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If there ’s one thing Gotham City is never lack , it ’s masked investigator , butBatman ’s home base experienced a twist on its usual vigilante in Grant Morrison’sBatman & Robinwith the arrival of Oberon Sexton , known in his masked persona as the Gravedigger . An amateur detective and writer , Sexton claimed to be on the trail of a globetrotting serial killer , conduct to a squad - up with the Batman Family .
At the time of Oberon Sexton ’s arrival in Gotham , Dick Grayson was really the man under the Dark Knight ’s cowl followingBruce Wayne ’s apparent death inFinal Crisis . Supported by a petulant Damian Wayne as Robin , Grayson was still come to grips with his fresh character , meaning Sexton ply vital supporting . But lilliputian did the former Nightwing know that the surprise friend … was secretly Batman ’s greatest curse , The Joker .
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Oberon Sexton first look inBatman & Robin # 5 , being interviewed onGotham This Morning . After being show footage of Batman and Robinprotecting the Penguin from the homicidal Red Hood , Sexton defend the dynamic duo , guide out that while theyweredefending a outlaw , it was from a live murderer . Alfred by and by explain that Oberon Sexton is a famous author from England , the writer ofMasks of Evil , who has read up the name and costume of ' the Gravedigger . ' Sexton even comes to Robin ’s care when baddie are sent to kill him , indicate incredible combat skill with nothing but a shovel .
Thanks to his training as an external operative of the League of Assassins , this little fundamental interaction is enough for Damian to work out that Sexton ’s accent is false . In a wrench for both Damian and reader , the Boy Wonder plucks up the courage to postulate if Oberon Sexton is a returned Bruce Wayne . It ’s a ripe guess , especially given thatother member of the Bat Familyhad establish the Gravedigger"familiar,“but Sexton traverse the possibility . It was a cunning parry - reveal by Morrison , dash one of the most prominent fan theories about Sexton ’s true identity , leaving only one existent prospect for the face under the Gravedigger ’s masquerade .
in the end , it ’s Dick Grayson who figure out Sexton ’s identity , if not his true motives . realise that the victim of Sexton ’s serial killer quarry all give-up the ghost from ' joke ' causes , Grayson criminate the Gravedigger of being the Joker in disguise … and the Clown Prince of Crime quickly unmasks to let on the unexampled Dark Knight is as skilled a investigator as his predecessor .
While Oberon Sextonwasa real someone , Joker killed him and took his identity operator prior to his first appearance ( Joker reveal Sexton killed his married woman in a brilliantly be after patch , leading Joker to bury him animated with her organic structure ) . Most interestingly , Joker claim his new part was genuine ; with Bruce Wayne dead , the Joker has adjudicate to try out his hand atsolvingcrimes - an early adaptation of the core idea that would spawnSean Murphy’sBatman : White Knightstories .
Sadly , Joker ’s turn to the ' good ' side is short lived . After defeat Doctor Hurt - the major antagonist of Morrison ’s streamlet - Joker laments that he was wrong to think he had found a suitable opponent , and Bruce Wayne ’s return image him immediately summarize his role as Batman ’s bane . As a ghoulish finale , Joker buries Doctor Hurt alive , revealing that his espousal of the Gravedigger character was n’t select randomly , but rather as a direct threat to his opponent he was always plan to carry out . You ca n’t sayThe Jokeris a one - note scoundrel .
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