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Quote1 My amnesty begins here. I light my signal. My light... to show this world my intent... I'm going to drown it all. This whole world. Trust me on that. Quote2
Batwoman: The Drowned src

Bryce Wayne, the Batwoman of Earth -11, is The Drowned, one of Barbatos' Dark Knights.

Life in The Dark Multiverse

Bryce Wayne was born on Earth -11 to Martin Wayne, who like the fathers of various Batmans from other universes, was shot dead in an alley.[1] She later became a crime fighter who was romantically involved with Sylvester Kyle before he was killed by rogue metahumans. In retaliation for the death of her lover, she went about systematically killing every metahuman to avenge him. Eighteen months after Bryce had killed the last superpowered being on land and also thought that she'd finally made her world safe, Aquawoman returned along with the Atlanteans from years of self-imposed exile, having spent that time hidden in the deepest parts of the ocean and claimed to come in peace. Bryce saw the feigned treaty presented by Aquawoman of Atlantis as a hoax to pursue their own agenda, being unable to trust anyone except for herself and her instincts. She also regarded Aquawoman and her group as more rogue metas and also a menace to everything they held dear while having no faith in the Atlanteans's efforts to sue for peace. Having been proven right when peace talks between the surface and Atlantis ultimately collapsed into violence, negotiations shifted to open conflict with Bryce regarding the Atlanteans as vicious and also untrustworthy invaders. Bryce sided with the surface, fighting and winning against an onslaught of Atlanteans led by the invading monarch and then stole Aquawoman's own trident before killing the Queen with it, Bryce presumably hoping that the survivors would get her message of showing that the surface people were not to be underestimated .[2]

However, this victory came at a steep cost. In retaliation, the Atlanteans drowned Gotham City and most likely a large part of the world beneath the waves for the death of their Queen. Bryce regarded this as a mere setback and began planning to adapt herself to the situation. In order to win her desperate war, Bryce performed surgical and genetic procedures on herself, imbuing her human form with vast biochemical augmentations, such as the ability to control water, breathe underwater, heal faster, and bolster muscular, skeletal and bodily tissue density, along with the capability to perform a type of dark hydrokinesis which could corrupt and convert those fighting against her into ravenous sea beasts under her command. She also designed her own army of hybridized sea creatures, called "Dead Water".[2]

Her abilities were bolstered by her adversary's Trident, and with it she was able to conquer Atlantis and drown the rest of the world. Not long before her world was set to die, Bryce noticed the Bat-signal that she had lit to signal hope and victory suddenly go dark, and went to investigate. She was approached by The Batman Who Laughs when she got there, and he told her the story of how and why her city and her world was so broken and misaligned. He told tales about a Multiverse sitting above the dark one nestled beneath it. Hearing about how it was the perfected iteration of her ideal world and that both she and it were spawned from its nightmares, Bryce joined the Dark Knights of Barbatos, taking on the moniker of The Drowned.[2]

Dark Nights

She along with her fellow Knights would soon mount an assault of the core Multiverse above their array of dark worlds. Through the sacrificial offering of Prime Earth's Bruce Wayne counterpart, she and the rest of her brethren crept through the portal created from him into the Earth-0 Universe and began their invasion.[3] Along with the other Dark Knights, The Drowned assisted the Murder Machine in taking over the Watchtower which was guarded by the Justice League member Cyborg, causing it to become a twisted version of what it was before.[4] A portal was later opened up for them by the Batman Who Laughs using his dark metal cards, to help him take down Green Arrow, Damian Wayne, Nightwing and Mister Terrific, but they were prevented in doing so by Dr. Fate who helped them escape.[5]

The Drowned would later attack Amnesty Bay, eventually coming to the Curry Lighthouse where she proceeded to drown it using a self generated tidal wave of dark water, taking the ocean behind her as a weapon with Aquawoman's trident to boost her powers. It was there where she fought the Prime Earth iteration of Aquaman and his fiancé Mera. The Drowned proved stronger than the two, showcasing greater physical abilities than Arthur and nullifying the Hydrokinesis powers of Mera.[2] She then summoned an army of Dead Waters from her home dimension to overwhelm the two. Though she managed to corrupt Mera to her side as a member of her Dead Water, Aquaman was whisked away by Doctor Fate before a killing blow could be delivered. With no one left to challenge her, she started turning Amnesty Bay into a drowned out seaside version of her own lost Gotham.[2]

After successfully taking control of Amnesty Bay, The Drowned and the other Dark Knights traveled to Gotham where they assisted the Batman who Laughs in taking down the Gotham Resistance. However the Resistance was teleported away by Doctor Fate, preventing the Knights from executing them.[5] Shortly after this, the Drowned and the other Knights attempted to take down Superman after he broke free from Barbatos, however Dr. Fate and Flash helped him escape. The Drowned travelled with the other Knights and raided the Oblivion Bar where most of the remaining heroes were hiding, but Nightmaster sacrificed himself so the other heroes would have enough time to escape.[6]

When the remaining heroes made an attempt to locate deposits of Nth Metal that could be used to defeat the Dark Knights, the latter managed to cut them off from their allies and trap four Justice League members in Batcaves made specifically for them, including Aquaman who was assaulted by her[7] below Amnesty Bay. She then used Mera, who had been turned into a giant sea monster, to assault Aquaman who was horrified upon learning the fate of his beloved.[8]

