking to steal the technology killed Yinsen’s wife. In revenge, his son activated the chip, using Iron Man to go after those he felt responsible. A S.H.I.E.L.D. sniper soon shot Yinsen's son, activating his fail-safe: the Argonauts.

The New Avengers
Later, while flying around the city, Iron Man arrived at the Raft prison to aid Captain America, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Question, and the Sentry in capturing prisoners after a prison break set up by a Skrull Queen posing as the original Spider-Woman. Forty-five super-criminals were kept on the Raft by the heroes and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but forty-two others managed to escape. Captain America convinced Iron Man to form a new team of Avengers without their own base of operations, vehicles, equipment, or payroll. The team would simply exist to deal with tasks that no one superhero could handle, without the government involvement and financial burdens common to Avengers' history. Following this, Cap spoke to each of the heroes present at the Raft (except the Sentry, who could not be found.) All except Question accepted. The Spider-Woman impostor who helped the heroes combat the prisoners, agreed to join the team seeing a chance to crack Joshua's technology. The team spoke to Commander Maria Hill, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. who was less than enthused about a non-governmental team of Avengers, but Cap noted that he had Full Champion License, allowing him to assemble any team he deemed necessary for any mission he set out on. The New Avengers were formed as his team to deal with the Raft escapees, with the top three stories of Rollé Tower as their home base. Discovering that Electro perpetrated the breakout, the team was able to track his primary target escapee, Sauron, to the Savage Land. Wolverine, the feral X-Man, who was in the area on a tip from the Scorcher, also became a member of the New Avengers, finally partnering Joshua along side Bobby once again. The team battled both the Savage Land Mutates and a S.H.I.E.L.D. team led by the Black Widow (Yelena Belova). Seeing a group of slaves working at a Vibranium mine, the Avengers went to investigate only to witness the Helicarrier destroy the area with cruise missiles. Reflecting, the Avengers determined that someone in S.H.I.E.L.D. was stockpiling super-criminals, the organization once again backslid without the watchful eye of Colonel Fury. The team next addressed the potential threat of the Sentry/Void, and helped him rediscover his place. He agreed to assist the team when he can. The Avengers next learned that the Silver Samurai was one of the Raft's prisoners. It was suspected he returned to Japan for a potential merging of the Hand, Madame Hydra's forces, and the Clan Yashida. Wolverine was away on other matters, and Question turned down a request from Captain America to help, nominating the mysterious Ronin in his place. Ronin found Madame Hydra, but was chased by the Hand. The Avengers defeated a number of Hand ninjas, while the Spider-Woman impostor had an encounter with Madame Hydra. Silver Samurai claimed he was abducted by S.H.I.E.L.D. and placed in the Raft. He was not concerned with other groups, only Clan Yashida, with Sunfire being missing and believed dead. After this The New Avengers clashed with the Thunderbolts, although it was really a government ruse to place monitoring devices in Avengers Tower. The team was secretly tipped off to this by Cable and Deadpool. The Spider-Woman imposter would soon after explain her status as a double agent under orders from the missing Nick Fury. The New Avengers then unveiled themselves publicly despite scathing criticism from the Daily Bugle over Spider-Man's membership. During this time, the Sentry was sent to battle Iron Man by the government, and Joshua only defeated him by showing the Sentry several reports of disasters awaiting his actions, which caused the Sentry to collapse. The New Avengers also attempted to apprehend the vigilante Cloak when he was framed for an attack on his partner Dagger, but were interrupted by the Runaways. Spider-Man confronted Arsenic and Victor Mancha, taking them to dinner while discussing the situation. The meal was ruined when the team's leader, Nico Minoru, attacked Spider-Man and knocked him out. Cap, Wolverine, and Iron Man confronted Molly Hayes at a church while looking for Cloak, and Molly punched Wolverine out of the church in fear. The Runaways eventually got away after defeating Cloak's imposter, clearing Cloak's name. After that a mysterious energy being known s the Collective had formed from the mass of energy created in the aftermath of M-Day. It touched down in Canada, and headed for the US border. Director Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D. deflected inquiries from Joshua. A S.H.I.E.L.D. convoy was easily destroyed by the being. Alpha Flight attempted to stop the being, with disastrous results. The President of the United States asked the Avengers to intervene. In Genosha the Sentry, Ms. Marvel, and Iron Man contained the Collective's energies and dispersed it into the sun.

Fear Itself
Later, while visiting his old neighborhood in Yancy Street Gotham, a being known as Skadi released the Serpent, who in turn called the Hammers of the Worthy to Earth. One of these hammers fell on Yancy Street and in the middle of examining it, Joshua tries to lift it, resulting in his transformation into Angrir, Breaker of Souls. After destroying Yancy Street, the Bat-Family attempted to free Joshua's mind, but he was too far gone and too powerful for them to stop. Later, while in New York, he noticed Spider-Man swinging to a hospital to help a pregnant woman and followed him, hoping to make an example of him to all who opposed the Serpent. Spider-Man convinced Angrir to leave the hospital, and outsmarted Angrir, though barely surviving the ordeal. Red Hulk then challenged him, but of the two Goliaths, Angrir emerged victorious and destroyed Avengers Tower. Eventually, he, alongside the hammer-possessed Hulk, now Nul, engaged Thor and was mortally wounded in the fight. The blow was enough to bring him back to his senses and was freed completely from the hammer's influence by Franklin Richards, who broke his promise to not use his powers to save Joshua. After this Joshua heard that there were multiple such occurrences of such an event around the world, Joshua then went to Paris to investigate where another one of the hammers had fallen and told Pepper (reemployed as his assistant) to hire Bethany Cabe who dismissed the idea stating that Joshua just wanted another redhead in his office. However Joshua told her that it was because she was resourceful and capable woman. Joshua would then fight Mokk in the streets of Paris, France, where all citizens had been turned into living statues. Finding himself unable to defeat Mokk with conventional methods, Joshua entreated Thor's father, Odin, to allow him to design magically powered weapons in the forges of Asgard. Haunted by the casualties and his failure, Joshua began drinking again. Then Odin appeared and after discussing with Joshua, the All-Father proposed to Joshua to create magical weapons at Svartalfheim. However, determined not to fail again, he restored his sobriety. With these weapons, the Avengers defeated the Serpent's Worthy and Skadi, while Thor defeated the Serpent himself but payed with his life. Days later, Joshua destroyed the weapons at Svartalfheim and after discussing with Odin, the God brought back to life the "statues" of the Parisians who weren't broken. Also, Joshua offered the dark elf Splitlip a place to work at one of his companies.

Armored Adventures-25-33
For the next 8 years, Joshua continued as Iron Man, saving the world, defeating those that set out to destroy him, such as Blacklash, Blizzard, Chemistro, Controller, Crimson Dynamo IV, Doctor Doom, Dreadknight, Edwin Cord, Fin Fang Foom, Firebrand, Firepower, Fixer, Force, Freak, Ghost, Justin Hammer, Justine Hammer, Sasha Hammer, Iron Monger, Kearson DeWitt, Killer Shrike, Living Laser, Madame Masque, Mallen, Mauler, Melter, Mordecai Midas, M.O.D.O.K., Raiders, Shockwave, Sunturion, Technovore, Temugin, Titanium Man, Ultimo, Unicorn, Vibro, Whiplash, Whirlwind, and the Mandarin. Joshua also continued to work as a New Avenger, battling: A.I.M., The Cabal, Circus of Crime, Collector, Crossbones, Egghead, Grandmaster, Graviton, Grim Reaper, Hydra, Korvac, Kree, Legion of the Unliving, Lethal Legion, Master Pandemonium, Masters of Evil, Nebula, Onslaught, Space Phantoms, Super-Adaptoid, Skrulls, Squadron Supreme, Taskmaster, Thanos, Ultron, Zodiac and Loki. During this time, Joshua even managed to maintained an on and off relationship with Jenifer Walters, otherwise known as She Hulk.

