"Don't be fooled. I'm actually the devil in disguise" - William Cobb- NameWilliam Cobb
- AliasTalon
- Age25 (Physically)
- OccupationVigilante
Security Guard at Wayne Enterprises
- Skills & AbilitiesAccelerated Healing
Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced):
Throwing:
Weaponry:
Acrobatics:
Escapology:
- EquipmentEnhanced Talon Suit
Throwing Knives
Sword
- Personality & HistoryOn a Knife EdgeWilliam Cobb was born on October 10th 1901 to middle class family. Tragedy struck early on when his father died in an industrial accident when building a bridge for Cameron Kane. Unable to make ends meet, William and his mother fell into adversity. Resorting to petty theft, the young boy by chance crossed paths with a thief known as Miro Volkov. Taking pity on the little man, Miro brought him under his wing and into Haly’s Circus. His mother sadly passed a short time after, murdered by an unknown assailant. Miro taught William how to juggle and eventually this graduated to knives and the boy became the circus’s post popular knife thrower; all the while aiding Miro in his more and more spectacular heists. The two worked seeminglessly together, everything running like clockwork. They were living on a knife edge and life couldn’t have been better.
The Gray Son of GothamWhen he returned to Gotham City at the age of twenty, a large crowd applauded their hometown celebrity. One woman caught William’s eye though. Her name was Amelia. She was the daughter of one of Gotham's elite and an original child of Gotham. The two fell in love at first sight. The two began dating and they were happy together. They were two children in love. Little did they know, it was the beginning of the end, when it was revealed that while they were still dating, they were fooling around until the point marriage came up. One day when walking into her house, Amelia's father Burton Crowne asked to speak with Cobb. He told William that there are only two people in life (the rich and the poor), no room for grey. Burton had banned him from ever seeing Amelia again, but not before making her pregnant beforehand. Despondent, William told Miro whom in turn revealed a secret, he was an assassin and all the time they had been together, he had been training William to take his place. With that, Miro finally revealed his true colours. He offered the man a choice, get revenge on Burton and become the next Talon or Miro would kill Amelia and the unborn child. Taking option A – William and Miro broke into the Crowne estate and murdered Burton in his sleep. He then was ushered away in secret and began his training to become the Talon.
12 months later, William returned to Gotham and he broke back into Amelia's house. Stealing his then born son into the night. Outside of the house, he met Nathaniel, his boss at Haly’s Circus and handed him the baby, "Raise him in secret, Nathaniel...prepare him for my legacy. My son. The Gray Son of Gotham". This baby would become John Grayson's father, and his son, Dick Grayson's grandfather.
Night of OwlsPart of becoming a Talon meant giving up your mortality and becoming dependent on a substance known as Electrum. Kept in a form of stasis, a Talon is only revived when necessary. The stasis allowed William to keep is magnificent physical abilities as well as his youth even whilst the Court of Owls continue to change over the decades. Revived once again during the 21st century for a massive assault on Gotham, all the Talons were given targets to assassinate. William was given Bruce Wayne. Attacking Bruce in his home, William was not expecting the billionaire playboy to put up a fight. The two men battled for what felt like hours until finally the arrival of Bruce’s one time ward Dick Grayson turned the tides of the fight and Cobb was struck down. Imprisoned and interrogated in the Batcave, Cobb recognised Grayson’s eyes as the same as his beloved Amelia’s and put two and two together. When a large group of Talons began an assault on Wayne Manor, something stirred inside William and just as one of his brethren was about to strike Grayson down, the Talon intervened and helped Batman and Nightwing repel the attack. Rediscovering a code of honour he had long forgotten, William swore on the soul of Gotham that he would try to repent for his sins and he would do so in Amelia’s memory.
Last Owl StandingBefore his reform however, William had one last pressing bit of business. With his dependency on Electrum gone thanks to some genetic tampering by Batman, William returned to the Court and in one night, systematically slaughtered three quarters of the members there. Content that he had dealt a serious blow to the court that had corrupted him, William began training with Batman and his family, slowly coming around to their decree of “Justice. Not Vengeance”. Intent on transforming the Talon identity from one of fear to one of honour, William is now striking out on his own. The Last Owl standing.
Beware the Batman Family.
Watching all the time.
Protecting Gotham from their shadow perch.
Behind granite and lime.
They watch you at your hearth.
They watch you in your bed.
Speak not an evil word of them.
Or they’ll send the Talon for your head.
Extra:- William is the great grandfather of Dick Grayson.
- During his time as part of the Court he has killed a member (or several) from all of Gotham's founding families.
- He always carries a pocketwatch, the first item he ever stole
