William Lawton (ME-1)

Knight Owl
Knight Owl Year One Year Zero Civilian Front Back Pre-Miraclo Post Miraclo
Character Statistics
Aliases	Gaston Guillaume Wolmar Diderot Jason Peter Todd Milton Dini Maximilian Kruger Rodion Zaryanov[1] Hector Damon
Nicknames	Ajay (अजय) The Owl K.O. Night Owl Owlman Birdman The Apex Predator Youxia (遊俠) Little Bird Broody Bird Philosophe Grumpy Grump Superhuman Don Quixote Búho Quixote Batman Fanboy The Aristotle of Superheroes Ssaubami Cheonsae (싸우밤미 천새) The Shining Knight
Affiliation	Doom Patrol Formerly Checkmate Öksökö
Base of Operations	Multiple Global "Nests"
Relatives	Unknown
Alignment	Good
Marital Status	Single
Identity Status	Mostly Secret
Occupation	Minority shareholder Experimental weapons tester Bodyguard to Michael Holt Formerly Checkmate Agent Theater worker
Education	B.A. double major in History and Philosophy Checkmate training private tutoring in Criminology, Biology, explosives, and other fields
Citizenship	American (William Lawton) French (Gaston Guillaume Wolmar Diderot) German (Maximilian Kruger)
Religion	None
Physical Attributes
Gender	Male
Height	5' 10" (6' 1" in armor)
Weight	167 pounds (199 pounds in armor)
Eye Color	Greyish Blue
Hair Color	Black
Unusual Features	Multiple cut, bullet, and burn scars
Description
Universe	ME-1 ME-2 ME-3 ME-Prime
Place of Birth	Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
Date of Birth	December 15, 1994
Created by	RoninTheMasterless

“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars, and the world will be better for this.” - Don Quixote 

Early Life (Birth - 24)

"I am a lot of things; an agnostic, an atheist, which most people stopped listening there back in my hometown, but I'm more; I am a skeptic, a verificationist, an empiricist, sometimes an absurdist, and most importantly a humanist, but no one cared what I was; they cared about what I wasn't. I learned a long time ago, that I'll never be a normal person. I'll never be the person people think about and say 'I wonder how he's doing. I'll give him a call... 'I miss him' I'm the person who sat in the corner, listening to all the stupid around him; I'm the person you like when you need, but after you no longer need me: I no longer exist. I'm a specter, I know my place, and it's not around people."

William Byron "Will" Lawton, Junior was born in America in a time (though the place had the most to do with it) where philosophical bigotry, political staticism, and general hypocrisy ostracized any who wasn't a staunch Pro-Government, Pro-God, and Pro-Gun ideology, and Will was one of those who disagreed; he grew to believe that he was born out of his time and that he lacked that something that made him a member of his generation. Will grew to be an incredibly intelligent and wise man, but at the cost of his social development; he became a blunt and pragmatic introvert who often used sarcasm to add humor to his life. He made efforts to become more personable, but every attempt was met with failure, especially with the opposite sex... into his late twenties he had never been on an official date (i.e. the girl wouldn't say it was one). He went to college, double majoring in history and philosophy. Will's first (and only normal) job was working at a movie theater, where he constantly cleaned the messes left by grown adults who either never learned to clean up after themselves or simply had no manners, he stayed with the theater for almost six years for three reasons: by the second year the job became second nature to him; free movies for a lover of cinema; and free movie posters. Will would summarize his life as "Two short decades where I learned most of what I know now because I had the perception to learn from nearly every crappy thing that happened to me on a daily basis." He seldom disclosed details of the first twenty years of his life to people he met afterward, simply putting (and leaving) it that he did not enjoy the people that surrounded him, nor they him, and that fundamentally shaped him to idealize minimal interaction with other people (nonexistent if possible). This would carry into his adulthood. He would remember approximately ten people from his early adulthood entirely fondly. 

Will's Childhood 

The Batman: Legends of the World's Greatest Detective

Will's first, and in some ways, only hero, is the World's Greatest Detective, Dark Knight, Caped Crusader: Batman. 

WONDER Comics

WONDER Comics is the only real competitor to DC Comics in terms of size and sales. While Will and most of his friends agree DC has the best seven to ten characters, WONDER has a more expansive and diverse catalog of heroes.

Not only WONDER's number one hero, Tarantula is the highest selling superhero period, even above Superman and Batman, despite being 25 years younger then both of them. Will and Amir put Tarantula up on pedestal with Batman and Superman due in large part to the revolutionary concept that defined Tarantula, instead of following the teenage sidekick trend DC had pioneered, Tarantula was a teenage superhero: no sidekick needed.

Checkmate (24-25)

"He's smart, intuitive, brutal, and he lacks any semblance of a personal life. He'd be a fantastic Black Knight, but he questions things, especially authority. He cares more about the details than the bigger picture. He cares about people more than rules, and that will prevent him from ever being useful here at Checkmate." - Maya Waller

Will graduated from the University of North Florida with honors. After graduating from the undergraduate college, Will spent two years working and studying for the LSAT; he later attended Florida Coastal School of Law. During his first semester of law school, he encountered a Checkmate scout. The scout had monitored Will for his internet activity, indicating he possessed the capacity and desire to be an asset for Checkmate, as well as a general disinterest in actually being a lawyer. Will was recruited into Checkmate and selected the Black designation for operations. He excelled at combat and displayed a gift of tactical analysis, but he was not a fan of authority, especially the faceless authorities of Checkmate, except for Michael Holt. In the Holt, Will found a kindred spirit; a man equally committed to helping the world in ways the powers the be were either ill-equipped or disinterested in doing. Additionally, they shared suspicion of many elements within Checkmate, including Waller. 

Project Foresight (aka The Brother Eye Incident)

"A bad plan is better than none at all. I'd rather fail trying to do something good than succeed at doing something bad."

Before he left Checkmate, the organization suffered an internal coup thrown by the White King, Alexander Luthor. Luthor's understanding of Checkmate's mission statement led him to believe the best way to ensure security for the world at large is to use Checkmate's resources to preemptively eliminate threats to society and his absolutist Checkmate, by creating the Brother Eye satellite network. Despite the dubious nature of her ethics, Black Queen Maya Waller could not tolerate such a bold violation of due process and civil liberties, dispatching the Black Knights still loyal to her: Will and Nadine Bishop. Against all odds, Lawton and Bishop were able to overtake the other Black Knights. However, Luthor was never apprehended, and he went on to spearhead Spyral. Bishop and Waller remained with Checkmate to rebuild it and purge it of any Spyral remnants. Will's time with Checkmate left a bad taste in his mouth: he realized: While Checkmate may be better equipped to handle the worlds the problems than the many nations governments and people: they lacked the firm moral core they needed to be truly good, and were disinterested in getting it. 

Letting the Past Die (More Like Killing It Until It Died)

After parting with Checkmate, Will traveled home to visit his parents, inform them of recent events, and to let them know he was alright. Will made no effort to contact anyone else, in fact, he actively avoided anyone else for a specific purpose: he had no intention of seeing or speaking to anyone else he knew from the first twenty years of his life again. He came home because he considered discussing with his parents killing himself off legally speaking and operating under an alias, but being home lead him to decide against it. By that point, he made up his mind that he was going to do something to fill the moral void an organization like Checkmate left, but he hadn't outright decided the way to do that was by being a superhero. Days after visiting his parents, he left the country with a shortlist containing the names of Checkmate's best and brightest alumni. 

