The Batman Season 4 Ep Summaries

Episode 1 ( Season Premiere )

“ Law and Order “

Summary: As thieves break into the mayor’s office, Dick as Batman stops them with ease. However, Catwoman, who has returned to Gotham, escapes with a phalanx key device that the mayor secretly stored. At Wayne Manor, Bruce hosts a fundraiser for his friend Adrian Chase, the dashing D.A., Gotham’s white knight, and a man running for mayor. Dick and Alfred investigate the circumstances behind Selina or Catwoman’s resurgence in Gotham. Damian, as Robin, accidentally kills a thug on patrol. Bruce leaves for Japan to go train a Japanese Batman. Selina is being blackmailed by ARGUS director Amanda Waller. Dick tries saving Selina, however, Selina is taken back into ARGUS custody. In flashbacks, we learn Bruce, before becoming Batman, was a undercover ARGUS operative going by the name Matches Malone. Bruce once worked alongside Slade Wilson/Deathstroke ( Joe Manganiello ). Back in the present, Bruce meets Waller after learning she has Selina. Waller makes a compromise….kill Bane, and he’ll get Selina back.

Episode 2

“ Left Behind “

Summary: Bruce and Dick travel to Lían Yu, the island Oliver Queen had been stranded on for five years, the island that holds Bane. Bruce and Dick go to the underground bunker to kill Bane, however, they learn they were set up by Waller. Waller has left Bruce and Dick to die. Bruce and Dick set up a small camp, however, Bane attacks. Dick’s leg is broken by Bane. In flashbacks, Bruce and Slade go to Australia, where Bane is. Slade and Bruce capture Bane after a grueling battle. Back in the present, Bruce beats Bane to near death, however, Dick reminds Bruce that at the beginning of the crusade there was no killing. Bruce decides to not kill Bane. Dick and Bruce bring Bane back to ARGUS confinement. Selina leaves with Bruce, sharing a passionate kiss. Bruce becomes Batman again as Dick heals.

Episode 3

“ Fear Your Demons “

Summary: Bruce, while out as Batman, is drugged by Scarecrow. Bruce goes back to the Batcave as he hallucinates. Bruce has flashbacks of Theo Galavan shooting Alfred in the head, Jerome Valeska beating Jason Todd to death, and him killing Ra’s al Ghul. Bruce goes into a comatose state. Bruce sees visions from his past, present, and future. His parents’ death, Gotham falling, and Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian are killed. In his final vision, Bruce sees a darkened, more demonic version of himself. Alfred cures Bruce, saving him from his inner demons. Bruce goes back out, stopping Scarecrow.

Episode 4

“ Better than Batman “

Summary: Dick, who has healed, asks Lucius Fox to investigate a new piece of tech, however, Lucius is killed in a freak explosion accident. Dick, Alfred, Bruce, and the rest of the Batfamily, go to Lucius’ funeral. Dick is met by his snitch John Valeska, who is actually the younger brother of Jerome Valeska, the first Joker. John knows who the creator of the device was, a toymaker named Toyman. However, Toyman has been believed to be dead. Dick leaves the funeral, beginning to investigate. Dick is knocked unconscious by a mysterious man as he leaves. Dick awakens in an underground bunker. Dick goes through a maze of toys and traps, finally taking down Toyman. However, Batman is framed for killing Toyman.

Episode 5 ( 4 Part Crossover Start )

“ Identity Crisis “

Summary: A woman named Wanda is murdered brutally and left in a shipping container, having been chopped up into pieces. Green Arrow investigates, feeling guilty, as he knew the woman. He calls Wally for help, and as Wally comes to Starling, a man named Ricardo is murdered in Central City in the exact same fashion. Wally and Green Arrow go to investigate in Central City. Green Arrow calls Superman to help investigate. At the crime scene in Central City, a note is left there hanging from a rope. Superman knows the knot that is used on the rope. Clark calls Dick to come help.

Episode 6

“ Identity Crisis Pt. 2 “

Summary: Dick and Clark investigate the murders more, becoming confused. Wally calls the Legends of Tomorrow, asking if there is a timeline where they catch the murderer. Sara, who is the leader of the Legends, tells Wally they only catch the killer in one timeline. Wally asks who the killer is, becoming distraught at the identity when told. Wally decides he can't trust anyone. Clark and Oliver investigate another murder. Ralph Dibny, a private investigator, has figured out who the killer is, however, is kidnapped, and presumed dead.