Dominic Gordon-34
However Joshua's world would be changed for ever when Joshua discovered on the news, that a group dubbed by the media as the "Young Avengers", proved no match for Electro, but managed to save a hotel that caught fire during the battle. Joshua discovered their “lair” inside the Avenger Memorial, and together with Jonathan, they went to confront them. When the Yong Avengers returned from their second mission, they found the two Avengers waiting for them and Cap demanded answers. The apparent leader of the group Iron Lad, explained his teams origin as well as his, telling Joshua that he was his son, Dominic Gordon. Joshua was shocked into silence, and sat down as the fifteen year old boy continued explaining how he himself didn't even know until, he found Joshua's letter to his mother Barbara Gordon, with the engagement ring-necklace, and the picture of Robin and Batgirl. Nick tells Joshua that he was visited by Kang the Conqueror, who outfitted him in Neuro-Kenetic armor and showed Nick glimpses of his future where he was destined to become the successor to the time-traveling conqueror. It is at this moment Joshua realizes the Kang that took over his body and killed years ago was in fact his own son. Nick continues to explain that Kang told him his ultimate destiny was to do battle with the heroic Avengers and conqueror earth at the cost of billions of lives. Nick told them he was horrified by what he was destined to become and attacked his future mentor, deciding to renounce his destiny and find his father to protect him. While Nick talked to his father and uncle, his allies incidentally recruited both Kate Bishop and Cassie Lang daughter of the recently deceased Ant-Man. Iron Lad, Iron Man, Captain America and their ally Jessica Jones were then drawn outside when they heard Cassie Lang fall down after suddenly growing in size. While Cassie adopted the costumed guise of Stature, Iron Lad continued to explain his intentions of forming the Young Avengers. Cap and Iron Man were firmly against the idea and attempted to convince the youths to disband when suddenly they were attacked by a Growing Man stimuloid. The group were able to defeat the creature when Iron Lad unmasked and revealed his identity to it, but this allowed the Growing Man to signal Krang to collect Nick. Before Kang's arrival, the Young Avengers were all tricked by Cap and Iron Man to undergo a "training session" and found themselves locked in the training room. The Young Avengers eventually broke free and arming themselves, tried to take the fight to Krang, but were shocked to find that even Cap and Iron Man were have trouble battling him. Still Iron Lad fought on until he was overpowered by Krang and his superior weaponry. When Kang opened a portal to return to his own time, in order to train the young boy into a worthy disciple, Stature intervened, having developed feelings for Iron Lad, she knocked Kang through the portal alone. Safe once again, Iron Lad shared a kiss with Cassie. Seeing theses events unfold, Joshua realizes the amount of danger his son could be in if left alone, or with out proper training to combat Kang if he returns. It is at this moment Joshua tells Nick, “For as long as I am alive, I swear to you, on my life, I will protect you.” The 34 year old dad then gives his 15 year old son, a hug for the first time. Nick is startled at first not knowing what to do, what to say, or how to feel, but soon tears start to flow from both their eyes as Nick's childhood idol proves to be the man, he always dreamed his biological father to be, a good man.

Retirement and Training-34-37
Joshua soon retired as Iron Man and Nick was forced into leaving the Young Avengers and programmed his armor into a new version of the Vision, one with Nathaniel and the original Vision's memories, so he could monitor the progress of the Young Avengers. Joshua would then move his 15 year old son into his Multibillion dollar home, in California, after getting his mother's permission. While speaking to Barbara for the first time in 15 years, Joshua asked her how she could've kept Nick away from him, how she was even able to conceive when she was paralyzed from the waste down. Barbara explained that when she discovered her pregnancy, Joshua was already deployed in the South Pacific. Fearing what might happen to him, she decided to keep the baby, however, because of complications from her paralyzed body, the baby died. Overcome with grief, she took the fully grown fetus and with the help of Tim, brought the baby to life with the Lazarus pit. She named her alive, baby boy, Dominic and made Tim swear to never tell anyone, about Nick's parentage or the circumstances of his birth. Barbara continued to explain telling Joshua that after he returned from the war, she contemplated telling him of Nick's existence, be he returned a monster and to her shock, began publicly seeing the blind Alicia Masters. She tells him that she tired to get in touch with Joshua one more time, when he was cured of his monstrous form and became CEO of Rollé Industries but was overcome with hurt as Joshua began publicly dating several women starting with his sudden engagement to Joanna Nivena. Joshua was left stunned, he was so busy trying to deflect his identity as Batman, he lost sight of his true purpose, protecting his family, his Bat Family. Joshua told her “I’m so, so sorry, Babs, if I had known I'd-” but he was cut off by her as she told him “Save it boy wonder, I’ve heard that one before” Joshua then continued telling her “ I never loved any of them the way I loved you, the way I still lov-” Joshua was cut off again as a black male came into the house saying “Honey I'm home!” Joshua could feel his artificial heart sink as the words echoed in his ears, he lost her, she was gone. As Joshua stood, absent minded she told the man, “I'll be their in a second Sam” Joshua could feel tears beginning to swell, but instead chose to hid them as she told Sam that they had company. Joshua then meets Sam, who extends his hand saying “Well what do you know, the mighty Billionaire Mr. Rollé inside my own house, what do I owe the honor?” Joshua shakes his hand as he fakes a smile, telling him that he was an old friend of Babs, but later checked himself rephrasing it to an old acquaintance of Barbara as to not alarm further suspicion of their history. After a few more moments of greetings Joshua tells Babs goodbye and while Sam goes into the bedroom to change out of his work clothes, steals a kiss, leaving immediately afterward. Joshua spent the next three years teaching his son how to battle, strategize, and act as Iron Man's successor in order for him to truly become Iron Lad and stop his fate of becoming a super villain by being a superhero. While training, Joshua and Nick also bonded, finding out Nick was also an inventive genius as they worked on various armors together. Dominic was the son, Joshua had always dreamed of, he was smart, strong, imaginative, and fun; but as a side effect of the Lazarus pit, Nick also had a dark side, a dark side that was foretold to be a catalyst toward his dark future. However their training would be halted as Nick interrupted Joshua, who had been recording a journal message in which he berated the Roxxon Energy Corporation for trying to duplicate the Iron Man armor and laughed at them for not succeeding, and informed him that there is trouble at Rollé Archives. In hearing this Joshua suits up as Iron Man again for the first time in three years and defends the Dataspine, an archived version of J.A.R.V.I.S., from attackers. However, an EMP bomb is dropped, disabling him. Following the EMP bomb, the power reserves in Iron Man's armor activate, and upon recovering, Iron Man learns that Roxxon is behind the attack. He grimly decides that he should destroy the Dataspine to keep Roxxon from getting the archives. Outside, Nick, in his own designed Iron Lad armor, intercepts some Roxxon Dropships. Iron Man then makes contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. director Maria Hill, who informs him that separatists under the command of a General Shatalov have seized control of a Tesla facility. During Iron Man's escort of S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter forces, they are attacked by a battle platform called the Roxxon Armiger. After destroying it, Iron Man and Iron Lad head to a battlecruiser and destroy it, learning the Armiger was remote-controlled. They discover that Shatalov is working with the terrorist group Advanced Idea Mechanics to create a new Crimson Dynamo suit. Upon learning that the suit is being developed at a power plant in Siberia, Hill reveals that she has sent Black Widow, to spy on the plant. At the plant, Shatalov makes contact with A.I.M.'s Kearson DeWitt, who tells him that there is a spy in his ranks, displeased that he has brought S.H.I.E.L.D. to their front door. Shatalov gives orders to prep the Crimson Dynamo armor and then informs his men that their connection with A.I.M. is now severed. Iron Man finds and protects Black Widow from Shatalov's men and a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport is sent to their location. She is extracted while Iron Man and Iron Lad battle Shatalov in his Crimson Dynamo armor. The defeated Shatalov reveals that A.I.M. was behind the theft of J.A.R.V.I.S.' AI, and are planning to use it to recreate Ultimo. The team learns that Kearson DeWitt was behind the attack led by Shatalov, and that he had previously worked at Joshua's Theoretical Weapons Division, until Joshua shut it down. Aside from DeWitt working on the prototype of the arc reactor, J.A.R.V.I.S. also reveals that he had a secret project called PROTEAN. Inside an A.I.M. base, DeWitt uses his PROTEAN technology to merge with an enormous metal suit and become a new Ultimo. With the merge complete, DeWitt has his men upgraded with PROTEAN implants. Arriving at the base, Iron Lad battles PROTEAN drones while Iron Man searches for DeWitt. J.A.R.V.I.S. detects Ultimo shortly after the base is secured with help from S.H.I.E.L.D. Meanwhile, the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier is attacked, and Iron Man protects it from DeWitt's drones. When Iron Lad defeats an Arc Armiger dropped on the helicarrier, Iron Man decides to reprogram it. Using the reprogrammed Armiger, Iron Man and Iron Lad assault an A.I.M. base in Malaysia. When the giant Ultimo arrives, Iron Lad disables some of its arc reactors while Iron Man fights the DeWitt/Ultimo within. Upon defeating DeWitt/Ultimo, Iron Man learns that the effects on DeWitt are irreversible. Iron Lad finishes Ultimo off while the helicarrier rams it. Afterward, J.A.R.V.I.S. tells Joshua to promise him never to let anyone gain access to his programming again. Seeing the way Nick handled himself as Iron Lad, during the duration of their-self imposed mission, Joshua stops their training declaring that Nick had proved himself to be a true and capable hero. Nick however, still felt that their was so much more he could learn from him, but Joshua insisted that the rest Nick has to learn can only come from experience and tells his now 18 year old son that he would instead like to continue making up for lost time, not as a mentor, but as a father.