The Bird of Prey Season .5: The Heroic Pilgrimage (25-26) (To be condensed into series-long flashbacks)

"Every legend starts as an urban myth; every myth starts as a man." - Working tagline

Episode 2: The Manhunter

Will's journey brought him to France. He learned about Henri "Manhunter" Ducard, an international bounty hunter who found high-value targets for multiple countries. Will sought Ducard out to learn in techniques. Ducard was getting older and considered retirement, but he had heard of this globe-trotting sometime vigilante and decided to impart his wisdom on the young man. The cynical Ducard couldn't help but question Will's idealism, but through their interactions, Henri realized that Will's idealism lurked beneath an extensive shell of cynicism; he too, did not believe most people were open to change; Henri was surprised to find the shared much in common with Will, both in aptitude and in personality. As Will entered France, but before he met up with Henri, Will came across news reports of young women getting kidnapped and being programmed into the human trafficking; Will realized that he was in over his head if he was to hunt them before learning from Ducard. As Will studied under Ducard, he continued to refine his search, until one day he had found all he needed; he found one of the trafficking compounds and killed all the traffickers present; Will set all the girls he found alive free, but he found he was too late to save the majority. He went back to Ducard feeling defeated.

"I could have done so much better if only I was smarter; So many of them were dead; tortured and dead; who knows how many of them were moved on to be sold; I didn't save them; I failed."

"There are more people alive and free, because of what you did. Those people will tell their children, and their children's children about how someone cared to save them; that's a lot better than what anyone else could say; Every life you save is a victory."

Episode 4: A Creator and Destroyer, A Master, and the Owlet

"Powerful men don't have to be cruel, in fact, they can't. All cruelty is spawned from weakness."

"Virtue is not the self-professed or apparent possession of abstract character traits, it is quite simply the synthesis of excellent intention and excellent action."

Will's final stop on his heroic pilgrimage led him to master martial artist Shiva. Will had learned of Shiva from Henri. Will concluded from their discussions he should learn from her. Henri warned Will of her allegiance to a shadowy organization called Öksökö. Will's journey to find Shiva took him to the Himalayas. Exhausted and near the breaking point, Will finally reached the Öksökö stronghold. He was surrounded by Öksökö warriors, and their master, Al Mualim. Will was commended for his resolve to reach them and asked who sent him, a question he refused to answer. Al Mualim admired his loyalty and asked him why he was here, and Will replied he was there to learn the tools necessary to fight injustice. To find Shiva and received her training, Will knew he would have to accept membership into Öksökö. As he was initiated, he was attacked by the surrounding group once they entered the compound. Knowing he was in too weak a state to engage them all and come out victorious, he used the environment to his advantage and destroyed all light sources, and found a beam to hide on the ceiling. Once they were able to reestablish the lighting they could not find him and assumed he ran off. He waited until nightfall of the next day to strike again, earning the nickname, the Owl.

Episode ?: You Can't Save Everyone

"You are not a warrior and you never will be. You are a soldier."

"What's the difference?"

"A warrior fights for glory, fortune, or for violence's own sake. A soldier fights for a cause; a soldier fights so others don't have to."

Bird of Prey Season 1: Birdman Begins (27, December 15, 2021 - January 1, 2022) 

“Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” - Oscar Wilde

*Flashbacks featuring Thaddeus Tucker, Henri Ducard, Rodrigo Corazón, and Egon Kruger 

Episode ?: World's First Superhero

This is the episode Will first dons the Knight Owl armor

Bird of Prey Season 2: War of Laughs and Riddles (28, October-November 2023)

"Your enemies will define you." Working tagline

*Flashbacks featuring Egon Kruger, Henri Ducard, and Will's early life

Episode 3?: Masks

"I don't need a life outside the cowl, nor do I want one. Outside the suit, I'm just another random human that no one really knows or cares about; let alone one that will be truly loved. I'm only ever me when I wear that suit and save people in this way; my way; the only way I truly can."

Episode 6: White Knightfall

(Final) Episode ?: There Are No Winners in War

Possible Christmas Special: Beware the Batman

A Hero Can Be Anyone

"When I was a kid the Batman was my hero. I admired what he stood for."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and he still is."

The Bird of Prey Season 3: The Fires of Dumas (Age TBD, probably 33-34ish)

“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.” - Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli

"Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them." - Ezekiel 38:7

"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." - Edward Gibbon

*Flashbacks featuring Henri Ducard and Al Mualim 

Episode 1?: The War on Christmas

A new group was starting to emerge on the organized crime market, an extremist religious order called the Order or Purity / The Sacred Order of Saint Dumas. This group's goal was to purge the society of undesirables (e.g. intellectuals, Muslims, atheists, Jews, Buddhists, etc). Will began to notice most people were coming out against them, except for two organizations: Fox News, and the televangelist ministries of one senate hopeful Frederick Rollo.

Episode 2?: Reformation of Violence

"We have been waiting for you: the champion of the vulgar, a true acolyte/herald of the antichrist, the harbinger of the apocalypse. Only then could we strike."

Episode ?: The Fires Will Consume You

Knight Owl was on the verge of a breakthrough with the case and was then attacked by one of the Order's soldiers, Azrael.

Final Episode ?: 38:7

"You still avoid killing me or my disciples, because you still want people to believe you're the hero. You: the enemy of divine justice, protector and enabler of the unclean and the vicious. Your brutality reveals who you really are; what you defend, reveals who you really are. Go ahead, strike us down, show the world who you are!"

"You shut up. You talk about virtue and goodness but you don't know the meaning of those words. You probe people for weakness for you to exploit. You take from them, break them, manipulate, and discard them. You hate innocent people who are just trying to live happy lives. IT CANNOT CONTINUE..."

"It's over."

"I WON'T LET IT!"

The Bird of Prey Season 4: Shadow War (To be Rebooted) (Aged TBD)

"Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated." - Ernest Hemingway

Episode 1: Knightfall

"You tried to play hero, and now it's going to blow up in your face, and destroy everything you care about."

After defeating and dissolving the Order of St. Dumas, Will returned to his Nest to recuperate. However, he was interrupted as soon as he got up to the Nest by an agent of a far more destructive organization. the mysterious agent preyed on Will's exhaustion nearly killed him and destroyed his Nest. During the fight, Will recognized the voice as Harvey Dent, now a member of Öksökö as he felt he was about to deliver the final blow on Knight Owl. Will narrowly escaped with his life, crashing into a building below. Dent could not confirm his death, as the Police and Fire Department were on the scene. They did not find Knight Owl's body either, but the media reported Knight Owl was dead.

Episode ?:

"Can you just talk to me? Explain to me what's going? At least show me you feel...anything at all."

"I feel everything...and I don't want to anymore."

Episode ?: Undefeatable

"You're nothing Dent; you had to download everything my teachers and myself learned in our lives just so you could go toe-to-toe with me; you cheated, and for what?... You took my family from me. You became the very thing you hated most, the thing Andrea hated most, to avenge her, and. You. Failed... Live with that."

Settling a Score

After defeating Dent, Will heard a voice coming from his broken helmet. He grabbed the earpiece and microphone to speak to the voice. It was none other al-Mualim. (Addressing him as Ajay) He congratulated Will on defeating Dent and proving himself to be a true raptor. al-Mualim told him it was his goal all along to have another Apex Predator join him in his crusade to cleanse the world of undesirables (Will called it a lethal stress-test). Will refused and al-Mualim rhetorically asked where people like Will, who do not belong with the masses, will stand if he does not stand with his equals in Öksökö, to which Will replied:

"I will stand exactly where I belong: between people like you, and everyone else. I'm the devil on the other side, and I guarantee you're not ready for me."

Episode ?: Confrontation

Victory Demands Sacrifice

"Don't add me to the weight you carry."

What is Victory?

"Well, how does it feel to be at the top of the food chain, Apex Predator?"

Episode ?: Burial For an Immortal

Despite everything Richard Blood had done, the destruction he succeeded he aimed to deliver to the world, the destruction he succeeded in delivering; Will buried his mentor with the same honor he buried his ally and lover, Shiva. This did not go over well with the surviving forces he and Shiva had amassed:

"We shouldn't bury him, we should burn him so no one can ever bring him back?" - Some rando

"He asked to be buried. It's disrespectful to ignore someone's last wishes." - Knight Owl

"So? Look at the destruction and pain he caused! Why should we respect that monster." - some other rando

"I didn't submit this for a vote! I'm doing this, and none of you have to be here. The war is over, Öksökö is done. It's time to bury the dead, and tomorrow, you will all go home. I expect you all to find mediocre lives to live. Completely unworthy of note, completely under the radar of a particularly pissed off Owl."