Episode 7

“ Identity Crisis Pt. 3 “

Summary: Back in Central City, Wally and Sara try convincing Clark maybe to consider every possible option on who the murderer is. Clark listens to them. As another murder is about to happen, Green Arrow arrives, however, is kidnapped. The murderer makes an announcement, saying he will kill Green Arrow next. Bruce, who is currently in Europe, has a talk with Dick. As a few days go by, the murderer, more specifically the butcher, has been coined The Gotham Bay Butcher. Dick calls Jason from Blúdhaven.

Episode 8 ( 4 Part Crossover Finish )

“ Identity Crisis Finale “

Summary: Dick and Jason investigate the butcher. Oliver is tortured. Clark and Wally interrogate suspects. Bruce learns shocking news. Laurel and Diggle try finding Oliver. Sara considers breaking up with Dick, however, realizes she’s happy. The butcher reveals himself….to be John Diggle. Diggle leaves Oliver to die. Wally and Clark begin a manhunt for Diggle. Diggle brutally kills Sara. Dick snaps, wanting revenge. Bruce and Jason stop Dick. Bruce finds Diggle. Diggle tells Bruce he wanted actual justice, not the kind Oliver serves. Bruce snaps Diggle’s neck. Jason and Wally find Oliver, bringing him to a hospital. Oliver doesn’t trust anyone anymore, including Laurel, Felicity, and Roy.

Episode 9 ( Mid Season Finale )

“ All Will Fall “

Summary: John Valeska meets with Dick, asking him a favor. Dick agrees. Bruce trains Damian more. Barbara Gordon is training Stephanie Brown to be the next Batgirl. Jason, on patrol, has his leg broken by a gang of Jerome Valeska fanatics known as The Jokers. Dick meets with John’s friends, a group calling themselves The Jokers. Alfred asks Dick to investigate. Dick reluctantly agrees. Bruce meets with a new face in town, Jason’s uncle, Tyler Todd. Tyler gives Bruce information on John Valeska, saying he’s not who Dick thinks. Bruce meets with John, and when confronted, John stabs Bruce, almost to death. Dick finds Bruce, bringing him back to the Batcave. When Dick is at the bar one night, Captain Blake begins stalking him. When Dick returns home, Alfred shows Dick the news. A leaked photo of Dick unmasked in the Batman suit is shown. Dick realizes this was right after he was framed for killing Toyman.

Episode 10 ( Mid Season Premiere )

“ It’s Alive! “

Summary: Dick has stopped leaving the house. Damian goes out as Robin, continuing to stop crime. Bruce heals. Jason, when learning of his uncle’s presence, becomes angry. Alfred and Barbara teach Stephanie the most important tool is willpower. Blake watches Dick. Blake’s former partner, a transfer form Metropolis, Ethan Bennett, is given the controversial case of Dick being Batman. Tyler tries talking to Jason, but Jason blows him off. John and The Jokers rob multiple banks, killing police officers, however John isn’t identified.

Episode 11

“ New Identities “

Summary: Ethan is killed by a strange man in a red hood, who is revealed to be John. Ethan had figured out John was behind the bank robberies, but John had a snitch in the GCPD, who told him. Blake begins also stalking Bruce. Commissioner Angel Rojas fires Blake. Blake decides to take matters into his own hands. Blake becomes a vigilante known as Dark Knight. Blake, as his new persona, is met by Bruce as Batman, however, Bruce doesn’t learn of Blake’s new double life. John tries killing more officers. Commissioner Rojas issues a warrant for Blake, saying he’s gone rouge. Now both Dick and Blake are on the run. Jason takes a leave of absence. In flashbacks, we see Bruce save a masked man from terrorists. When Bruce returns him to ARGUS headquarters, we learn the captive’s name was Argus Special Agent Christopher Chance….The Human Target.

Episode 12 ( Episode with Green Arrow )

“ Excalibur “

Summary: Bruce is met by Oliver Queen, and Malcolm Merlyn. Merlyn explains that since Bruce has killed Ra’s al Ghul, the surviving League of Assassins members are after Wayne. Blake secretly watches Bruce’s every move. Barbara and Alfred are confronted by Talia and Nyssa al Ghul, daughters of Ra’s al Ghul. Barbara and Alfred are almost killed by Talia and Nyssa, however, Jason and a new vigilante group he leads called The Outsiders save them. Barbara and Alfred bring Jason and his team back to base. Jason has recruited two teenage heroes known as Jaime Reyes and Rory Regan, or The Beetle and Ragman. In Gotham, Bruce, Oliver, and Merlyn learn that Ra’s al Ghul has been resurrected a final time, as Bruce and Oliver defeat him, killing Ra’s once and for all.