Aquaman and the other captive League members were then taken to Gotham City to be used as batteries for the Tuning Fork. They were however freed from their restraints thanks to Cyborg, who had partially given in to the Mother Box inside him. The Dark Knights tried to subdue them, but they were able to escape through Hypertime due to Cyborg.[9] After Aquaman and Deathstroke obtained the Nth Metal from the center of the earth, Black Manta ambushed and injured them both. The Drowned, the Murder Machine and the Red Death then arrived to take the Nth metal. Aquaman swore to keep fighting, in response to which Bryce stated they knew he will.[10] Aquaman was knocked out and taken back to Gotham by the Dark Nights.[11]

On the House of Heroes, as she states that what they're doing is against what it means to be heroes, the Dawnbreaker states that the Batman Who Laughs won't like it. Red Death however states that he will, since it shows that he controls them while also making them cowardly and superstitious. Bryce in anger smashes him to the ground and states she will destroy the multiverse so she can have her home back. She, Murder Machine and Dawnbreaker later attack Cyborg and Raven, who are travelling to the House of Heroes aboard the Ultima Thule in The Bleed. Raven however gets rid of her by pushing Bryce through a portal she opened during the fight. She and the other Dark Knights later watch the traitor Red Death, who has been taken over by the Barry Allen of Earth -52, disintegrate on the House of Heroes.[1]

The captured League Members were however awakened by Wonder Woman through the clanging of Carter Hall's Nth Metal mace clashing with her Bracelets of Submission, made of Eighth Metal. She almost succeeded in killing Aquaman, but this was interrupted by Prime Earth's Batman who threw Batarangs fashioned from Element X at them. The armor Aquaman fashioned from it allowed him to gain the upper hand and kill the Drowned with her own trident.[11]

Powers

  • Surgical Implants: Bryce performed several surgeries on herself to improve her fighting against Atlantis. Using the maligned DNA of mutated sea life, she was able to give herself pseudo water breather traits akin to Atlanteans.[2]
    • Amphibian: The Drowned, thanks to her eugenic modifications, can breathe and move underwater with the utmost ease as well as she can walk about on land. She can be immersed indefinitely in water without suffering any ill effects, and without the need of oceanic traversal gear or breathing apparatus.[2]
    • Hydrokinesis: She can manipulate vast if not limitless quantities of water and was able to drown her entire planet. Her mastery is so potent that it allows her to negate the control of other hydrokinetics. Due to her nature as a resident of the Dark Multiverse, her aquakinetic abilities take on a blackened hue with more corrupting properties to it.[2]
      • Summoning: Using her water as a conduit, Bryce can summon her Dead Water army to herself at will. The Dead Water are voracious minions who heed her beck and call to swarm over and overwhelm her enemies.[2]
      • Infection: Through her use of the Dead Water, Bryce is able to infect water around her, making others unable to control it, and making the water "hers". She can also convert others to her will by transforming them into insidious Dead Water sea creatures that do her bidding.[2]
        • Metamorphosis: The Drowned can control and alter the physical forms of the Dead Water sea creatures under her thrall into any shape she desires, while they still retain their unique personal capabilities to aid her in battle.[8]
          • Power Distribution: Bryce can even give whole new powers to those whom she changes in order to increase their usefulness and lethal efficacy.[8]
    • Accelerated Healing: One of the many abilities she granted herself through auto-surgical processes.
    • Superhuman Durability: The Drowned is tougher and more resilient than a typical human being, able to survive the crushing depths of deep sea traversal as well as trade blows with super Atlanteans with little to no physical injury.
    • Superhuman Speed: She is a fast mover be it in the water or on solid ground, easily able to outpace Aquaman during mortal combat.
    • Superhuman Stamina: She has augmented amounts of stamina, able to swim for miles at a time reaching end to end of her sunken city, having swam from its fringes all the way to where the Bat-signal was located.
    • Superhuman Strength: The Drowned is incredibly strong, able to overpower Aquaman with just brute strength[2], as well as being able to batter the promethium clad cybernetic exo-mantel of Cyborg with nothing but her fists.[4]
    • Enhanced Senses: She can see, hear and speak perfectly while submerged underwater. She was able to perfectly visualize the lit Bat-signal on her earth without difficulty.[2]

Abilities

Weaknesses

  • Monstrous Appearance: Because of her bodily alterations, Bryce no longer has a remotely human appearance - suffering from pale skin, blackened lips and teeth, coupled with dried out, cracked lower facial features akin to severe desiccation.[2]
  • Vulnerability to Light Sensitivity: Being down in the sunken deeps of her home city for so long, The Drowned has an acute reaction to bright light.[2]
  • Missing Eye: Because of her bodily alterations, Bryce no longer has her left eye, using a cybernetic visor as a replacement.

Equipment

Transportation

Weapons

  • Trident: A trident taken as a trophy from Aquawoman, it can boost the Drowned's hydrokinetic power.


  • The Drowned represents Batman's fear of going too far in the fight against superhumans, his love for Catwoman, and his inability to trust anyone but himself.

Related

Footnotes


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