After dismissing the onlookers, Will finished burying Richard Blood and Shiva. Rather than say any words of mourning or remembrance, he merely dropped the shovel and went home.  

Where To?

"The world is so different now. Metahumans, alien-gods, all that fun stuff. I don't think the world needs my kind anymore: random crazy people cosplaying and beating up thugs...I took on the mob and won, managed to navigate political/national security shitstorm that could have made 9/11 look like kids play... twice actually, took out two immortal would-be world cleansers, and outwrestled a Human Komodo Dragon...I think that's enough to retire on." - Knight Owl to Sophronia 

"I think the real question is: Will you be able to rest?"

Doom Patrol: Off the Grid (Age 34)

You Can't Do This Forever

Will wisely decided to retire due in large part to the emotional toll being Knight Owl put him through, but he was too late to avoid long term damage to his body, as Michael and Sophronia spent more than enough time explaining to him. Will suffered from mild Arthritis, notably in his wrists and ankles; Boxer's Fracture; deteriorating cartilage in his knees, and early signs of Dementia pugilistica.

Extinction of the Owls

"For the record, I agreed with damn near everything you've said: People suck. I've spent more than enough time on Facebook to know that, but that's not a good reason to kill everyone. That's what a bigot does; that's what they'd do. Everyone's interconnected; they love other people; they mean something to someone else, who would be deeply saddened by their deaths. To kill them all because you don't like them, no matter how well-formed an opinion, is the height of cruelty and naiveté. You have one of the greatest powers there is knowledge, and with wisdom you can use it to help those people and make them better."

Superhumanity

Your Work Is Not Yet Finished

As Will was comatose, and Michael and Sophronia prepped the Chrysalis, Will dreamed of being on a beach with Sandra. It did not take long for the pleasantries to fade away as Sandra began to question why he was so distant, and why there were even on a beach, as he hated the beach, sand, and being out in public... and being out in general. Will replied he spend the rest of his life on a beach if it meant she'd be alive again, to which she replied:

"Then why are we here, and why are you unhappy?"

"...I loved you. I swear I did"

"That's not what I asked, William."

"Please stop" 

"Why are we here, and why are you miserable"

"BECAUSE I HATE THIS!...I could never be happy here, even with you. All I ever wanted was purpose, and I wished against reason to be a superhero, and for the briefest moment, I thought I did it. I thought I nailed it, and for the briefest of moments at a time, I even thought I of all people, got to be the World's First Superhero. And everything that followed that insane hubris only served to prove how much of a stupid child I was and still am. In a moment of clarity and profound selfishness...I looked at you and thought: time to settle. Time to be an adult and settle down for something ordinary, after killing a man we both admired...I looked at you...and thought I was settling. I'm done mon amour. All I want is to quit. I want to go home."

"Oh bien-aimée, you hide from yourself more than you do from anyone else. You will heal, and The Owl will fly again. Your work is not yet finished."

The Last Straw

"I'm so sorry...you're going to be alone now." - Sophronia 

The Bird of Prey Returns (Part 1) (Age 39, 2034) 

“For neither good nor evil can last forever; and so it follows that as evil has lasted a long time, good must now be close at hand.” - Don Quixote

"Some instinct tells me that eternal vigilance is the price of supremacy." - Mark Twain

Never Again

For the next five years, Will primarily stayed in France, in the home Henri left for him, but Will frequently traveled, usually back-and-forth from places in the United States to South Korea, to Tokyo, and on occasion the dilapidated Öksökö Stronghold to visit Sandra and al-Mualim. In his travels, Will constantly encountered everyday injustices (e.g. muggings, store robberies, etc). He felt the immense rage and self-disgust he felt after each inaction grow over the years, and recorded in a diary each moment he could have done something about. During his retirement, Will partook in video games, archery, binge-watching shows and movies, and writing to help pass the time and to keep his mind off the outside world. He also tested the limits of his new physique, finding that each day he surpassed previous limits with ease.

Reassume Your Totem

"I used to be a man in a suit, and the suit did most of the work, as well as the AI, a dude that made all that stuff and patched me up when I took one too many risks, who also funded the whole escapade... Look a lot of things went into making Knight Owl, but somehow I kept telling myself I was the one out there, so that meant more when in reality the suit and a whole other person had the power, but everything has changed: the world is different: I'm different. The power of the suit is inside me now. It's unsettling...alien to me. I wear a costume now because it's the only way I can feel normal."

In 2034, While out and about, Will witnessed the beginning of a bank robbery. The robbers had just locked the exits and fired warning shots to corral the hostages. At first, he continued to walk, thinking a silent alarm would be tripped and cops would be there quickly, but the situation escalated far too quickly. He could hear the desperation of the victims, and the robbers preparing their firearms for another volley: whether it be as warning shots or to permanently silence hostages quickly.

♫You had your time/you had the power/you've yet to have/your finest hour♫

♫I'm going back home to the place where I belong/There's nothing like it/There's nothing like it/No, nothing like it/Take me back home/Where the blood runs through my soul/I can't describe it, there's nothing like it♫

"I'm sorry. You're going to be alone now"

"I'll get over it"

Without thinking further he charged in, crashing through the window. With his superhuman speed, he was able to take out almost every assailant in the bank's lobby, the last one was the first to see him and was able to get a shot off on Will's abdomen. Everyone stared astonished that not only did he not flinch, but he only appeared moderately annoyed, and the wound closed within seconds, with the bullet breaking the silence as it hit the floor. In the time everyone spent in confusion, the few robbers not dispatched by Will took the money they could get their hands on and made their way to the escape van. Will chased it down with his superhuman speed, very publicly. Luckily, he moved quickly enough to were few could discern how he looked, and the few in the bank who got a good look at him were too stunned at his healing ability to remember the finer features of his face, describing a relatively generic white bearded male, humorously, in his mid-forties.

Back in the Saddle

Have You Ever Dreamed You Can Fly?

The Legend of the Knight Owl Will Mean Nothing. At. All

"You understand the influence Joker has. Something that affects people, on a subconscious, primal level. For most people--more stable people--he inspires fear. For the less stable people--he simply inspires. But in your astute comprehension of your nemesis, you somehow failed to understand your own influence. Conversely: In your gaudy get-up you simultaneously inspire fear in even the least stable of individuals... and hope in regular people. I have long pondered how to counteract this, so I can finally force the world to know fear as I have so desperately yearned since before you were born. How can the world know fear – true dread – when there is you? A stalwart knight, ever ready to slay monsters. Fear isn’t simple biology, Knight Owl. It’s more than instinct. True fear is the absence of hope. And hope is the spread wings of an Owl, shining in the darkness. I will take that from them. I will show the world the kind of man you really are! I will show them where you'll be when they need you most! Then you will die for all to see: without hope and without reward: legend no more."

Knightmare/Fanning the Fire

"I'm so sick and tired of looking at you and feeling nothing but shame. How many people have died because I can't accept you're a part of me? All of this rage...this hate, it's a part of me and I need it. I can't let you define me, but I'm done ignoring you."

"I always thought my greatest fears were failure or being incapacitated in a hospital totally aware of my degenerating body, but in reality, I'm terrified that while I've been thinking I'm some hero, a realization of aretaic ethics, I've been a looking for an excuse to brutalize, and that I'm one bad day from snapping and killing everyone I see."

Second Wind

"It may be just this once, but you can save them. You can save all of them" - The Shining Knight

"You're goddamn right I can." - Will 

"You want to know who I am! I'll tell you exactly who I am. I am Justice; I am the World's First Superhero; I. Am. Knight Owl, and in the name of all that is good your reign of terror is over."