Superhuman Registration Act
Months later, Joshua saw on the news that the government has plans to instigate a Superhuman Registration Act that would force costumed, super-powered individuals to reveal their identities to the government and sign on as licensed agents. After learning this Joshua sought to defeat the proposal, even going to such lengths as to hire a new Titanium Man to attack him immediately after his testimony before the Commission on Superhuman Activities, hoping it would hammer home that the act would make the nation less capable of dealing with rogue or foreign superhuman threats. The anti-registration camp seemed to be making headway, and may have even defeated the bill by the narrowest of margins, if not for the events that took place in Stamford, Connecticut. After the Stamford, Connecticut disaster, in which a group of novice superheros known as the New Warriors where unable to stop the super-villain Nitro from exploding, seemingly killing the entire team and over 600 civilians (including 60 school children nearby), public sentiment towards superheroes plummeted. The inactive New Warriors were widely regarded as "baby killers" by association. Former member Hindsight, desperate to distance himself from them, began releasing their secret identities, and almost as many were killed by lynching as by the explosion in Stamford. Even Johnny Storm was beaten into a coma outside a Manhattan nightclub. Public opinion had been lukewarm for the Superhuman Registration Act before; now it passed the tipping point. It was during this time that Joshua Rollé's opinion of the Act began to change, as he rethought the benefits of registration, eventually seeing it as a new means to achieve the goal that he had long sought in forming the "Illuminati", as well as the gate way to once again tie the knots of friendship between humans and superheroes. He attempted to convince the other members of the clandestine group to support the new Act, stating that their input could prevent the Act from becoming too restrictive of superhuman activities, but all except Mister Fantastic rejected the idea of registration. Meanwhile, the Registration Act became law, and S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed to assume the brunt of enforcing the act under acting director Maria Hill, even going so far as to enlist Jonathan to lead a force to apprehend unregistered “rogue” heroes. Jonathan balked at the idea. He felt that heroes needed to be above direct government control, because when politicians could control the heroes, they could decide who the villains were. This led to S.H.I.E.L.D. declaring Captain America under arrest, to which he escaped the S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carrier and began organizing other anti-registration heroes into a group the press dubbed the "Secret Avengers." Nonetheless Joshua would come out publicly in support of the Act, and upon meeting with Maria, felt that it was reasonable that heroes have proper training and oversight; that the casual self-policing the superhero community had enjoyed until now was insufficient, and most importantly that it was now impossible to resist this change in the political landscape. He gathered his own pro-registration heroes to bring in Captain America's group and other non-registered combatants and was joined by Reed Richards as well as Hank Pym to begin work on designing a prison (nicknamed 42 because it was the forty-second idea on Joshua's list of 100 ways to improve the world) to detain superpowered violators. Because of this most of Jonathan's core group—Elijah's Son Christian, Bill Foster, Luke Cage, Daredevil (Daniel Rand), Falcon, and Cable—had to take on a series of identities to avoid capture, literally becoming outlaws. The Secret Avengers apprehended a number of criminals while evading the opposing heroes and the new S.H.I.E.L.D. "capekiller" units. Other heroes joined them or were liberated after their arrests. The Young Avengers, Cloak, and Dagger were some of these later heroes to join the group. Most of the pro-registration heroes, such as Mister Fantastic, Doc Samson, She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters), Ms Marvel (Carol Danvers), and Wonder Man, already had highly public identities. Even Joshua unmasked himself as Iron Man again as his first major public action as leader of the registration and admitted to previous attempts to hide his identity. One supporter, however, was not yet public: Ben Riley was reluctant to reveal his identity. He prepared to liquidate his assets and flee the country with his wife to avoid revealing his identity and putting them in jeopardy. They, on the other hand, were supportive and felt it was time for Riley to finally get some recognition for his good work. During a live, nationally televised broadcast, he pulled off his mask and announced, "My name is Benjamin Riley, and I've been Spider-Man for over 15 years” Following this the Joshua and his pro-registration heroes, including his son Iron Lad, lay a trap for the Secret Avengers dispatching a distress call at Geffen-Meyer Chemicals, a division unknowingly owned by Joshua's company. The teleporting members of the resistance are soon tranquilized in order to abstain a getaway from the registration. Joshua then talks to his brother man to man and tells Jonathan that they didn't come there to arrest them, informing Cap that he talked S.H.I.E.L.D. Into offering him one final amnesty. Jonathan takes the proposal as a demand of surrender and tells his brother that he'll take his chances. Spider-man tries to convince him, but he berates him for his public display on national television. Joshua lifts up his mask and tells Jonathan “Jonny, please. I know you're angry. I know it's an enormous change from the way we've always worked, but we aren’t living in our 20's anymore. The public doesn't want mask and secret identities. They want to feel safe when we're around, and there's no way to win back their respect. You've known me half my adult life, Jonny. You know I wouldn't do this unless I believed in it with all my heart. We don't want to fight you. Just give me the chance to tell you our plans for my twenty-first century Overhaul.” Joshua then extends his hand to shake Jonathan's, Cap hesitates, but eventually shakes his youngest brother's hand telling him “You've got five minutes.” Joshua smiles and tells him “Five minutes is all I need...” After shaking however, Joshua inspects his hand to find a S.H.I.E.L.D. Electron scrambler attached; it is activated and Cap punches his brother in the face insisting the first battle of the Superhuman Civil War.

Civil War
As Captain America hits the unmasked Joshua again with his shield, Spider-man, equipped in new armor designed by Joshua, comes to his rescue separating Cap for enough time so that his armor can reroute the primary power systems and reboot. Joshua then dives into the fray charging his brother down. Iron Man and Captain America, Joshua Rollé and Jonathan Tulloch, fight, with it becoming more and more apparent that Joshua is winning as Jonathan is unable to land a blow. As Joshua beats upon his elder brother, he tells him “You're wasting your time, Jonny...This armor has recorded every punch you've ever thrown. It knows your next move before you do...” Seeing his uncles battle Christian tries to come to Jonathan's aid, but shield actives operation: “Lighting” to stop him. Christian is then hit with a bolt of lightning as the clone of the long-dead Thor appears. Meanwhile Joshua continues to talk to his brother telling him “Jonathan, please. Don't get up. I don't want to hit you again. Your jaw's practically hanging off. Just surrender, and I'll get you medical attention from S.H.I.E.L.D.” Jonathan refuses telling him “You really think I'm going down-- to some pampered punk like you? Joshua displeased with Jonathan's refusal, puts an ultra frequency so high it puts the human brain into shutdown, but still Jonathan refuses to give up. With the battle won as the resistance is brought to an abrupt stop from the frequency, Joshua sees Jonathan kneeling before him in agony and tells him “I'm sorry, brother. I'll try to make it quick. Just close your eyes and you'll wake up in our super hero detention center...” and extends his hand to hit Captain America with a final blast. However, J.A.R.V.I.S. detects a non-human attack to which Joshua turns around to see Christian, who's half Olympian, assault him with a massive amount of ruble, busting the building pipeline. The explosion separates Captain America from Iron Man and Christian saves Joshua from the explosion. With the frequency device deactivated, the resistance resume the battle. Bill Foster tries to take on the Thor clone, and to the horror of very one there, “Thor” kills him with a single bolt of lighting through his giant chest. At this the resistance prepare to retreat to the chagrin of “Thor” who attempts to commit genocide on the opposing forces. However Sue Storm, a member of Joshua's registration, saves them from the massive bolt of lighting with a force shield, giving them enough time for a recuperated cloak to teleport them away. After this “all smiles died” as all those involved saw first hand that this war was no longer about right or wrong, it became a war of life or death. Following the battle, Spider-Man became curious about many of the details of enforcement. He came to realize that Joshua was using the "Iron Spidey" suit to monitor his actions and reactions, including his spider-sense. He found and added override codes for a number of Joshua's commands designed to subdue the wall-crawler if necessary. At one point, he accompanied Joshua on a visit to 42 after Sue and Johnny left to join the Avengers. He learned that many of the most powerful captured super-humans were being held without trial and without access to counsel in an enormous super-prison within the life-draining Negative Zone. Spider-Man rebelled against the act, and was attacked by Iron Man when he tried to sneak away with his wife. During the fight the three escaped, and several "ex"-villains (the villains are supposedly kept in check by nanites in their blood stream which can monitor and disable them at any time) were sent to capture him. Already weak, he was found, drugged, and blasted half to death by Jack O'Lantern and the Jester. He was saved at the last minute by the Punisher, who brought him to Captain America. Soon after, conflict among the heroes remained constant, with the government-backed heroes tracking down unregistered super-humans (and subsequently arresting or registering them) and trying to find Captain America's Secret Avengers. The Secret Avengers operated out of a series of secret safe houses set up by Nick Fury, kept secret from everyone within S.H.I.E.L.D. Cap's team continued to apprehend super-villains (usually leaving them bound for the authorities), and launched a series of well-coordinated attacks on prison transports carrying unregistered super humans. During one such raid, the convoy was diverted when Iron Man became aware of Cap's plan, and ended up going directly down Yancy Street, a hotbed of civilian opposition to the Act. There Dominic witnessed a battle on Yancy Street where Captain America's forces tried to rescue captured allies held by Iron Man's forces. Old Fantastic Four foes the Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master tried to escalate the battle, using a mind-controlled young member of the Yancy Street Gang named Cee to deliver a bomb. Cee died and Nick verbally blasted both sides for not caring about the civilians caught in the conflict. He announced that while he thought the registration was wrong, but that he was also not going to fight his father and was thus leaving the country for France. After this, Joshua went to the moon where the Sentry was visiting the Inhumans. He personally invited the Sentry to join his team, saying that he might not be around to see the end of the Civil War and he would need some stronger heroes to be there if this was to happen. The Sentry followed Iron Man back to Earth, where he joined his side. Director Maria Hill then suggested that Joshua might become the next acting head of S.H.I.E.L.D. She cited his higher qualification than her, and the fact that it would "piss the right people off." Joshua became very active in shutting down unregistered factions, frequently trying to arrest the Secret Avengers, pouring nano-controlled villains and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents into Los Angeles to capture the Runaways. Eventually, Joshua met face to face with his brother for the second time, in the final battle of the “Superhuman Civil War”. As the battle is about to commence, Captain America warns the pro-registration heroes: "Now close your eyes, gentlemen. This might hurt." As the battle begins in the Negative Zone, Cloak moves the battle to the center of New York City. In the commotion, Joshua defeats the Human Torch and several other unregistered heroes, while Captain America is overwhelmed by nano-controlled villains: Lady Deathstrike, Venom, Bullseye, and Taskmaster. Namor and an army of Atlanteans join the battle alongside the anti-resitration saving Cap; followed by the Thor clone and Captain Marvel on the pro-registration side. As the brother's stare each other down Joshua tells him “You and me again, cap. Just like last time. Let's hope I don't have to put you through all that pain again, huh?” to which Jonathan responds “Well, things are a little different this time, Josh...Vision...” and before the brothers' rematch can begin, Vision compromises Iron Man's armor. Captain America then subdues the defenseless Joshua with his shield, proclaiming “Now, I'm fighting dirty”. Elsewhere on the battlefield, Mr. Fantastic is shot while trying to save the Invisible Woman from the Taskmaster and Christian crushes the skull of the Thor clone. As the battle rages on, the city is badly damaged. Nick returns to protect the citizens from harm of the battle. Captain America's side seems victorious as Iron Man lays on the ground, helmet broken, face smashed, waiting for Cap's finishing blow, and Joshua even tells his brother “What are you waiting for, Jonny? Finish it”. However, just before Cap can hit Iron Man, several standard cops, EMTs, and firefighters hold him back, and Cap realizes how much damage the fighting has caused to the general population that they all want to protect. Wishing to avert anymore unnecessary bloodshed, Cap surrenders, and Captain America's group also stand down. Upon Cap agreeing to go on trial for his actions during the "Civil War", the Secret Avengers were granted amnesty.

