Tropes:
- Armor-Piercing Response: Paxton was certain that Blight was dead and gone, but Batman's parting words still leave him wondering.Batman: Sure he did.
- Banana Republic: The fictional South American country of Verdeza, where Paxton was head of the local branch of his father's company. It was transformed into a Polluted Wasteland by his negligence of the local environmental concerns.
- Bat Signal: Paxton brings this back to seek out Batman to help find Blight. Batman is not amused.Batman: Next time, use email.
- Big Damn Heroes: Terry bursts into the meeting before Blight can try to fry Bruce.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing:
- Paxton. Not that he was much of a nice guy to begin with, but he initially puts up the facade of being concerned for his father's health and safety. He later reveals that he purposely set up the protest by the Verdeza activists in order to expose his father as Blight. He then hired Batman to search for Blight pretending to plan to help him when he was actually intent on killing Blight and taking control of the company for himself.
- Also Mendes, who seems like a victim of corporate greed and a protestor with a legitimate beef, but is really a hired gun for Paxton.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: This chilling exchange. Since Terry is in the batsuit, and Powers has been a corrupt monster before the nerve gas exposure, it only frustrates the latter further about who is after him:Blight: Who are you?!
Batman: ...You really want to know?
Blight: Yes!
Batman: (dramatically enters the scene) You killed my father.
(Beat)
Blight: (irritated) Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down?
Batman: Too bad. That's all you get. - Call-Back: Derek Powers met his end the same way his former right-hand man, Mr. Fixx, met his end of in Rebirth: Parts 2 where they were perished by their own power, Hoist by His Own Petard. Both Mr. Fixx and Derek end up at the bottom of the ocean.
- Death by Irony: Derek never appeared again after this episode, Derek's downfall was very ironic and also it was also because of Abusive Parents towards his son is what lead to his demise. Another irony, Derek murdered Terry's father leaving Terry without a father, Derek's son Paxton ended his own father leaving Paxton without a father.
- End of an Era: In many ways, "Ascension" is the end of the show's original creative direction. With the conclusion of Bruce and Terry's cold war with Derek Powers, the final two Seasons would eschew any more corporate intrigue storylines or seasonal arcs (though there would be some recurring storylines like the Royal Flush Gang arc). Paxton and control of Wayne-Powers would also only really come up again in early Season Three (and only be ultimately resolved in Return of the Joker).
- Engineered Public Confession: Derek Powers' reveal as Blight turns out to be a ploy set up by his son Paxton.
- Even Evil Can Be Loved: Subverted. After Derek Powers is publicly exposed as Blight, his son Paxton works with Batman to find him, seeming concerned for his father's health and safety. It turns out that he just wants to make sure his father is gone so he can take over himself; he even stage-managed the accident that exposed him in the first place.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Darkly subverted. At first, it seems Paxton is hurt finding out about his father's condition, but he engineers a public incident outing him as Blight, forcing him into hiding. And he recruits Batman under the guise that they'd be helping his father's condition stabilize, but after he's caught, he tries to kill him.
- Everyone Has Standards: He may hate Blight for many reasons, but Terry still protests about how the trap was killing him.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: How Powers evades detection — something that shouldn't be possible with his radioactivity. He hides on an abandoned nuclear submarine, which is still hot and thus his radioactive signature blends in with it. Terry even admits later it was a smart move.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: The way Derek abused his son and how he raised Paxton is what lead to his downfall at the end. His son used his father's teachings to finally get rid of Derek at the end. Paxton set up his father to be exposed to the people of Gotham leading Derek to lose his wealth, his job, and his entire life...in short, Derek lost everything.
- Honest Corporate Executive: The Wayne Powers Board is horrified to find out Powers' identity and even before that show visible doubt at his attempts to give smarmy polluter Paxton a position of importance at the company.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: After previously directing others to do his dirty work, Derek is so hard up for suit supplies that he has to (as Blight) personally lead a team of thugs to get the goods. Having to do so and Batman ruining the attempt anyway are big reasons why he finds his situation so wearying.
- I Am the Noun:Powers: You want to talk about poison? (laughs maniacally) I am poison!
- Internal Reveal: Terry, Bruce, and eventually everyone in Gotham, discovers that Derek Powers is Blight.