Mono No Aware

"My whole life I wanted purpose. I wanted to make the world more just. I wanted to be the kind of person people could rely on in times of crisis. I wanted but dared not hope for love. I had love, but could not feel it. I thought I could throw myself into some kind of service, and be motivated by justice alone, but too often I felt unworthy even of purpose. It took too long to realize the thing that makes justice work, the thing that makes my rage cogent, was my love. The love I have for my people, and the love they have for me

Doom Patrol Odyssey

Part Four: Odyssey

The Paragon of Destiny

"I have spent lifetimes peering through timeline after timeline trying to determine which one would deliver my victory. You are the Paragon of Destiny. No matter what I do you always end up here. Countless times I've played this over and it's always some version of you each more infuriating than the last."

"And you orchestrated events so that I would get here, presumably because you believe I'm least likely to use this to kill you. Have I got that right?"

"That was my intention." 

"...You were right about me. I won't kill you. I'm a superhero and I save people. I choose to undo the damage you caused to this universe, then I'm going home to save my universe from your lackey."

My Ithaca, My Penelope

"I don't mean to replace her."

"...I met Shiva when I was twenty-six years old. I thought I'd never get laid let alone feel reciprocated love. It took a while for me to realize she was more than al-Mualim. So much more she was one of my closest friends, trusted allies, and few lovers. I'll never love anyone like I love her ever again. That's the beautiful thing about love: It's different every time."

Si Monumentum Requiris, Circumspice

Epilogue: The Aristotle of Superheroes

"A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example. " - Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (One of the inscriptions on the statue of Knight Owl)

Probably Non-Canon

Firebird/Phoenix
Character Statistics
Aliases	Unknown
Nicknames	Last Daughter of Tamaran
Affiliation	Unknown
Base of Operations	Unknown
Relatives	Unknown
Alignment	Unknown
Marital Status	Unknown
Identity Status	Unknown
Occupation	Unknown
Education	Unknown
Citizenship	Unknown
Religion	Unknown
Physical Attributes
Gender	Female
Height	Unknown
Weight	Unknown
Eye Color	Unknown
Hair Color	Unknown
Unusual Features	Unknown
Description
Universe	Unknown
Place of Birth	Unknown
Date of Birth	Unknown
Created by	Knight Owl and Starfire did it

"She doesn't need just a protector or teacher, she needs a father. She could use a hero too."

God of War

After playing a ton of the new God of War game, at the recommendation of Technar of Baconia (recommendation may be putting it mildly). To say the least, I liked it, mostly for the lore and the idea that all the pantheons exist and can be traveled to, but at the heart of the story are the father and son characters Kratos and Atreus. Kratos needed to develop as a character to become a good father to Atreus. Specifically, he needs to accept and move on from his past, and not deceive his son about their true nature as gods. He spends a lot of time slowly becoming less of an awful person but that's mostly beside the point. I really liked the relationship Kratos and Atreus have, as Kratos serves as Atreus' guardian in the game, and develops into being his father, Another important character that I want to merge with Kratos' role for KO in this non-canon idea, is Mimir. Mimir serves as the godly encyclopedia of Norse mythology. He passes on the knowledge of gods, giants, etc to Kratos (the audience surrogate who likely knows little to nothing about Norse mythology).

Knight Owl and Alisand'r/Astrid'r/Alicand'r/Garud'r

While a big inspiration for this idea, pretty much the only one, was God of War, the relationship of Will and his daughter will be markedly different. For one thing, Will is a largely well-adjusted adult male inherently more emotionally connected to his daughter. For Will, the major conflict comes from his inability to tell his daughter of her status as human and his legacy as a superhero along with Starfire. He exclusively insures that she is aware of her Tamaranean heritage. He still has the Zambesian wristband/watch that contains his nanosuit, but he hasn't worn it in years. Similarly, Kratos hesitated to reveal his godhood out of fear, Will hesitates to discuss being human and a superhero out of respect for his late wife Koriand'r. Over time, his daughter realizes that Will doesn't talk much about him and his side of the family, and he only really talks academically about her mother and her people. The cold scholarly angle he discusses things still creates distance as Kratos' way of referring to his own son, who's name he does know, as "Boy" almost exclusively. Over time Will opens about being human, and his personality, which changes even how he discusses things academically, as evident when he discussed his love of philosophy with his daughter. When Kratos reveals his, and by extension, Atreus' godhood to Atreus, Atreus becomes extremely bratty in moments, and more distance is created between father and son for a while. This will not happen since Alisand'r/Astrid'r/Alicand'r/Garud'r is too much like her mother for that, and her father isn't Kratos. What will create the temporary distance between father and daughter is when Will honestly admits how he never wanted children, and that she was essentially an accident since neither Will nor Koriand'r thought they could create offspring.

"You're Tamaranean AND a human. You don't have to choose."

Personality

"Character is destiny" - Heraclitus  See Also: Inspector (role variant) & Mastermind (role variant)

"That perfection is unachievable is no excuse not to strive for it."

"Excellence does not require perfection." - Henry James 

Rage

"Not a lot people know what if feels like to, be angry... in your bones... that rage. How it colors the way you look at the world. Rarely do people give a fuck enough to try and understand what can make a person that furious. They're too busy arguing "well I'm angry too, and I have it tougher than you!!!" When I never claimed that others don't go through hardship nor made any attempt to say one hardship is worse than all others. The things I've seen, heard, even done. Every. Single. Time. They tell me to do the one thing they know I can’t do: Move on; be happy. After a while, they stop trying, and they forget that I have every god damn right to be angry! No matter what I do; no matter how many people I save, no matter; no matter how much evil I stop. I...I feel the hate...the rage inside. I love to fight and deep down...I like to hurt people too. No matter how hard I try...I always feel the rage boiling."

"Good. If it wasn't for that rage, countless people would be dead. Having that hate inside doesn't make you a monster: accepting it makes you human: knowing when to let it out is what makes you a hero."

The key emotion Will experiences is rage. It is the emotional state that shapes him as a person and a hero. This originally came from his parents, both of whom had tempers.

"Find the rage that breeds hatred: shed it, find the rage that breeds indolence: shun it. Find the rage that gives you purpose: embrace it." - al-Mualim

The Nemesis

"I always thought my greatest fears were things like failure, being alert during a major surgery, or being incapacitated in a hospital totally aware of my degenerating body, but in reality, I'm terrified that while I've been thinking I'm some hero, a realization of aretaic ethics, I've been a looking for an excuse to brutalize, and that I'm one bad day from snapping and killing everyone I see."

For all Will's attempts to achieve excellence of character, he possesses many character flaws. In part to have an easier concept of what he needed to overcome to be a truly virtuous person, he constructed The Nemesis. Not a separate personality, The Nemesis merely represents Will's vicious traits, such as excessive rage, impatience, close-mindedness, condescension, epicharikaky/morose delectation/sadism, and misanthropy. Will stated multiple times that he was terrified that deep down his actions as Knight Owl were not, in fact, a realization of his heroic vision but his mind finding a way to visit violence upon others in a way he could then easily rationalize. 

The Ritual

In the original Owl's Nest, Will had a ritual in which he'd play a fun song (e.g. Queen's Don't Stop Me Now or Stevie Wonder's Superstition) and dance (very poorly) while he suited up, or just did his detective work. He did this to remind himself that part of the reason he chose to be Knight Owl instead of a blandly clad vigilante or a legally employed law enforcement official is because he wanted to actually have fun doing it, considering he planned to be a vigilante as long as he could sustain it. 

From Vigilante to Hero (From Byronic to Reclaiming the Word Quixotic)

"He's not big on the popular term "superhero" or even "hero", but if someone claims to be a finer hero on this planet than Knight Owl: They're wrong."

