History AbortedArc / Batman

* Creator/ChuckDixon's ''Comicbook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders'' run set up the deceased [[ComicBook/ElongatedMan Ralph]] and Sue Dibny as a pair of ghost detectives who would act as recurring allies to the team. This was nixed very early on, leading to the Dibnys making only sporadic cameos across the DCU until ''Comicbook/{{Flashpoint}}'' rebooted everything. There was also the matter of an underground club where teens were granted a chance to receive superpowers from one of the surviving ''Bloodlines'' parasites. This too went nowhere.

* In the ''Comicbook/DCYearOfTheVillain'' one-shot ''The Riddler'', Apex Lex convinces Nygma that the flaw in his plans is simply being the Riddler in the first place, and that if he could abandon this, in the same way as Lex abandoned his obsession with Superman, he'd be able to decide who he really wanted to be. It's not clear if writer Mark Russell was going anywhere with this, but a few months later, Riddler appears in ''Comicbook/BatmanTomKing'', more obsessed than ever, and just says that didn't work.

* In the ''ComicBook/New52'' arc ''ComicBook/DarkseidWar'', Batman learns that there are ''three'' [[LegacyCharacter active Jokers]] and sets out to learn the truth at the beginning of ''ComicBook/DCRebirth''. This was only explored in the ''ComicBook/BatmanThreeJokers'' miniseries, which is [[FlipFlopOfGod dubiously canon]], leaving the plotline potentially unresolved in the main DCU.

AbortedArc in this series.

!!''Franchise/{{Batman}}''

* From 1995-98, writer Doug Moench and artist Kelley Jones where in charge of the main Batman title. During their first three years on the book, a nameless puppeteer holding a Batman puppet appeared in the background of many stories. He would be there when Batman was solving a case or when he was throwing a party as Bruce Wayne, but he never let his presence be known. The idea was that in the fourth year of their run, which they knew would be their last, they would properly introduce the character as someone who knew Bruce's identity, was capable of manipulating both Bruce and Batman and has been preparing to confront Bats on his own terms, but this was never followed through. Jones later [[http://www.gothamwdeszczu.com.pl/en/2013/05/17/interview-kellley-jones/ explained]] in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLd6NHwF7N4&t=6159s interviews]] that editorial demanded that in their last year they tied the book with the other bat-titles where they had been allowed to ignore them and just tell their own self-contained stories before. This threw a wrench on the puppeteer arc and some other stories they were planning, including one with Poison Ivy.

** The run opened with a FlashForward with Gotham Girl declaring that Batman would die. As the end of the run, Bruce was still alive, so unless she was talking about the ''Detective Comics'' #1027 story "Legacy" (which had Bruce contracting and dying from cancer after saving Doctor Phosphorus as an old man, but with no appearance from Gotham Girl) or [[spoiler:the Thomas Wayne from the ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' timeline]], whose fate was ambiguous at the end (though he was ultimately revealed to have survived), what was she talking about?

* ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'': Julie Madison, Bruce's steady girlfriend in the film, was originally scripted to have a more prominent role where Poison Ivy actually killed her and motivated Bruce for revenge. This was cut by the time of filming, but the movie clearly still has elements of this in the screenplay and Julie abruptly vanishes from the film in the third act without even so much as a reference as to where she is.

** Said opening also has Gotham City say she and Duke Thomas end up married -- yet there were no hints of a romance between the two throughout the entire run, and Duke barely appears after the third arc and certainly not with her.

* In the ''ComicBook/New52'' arc ''ComicBook/DarkseidWar'', Batman learns that there are ''three'' [[LegacyCharacter active Jokers]] and sets out to learn the truth at the beginning of ''ComicBook/DCRebirth''. This was only explored in the ''ComicBook/BatmanThreeJokers'' miniseries, which is [[FlipFlopOfGod generally considered a non-canon]] SpinOff which left the plot point unresolved in the mainline universe.

* ''ComicBook/BatmanTomKing'':
** The run opened with a FlashForward with Gotham Girl declaring that Batman would die. As the end of the run, Bruce was still alive, so unless she was talking about the ''Detective Comics'' #1027 story "Legacy" (which had Bruce contracting and dying from cancer after saving Doctor Phosphorus as an old man) or [[spoiler:the Thomas Wayne from the ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' timeline, whose fate was ambiguous at the end (though he was ultimately revealed to have survived)]], what was she talking about?
** Said opening also has Gotham City say she and Duke Thomas end up married -- yet there was no hints of a romance between the two throughout the entire run, and Duke barely appears after the third arc and certainly not with her.