Becoming Head of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Two weeks later, the 50-state initiative is launched and Joshua Rollé is appointed Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. by the President of the United States, while Maria Hill is demoted to deputy status. Joshua then has a meeting with Miriam Sharpe, a mother who's child died in the disaster and an long time activist for the registration, and tells her "the best is yet to come sweetheart... That's a promise". However, while in custody, Captain America was killed in an assassination orchestrated by the Red Skull. Joshua was devastated by his brother's death, and left unsure on how to proceed. In a letter Jonathan had written before his death, he asked Joshua to insure that the Captain America legacy lived on and to look out for Bucky Barnes. Joshua was then instrumental in getting Bucky to assume the mantle of Captain America. Also during this time, Nick tells his father that the war and his time in France made him realize that there is more to being a hero than saving a mere city, and that the world on a whole is in need of help. Joshua smiles at his son understanding what he is trying to say and gives Dominic his blessing to travel the world, in order to better it. Nick thanks him for all he has taught him not only as a mentor but also as a father and the two go their separate ways. After this, Joshua felt the need to rebuild America after the devastation of the “Civil War” an began to draw money from numerous sources (most notably S.H.I.E.L.D itself) to repair several cities and the several damaged buildings and structures in New York alone. As Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Iron Man investigated the death of Nebraska Initiative member, Gadget and stumbled upon her investigation of hundreds of missing persons. Realizing that Joshua was a danger to his work with Prometheus Gentech, Inc. in creating a new super-soldier, Secretary of Defense Jack Kooning had him depowered from his Extremis Armor and placed on leave for mental strain. Joshua secretly returned to Nebraska and with the help of Leonard Samson and Captain Ultra discovered that Prometheus Gentech was using the missing persons as test subjects for the Extremis virus and that Maya Hansen was unwittingly working for a reborn Mandarin to create an aerosolized version of the virus which he intended on unleashing to create a race of super-humans. Iron Man, forced to use outdated armor, confronted the Mandarin and a cadre of Extremis-enhanced combatants at the Prometheus laboratories. He ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. to take out the complex with a miniature warhead contained within the gravitational pull of a black hole, thus limiting the damage just to the laboratory, as he tried to escape the event perimeter. Mandarin escaped to China with Maya Hansen and pretended to be Joshua Rollé and convinced her to give him the sequence for the aerosolized virus. Joshua and S.H.I.E.L.D. were taken into custody by the Commission on Superhuman Activities for their release of the nuclear device in Nebraska. Joshua's main witness, Jack Kooning escaped to Myanmar and enlisted the help of Xang "King" Kong in tracking down the Mandarin, but was killed by him before he could take him out with a sniper rifle. Joshua is then convicted, but Dugan orchestrated an attack on the United Nations over which S.H.I.E.L.D. has jurisdiction as a distraction for Joshua to escape and to track the Mandarin to China. In defeating the Mandarin, Joshua is forced to cut off part of his foot to remove the Extremis armor dampener but was able to redirect the virus-containing rockets by sending them to an extremely high altitude and killing the virus. Having saved the day, he was cleared of all charges and reinstated as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Following this, Maria Hill and Joshua would begin a secret romantic relationship. When Thor was brought back to life by his bother Loki, he learned of the events of the superhero-registration "Civil War" and was angered that Iron Man had waged war on the heroes who had been their friends and that Joshua and others used his DNA to create the Thor Clone without his knowledge or permission. Joshua began to fight Thor but it became obvious he could not win. Seeking a compromise, Joshua rationalized that Asgard could be considered a foreign embassy, with diplomatic immunity granted to its inhabitants. Thor deemed this acceptable and the fighting stopped. Joshua later came to the remains of the X-Mansion to talk with Cyclops. He informed the former X-Men leader that the government was pushing to get the X-Men registered. Scott told him there were no more X-Men and that they were going to be registered for being born. During the Skrull Invasion Joshua's armor was infected by an alien cyber virus which ultimately purged him of the Extremis virus. Joshua discovered Spider-Woman herself was the Skrull Queen Veranke who nearly deceived him to join ranks with her. He was saved by Ms. Marvel who upon Joshua's request left him with Black Widow who acted as his defense until he could fix his damaged armor to a point to where it was fully functional. Joshua then led the heroes of New York against the Skrull invaders. His armor however, began to fail in midst of the battle forcing him to return to Avengers Tower for another one. The President of the United States was less than reasonable regarding Joshua's action and ultimately removed Joshua as director of S.H.I.E.L.D, and disbanded the entire agency itself. Although the battle against the alien invasion had been won, Joshua suffered a great loss. His technology was non-functional, his corporations were in dismay, he had many new enemies, and little to no allies willing to help him with any of his problems.

