Leviathan (DC Comics)

LEVIATHAN
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Batman: The Return #1 (January 2011)
Created by	Grant Morrison (writer) David Finch (artist)
In-story information
Type of organization	Organized crime, terrorist
Leader(s)	Talia al Ghul
Agent(s)	Dr. Dedalus (Otto Netz) The Heretic (Fatherless) Professor Pyg Son of Pyg Goatboy

Leviathan is a fictional criminal organization in DC Comics, later revealed to be a schism of the League of Assassins under the leadership of Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Ra's al Ghul.

Publication history

Leviathan was introduced in Batman: The Return (Jan. 2011) and was created by Grant Morrison and David Finch.

Fictional team history

Leviathan is a shadowy organization with origins unknown, capable of creating surgically and genetically altered super-humans. They've also shown an ability to brainwash people for their cause.

While the head of the organization is unknown, one notable agent of Leviathan is The Heretic, a mysterious figure Batman and Damian Wayne came across in Yemen, dressed in an Arab Batman garb. When Damian initially discovers him, The Heretic gives him a haunting message of "You will know me. But not yet..."

Batman immediately connected the organization to an apocalyptic vision he had received while coming back from the dead, and positioned his newly formed Batman Incorporated organization to oppose them. After some moves, Leviathan seemed to form up behind Doctor Dedalus, a Nazi masterspy imprisoned on the Falkland Islands, with a predicted lifespan of months due to Alzheimer's. In the aftermath of Dedalus' breakout, further investigation showed that a paper trail, such as it was, showed a flow of child soldiers from training camps in the Central African Republic of Mtamba (the location of fellow Batman Inc. member Batwing) to locations around the world, for use by Leviathan in their campaign. Their leader is revealed to be Talia al Ghul.

Talia soon tells Batman that her creation of Leviathan has been all out of spite. As revenge for denying her his love and unwavering dedication to his crusade for justice, Talia created Leviathan as an expressed antithesis of Batman Incorporated. The Heretic is eventually shown to be the eponymous "Leviathan" of the organization; the "Third Batman" that is prophesied to send Gotham into chaos and destroy it. However, the Heretic continuously fails Talia and proves himself to be just as defiant as his genetic template, the then-deceased Damian Wayne. After killing the Heretic, Talia attempts to activate a "death ring" around the planet, established by worldwide Leviathan agents. Batman Inc. disables the weapon, and Talia is killed by Kathy Kane. Their leader dead, the intelligence agency known as Spyral (another organization Doctor Dedalus was involved with) took over Leviathan's resources and the organization presumably collapsed in the wake of their defeat.

"And so we wait, patiently. Our tendrils spreading, unchecked, uncontrolled, unseen. Our hatred vaster than empires, and more slow. Our name, Leviathan!"

—The Leviathan Oath from Batman: The Return #1 (Jan. 2011)

Membership

• Talia al Ghul - Head of Leviathan.
• Professor Pyg - Lazlo Valentin at first appears to be working for Simon Hurt, but it is later revealed that he is actually working for Talia al Ghul. Currently incarcerated in Arkham Asylum after being captured by Batman (Dick Grayson) and Robin (Damian Wayne) in the first volume of Batman and Robin.
• The Heretic (Fatherless) - Mysterious agent of Leviathan in a bat-like costume. The Heretic is a clone of Damian Wayne, first seen as a fetus in the first volume of Batman and Robin, whose growth has been accelerated to adulthood by way of a bio-engineered whale carcass. After killing Damian Wayne, the Heretic is defeated (but not killed) by Batman when he is run through with a sword. He is then finished off when Talia al Ghul kills him and blows up his body along with Wayne Tower.
• Son of Pyg - Son of Professor Pyg. Real name Janosz Valentin a.k.a. Johnny Valentine. Later defeated by Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) during a plot to turn a group of teen mercenaries-in-training into agents of Leviathan.
• Dr. Dedalus (Otto Netz) - Former Nazi scientist, and agent of Leviathan and the biological father of Kathy Kane, the original Batwoman. Later killed by the new Robin using a concealed knife.
• Goatboy - Gotham City-bred taxi driver-turned-assassin in light of Talia's billion dollar bounty on Damian. Later killed by Lumina Lux.

In other media

The Heretic appears as a supporting antagonist in Batman: Bad Blood, voiced by Travis Willingham.