While Will was inspired by Batman, a character he would argue to his dying day was one the finest superheroes ever written, and he aspired to be truly virtuous, Will struggled to see himself as anything more than a vigilante. He was almost totally blind to the positive influence he had on others and focused on the lives ruined seemingly by being near him. He was also not blind to the somewhat Anti-Enlightenment and vaguely fascist underpinnings in his actions as a vigilante that routinely violated civil liberties, even of criminals. As such Will was almost entirely incapable of thinking of himself as a hero like Red Star or Starfire. 

Relationships

"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself" - Chinese Proverb 

"You know I fibbed a little. I had chances when I was younger to have girlfriends. Some people did find me attractive, some of them were by all definitions perfect for me, but I always resisted...I...I kept telling myself that a better life for me was one devoted to a purpose. I was too stupid at the time to realize it's absurd to divorce the two."

Sandra Ducard

"She is, to him, the woman. To him, she eclipses and predominates the whole of her gender."

Despite the invaluable mentorship of al-Mualim, Will's time with Öksökö was primarily shaped by mentor, ally, adversary, and lover, Sandra Élodie Ducard, or as he often called her: Shiva. She is one of the most important influences on his combat styles. In turn, he profoundly influenced her philosophy on life. While she never bought into al-Mualim's world cleansing project, she held little empathy for a lot of people, especially if they exploited others. Through Will, she grew to see essentially all people suffered from a system that punished things like compassion and rewarded greed. In such a world it's hard to expect people to choose virtue over vice, and all things considered, people deserved a little more credit than she had initially given them.

Richard Blood/Ali al-Mualim Ahl Shawahin

"Cut it loose. Set yourself free. You are a predator: you're not meant to live amongst prey: you're meant to hunt." In a life filled with complicated relationships, Will's relationship with the teacher of raptors is probably his most complicated. 

José Delgado

"I've been there since the beginning, and I've thought I was there for the end so many times; I've always feared that you would become that which you fought against. You walk the edge of that abyss every night, and after everything, the Joker did...after everything you've lost... but you haven't fallen in and I never thanked you for that."

"And you'll never have to."

Will and José Delgado's relationship started off rocky to say the least, as one would expect a Vigilante/Police Officer relationship to begin. Will was highly critical of the law and its enforcers' ability to protect and serve people due in large part to the rampant and unacknowledged corruption it suffered from. Delgado was a good cop, one of the few, and as such was staunchly against a vigilante taking the law into their own hands, but he was not blind to the corruption within the system, and he could not deny the results Knight Owl delivered. After substantive soul-searching, Delgado decided the desperate times he lived in called for measures like Knight Owl, so they grudgingly began to collaborate, each closing monitoring the other as they would an enemy. It did not take long for both men to realize they were more alike than they were different and began to view each other more as allies in a combined effort to give the world true justice. As crime escalated, creating people like Manhunter and Joker, Knight Owl was the first person Delgado went to, and in turn, Delgado found himself relying more on Knight Owl than other officers. They trusted each other, but that changed after Joker kidnapped and publicly violated Delgado's daughter, Gail. Will failed to find her in time to prevent Joker from having his fun. Delgado was furious that with all the laws Knight Owl can just ignore, all the procedures he does not have to follow, he could not even save a friend's daughter. Meanwhile, Joker's mind games with Will were bringing out years of repressed rage and only further complicated and fractured the partnership they formed. By the time Joker was apprehended, they no longer convened together. Knight Owl dealt with the Sacred Order of Saint Dumas on his own: almost losing his life several times in the process. Meanwhile, Delgado was trying to help his daughter pick up the pieces of her psyche and live a "normal" life again. When Harvey Dent resurfaced after Will ended the Order of Dumas, and nearly killed him: Will disappeared with no notice to anyone, leaving some to believe he was dead, and all afraid that Knight Owl was not coming back. Dent's televised beating of Knight Owl caused Delgado to fear for his former partner and friend, so much so he blamed himself, feeling that if he had not cut off communication he could have done something to change the outcome of that fight, or at least known where Knight Owl had gone. 

The Doom Patrol

"At first glance he would appear the weakest of us: a speedster, a man who can summon lightning, a scientist with the apparent ability to defy physics, a super-soldier who can fly and fire energy blasts, and warrior princess from another planet, Why on Earth would a human, who is not even at the peak of his species be one of us? Because in his weakness, he is strong; he is cunning, deceptively strong in body and will, and above all...kind and heroic in nature. It may be hard to believe, but he is the strongest of us." - Koriand'r

​"The Doom Patrol leads. When there is a crisis, the world looks to us first to deal with it, to rally others. What people never understood is that amongst ourselves we needed a standard to follow too: he was that standard."

Will is a founding member, and (along with Starfire) the de facto leader of the Doom Patrol.

"Just before I joined Checkmate, and this whole crazy Odyssey of mine began. I had just turned twenty-two months prior, and I had finally quit my first and only job. My whole life I lived around snakes that were only out for themselves and would fuck me over the second it became beneficial. I wanted to find just one person that would be as loyal to me, as I had been to so many. Now I look around, and I have so much more than I could have asked for. I have made a family out of heroes and gods."

Ramona Fernanda Pacheco Pórtela/The Atom II

Of any people in the Doom Patrol, Knight Owl and The Atom had the most strained relationship. From the start Ramona emphatically despised the fascistic/totalitarian elements of his actions, and he, in turn, did not like the reductive way she viewed his life's mission, nor did he care for her intellect in contrast to his greater grasp of strategy, especially given their first meeting was in no way the time to argue about it. 

Powers and Abilities

Powers

None (formerly, 1994 - 2025)

"You don't need superpowers to save the world"

Will was unaltered Homo sapiens sapien, and as such, he lacked any superhuman powers for the beginning of his career.

Artificially Enhanced Biology (2025 - )

After getting physically destroyed by Brainiac, Will's biology was transformed by using the serum Miraclo and Holt's healing pod: Chrysalis, into a superhuman.

Idealized Physique

A side-effect of the injection, Will is in peak physical condition as his body's unique chemistry keeps him in top physical shape seemingly regardless of what he ingests. He has an increased endurance and can exert herself far longer than most because his body absorbs and converts lactic acid build-ups into nutrients that he can use, making fatigue a rare thing for him to encounter. He also requires less sleep than the average person.

Muscular Efficiency

Will's musculature was modified into being almost perfectly efficient, similar to the greater efficiency of other primates. Despite only gaining six pounds (all from the weight of the serum itself), He was capable of lifting a ton with ease, and it was calculated he could lift five tons under pressure. He can punch through concrete walls, and engage Demigods with ease. Holt later experimented on him years after the initial injection, years into his semi-retirement, and he observed that Will's metabolism was in a constant state of flux and that his body was constantly getting stronger. By the time of the second Apokoliptian Invasion, Will was officially classified as superhuman, with the ability to lift several tons, run in excess of eighty miles per hour, and even possessed the ability to heal from serious stabbings and gunshots within minutes. 

Super Senses ("Vastly Expanded Situational Awareness")

In addition to his enhanced musculature, Will's body was sensually enhanced as well. While it was initially assumed that he had "Near-Perfect situational awareness," he corrected to say "Vastly Expanded Situational Awareness," as there are way too many variables in any given natural situation for even perfectly functioning human senses to detect them all and process them correctly in the mind. He did go on to claim no human would likely take him by surprise, but nature would always have the upper hand on him. He sees in the visible light spectrum with virtual perfection, etc.