Dark Reign
After the invasion, the U.S. government also disbanded the Avengers, handing control of the Initiative over to Norman Osborn. Iron Man was later a member of Henry Pym's Mighty Avengers. Before fighting the threat of Chthon, Iron Man helped to subdue Frankenstein's Monster. He left the team after realizing he was not yet ready to be a part of it. With his Extremis powers failing, Joshua was able to upload a virus that destroyed all records of the Registration Act, thus preventing Osborn from learning the identities of his fellow heroes. The only copy of this database remained in Joshua's head. Because of this act, Joshua was now on the run in one of his extra armors, and his remaining armors in Rollé Tower were now in Osborn's hands. Iron Man managed to gain a new armor and fought Namor in the Rollé Undersea Base. Joshua was able to outsmart the Atlantean and escape the collapsing base. Osborn then placed a bounty on Joshua's head, offering mountains of gold to the Hood's gang. The members of the secret organization the Cabal gathered to discuss many issues, among which was the hunt for Joshua. Joshua was losing intelligence by the day which slowed his thinking time and caused him to not be able to pronounce difficult words correctly. He started gathering and assembling parts to make his Iron Man suit easier to navigate and control as it was becoming more and more difficult for him to do so. He later abandoned it for the Dynamo Armor, which he borrowed from Dimitri Bukharin. Joshua was later tracked down by Pepper Potts (using a suit of armor specifically designed by Joshua for her) but the two were captured by Madame Masque. He managed to escape with Pepper's help, but was forced to leave her behind so she could fend off Masque. He then made his way to Afghanistan, but before he could reach his destination, he was shot down by Afghani militants. With his armor destroyed, Joshua was forced to abandon it and proceed on foot to his destination, the secret laboratory that Joshua worked with Ho Yinsen as a captive in developing the first Iron Man armor, Mark 0. Dusting off the outdated computer systems, Joshua was able to reactivate the old suit, which was now the only armor simple enough for his deteriorating mind to operate. When Osborn personally caught up to the debilitated Joshua and beat him savagely, Pepper Potts broadcasted the beatings, costing Osborn credibility and giving Joshua public sympathy. Joshua went into a vegetative state, having previously granted Donald Blake (Thor's alter ego) power of attorney.

Rollé Disassembled
A holographic message stored in Pepper's armor revealed that Joshua had developed a means of 'rebooting' his mind from his current state prior to his destruction of the database. Blake and Bucky resolved to use it to restore him to normal despite Joshua's offer in the message to stay in his current state if it would make things easier and Pepper's own uncertainty about the fact that Joshua could come back when so many others could not. The procedure on how to reboot Joshua was very complicated. First, they had to place Pepper's electromagnet implant (which she obtained 7 years ago when Ezekiel Stane destroyed one of Joshua's buildings and left her critically injured, most notably the presence of shrapnel near her heart) onto his chest, which would be fueling his entire biology. Then they jacked in the hard drive that Maria Hill recovered, which was a backup copy of his brain before he underwent the Extremis injection and then they activated the implant by channeling Thor's lightning through Captain America's shield connected to it. Meanwhile, in the last remaining vestiges of Joshua's mind, he was in a barren wasteland, digging for the lost relics of his life, assisted by a couple named Howard and Cherie. However, every time he found something, giant machines resembling his own Titanomechs would attack, causing the illusion to reset. He eventually found he was digging for an iron chest plate, resembling his old armor. Back on Earth, Pepper, Rhodey, and Captain America sent in Doctor Strange to help Joshua after the first attempt to revive him failed. The Ghost interrupted the doctor's ritual, but Joshua Rollé manually overcame his coma and used the Ghost's ghost phone to transport the assassin away. It was then everyone realized Joshua's backup memory drive was not quite complete, as he was awed by the events he read about on his computer after the skirmish, which included the Civil War, Captain America's assassination, the Secret Invasion, and Dark Reign.

Siege
During most of the Siege of Asgard Joshua was out of commission, but he returned wearing an older version of his armor, disabling Norman Osborn's stolen Iron Patriot armor and signaling the return of all three main Avengers; including Thor and a revived Jonathan Tulloch. He was instrumental in the defeat of the Void, by ramming a H.A.M.M.E.R. Helicarrier into the villain at full speed, weakening him, finally giving Thor the chance to kill him. After the Siege, Joshua built a new model of armor with the help of Mister Fantastic. He also apologized to Thor for everything he had done. Later, Joshua announced that he would make a new company, Rollé Resilient, to rebuild his former wealth and to extend his repulsor technology as a civilian energy source.

Resilient
Thor offers to give him treasures to fund his new venture, however he rejects it hoping to start from scratch. Pepper becomes his new CEO and informs business men that he wants to use his repulsor technology to change the world and remove the need for oil and other fossil fuels. However he tells them that if they don't get on board he will ruin them. Angered by this, Pepper has a helicopter leave Joshua, forcing him to use his new armor. Meanwhile the Hammer girls Sasha Hammer and Justine Hammer plan to fill in the gap in military technology left by Joshua Industries with their own Detroit Steel, and not in a nice way. To make sure that Joshua's new company doesn't get in their way, they hire Spymaster to kill Rollé Resilient while it's still in its crib. They also buy and sell old Rollé Tech and H.A.M.M.E.R. weaponry and use some of it to fake a terrorist attack in Tokyo so their Detroit Steel could "defeat" these terrorists and come out victorious. Meanwhile making Iron Man and War Machine, who flew over there to see what's going on, look ridiculous in front of the cameras. Though they do not come home empty-handed: Joshua recognized the youngest Hammer girl, Sasha, as an accomplice to Ezekiel Stane who destroyed Rollé Industries and nearly killed Joshua. Meanwhile at the home front Rollé Resilient has gathered a few misplaced geniuses to build him an Electric race car working on repulsor technology from scratch in six weeks. Meanwhile Pepper Pots wants her own repulsor disc back in her chest and an armor suit to become the heroine Rescue once again. Joshua is initially against this, but it seems he promised her this before his mind-wipe, so he does what she asks and Pepper becomes Rescue once again. Joshua hosts a gala in name of Rollé Resilient and invites both Hammer girls. After an appearance together with Pepper, Joshua takes off with Sasha Hammer.

The Heroic Age-38
In the aftermath of Siege, the super human registration act was repealed thanks to the efforts of Jonathan, who now took over the position of the overthrown Norman Osborn. Iron Man reunited with Thor and Jonathan and rekindled their relationship while setting their past differences aside. Iron Man and Thor were assigned to Avengers along with Bucky Barnes as Captain America while Jonathan headed the Secret Avengers. Iron Man was slightly troubled that he may not be able to take orders from Jonathan, but he told him that Maria Hill would oversee the Avengers. On the day Joshua was to public display his car, he was attacked by Hammer's forces and Detroit Steel. He found out that the drones were controlled by a cell phone application and with the help of his team was able to shut them all down. Joshua was then able to focus on battling Detroit Steel who was trying to make his own publicity stunt by defeating Iron Man which would prove that the U.S. Government would be getting a better deal with Hammer, than they ever did from Joshua (as Joshua had rejected to make anything for them). However, the battle proved fruitless for Detroit Steel and Iron Man was able to save the day. However, this was only a minor setback to Sasha and Justine Hammer who were able to form a partnership with both Ezekiel and the Mandarin for preparation towards their next confrontation. Having saved the day for now and his new company starting to shape up, he went to a local alcoholics anonymous meeting at the behest of Pepper to inspire confidence to those suffering from the condition. Things seemed to be going well for Joshua but Doctor Octopus challenged him telling him that he had a bomb that would detonate most of the city if he did not comply to his request. When Iron Man went to the location he met Doctor Octopus and recalled their early years as classmates. He challenged Iron Man to either remedy his current health condition or publicly admit defeat that he was unable to solve such a case. Joshua stated that Octavius' past actions were catching up with him and that he needed to see a doctor which he was not. Meanwhile, Rollé Resilient was also attacked by Electro and Sandman, who were sent by Doctor Octopus. However, Pepper proved to be quite a match for them and they ended up having to retreat. At the base, Doctor Octopus told Joshua to beg him, which he humiliatingly complied with realizing that lives were at stake for the mere pleasure of the mad man. Doctor Octopus recorded the scene and let Joshua go and stated that he had been outsmarted and that there really was not a bomb to diffuse. Joshua flew back to his office to see if everyone was alright. Upon the positive turn of events, Joshua and Pepper decided to enjoy themselves and spent the remainder of the day staring into the sunset.