** The run opened with a FlashForward with Gotham Girl declaring that Batman would die. As the end of the run, Bruce was still alive, so unless she was talking about the ''Detective Comics'' #1027 story "Legacy" (which had Bruce contracting and dying from cancer after saving Doctor Phosphorus as an old man) or [[spoiler:the Thomas Wayne from the ''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}'' timeline]], what was she talking about?

* ''Batman: The Widening Gyre'' saw the HeroKiller Onomatopoeia slowly work his way into Batman's confidence by taking on a new persona as "Baphomet" and slowly winning the Dark Knight's trust. Eventually, Batman comes to see him as a true hero and companion, taking him to the Batcave where his lover Silver St. Cloud was. By then, "Baphomet" reveals himself as Onomatopoeia and slits Silver's throat in front of a horrified Batman, ending the story on a massive cliffhanger. Since then, the audience has been left hanging because there have been no followups or sequels to this story.

* In the ''Comicbook/DCYearOfTheVillain'' one-shot ''The Riddler'', Apex Lex convinces Nygma that the flaw in his plans is simply being the Riddler in the first place, and that if he could abandon this, in the same way as Lex abandoned his obsession with Superman, he'd be able to decide who he really wanted to be. It's not clear if writer Mark Russell was going anywhere with this, but a few months later, Riddler appears in ''Comicbook/BatmanRebirth'', more obsessed than ever, and just says that didn't work.

* ''ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}}''

** Red Robin was clearly developing a major villain who had been working behind the scenes and was never able to be named on panel before Flashpoint happened. Prior to this the Ünternet arc was cut short of its intended length and had its consequences watered down by executives.

* From 1995-98, writer Doug Moench and artist Kelley Jones where in charge of the main Batman title. During their first three years on the book, a nameless puppeteer holding a Batman puppet appeared in the background of many stories. He would be there when Batman was solving a case or when he was throwing a party as Bruce Wayne, but he never let his presence be known. The idea was that in the fourth year of their run, which they knew would be their last, they would properly introduce the character as someone who knew Bruce's identity, was capable of manipulating both Bruce and Batman and has been preparing to confront Bats on his own terms, but this was never followed through. Jones latter [[http://www.gothamwdeszczu.com.pl/en/2013/05/17/interview-kellley-jones/ explained]] in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLd6NHwF7N4&t=6159s interviews]] that editorial demanded that in their last year they tied the book with the other bat-titles where they had been allowed to ignore them and just tell their own self-contained stories before. This threw a wrench on the puppeteer arc and some other stories they were planning, including one with Poison Ivy.

* For a few years Black Mask was not Roman Sionis (who was killed by Catwoman in retaliation to [[CompleteMonster what he did]] to her sister) ,but a BrainwashedAndCrazy Jeremiah Arkham. During the New 52 however this was undone...but not via a cosmic retcon since there is dialogue in ''[[ComicBook/NightOfTheOwls Court of Owls]]'' that still indicates his time as Black Mask still happened, but was resolved off panel and the [[AllThereInTheManual DC Comics website]] only vaguely mentions Jeremiah taking on the mantle during Dick Grayson's time as Batman, which is accurate but still doesn't address how it was reversed. Verges into both FridgeHorror and FridgeLogic when you consider how there were [[KarmaHoudini basically no consequences]] for any of the people he killed.

* The New 52 ''ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'' series' last arc had Dick moving to Boston and finally getting an established supporting cast, including his roommates, one of whom worked for the mayor and had a bone to pick with superheroes, especially Nightwing. At the same time, a girl that Dick was babysitting learned that he was Nightwing, and eventually Dick is forced to save her when she steals his gear and tries to avenge her parents. Dick also reconciled with Sonya Zucco, the daughter of his parents' killer, Tony Zucco. All of this was thrown out when Dick was outed in ''Forever Evil'' and never mentioned again.
* ''ComicBook/RedRobin'' was clearly developing a major villain who had been working behind the scenes and was never able to be named on panel before Flashpoint happened. Prior to this the Ünternet arc was cut short of its intended length and had its consequences watered down by executives.