Abilities

Peerless Close-Quarter Combatant

Will is a master close-quarter fighter. He is a black belt in Taekwondo, self-taught in Boxing and scored the highest marks among Checkmate recruits in their combat system. In addition to Checkmate combatives (Checkmate combatives utilizes a Systema base, with Taekwondo, Sambo, and Wing Chun Kung Fu), Will learned combat systems from Donnie Kang, Thaddeus Tucker, Henri Ducard, and Shiva; he learned acrobatic tactics and unorthodox environment use from Donnie Kang; He learned Bartitsu from Thaddeus Tucker; he learned an idiosyncratic admixture of Systema, Sambo, and Savate from Ducard; as well as Shiva's admixture (Shotokan Karate, Hapkido, Pencak Silat, Krabi Krabong, and Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu). He was even personally tutored by al-Mualim himself. After learning from all these masters of combat, Will turned to Bruce Lee, who taught one not to be locked into systems and styles, however, Will felt that there was a usefulness in a system crafted by himself with his own goals in mind. Will's sheer skill has enabled him to best experienced Checkmate agents and super soldiers. He has a gift for utilizing his cunning intellect, a talent for improvising unlikely weapons, and his gift of analyzing his opponents on the fly. Will crafted distinct styles he used as Knight Owl, and another when unmasked:

Prédateur Masqué

To avoid the possibility of someone recognizing Will was Knight Owl due to the identical fighting style, Will formed a barebones style of fighting meant to look foreign from Knight Owl. He mostly just used his rudimentary understanding of Taekwondo, but also used some Penkak Silat and Hapkido. He actively avoided using Checkmate combatives, Systema, Savate, etc. He also tried to incorporate some clumsiness to make himself appear inexperienced but often discarded that in favor of success. The primary goal of this form, as the name suggests, is to obscure that Will could be Knight Owl by displaying "at best intermediate" skill.

Rapace Solitaire

Will's "standard," most used, and favored style. It's one of the least showy of the three options, and most efficient by his own admission. It incorporates Checkmate Combatives, Systema, Hapkido, Pencak Silat, Wing Chun Kung Fu, and Taekwondo). The primary goal of this style is to incapacitate the opponent(s) without causing serious harm. al-Mualim and Shiva, and Will himself defined primary defined the style as "moderate" and "tempered."

Rapace Furieux

"Have you ever seen a gorilla throw a temper tantrum? Picture that level of unmitigated rage and power but from a human a fraction of the size. All that repressed rage you think you see and then some come to the forefront, and at that moment: you'll think he hates everything."

The less efficient "but sometimes more effective, and almost always more gratifying" method, it incorporates Checkmate Combatives, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Boxing, Muay Thai, Donnie Kang's acrobatics, and even some professional wrestling style body slams and suplexes).  Despite actually incorporating techniques, and the fact that Will does not enter a berserk rage devoid of reason or tact, he has admitted he doesn't employ the same level of care and consideration into his movement, rather utilizing increasingly fast and powerful strikes and throws.

Master Tactician and Strategist

"I beat you before I saw you."

Will is a trained tactician and strategist; first trained by the Checkmate, and later Henri Ducard, and later still by Shiva; Will is trained to take on multiple enemies, even a small army with incredible precision, efficiency, and is noted to do so with "remarkable showmanship." He is trained to utilized unorthodox positions to take down enemies lethally or non-lethally; as a martial artist, Will is a very intimate and effective close-quarters strategist as well, to the point of preferring it. This sets him apart from other dubbed "Super Soldiers," and peak humans, as his sheer skill and intellect afford him advantages in fights.

Indomitable Willpower

"I'd rather always fail, than never try because no matter how bad things get: where there's a Will there's a way. Yeah, I said it, and it's true."

The closest he gets to a "power" to speak of. Lawton is a very strong-willed person. No matter what he must overcome, he finds a way. He has struggled to balance his life as an ordinary member of society, and as a vigilante in a world of super-powered beings. He is documented with overcoming great physical pain, damaged limbs, and even mental trauma. His superiors at Checkmate noted of him, that he never gives up, he would have been killed if he became a liability. His unstoppable determination has allowed him to resist all forms of temptation, telepathy, push past his body's physical limits, and defeat adversaries far above him in virtually every other capacity.

Intimidation

Despite the seemingly ludicrous idea of dress like an owl and beating thugs up, Will is highly adept at the art of intimidation; Will prefers to intimidate the same way he leads: by example; Will uses his training and natural instincts as a predator in tandem with his unstoppable determination to create an environment of psychological warfare that few can overcome. He also uses reputation as an unbeatable combatant to weed out the weakest minded. By the time he retired and returned to the cowl at the age of thirty-six, despite having been absent for several years, he easily rendered trained Checkmate operatives incapacitated with fear.

Embolden Others

Paradoxically, Knight Owl is both, a symbol to be feared as well as one used to rally others and give courage to those who lacked it. His willpower is contagious. Over the years, as he defeated villain after villain, multiple citizens took up masks in his name, and the average citizen felt safer generally. By the time he reached his apex, he was able to embolden victims of Scarecrow's fear toxin with his mere reassuring presence. When the New Gods Uxas and his children threatened Earth, Knight Owl almost single-handedly inspired his Doom Patrol compatriots and the rest of Earth's heroes to unite under the Doom Patrol banner to repel the invaders.

Phronēsis(φρόνησις)/Rén (仁)

“Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion.” - Aristotle 

"Wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others." - Kongzi

Unlike the traditional charisma of a charming orator, salesman, politician, etc, Will possess a kind of "charisma" like the Phronēsis of Aristotelian ethics and Rén of Confucianism/Ruism. When he dons the cape and cowl of Knight Owl, Will truly becomes himself. While his intentions are often obscure (sometimes deliberately due to his own deception), there is rarely any miscommunication of what Knight Owl is. Even his detractors feel a subtle influence due to his character. He received access to the resources to Holt Industries and aide of Michael Holt in part because he was convinced Will was truly a hero in the very vein of comic books. He was able to talk people out of suicide based on his genuine care for their well-being. He even inspired many villains to abandon their life of crime and terror based on heartfelt pleas, as is evident by Waylon Jones, Rhys DeWinter, Preston Payne, Pamela Isley, and Katherine Moriarity. Even cynical figures such as Maya Waller have deferred to his authoritative character, as evident when she prevented Checkmate officials from permitting a nuclear strike on the battlefield the Doom Patrol laid out for Uxas during the second invasion of Earth because he asked her to. 

Multilingual

Will can fluently speak and write French, in addition to his native English; He uses in-cowl technology to translate languages as he hears them, which over time has made him conversationally adept at many languages. He is known to attempt to speak the native language of a place he is at as a sign of respect.

Emotional Consistency

Years into Holt's research into Will's new biology yielded data that strongly suggested Will's total strength was influenced by the chemical states of his brain. Meaning, that Will could be slightly stronger/weaker depending on the state of his emotions. This can serve as an advantage; if he were in a state of mental conviction he would think, feel, and act in harmony with his enhanced body, taking in excess stimuli with ease and enjoying a slight boost in strength and stamina. Intense rage vastly increases his strength, durability, and stamina, but with some costs of its own.

Weaknesses

Analysis Paralysis

"Analysis paralysis or paralysis of analysis is the state of over-analyzing (or over-thinking) a situation so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome. A decision can be treated as over-complicated, with too many detailed options, so that a choice is never made, rather than try something and change if a major problem arises. A person might be seeking the optimal or "perfect" solution upfront, and fear making any decision which could lead to erroneous results, when on the way to a better solution." This is Will's greatest weakness, both as Knight Owl and as a person in general. Maya Waller noted that, of the four, Will's tendency to over-analyze is his only weakness that affects his ability to work optimally in a way she could reliably exploit in theory. 

Rage

"Not a lot people know what if feels like to, be angry... in your bones... that rage. How it colors the way you look at the world. Rarely do people give a fuck enough to try and understand what can make a person that furious: the things I've seen, heard, even done. Every. Single. Time. They tell me to do the one thing they know I can’t do: Move on; be happy. After a while, they stop trying, and they forget that I have every god damn right to be angry!"