Avengers vs. X-Men
Weeks later, Ezekiel Stane and the Mandarin started upgrading classic villains of the Golden Avenger and used them to make acts of wars over the world, which caused Joshua to be doubted if he can really pilot the Iron Man armor, being cited by the U.S. army, with help of War Machine but before this conflict could be solved, a new one raised. The Avengers fought the X-Men for the custody of Hope Summers, believed to be Phoenix's next host. While the rest of the Avengers where in different locations around the World, trying to find Hope, Joshua stayed at the Avengers Tower creating a Phoenix-killing armor, which he later used during the battle against the X-Men in the Blue Area of the Moon to face the Phoenix. When he used a disruptor on it, the cosmic entity wasn't killed but divided into five parts which possessed each one of the X-Men present at the scene. The Phoenix-possessed X-Men started changing the world into a better place for living, but knowing that Phoenix's ultimately destructive nature would bring chaos, Captain America and the Avengers tried to get Hope from Utopia in order to use her knowledge about the Phoenix against it while Joshua started modifying his Phoenix-Killer Armor to prevent other failure, after the Scarlet Witch helped them against the X-Men (previously having visions of the Phoenix destroying Earth), Cyclops decided to hunt down every Avenger. The Thunderer offered the Avengers to hide in K'un-Lun, as well as to train Hope to face the Phoenix, because of his past experience with the Phoenix Host and Iron Fist Fongji, and the prophecy of the Phoenix bringing chaos to Earth. After Joshua, Wolverine, Hope and the Thunderer teleported to K'un-Lun, Namor attacked where they were hiding, Wakanda, along a full army of Atlanteans. After defeating Namor with the price of the partial destruction of Wakanda, the rest of the Avengers teleported to K'un-Lun, in order to help Hope to train to face the Phoenix. He spent weeks enclosed searching for the connection between the Phoenix Force and Iron Fist. When Cyclops located the Avengers in K'un-Lun, he faced him with everything he had in order to allow Hope get to the Thunderer, after Cyclops defeated Joshua and other Avengers, Hope and the Thunderer appeared along Shou-Lao, she absorbed the dragon's powers and managed to teleport Cyclops away. The Avengers then teamed up with several X-Men who had realized that Cyclops and Emma had completely lost control. Together they attacked Cyclops and Emma and gained the upper hand until Cyclops was forced to take the final piece of the Phoenix from Emma, making him the sole host. The complete Phoenix proved too much and finally turned him into Dark Phoenix. The Avengers fought Summers around the world with the help of the X-Men and Nova, while trying to contain the chaos the gigantic force produced around Earth. Scarlet Witch and Hope eventually managed to defeat him, causing the Phoenix to leave Scott and possess Hope, but she managed to control it, repairing all the damage Scott caused on the planet, and finally, using the powers of the Scarlet Witch to manipulate reality, she destroyed the Phoenix Force with a final blast of energy which caused millions of people around Earth to manifest mutant powers. Cyclops was finally incarcerated, and Jonathan accepted the Avengers should have done more to help mutants, and allowed the world to hate them. As a result, he started planning a new team of Avengers in hopes of unify mutant and humankind.

Mandarin's Last Stand
After the conflict with the X-Men, General Bruce Babbage forced Joshua to use a special attachment to his armor, which could turn it off whenever he wanted. After faking Rhodey's death and having Pepper in a crisis, Joshua let Mandarin and Hammer win this battle, only to start playing with his own rules. In a plan apparently made with Captain America, Joshua quit being Iron Man, giving General Babbage what he wanted. He had to take his armor out of his system, although he gave Rhodey a new armor to take his place, after he helped Rhodey fake his death. After Spymaster infiltrated Rollé Resilient and attacked many of its members, Joshua decided to no longer be part of that company to keep his friends safe from the Mandarin, who remotely managed to control Joshua, make him his prisoner and force him to build Titanomech alongside Ezekiel Stane. After Mandarin used 3 of his rings to power the first Titanomech, Joshua started a plan with Ezekiel, convinced super villains Whirlwind, Blizzard and Living Laser to join him in a rebellion with the final purpose of defeating the Mandarin, and managed to use the technology in his body to help Resilient find him, using microbots known as the Swarm, which tracked the repulsor technology of Joshua's body. Resilient asked Triumph Division and the Dynasty to help Joshua defeat the Mandarin and his Titanomech. After Tim Cababa managed to reactivate the Extremis virus inside Joshua's body, Joshua created a link with the Swarm and used them as bombs to destroy Mandarin's weapons, who in the end was killed by Stane. Joshua returned to Seattle, and after isolating himself in order to create new technologies and think about his life, he decided to take some time and clear his mind in the process by going to space with a new Space Armor, with a new A.I. called P.E.P.P.E.R.

Adventures in Space
Before even departing the solar system, Joshua came across a fleet of Badoon, who were approaching Earth to invade it. The Guardians of the Galaxy showed up, and along with them, Joshua stopped the Badoon from destroying London. However, they were soon captured by Spartoi soldiers, as Star-Lord's father J'son of Spartax had agreed to declare Earth of limits to extraterrestial interaction. Thanks to Groot, the Guardians broke free and took over the Spartoi ship where they were being held captive and escaped. However, while he was being held captive, Iron Man's armor was broken. Later, after celebrating their victory over the Spartoi, Joshua had a brief affair with his new teammate Gamora. With the help of Rocket Raccoon, Joshua had his suit fixed, just in time for the Guardian's next adventure, to intercept the mysterious Angela from reaching Earth. She was stopped, but after learning she was no threat and that she merely wanted to observe the planet, the Guardians let her go. Joshua took a break from the Guardians and explored the universe. He arrived to the Voldi Tear, unluckily inhabited by a species whose deity was the Phoenix Force, and they believed Iron Man was responsible for its death, for which they put him in trial. The rogue Rigellian Recorder 451 decided to help Joshua, for which it recommended him to demand a trial by combat, so during the fight, 451 could get to Joshua's armor and recover it. As Joshua was winning over all the fighters put against him, the Voldi hired Death's Head. Iron Man's suit was released from containment and came to Joshua's rescue in the arena. As he was escaping the Voldi Tear, Iron Man discovered it was being attacked by Celestials, 451 not only broke Iron Man's armor free, but also took the Heart of the Voldi, a powerful artifact which took energy from the Celestials and also cloaked the Voldi from them. The Celestials massacred the Voldi. Via hologram, 451 contacted Joshua, and after being confronted about what happened, 451 told him it needed the Heart of the Voldi in order to save millions of lives, and that the Voldi's death was inevitable. Joshua decided 451 was a killer, and had to pay. Iron Man hired Death's Head to find 451, but was double crossed when, upon arriving to the Recorder's location, it was revealed 451 had previously hired the mercenary to bring him Joshua. The Recorder hacked Iron Man's armor and forced him to watch a recording, featuring no other than Joshua's very own father along with 451. After the Recorder took Joshua to an unknown location. During the travel, 451 revealed to Joshua it had supposedly programmed him to be the only pilot for a giant armor called Godkiller. The Godkiller was a powerful weapon created eons ago by the Aspirants to battle the Celestials, and it was being stored in a Dyson Sphere, but it had been stripped of some of its components, which 451 spent hundreds of years looking for, and the last of them was the Heart of the Voldi. 451 planned for the Godkiller to be used as a nuclear deterrent of Earth, as it believed humanity had the potential to bring universal peace in the future, and 451 needed a pilot as the autopilot of the Godkiller was extremely clumsy. However, before 451 could integrate Joshua with the armor, Death's Head arrived, as he had been following them as soon as he discovered 451's head had a high price, and attacked the Recorder. Iron Man used the distraction to escape the scene. As there were only a few seconds before 451 could control Joshua's suit once more, Joshua decided to shut it down. 451 hacked into Death's Head and used him to bring back Joshua. As he was hunting down Joshua, Death's Head was able to inform him that he found Joshua because his armory had also been following them, and had landed in the landing bay. Joshua managed to make 451 lose track of him and headed to the bay. As Joshua would soon get access to his weapons, 451 decided he needed to motivate Joshua into bonding with the Godkiller, for which it routed the massive armor to Hope's Pustule. Joshua attempted to become the pilot in order to detour the Godkiller and save the planet, but something happened and he couldn't, thus the Godkiller went through Hope's Pustule and destroyed it. 451 believed Joshua didn't integrate with the Godkiller on purpose, so it decided to raise the stakes and make of Earth the next target of the Godkiller. Joshua quickly arrived to the landing bay and equipped himself with a better armor. 451 pinned down Joshua and was decided to drag him if he needed. Iron Man confronted 451, using other armors he had stored in his armory to fight alongside him, which they were directly cabled to each other forming a sealed system so the Recorder couldn't hack them. After targeting 451's hacking unit and disabling it with a laser, Iron Man unleashed the Heavy Duty armor and subdued 451 and the constructs of itself it had created to fight Joshua. Even though he confronted the Recorder about it, 451 still didn't believe Joshua truly couldn't pilot the Godkiller. After being shown directly how Joshua couldn’t interface with the Godkiller, 451 realized its long-time plan had no profit, and, after deviating the Godkiller from its route towards Earth, decided to destroy its consciousness along with the armor. Joshua managed to escape from the Godkiller with the brain-dead body of 451. In the next three months, Joshua found himself back on Earth facing Thanos' invasion.

Infinity War
When Thanos and his Black Order arrived Earth and demanded a tribute in exchange for the survival of its inhabitants, Black Bolt revealed the Illumanti that the Mad Titan used the demand for the tribute of the heads of younglings between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two as a cover for the search of his lost Inhuman-descendant son. Using the Terrigen Codex, the Illumanti embarked on the search for Thanos' son, Thane, but were stopped upon discovering Thanos had invaded Wakanda and gained access to the Illuminati's antimatter bombs by capturing Black Bolt. The Illuminati managed to fight back. When the Illumianti arrived to the room where the bombs were, they found themselves against Thanos' general Supergiant, who defeated them by mentally controlling Black Bolt. When Supergiant activated one of the bombs, Maximus appeared with the trigger. He triggered the bombs, but also used Lockjaw to transport the anti-matter bomb along with Supergiant to a distant uninhabited planet where she died in the explosion. The Illuminati then traveled to Greenland in order to help the Avengers defeat Thanos, but arrived after the battle had ended when Thane trapped the Mad Titan in an amber construct which left him in a state of "living death." Iron Man convinced the Avengers to let him keep Thanos, as he would supposedly "take care" of him, but secretly placed him in the Negative Zone, where his life force would slowly be drained away.

