Gordon retires after meeting his anti-Batman successor, Ellen Yindel. Batman's victory becomes public and the city's inhabitants are inspired to stand up against crime. Seeing their leader's defeat, the Mutants divide into smaller gangs, with one becoming the 'Sons of Batman', a violent vigilante group. Before the amassed Mutants, Batman fights the leader in a mud pit the mud slows the leader, removing his physical advantage, and Batman overpowers him. Commissioner Gordon deliberately releases the leader, providing an escape from the building, which leads to the sewer outlet. At the Gotham City Police Department, the Mutant leader murders the mayor during negotiations. Injured, Batman returns to the Batcave with Kelley, and allows her to become his protégé in spite of protests from his butler, Alfred Pennyworth.īatman has Kelley disguise herself as a Mutant, and she lures the gang to a sewer outlet at the West River. The leader and many gang members are arrested. The Mutant leader (who is in his prime) nearly kills Batman, but Kelley distracts him long enough for Batman to subdue him. He accepts to prove to himself that he can win. The Mutant leader challenges Batman to a duel. Kelley dresses as Robin and looks for Batman, who attacks a gathering of the Mutants with a tank-like Batmobile (incapacitating most of them). He defeats Dent, who reveals that he thinks the reconstructive surgery was botched, as he considered his undamaged half as disfigured. Batman disables one bomb, and the other detonates harmlessly. Batman defeats Dent's henchmen, learning that the bombs will explode even if the ransom is paid he realizes that Dent intends to kill himself.

Dent resurfaces, threatening to blow up a building unless he is paid a ransom. Dent's psychologist Bartholomew Wolper blames Batman for creating his own rogues gallery.

Public reaction to his return is divided. He combats serious crimes, rescuing 13-year-old Carrie Kelley, but now struggles with the physical limitations of age. Dent's disappearance, news stories of the crime epidemic, and the memory of his parents' deaths drive Wayne to become Batman once more. Although he is declared sane, he quickly goes into hiding following his release. Arkham inmate and former district attorney Harvey Dent undergoes plastic surgery to repair his disfigured face. The 55-year-old Wayne maintains a friendship with 70-year-old retiring Police Commissioner James Gordon (who knows Wayne was Batman), although he has lost touch with Dick Grayson and has not talked to him in a while, while the Joker (Batman's archenemy) has been catatonic in Arkham Asylum since Wayne's retirement. Ten years later, in mid-1986, Gotham City is overrun with crime and terrorized by a gang known as the Mutants. After the death of his protégé Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne retired his Batman persona.

Contra returns heroes