Partially due to his youth, and partially due to his passion, Will is sometimes prone to feeling intense rage. While it is relatively rare, sometimes Will's rage prevents him from using his skills properly, opens himself up to mistakes, and leads to violent outbursts. In addition to possible mistakes, Will's rage has also been demonstrated to lead Will to seriously harming an adversary, even possibly killing them; he stated that he hung up his cape and cowl because he realized his rage was growing, and he might seriously hurt or kill someone who didn't deserve it.

Math

While Will is a polymath in many subjects such as history, philosophy, political science, and strategy; he is notably weak in the comprehension of Mathematics. He comprehends basic algebra and geometry, and he is particularly gifted in logic, but cannot go much further than that.

Females

Perhaps on par with Analysis Paralysis, Females rank as a tremendous chink in Knight Owl's pseudo-feather armor. Covered best on the Romantic Life sub-section of the Personality section, females almost effortlessly cause Will great mental anguish. Years of being rejected by females also made it extremely difficult for Will to adequately open up to the women he eventually fell in love with who reciprocated his affection, often to the point that he found it impossible to return the affection.

Emotional Consistency

Years into Holt's research into Will's new biology yielded data that strongly suggested Will's total strength was influenced by the chemical states of his brain. Meaning, that Will could be slightly stronger/weaker depending on the state of his emotions. While this can be an advantage in many ways, some emotions obscure some of his other abilities; now if he were to feel intense rage he would be much stronger and durable, but less information makes its way into his mind and he can be made oblivious to even the most obvious of visual/audible/tactile stimuli.

Normal Human Conditioning (Formerly)

From birth, until his near-death at the hands of Grid, Will was a normal human being, in fact he was nowhere near peak human conditioning, so he was as vulnerable to physical injury, disease, and age as any other normal human, often having to rely more on strategy than strength when up against a superhuman opponent, and subject to intense physical decay after years of fighting crime. 

Aging

Like all humans, Will was subject to the sands of time. Like most men, his age Will's body began to show signs of slowing down as he reached his thirties. However, this was one of many natural human ailments that Will was effectively cured of when he attained superhuman status.

Arthritis 

Due in part to family history, as well as his lifestyle, Will's body, was developing mild to moderate signs of arthritis, notably in his wrists and ankles. However, this was one of many natural human ailments that Will was effectively cured of when he attained superhuman status.

Paraphernalia

Knight Owl Armor/Suit

"A knight in shining armor has never had his mettle truly tested, for your armor after battle tells the story of who you truly are."

Will utilized several forms of clothing and body armor at the beginning of his career as a vigilante, but when Will returned to the states and "inherited" some shares in HoltTech, and became the main field tester for HoltTech inventions in Applied Sciences, Will made use of the prototype armor called DARPA Avian series Tactical Predator Modular Armor; the Avian series armor is a specially designed jumpsuit made from a modified version of the Pinnacle Armor designed Dragon Skin bodysuit (Will later nicknamed them "Owl feathers"); The fabric of the suit is interwoven with Kevlar (outer layer), Dragon Skin(core material), allowing it to reduce damage caused by bullets with relatively low velocity, such as pistol rounds and assault rifle rounds fired from long range, though it is relatively weak against bullets from closer ranges, as they maintain a faster velocity, and more power, and shrapnel from 12 feet.  It has a weight of 4 pounds (unloaded) and a thickness of 8 millimeters (1/4 inches). Due to its lightweight, and the special materials it is made from, the wearer's movements are nearly silent. The armor was tested to maintain core body temperatures down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit with the hood up, and as high as 110 degrees. the wearer could go ”from Rothera to the Sahara” and stay relatively comfortable. The outer layer of the Kevlar was treated with a polymer fiber similar to the coating on stealth aircraft: matte-black, slightly rough to the touch for maximum light absorption. The micro-roughened exterior partially defuses light. About 30% of whatever photons strike the surface gets trapped, if only for a split second, but enough to diffuse them. Bottom line: The suit allows the wearer to blend in with the shadows and darkness very well. The synthetic, glossy material and most of Will's equipment are often a very dark color, almost black when viewed from a shadowy place, though upon closer inspection, the suit itself is actually a dark gray.  The Avian series is the most modular system of all the DARPA Tactical Predator Armors and is modifiable to the way the operator would feel comfortable. It can also be worn in conjunction with different tactical equipment and clothes. It was later equipped with modified repulsar boots for actual flight capabilities.

The Cowl

"Give a man a mask and he'll become his true self."

Knight Owl's cowl was designed from a prototype flight helmet for both pilots and paratroopers; the display would be tailored to display the information relevant to either the jumper or pilot; as a former paratrooper himself, Will chose to modify the paratrooper version. Will and Lucius Fox modified the helmet to add advanced audio receptors, affectionately called "Great Owl Horns." The on helmet goggles were heavily modified with enhanced zooming faculties, night vision, thermal vision, x-ray vision, and sonar vision; the sonar vision capability is used in a similar fashion as night vision; as night vision amplifies any available light, the sonar vision utilizes any sounds made to provide the location of anyone or anything even if it's behind a wall. The cowl was also modified with a mouthpiece, that functioned as a gas mask, and was also used to disguise Will's voice; it gave his voice a "cyber-demon" sound, or as Will "officially" dubbed it "Satanis roboto." The cowl was also outfitted with taser countermeasures to prevent any unwanted removal of the cowl.

Sophronia

While not equipment in the strictest sense of the word, Sophronia's utility as a natural-language user interface cannot be underestimated (in fact Will once remarked in jest that Sophronia was Knight Owl "or at least 50%"). She informs Knight Owl on changing tactical situations, as well as providing diagnostic reports. Sophronia also runs the suit's inbuilt AR heads-up display system, allowing Knight Owl to analyze his surroundings, as well as facilitate combat maneuvers he would not be able to plan on his own.

Collapsible Bladed Gauntlets

Will and Holt co-engineered a modified version of the bladed gauntlets he wore in his time with Öksökö; in order to avoid undue injuries to himself or the criminal he may be fighting, both men decided to make the blades collapsible; it was later modified to be fired as well. These blades are strong enough to break Katanas, lead pipes, and even some gun barrels with the proper amount of force.

"Memory Fabric" Gliding Cape

Memory Cloth was one of Michael's brainchildren, designed as a cheaper and more effective alternative to Raptor flight armor; with no current running through it, the memory cloth functions as a cape made of a flexible fabric, with a nylon outer layer, it also had "velvety" quality of the outermost layer; the material is also water and fire resistant When a current is run through the memory cloth from electrical triggers within either glove; the loose molecules realign and the cloth tenses up and becomes a rigid shape and the shape can be altered to whatever use as long as it has a skeletal frame to mimic; Will and Michael made a winged frame that was similar to owl feathers.

Utility Belt

Nimbus Generator Powered Personal Flight System

In addition to Sophronia and Chrysalis, Holt's proudest contribution to science was his work in renewable energy, specifically his Nimbus generators. Knight Owl's suit was modified with the first Nimbus Generator Powered Personal Flight System (NGPPFS as Holt called it). The System was rooted in his boots, allowing him to propel himself into the air, and adjust his flight path when he glided. Will also found a way to use it in combat, namely to avoid attacks and throw enemies off their guard by drastically changing the terrain. However, for all its uses, the personal was too limited to be used for extended flight, necessitating the wing packs that Will would invariably describe as "The Heavy." 

The Wingpack

Initially designed as a suit of armor, utilizing state-of-the-art nuclear-powered propulsion technology, but Will had Holt make a Wingpack version that instead required a Nimbus generator to use in general.

Multi-Purpose Rife (M.P.R.)

Before Will became Knight Owl, Holt invented a collapsible rifle designed to have multiple settings for the military. It was then named the Multi-Response Rifle, but the military had no interest in an exclusively non-lethal weapon that cost more than any other rife on the market to make and maintain. When Knight Owl got it, he added two additional features the rife and redubbed it the Multi-Purpose Rife. The M.P.R. has a stun setting that fires slow traveling bullets that latch unto the victim and deliver a jolt of electricity to stun the victim; a sticky explosive setting that fires tiny balls of explosive gel with a modifiable timer, a sleeper dart setting, a sleeping gas setting, and an EMP setting that fires a ball of adhesive gel similar to the explosive gel that contain a tiny EMP device.