- I Regret Nothing: Terry has no regrets when he finds out his role in turning Powers into Blight since, as he points out to Bruce, it means that everyone can now see Powers for the monster he really is.Terry: You mean, I made him that?
Bruce: You may have. In part.
Terry: Good. (Beat) Hey, this guy had my father murdered and all he's done since is hide from the law! Well, no more hiding for Mr. Derek Powers. Now everyone can see what he is... even in the dark. - Irony: While trying to restrain Blight at the meeting, Terry quips that Derek and Blight just so happen to be two of his "favorite" people.
- It's Personal: Terry's explanation to Blight on why he is pursuing him. Though not before a quip about there being rules about toxic waste disposal.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Defied. Terry does seem to darkly enjoy hunting down Powers, to the point where Bruce cautions him for sounding a little too vindictive. When it comes down to it, however, Terry outright balks at the idea of killing him and insists he'd never have agreed to Paxton's real plan.
- Karma Houdini: Paxton, who betrays his father and ends up as the new head of Wayne-Powers. He gets his comeuppance in Season 3, though.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: On the other hand, Derek's true identity is revealed to everyone here, and his means of evading legal punishment end.
- Klingon Promotion: Paxton plans to kill his father so he'll be the real CEO of Wayne-Powers instead of a puppet. Like his father taught him, to have real power you must take it.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Once his dual identity is exposed, Derek chooses to cut all losses and just leave Gotham. Unfortunately for him, Batman is not going to allow that.
- Nervous Wreck: Miss Winston seems a bit jumpy while sneaking food to Powers. Given the stakes involved it's fairly justifiable.
- Needle in a Stack of Needles: As Batman points out, Blight choosing a nuclear sub as a hiding spot is actually a good choice since it still emits radiation.
- Never Found the Body: The news report on Blight's uncertain fate. Terry concludes that he is probably still alive and remains sure that he will one day return to seek revenge. He never does (at least in the series; he did come back in the comics).
- Never Give the Captain a Straight Answer: Terry is talking to Bruce over the commlink when he notices something, and tells Bruce to look out the window and see for himself. It's then revealed that what Terry saw was the Bat Signal. In Terry's defense, perhaps he just didn't want to spoil the moment for Bruce when he saw it again after so long.
- Offing the Offspring: After escaping the trap, Blight tries to kill his own son.
- Pet the Dog:
- Terry calmly advises Derek's loyal assistant Ms. Winston to stay clear of the submarine tonight.
- When explaining Derek's transformation into Blight, Bruce tries to console Terry by saying he was only "in part" responsible for this and couldn't have known what would happen. Terry, however, throws him a curve by being glad about Derek's transformation.
- Phlebotinum Overload: Blight ends up hiding in a nuclear submarine. In the final fight with Batman and Paxton however, he becomes so enraged that his own body overloads with radioactivity and destroys the submarine, which sinks down with him.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: During his rant at the board meeting, Powers refers to two South American emissaries as "you animals".
- Puppet King: This is essentially the role Derek offered to his son Paxton: the latter becomes head of Wayne-Powers, but he still has to follow the older Powers' orders.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: Paxton, who was sent by his father to be Wayne-Powers' regional head in Verdeza in a ploy to push him out of the way. When Powers suddenly calls him back to Gotham, he is, of course, suspicious of ulterior motives.
- Say My Name: As things really go haywire, an enraged Blight screams, "PAXTON!"
- Self-Made Orphan: Paxton works together with Batman to capture Blight, but Batman had no idea Paxton was planning to kill him.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Paxton is basically his father with brown hair.
- Wham Episode: Derek Powers is finally exposed as Blight, losing control of Wayne-Powers and presumably dying in the final battle. Control of Wayne-Powers ends up with his estranged son Paxton.
- You Killed My Father: Terry states this to Blight to hint to him what his secret identity is. Unfortunately, Powers has presumably killed many, many peoples' fathers over his career so the revelation is worthless to him. It's implied Terry knew he might react like this, which would keep his identity safe.
- You Said You Would Let Them Go:Batman: Enough. Turn it off, that thing's gonna kill him.
Paxton Powers: You want this as much as I do.
Batman: No! I wouldn't have agreed to this; you said you were gonna help him!
Paxton Powers: I Lied.
