Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [74]

Barbatos’s projection didn’t last long.

In moments, it faded.

He had intended to demonstrate his power before Bruce, to instill fear of his presence.

But he hadn’t anticipated that this little bat, the one who had once slipped away right under his nose, would grow so much in just a year.

Bruce feared bats, but he held no fear of a Bat God.

As Barbatos’s projection vanished, the sky returned to its original state.

New Utopia lay in ruins, but amidst the devastation, something new hung in the air.

Hope.

“Bruce.”

A thoroughly exhausted Wolverine walked up beside him.

He was still shaken by everything he had just witnessed, struggling to make sense of it.

Those figures from the Dark Multiverse were far beyond Wolverine’s understanding.

“Those are your enemies?” Wolverine asked, eyes wide. “You’ve been fighting against things like that all along?”

He could barely fathom how Bruce had survived against such terrifying foes.

Bruce, however, seemed unfazed. “Nothing to worry about, Uncle Logan. I’m not fighting alone.”

Well, fair enough.

Wolverine accepted the answer. After all, he’d seen it himself—countless heroic spirits lending Bruce their strength.

Perhaps this kid really was meant to soar higher than most.

But then—

Wolverine looked down at the owl who always hovered near Bruce, now poking at his claws, as if testing to see if he could pull one out.

“Heh, little owl, those aren’t for playing with.”

Now that everything had settled down, Wolverine relaxed a bit, even feeling in the mood to tease the owl.

He retracted his claws and grabbed Kathoom, placing him next to Bruce.

Then he clenched his fist, extending and retracting his claws repeatedly in front of Kathoom.

“These are a part of me; only I can control them!”

Looking at his Adamantium claws, Wolverine shook his head with a mix of regret and wonder. “I never thought I’d get to use these again.”

With the healing factor having kicked in, Wolverine no longer looked quite so old, even sporting a few strands of black hair at his temples.

Kathoom, for his part, looked unimpressed.

What’s the big deal? he thought, annoyed. Just some boring metal claws—only you would make such a fuss over them.

“Expelliarmus!”

The owl suddenly cast a Disarming Charm at Wolverine.

With a shing, Wolverine’s claws retracted automatically, leaving him stunned.

The only time that had happened before was in Magneto’s presence!

Kathoom, meanwhile, looked disappointed.

So that’s all the Disarming Charm could do…

Beep beep—

Suddenly, a car horn sounded in the distance. Bruce and the others turned to see Hawkeye pulling up in the Spider-Mobile.

“What happened here?!”

Hawkeye yelled from afar. His last memory was of getting pummeled by Red Skull, after which he’d lost consciousness.

When he woke up, it was all over.

Once again, he’d managed to win by doing nothing.

The Spider-Mobile screeched to a halt by the curb, and Hawkeye waved as he ran over, looking for all the world like a human Ultraman.

As he got closer, Wolverine noticed something unusual.

“Clint, your eyes!”

“You noticed, huh?”

Hawkeye grinned. He wasn’t wearing his sunglasses, revealing a pair of black irises.

His glaucoma was cured.

“I don’t know how it happened,” he said, shaking his head with a chuckle. “But I woke up with my eyesight restored.”

Hawkeye winked at Bruce. “Too bad, though—guess I’ll have to retire all my blind jokes.”

It was clear he knew exactly why.

—

A few days had passed since the apocalyptic battle.

The power vacuum left by Red Skull’s death was quickly filled by new villains.

They celebrated this as a victory, thinking they’d expanded their territory and that the good times would continue.

Early one morning, Bruce woke in a small inn to find Kathoom dismantling something on the table.

“What are you up to?” he asked.

“Recycling scrap.”

Kathoom fluffed his wings, showing off the bits and pieces he’d salvaged—a broken web-shooter once belonging to Spider-Man.

A few days ago, Kathoom had stormed into Red Skull’s gallery like a whirlwind.

He’d looted—er, recovered—everything in sight.

He’d expected to find a trove of treasures, only to discover that most of it was junk.

Still, the owl had collected everything.

Scrap or not, he believed that, used creatively, even a piece of toilet paper could prove useful.

“Time to pack up; it’s almost time.”

Bruce reminded him before heading off to wash up.

Once ready, he and Kathoom went downstairs, where the Spider-Mobile was parked outside.

Wolverine and Hawkeye were already seated.

“Bruce, are you sure you’re not coming with us?” Wolverine asked.

“I have to go back, Uncle Logan.”

Bruce had risen early just to say goodbye to his two elder friends.

Or, not exactly elders anymore—both Wolverine and Hawkeye looked younger now, as if they’d regained some of their youth.

“Alright, then.”

Wolverine nodded. “What we have to do next isn’t suited for you.”

It would be bloody.

While the world’s destruction had been averted, supervillains wouldn’t vanish on their own.

Those who wrought suffering still prowled unchecked.

A new era had dawned.

They could no longer tolerate these monsters in a world that now held hope.

Wolverine and Hawkeye were about to unleash hell.

“So, I guess this is goodbye.”

Hawkeye waved to Bruce before asking, “Will we meet again, Bruce?”

“Maybe.”

Bruce could only give a vague answer, as he didn’t know himself.

Hawkeye laughed lightly, asking no further questions.

As a superhero, he was well acquainted with farewells.

With a rev of the engine, the Spider-Mobile roared away, leaving Bruce waving in its wake.

“What a shame.”

Kathoom muttered, “I kind of wanted that car.”

“Enough’s enough. You’ve scavenged plenty as it is.”

Bruce shook his head. “Alright, open the portal. It’s time for us to go.”

A portal opened before him, and just as he was about to step inside, Bruce remembered something.

“Wait!” he said. “I promised Uncle Logan ten thousand dollars, and I haven’t paid him yet!”

“It’s too late for that!”

Kathoom launched himself from behind in a brave-bird strike, shoving Bruce through the portal.

In the next instant, man and owl disappeared from this world completely.

As Bruce traveled through the multiverse tunnel, retracing his steps, he asked a vital question.

“Kathoom, you’re not going to dump me in an orphanage again, are you?”