Holt holding the prototype (ignore the Wayne Tower thing in the back).

(Tactical Spheres) T-Spheres

Michael's greatest claim to fame is the seemingly infinitely multi-tasking balls called Terrific Spheres, initially to be called Tactical Spheres when they were being designed for possible military use, and shortened with the intent to market as T-Spheres. They are electrically powered, and programmable to perform numerous actions. Will programmed three T-Spheres to aide him in the areas of crime fighting that he was weakest, for instance, forensics, hacking, etc. They are capable of levitation by using Holt's Nimbus generators and scan the environment around Knight Owl as he investigates crime scenes. Sophronia is linked to each of Knight Owl's T-Spheres, allowing Knight Owl to see what the T-Sphere records in his cowl's HUD.

Glue Grenade/Mine

Grapnel Gun

To be redesigned

Explosive Gel Gun

Smoke Pellets

Owlmobile

"It's the car, right? Ladies love a great car."

The Owlmobile in a nest.

Owlmobile blueprint 1.

Owlmobile blueprint 2.

The Athene noctua

Nests

• TBD, Massachusetts
• TBD, California
• Normandy, France
• Seoul, Republic of Korea
• TBD, TBD

The Silver Bullet

It did not take long for Michael and Will to see the eventually of Knight Owl needing a ground vehicle to chase escaping criminals with. This led to what would become the Owlmobile. In the meantime, Michael gave Will the Interceptor, a police interceptor prototype. The Interceptor is a plain (by animal-themed tank-car standards) vehicle designed with many gadgets the Knight Owl suit has, even coming with a proto-Battle Mode. Will opted to use it exclusively in his "civilian" adventures, painted it silver, and named it "The Silver Bullet" opting instead to use the Athene noctua while the Owlmobile was constructed.

The prototype

When he was given the car, Will decided to paint it silver, and nicknamed it the Silver Bullet

The Silver Bullet in Battle Mode.

Trivia

• Knight Owl design created by Phil Cho, see more of his amazing work here.
• At various points in his life, Will wanted to be a teacher, a mercenary, a lawyer, a pilot, and a politician.
• William is the anglicized form of the Saxon name Wilhelm; "Wil" meaning "of the will or desire" and "helm" meaning protection, typically understood as "Vehement Protector"
  • He actively suppresses any attempt to call him "Bill" or "Billy."
  • He has a habit of adopting the foreign language form of his name whenever he is in another country (e.g. Guillaume, Guillermo, Vilém, etc).
• Sandra's nickname for him, Ajay, also transliterated as Ajai (अजय), originates in Sanskrit ajaya "undefeatable," "unconquerable", "unsurpassable", "invincible."
• Milton Dini is the combination of the first name of the creator of Batman: Milton "Bill" Finger, the last name of one of my favorite Batman storytellers: Paul Dini.
• Gaston Guillaume Wolmar Diderot is a quadruple reference:
  • Gaston is a French name meaning  "stranger," 'guest," "host."
  • Guillaume is the French form of William. 
  • Wolmar is the name of a character in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's novel Julie, ou la nouvelle Héloïse, the character is thought to be a reference to fellow philosophe Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach, an Enlightenment philosophe who wrote on atheism and materialism. 
  • Diderot is the surname of Denis Diderot, who, like Baron d'Holbach, wrote on atheism and materialism. 
• Of his six aliases, five of them are "official" fake identities: Gaston Guillaume Wolmar Diderot, Milton Dini, and Maximilian Kruger, Rodion Zaryanov, and Hector Damon. He made the other two up on the spot (using the name Jason Peter Todd whenever someone asks him his name and he needs to maintain some anonymity).
  • He had Sophronia utilize Checkmate resources to craft all aliases except Gaston Guillaume Wolmar Diderot, and Maximilian Kruger. However, he did have them "verified" via Checkmate resources.
• The alias Jason Peter Todd is a reference to the second Robin and Red Hood.
  • In-universe, it is the name of the Robin in Richard Barrison's Batman show. Like the mainstream Jason Todd, he is killed by one of Batman's nemeses. However he is never resurrected, and it's what the writers of the show used to end the series when the show was canceled.
• His first presidential vote went to Bernie Sanders. 
• He hates the word "Caucasian," and refuses to refer to himself as one.
• His voice is often described as "mechanical," "blunt," "smug," "harsh," "eerily calculative/level-headed," and "above all laconic" both as Knight Owl and in his natural tone of voice, though it has also been described "imposing," "authoritative," and even "charismatic" by people he intends to lead. As he got older it would be described as "tired."
• He earned his nom de gurre in two different ways:
  • The first was the nickname "Night Owl", which he gained throughout his life for rarely sleeping, and doing so mostly during the day.
  • He also was called "The Owl" due to his excellent peripheral vision.
  • Richard Blood/al-Mualim also said that the Owl was the best totem for him due to their historical use as symbols of wisdom and death. 
• When asked who he'd like to play him in a biopic of his life, Will claimed he wanted James McAvoy or Aaron Taylor-Johnson to play him, although he thinks the both look far better.
  • After saying that, he was immediately told that he looked more like Edward Norton, particularly as he looked in American History X.
    •  He doesn't see it. 
  • He has also been told he looked like Tom Cruise with Down Syndrome once while wearing sunglasses.
    • Regrettably, he does see that one.
• He has only ever been definitively beaten in hand to hand combat twice, once by his mentor Shiva, and the other by Harvey Dent.
  • He tends to discount Dent's victory for three reasons:
    1. He already beat over thirty people less than an hour prior and was exhausted.
    2. Dent's victory lied in copying every move Will had learned.
    3. He won the rematch. 
• He was known in his personal life for monologuing.
  • This quirk is inspired by Peter Capaldi's Doctor and my own possession of said quirk.
• He also frequently emphasizes his sarcasm by employing "the Movie Trailer Voice."
• Unlike Batman, who's default transportation is the famous Batmobile, Knight Owl almost exclusively used his VTOL: the Athene noctua. He preferred to make use of his "Batmobile" when he needed to engage beings far more powerful than himself, or multiple enemy vehicles. However, when he engaged in plainclothes reconnaissance, he made frequent use of the Silver Bullet.
• The nicknames Don and Búho Quixote are references to the novel The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, and it's titular character.
  • The story follows the adventures of a hidalgo named Mr. Alonso Quixano who reads so many chivalric romances that he loses his sanity and decides to set out to revive chivalry, undo wrongs, and bring justice to the world, under the name Don Quixote de la Mancha.
    • This in no way resembles Knight Owl: a man named Will Lawton who reads so many comic books and watches so many superhero movies that he loses his sanity and decides to set out to bring fictional superheroics to life, undo wrongs, and bring justice to the world, under the name Knight Owl: the Bird of Prey. 
• He also has one personality trait which is common with many Japanese action heroes. Once Will's mind is focused in any particular direction, it is immensely difficult to get him to change or even notice the events and people around him.
  • this personality trait is most evident when he utilizes Rapace Furieux, but is known to generally tune people out when he focuses on things. 
• He has a well know talent for differentiating the many types of "Asian."
  • Most say it's because of his "Asian fetish."
    • He denies that he possesses said fetish.
• After becoming superhuman, he routinely incorporated the famed "one-inch punch" into his fighting style, because he thought it was fun. 
  • Additionally, he would tap people on the head to knock them out with absolute minimum force.

Links

• Gallery
• Quotations
• Audio Tapes or Journal Entries 
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3627896/The-real-life-BATSUIT-Superflex-suit-includes-hidden-exoskeleton-wearer-superhuman-strength.html