Iron Man Forever
Months later, Joshua and the divorced Pepper begin to rekindle their reationship. During this time a string of bombings by a terrorist calling himself the Mandarin has left intelligence agencies bewildered by a lack of forensic evidence. When Happy is badly injured in one such attack, Joshua issues a televised threat to the Mandarin skeptical of the Mandarin's revival, who responds by destroying Joshua's home with helicopter gunships. Maya Hanson, who came to warn Joshua, survives the attack along with Pepper. Joshua escapes in the Mark 42 suit, which his artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S. pilots to rural Tennessee, following a flight plan from Joshua's investigation into the Mandarin. Joshua's experimental armor lacks sufficient power to return to California, and the world believes him dead. Teaming with Harley, a precocious 10-year-old boy, Joshua investigates the remains of a local explosion bearing the hallmarks of a Mandarin attack. He discovers the "bombings" were triggered by soldiers subjected to Extremis, which at this stage of development can cause certain subjects to explosively reject it. After veterans started exploding, their deaths were used to cover up Extremis' flaws by manufacturing a terrorist plot. Joshua witnesses this new Extremis firsthand when Mandarin agents Ellen Brandt and Eric Savin attack him. With Harley's help, Joshua traces the Mandarin to Miami and infiltrates his headquarters using improvised weapons. Inside he discovers the revived Mandarin is actually a British actor named Trevor Slattery, who had plastic Surgy inorder to look Identical to Iron Man's dead arch-nemesis. Slattery claims he is oblivious to the actions carried out in his name. The “Mandarin” is actually a creation of the formerly crippled scientist Aldrich Killian, who appropriated Hansen's Extremis research as a cure for his own disability and expanded the program to include injured war veterans. After capturing Joshua, Killian reveals he is the new Mandarin; he has kidnapped Potts and subjected her to Extremis to gain Joshua's aid in fixing Extremis' flaws and thereby saving Potts. Killian kills Hansen when she has a change of heart about the plan. Killian has also manipulated American intelligence agencies regarding the Mandarin's location, luring James Rhodes—the former War Machine, now re-branded as the Iron Patriot—into a trap to steal the armor. Joshua escapes and reunites with Rhodes, discovering that Killian intends to attack President Ellis aboard Air Force One. Remotely controlling his Iron Man armor, Joshua saves some surviving passengers and crew but cannot stop Killian from abducting Ellis and destroying Air Force One. They trace Killian to an impounded damaged oil tanker where Killian intends to kill Ellis on live television. The vice president will become a puppet leader, following Killian's orders in exchange for Extremis to cure a little girl's disability. On the platform, Joshua goes to save Pepper, and Rhodey saves the president. Joshua summons his Iron Man suits, controlled remotely by J.A.R.V.I.S., to provide air support. Rhodes secures the president and takes him to safety, while Joshua discovers Potts has survived the Extremis procedure. However, before he can save her, a rig collapses around them and she falls to her apparent death. Joshua confronts Killian, but Killian beats him up, However Joshua recovers and beats him, until Killian used his power to break Joshua's suit but Joshua sends his mark 42 to trap Killian and blows it up, but fails to kill him. Potts, whose Extremis powers allowed her to survive her fall, intervenes and kills Killian. After the battle, Joshua orders J.A.R.V.I.S. to remotely destroy his remaining Iron Man suits, under the order of the Clean Slate Protocol, as a sign of his devotion to Pepper. The vice president and Slattery are arrested. With Joshua's help, Potts' Extremis effects are stabilized, and Joshua undergoes surgery to remove the shrapnel embedded near his heart. He pitches his obsolete chest arc reactor into the sea, musing he will always be Iron Man.

Tragedy in Gotham
Weeks Later, Joshua hears news from Bobby Stewart, who had regained his memory and returned to Gotham as Batman, that Tim Drake was abducted by the Joker and turned into a “Joker Jr.”. Bobby informs Joshua that Tim managed to resist Joker's brainwashing and killed the Joker, shooting him with his own gun. Joshua then books the next flight to Gotham where he rushes to the hospital to see Tim who was suffering a psychotic breakdown. When talking to Bobby face to face, Joshua ask how this could have happened. Bobby relays to Joshua that after he recovered his memory he came back to Gotham to check on the Bat-Family and start a new initiative called “Batman Incorporated” wanting to turn the concept of "Batman" into a global operation. He tells Joshua that Tim was to continue operating as Gotham City's primary defender while he dealt with affairs in the JLA. Bobby continues telling Joshua “Months later, while on patrol, he saved a woman from two thugs but it was actually a trap set by the Joker. Tim was taken to the ruins of the first Arkham Asylum and tortured for three weeks. After being systematically subjected to shock therapy and various serums, he eventually broke down. Tim dispensed entrusted secrets to the Joker. As part of his final joke, Joker molded Tim into a crude version of himself and planned on having him deliver the killing blow to me. However, Joker didn't completely succeed. In the final minutes, Time broke through the brainwashing and killed the Joker instead.” Joshua was taken back by this and told Bobby that he'd be in Gotham for as long as he needed him. Days later, Joshua is called upon by Bobby to help him catch Two-Face, Joshua no longer equipped with the Iron Man armor dons his old Nightwing suit. As Batman and Nightwing, Joshua and Bobby track down the escaped Two-Face, but a tactical error by Bobby left Joshua exposed to gunfire. Severely shot in several places including both his right eye, and his spinal cord, Joshua was incapacitated. Seeing no other option, not wanting Two-Face to escape, Batman takes off Joshua's domino mask and strips him of his shirt bearing the Nightwing insignia, Bobby then called an ambulance for his injured cousin. While in the hospital Joshua was in a coma for some time and his legs were temporarily paralyzed because of the bullet in his spine. He was frequently visited by Barbara, who would go back and forth between checking on Tim, but Bobby never came, and Joshua summarized that he'd grown so unbelievably cold, Bobby's pride wouldn't let him apologize. However Bobby did send Alfred once with a Nightwing uniform and a note: New one waiting for you. Joshua was so disgusted with Bobby he cut off ties with him entirely and upon finding out that the bullet near his spine would limit his movement permanently, forcing him to retire as a hero, began to drink excessively.

Relapse-39
When Joshua returned to California he was emotionally disturbed and drank his sorrows away while his girlfriend Pepper secretly ran the company. For a whole year Pepper tried to no avail to get Joshua sober and back to his old self, but after Joshua blacked-out from a night of drinking and became volatile with her, she ended their relationship and quit the company. Joshua would then go to his favorite bar, thinking about recent events, he ends up accidentally crushing the glass. Joshua apologizes and prepares to pay when a woman tells the bartender to put it on her tab. Joshua smiles recognizing the voice, and turns to see Alicia Masters. He asks her what she's doing all the way out on the west coast, to which she tells him that she's here for the grand opening of her Los Angeles art gallery, already having others in New York, Metropolis, and Paris. Joshua smiles as he comments about her finally listening to him, and following her dream, telling her that he's proud of her. However Joshua is interrupted by Alicia who grabs Joshua's face and starts to feel it. She says to him “Same sad face, different skin” Joshua drunkenly looks at her as she smiles, commenting about the sorrow and remorse, she feels in his soul, reminding her of when she first “saw” Joshua's face as the Thing. Alicia then gave Joshua her business card telling him that she would be in town for the week if he ever wanted to talk. The next day Joshua calls her and they catch up for hours over the phone, reminiscing about the past and fully catching up on the present.

Alicia Masters-40
The day after, they meet at her art gallery, and spend the day looking at her life-like sculptures, with the Thing present as the main display. They then spend the rest of the week together, walking through the park, going to extravagant events, and Alicia even accompany Joshua when he re-enrolled into Alcoholics Anonymous. Upon the final day, Joshua and Alicia finally make passionate love to one another, confirming their feelings dormant inside them. Knowing, that a relapse was imminent if she left, Joshua convinced her to stay an extra week, which in turn, turned into a month, and resulted in the two officially becoming a couple once again. Two months after that Alicia found that she was pregnant and moved into Joshua's California home, leaving behind New York completely. Joshua and Alicia would later have triplets to their surprise, all of them boys: The oldest was named after Joshua, Joshua Jr.; the second was named Ryan, and the third was named Cochise. After the birth of his sons, Joshua married Alicia and finally settled down at the age of 40.