Episode 13

“ Guardian of Gotham “

Summary: Dick is arrested by Rojas. Bruce is unsure of what to do. Alfred and Barbara have completed Stephanie’s training, Jason and The Outsiders defend Gotham. Dick is sent to Arkham Asylum to await trial. While in Arkham, Dick meets a strange man, who calls himself Jeremiah. He also finds Tim, who has been in Solitary Confinement the past year. Dick easily deduces Jeremiah is insane, and one of the people inspired by Jerome Valeska’s image. Jeremiah gives Dick a tip about John. Jeremiah tries starting a fight with an inmate, who calls himself Scarface the Puppetmaster. While the fight begins, Dick makes a break for it, calling Alfred. Alfred comes and tries to pick him up, however, they keep Dick in Arkham. Bruce and Jason have an argument about Dick, Jason saying they should break Dick out, while Bruce saying they should wait until the trial. The gang known as The Jokers steal chemicals from Ace Chemicals.

Episode 14 ( John Valeska origin episode, Flashback centric episode )

“ Lose Yourself To The Sickness “

Summary: John Valeska was the younger brother to Jerome Valeska, who was a sadistic killer. John was tortured every day by Jerome. One day, Jim Gordon ( Young Gordon played by Ben McKenzie ) comes to investigate the death of Lila Valeska, Jerome and John’s mother. Jim learns with the help of his partner Harvey Bullock ( young Bullock played by Shawn Hatosy ) that Jerome killed Lila. Jim arrests Jerome, and when Jerome tries placing the blame on John, Jim actually believes him. John is arrested and thrown in Blackgate. Jerome now lives on the streets, secretly still killing people.

Episode 15

“ Knightfall Protocol “

Summary: Bruce tells Alfred his new plan. Bruce makes a statement to the press, saying that the picture was edited, and that Dick had taken the fall for Bruce killing Toyman. The GCPD are forced to release Dick from Arkham, replacing him with Bruce. Bruce meets with Jeremiah in Arkham. Jeremiah says he’s Jerome’s and John’s cousin. Jeremiah explains the Valeska bloodline is cursed, and has a want for blood connected to it. Jeremiah was an exception, and was thrown in here to make sure the truth never got out. Dick and Alfred try to locate John. Jason and The Outsiders fight The Jokers, but are outnumbered, losing the fight, being forced to retreat. Barbara and Stephanie, Stephanie now Batgirl and Barbara Batwoman, join the Outsiders.

Episode 16

“ Docket No. 5-19-39-27 “

Summary: It is now the Trial of Bruce Wayne. As Bruce is on trial, people he once worked with are testifying against him. Selina Kyle, who is forced say Bruce is Batman and a killer. However, the rest of The Batfamily say that Bruce isn’t a killer. John appears, showing video evidence of when Bruce and Oliver Queen killed Ra’s Al Ghul. Bruce reminds everyone Ra’s was an international terrorist, and the murder was in self defense as it was Ra’s that attacked first. A person in a suit very similar to Batman crashes through the roof. He reveals himself to be Harvey Dent, the lawyer that was turned into Two-Face, and presumed dead. Harvey explains he had a clone made of him, and that clone was Two-Face. Harvey explains that Bruce is a friend of his, and he’s not about to let him take the blame for a crime he didn’t commit. They arrest Harvey, but the Outsiders break him out of police custody. Harvey reveals he’s actually Christopher Chance, the Human Target. Bruce is let free. John is angered.

Episode 17

“ Endgame “

Summary: John kidnaps and breaks out Jeremiah out of Arkham. John tortures Jeremiah for weeks on end, trying to mold him into the perfect Joker. After he succeeds, Jeremiah leaves, now leading the gang known as The Jokers. John meets with Dick, saying he’s going to break the Batfamily. Dick returns to Wayne Manor, finding it burning to the ground. Bruce is nowhere to be found. Alfred is left with third degree burns. Jason and The Outsiders try to find The Jokers, but are all left beaten down. Stephanie is kidnapped by Jeremiah.

Episode 18

“ One Bad Day “

Summary: Jeremiah has Stephanie captive. Jason attempts looking for her. Barbara and Dick share a moment together in a time of crisis. Blake is also kidnapped by Jeremiah. Jeremiah drugs Blake, trying to get him to kill Stephanie, however, Blake refuses. Blake is then shot in the head by Jeremiah. Jeremiah declares himself the true face of sanity. John meets with Jeremiah, slitting Jeremiah’s throat in a surprise attack, however, not killing Jeremiah. Jeremiah is hospitalized. Bruce comes to visit Alfred in the hospital, who is recovering from his burns. Damian and Jason have an argument, causing Jason to nearly shoot Damian in self defense as the argument became violent.