Aaliyah of Tamaran-41-42
A year later, Joshua receives a knock on his door and upon seeing who it is, is amazed to find a Tamaranean woman resembling Starfire. Joshua was further shocked when the beautiful Tamaranean reveals to Joshua that her name is Aaliyah Rollé and she is his daughter with Starfire. Joshua is extremely confused having never heard of Koriand'r's pregnancy, but remembers not suspecting Barbara's birth either. Joshua asks his daughter how old she is to which she answers, 24 years old. Aaliyah later goes on to explain that she was born on Tamaran after, Joshua confessed to no longer loving her. She tells her father that Koriand'r told her that Joshua was dead, and would tell nothing but stories about their love and adventures as Titans. Aaliyah then informs Joshua that her mother had died of illness a few months ago, but Koriand'r still never stopped loving Joshua, and while on her death bed finally told her the truth, that her father was alive on Earth. Joshua now crying, falls to the ground as he tells her “Had I known...I would have stopped everything...I should've realized....I'm so, so sorry...Kory....why...why didn't you tell me Kory...why does no one ever tell me?!!!”. Aaliyah then gets down next to her father and holds the hysterical Joshua tightly, telling him “I don't blame you...you know? My mother knew you would've married her, if she told you, but she didn't want to force you into loving her, she wanted to know if you still truly loved her, and she found out that you didn't. That's not your fault...I want to get to know my father, while I still have the chance; look at you you're all banged up!” They begin to laugh, as she wipes the tears away from her father's eye and Joshua tells her “I wish I could look upon you with both my eyes”. Joshua and Aaliyah spend the next year getting to know one another, and she also becomes acquainted with her younger brothers, including Dominic. Aaliyah also showed interest in becoming a hero, like her father and mother before her, however Joshua was at first against it knowing what a dangerous path that road leads down, not to mention the new generation of heroes that "fight simply to fight”, but eventually agrees finding it hard to say no to his daughter. In a turn of events Joshua's training of Aaliyah helps Joshua get back into fighting shape, although he is still unable to be as lumber or affective as he once was.

Kingdom Come-42
During this time, the aged members of the Superhero community including, the Justice League and the Avengers, abandoned their roles as superheroes after the rise and strong public support of a new hero named Magog, who has no qualms about murdering in cold blood. In the ensuing six months, a newer generation of superpowered "metahumans" arise; these metahumans engage each other in destructive battles without true cause and with little distinction between "heroes" and "villains." Joshua's now 52 year old brother, Elijah, better known as Superman, decides to re-form the Justice League following the Kansas disaster to rein in the new breed of heroes. He manages to collect reformed "new heroes", such as Avia (Mr. Miracle and Big Barda's daughter) and former heroes, including Green Lantern, the Flash, Hawkman, and even Joshua among others, except for the Batman, one of the most prominent of the old guard. When news broke out about Elijah's plans for reformation, Elijah went to his younger brother personally to see if he would like to join him in his quest. Joshua was hesitant to answer as he wanted to help but knew his body might not be up for it. However upon further rationalizing, he saw this new revolt Elijah would lead as a means to achieve the goals he aspired to during the Civil War, and decided to reclaim the Robin mantle but only as Red Robin wanting to honor Tim Drake, who was still in sever psychiatric therapy. When Joshua announces to his wife and daughter that he will be joining his brother's Justice League, returning himself to active duty, they immediately try and shut him down, not wanting Joshua to endanger himself. However Joshua could not be swayed from his decision, simply telling his family, “I'm a hero, this is what I do...I've been battling crime since I was 15, I let me do, what I do.” However Joshua is shocked to learn that Aaliyah has decided to side with his former mentor Batman's "Outsiders", instead of joining him and the Justice League. Luckily for Joshua his injures have not slowed him down completely, as he still possesses all of his stealth and fighting skills and contributes greatly to apprehending and imprisoning rouge metahumans at the Gulag. Despite this, Joshua held serious doubts over having the most powerful and dangerous individuals such as Von Bach also incarcerated, and believed that it would only makes things worst, having learned from similar mistakes during the Civil War. Unfortunately, Joshua's worries came true when the Gulag inmates rioted and escaped, leading to a battle between the inmates and the League. However in the ensuing battle Joshua was eventually wounded by 666, a gothic looking man/machine hybrid, that proved too quick for his injures to handle. It is at this time The United Nations deciding that they were no longer going to stand by as the world became a battle ground for this Metahuman War, launched a nuclear bomb at the super-prison. Fortunately Joshua was carried away to safety by Nightstar before the U.N. dropped a nuclear bomb on the Gulag, and 666 was killed in the explosion. He recuperated at Stewart Manor, which was turned into a hospital, and finally reconciled with Bobby over the differences they had in the past and they become friends again as Bobby tells him that he is still his heir.

Legacy
After the Metahuman War, Joshua accepted that his glory days of being a hero were finally over and after 21 years of saving the world and battling evil-doers, Joshua's legacy would usher-in the heroes of tomorrow as Dominic would take up his father's mantel as Iron Man, Aaliyah would continue operating as Nightstar, and the triplets would each become heroes in their own right. Joshua would then reunite with his equally genius brother, Elijah, to devote his time helping build a better world.

Sporadic Appearances
However at the age of 63, Joshua was brought out of retirement after a massive event known as the Ultimatum brought death and destruction to the entire globe; Fortunately Joshua's children survived. After talking to his long time friend Reed Richards, Reed confided in Joshua that their old nemesis Victor Von Doom, was directly responsible for causing the Ultimatum event. Reed concluded that Doom had to be killed to prevent any similar incidents. With this knowledge Joshua returned home, packed the last armor he had left, and took his personal jet to Latveria. Once there Joshua put on his Thing armor and confronted Dr. Doom. Doom is is not interested in Joshua presence and simply tells him to leave or he'll destroy him. Upon hearing this Joshua tells his long time arch-foe, “Reed doesn’t have the stomach for it. But you have to pay for what you did. How everything that happened...IT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT .” Joshua then personally crushes Dr. Doom's head in his hand killing Victor in his own frozen kingdom, while simply rationalizing “You had to pay for what you did...” before leaving Latveria and returning home. 3 years later the new Batman, Terry McGinnis, visits Joshua in California and questions him. Joshua, along with Tim Drake, were suspects who were believed to be Hush. A new Hush had appeared in Gotham and it wasn't Tommy Elliot because Elliot was dead, according to Bobby. It is revealed that the new Hush is actually a clone of Joshua created by Amanda Waller who planned to have the clone be the new Batman in case anything happened to Bobby Stewart; believing the world will always need a Batman. However, the clone became corrupt and decided to adopt the identity of "Hush" instead. The clone looked exactly like Joshua except younger and he wasn't missing his right eye. Later, Terry aided by the real Joshua and Catwoman confront the clone, but Joshua unable to convince Hush that he is merely a clone. Hush later dies during the ensuring battle and they thwart the villain's plan to destroy Gotham.

Death
A decade later, following the peaceful death of his wife and mutation of the human race due to the release of Terrigen Mist into the Earth's atmosphere, Joshua isolated himself from humanity so that he would not mutate himself, fearing what the mutation might do to him. Joshua then spent his time making himself armor. At first, Joshua continually wore his armor in an effort to stave off the Mist. He eventually gained access to the Red Ronin armor and used it in the construction of his new home, Iron Manor, situated in Gotham City. During this time, Lex Luthor the Third was elected President of the United States, and Joshua soon found himself working for Luthor. He did so willingly, hoping to take the despot down from the inside by using Luthor's own funding to construct a police force of Iron Men. During this time, Joshua also created the Seven Silver Samurai. These seven robots were given to Lord Sunfire, the son of the original Sunfire (who was assassinated) to help defend Japan and its neighboring regions. Joshua constructed several devices and weapons for President Luthor; chief among them were the Iron Avengers, robots which were modeled after the Avengers who were killed in Washington, D.C. battling the Absorbing Man, including Joshua's son Ryan. These Iron Avengers utilized Iron Man technology and were programed with the personalities of the various Avengers, as well as technological analogs of their individual abilities. This group was led by the lone surviving Avenger, the Vision, and later teamed up with the still living Captain America, Jonathan Tulloch, and his partner Redwing. Following the assassination of Luthor by a villain known as the Skull, Jonathan came to his youngest brother, Joshua, for help against the Skull's army. Joshua declined to help personally. However, when the Celestials arrived on Earth seeking to destroy humanity, Joshua sent his Iron Men army. He converted his Iron Manor into its robot mode to distract the Celestials for enough time for the arrival of Galactus, who was summoned by Black Bolt of the Inhumans. During the fight, the Iron Manor was destroyed. While Joshua survived its destruction, he was impaled by some of the wreckage, and died shortly after realizing he was finally outside in the open air for the first time in decades; he was 100 years old.