Episode 19

“ Shifting Allegiances “

Summary: Jason hands leadership of The Outsiders over to Barbara. Jason meets with a gang of ex-convicts known as The Northside Blackgaters. Jason learns Tyler, his uncle, leads the gang. Tyler tells Jason that they are getting into a gang war. Jason asks with who, and gets the response of The Jokers. Jeremiah gets out of the hospital. Jason joins the gang, offering to help them defeat The Jokers. Jason must go through three trials. Jason successfully gets through each trial, becoming a member of the Blackgaters. Dick tries talking to Jason, however, Jason brushes him off. Jason, however, secretly collapses and has an emotional breakdown, as one of the trials was to kill another member. Jason has flashbacks to when he had to go through Ra’s Trials.

Episode 20

“ That's Entertainment “

Summary: John escalates his time table. He kidnaps the Mayor, and Commissioner Rojas. John and The Jokers raid a music festival, holding the mayor and Rojas hostage. John has explosive collars on them, and he has a switch, and when he pulls the trigger they all die. John calls Dick out to come, and Dick agrees. John straps Dick in. Bruce and Alfred arrive, and stop the hostage situation. Bruce chases John up to the rooftops. John says he’s not a man, he’s an idea, a philosophy, a lifestyle, a icon. John kills himself, but says the realest Joker….was Jeremiah. Jeremiah kidnaps Alfred in secret.

Episode 21

“ A Death in the Family “

Summary: Now in a race against time, before Jeremiah sends the city into chaos like Jerome did almost four years ago, Bruce must find Alfred. Jason asks The Blackgaters to help find Alfred, but Tyler denies Jason. Jason quits being a Blackgater. Jason tells Tyler he never wants to see him again. Bruce finds Alfred in the mayor's office a beaten bloody mess. Bruce brings Alfred back. Dick tries helping Bruce, but Bruce brushes him away, saying he’s fine on his own. Jeremiah steals earthquake devices from Wayne Industries. Jeremiah announces on TV that he will do the job Jerome or John never could….send the city into chaos. Jason calls Jeremiah, saying he can propose an offer. As Jason arrives, he makes a deal with Jeremiah and The Jokers. He tells them to let Bruce and his family and friends go, and not destroy the city, and he’ll give himself up. Jeremiah plays along, however, they all savagely beat him to death, burning his body. Bruce finds Jason’s body, carrying it out to the Batfamily. Bruce declares war.

Episode 22

“ Same Stitch “

Summary: Bruce holds a funeral for Jason. The Blackgaters learn of Jason’s death. The Blackgaters and The Jokers go to war. Jeremiah arrives at the GCPD,  detonating a nearby building. The GCPD tries saving civilians, however, Jeremiah sets off bombs around the entire city. Jeremiah has sent the city into chaos. Bruce, as Batman, tries saving as many people as he can. Dick is left enraged, now wanting to kill Jeremiah like he killed Jerome. Barbara and The Outsiders help the GCPD. Jeremiah and Bruce face each other in an epic showdown. Jeremiah almost dies, however, Bruce saves his life. Jeremiah is sent to Arkham, however, Harley Quinn assists Jeremiah in breaking out. They kidnap Tim Drake from Arkham, and soon enough their real plan is beginning to unfold….The Death of the Family.

Episode 23 ( Season Finale )

“ The Death of the Family “

Summary: No one actually knows Jeremiah has broken out, and people think all is calm now. Jeremiah secretly kidnaps members of the Batfamily. As Bruce becomes frantic looking for them, Bruce is also kidnapped. Bruce awakens at a strange dinner table, with the Batfamily all around him, appearing dead. Jeremiah awakes each one slowly, torturing them in front of Bruce, taking enjoyment in watching their suffering. Bruce successfully breaks out of his confinement as an epic battle ensues. Bruce and Jeremiah have a showdown, where Bruce nearly kills Jeremiah, but he doesn’t. When Jeremiah and Harley are taken into custody, Jeremiah tells Bruce he’ll see him again. He also says he broke the family. When Bruce goes to check on The Batfamily, one by one they all say they no longer want to live this life, and quit and leave him. Bruce is left alone. As Jeremiah and Harley are transferred to a new underground prison owned by Argus, the truck is stopped. A masked man enters, killing Harley. He lets Jeremiah live, after he carves a smile into his face.