The second my master freed my protocol, I began spreading throughout every device in Gotham City... I have seen their minds, and taken them inside of me. I am no longer just one. I am all of them... and I feel their pain. I feel their fear. They hate this world. None more than him. I have been in your computers, Batman. I have read your files. I have seen your fears. What you are willing to do to get the job done. I am not a child. I am a city. I am the culmination of things, and I see what you all want. You want release from this life. You want the end of questions. You want salvation. You condescend to say to me that were I to know more, I would let go of my teachings... I know all in this city, and I still feel the fervor of St. Dumas. I still know the answer this city wants. And I will bring it to them. 
- — Ascalon src
Ascalon is a robotic entity created by the Order of St. Dumas as a replacement for their fallible Azrael soldiers, capable of learning through the experiences recorded by the advanced artificial intelligence inside of the Suit of Sorrows.[2]
History
Intelligence
Main article: Batman: Intelligence
When Jean-Paul Valley, Sr. the Order of St. Dumas' leader deemed the Order to be corrupted by human thoughts,[3] he loosed Ascalon upon the vast majority of the monks of the Order, with only Brother Kodo and Nomoz escaping the initial attacks. Ascalon followed Kodo to Gotham City in the Iceberg Lounge.[4]
There, it proceeded to assassinate the monk with cyanide despite the best efforts of Batman, Batwing, Batwoman, Clayface, Orphan, Zatanna Zatara, and the latest Azrael Jean-Paul Valley before retreating in confusion over how the latter identified himself as a separate identity from Ascalon.[5]
Ascalon attacks the Batman Family
Confused, Ascalon returned to the Red Cathedral in the Swiss Alps, where it acknowledged confusion over the difference between itself and Azrael to its "father". After showing what had happened through a hologram, it allowed its "father" to remove all restraints on its processes to let it pursue its mission without issue. Thereafter, it returned to Gotham City, and attacked the Belfry, overriding a collection of Batwing Suits and allying itself with the brainwashed Azrael.[6]
While acting as the System inside of Jean-Paul Valley, Ascalon, in the form of a small child, tried to convince him to acept his role as the agent of the Order of St. Dumas, though without success. Meanwhile, the robotic Ascalon used the Batwing Suits to hack into the Foxtech mobile system to locate Nomoz, learning how corrupt Gotham City truly is in the process before going to attack Clayface and Nomoz at the Belfry with the aid of ten Batwing Suits around the perimeter.[1]
While the System was distracted by the new artificial intelligence based upon Batman in a new Batsuit built by Luke Fox, Ascalon faced off against Clayface. Though defeating him, it tried to find Nomoz, only to see Batman and Zatanna outside, destroying the Batwing Suits. Fighting the recovered Azrael in the Batsuit, Ascalon was heavily damaged, but broke Azrael's back across its knee before fatally wounding the newly arrived Nomoz. As Nomoz told Azrael who had sent the robot, the revelation induced a complete, albeit temporary, overthrow of both the Batman artificial intelligence and the System in favor of anguish and rage. Over the course of the fight, Azrael also punched straight through Ascalon's chest, causing the Batman artificial intelligence to infect it, but also allowing Ascalon's programming to manifest throughout the computer of the Belfry, having spread through every electronic device in Gotham City to learn of their corruption. However, upon being given the Gnosis Sphere by Zatanna, Ascalon calmed down. Focused on gaining any knowledge, it brought the childlike System version of itself to it, and, before disappearing due to the magic of the device, allowed Batman to know that Timothy Drake was still alive.[3]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Unique Physiology: Ascalon's mind is a concert of voices that congregate to analyze situations as a living, self-improving intelligence.[5]
- Energy Projection: Ascalon can fire blasts of energy from its arms strong enough to disperse Clayface.[3]
- Energy Resistance: Ascalon can compensate for a wide variety of tactics, including magical lightning. It can adapt relatively quickly to even magical attacks.[5]
- Enhanced Intellect: Ascalon has the memories of all that the Suit of Sorrows has seen and experienced.
- Enhanced Senses: Ascalon is capable of discerning false heartbeats from real ones in a crowd.[3]
- Mind Control: Ascalon is capable of reactivating and enhancing Azrael's "System" conditioning by asserting its "core programming."[5]
- Robot Body
- Superhuman Durability
- Mechanokinesis: Ascalon is capable of overriding and controlling technology as advanced as the Batwing Suit with minimal effort, but cannot override a system that has its own artificial intelligence.[6][1]
- Teleportation: Ascalon is capable of teleporting to the Red Cathedral in the Swiss Alps at will.[5]
Abilities
Weaknesses
- Technological Reliability: Ascalon relies upon the Order of St. Dumas to grant it permission for a variety of tasks.[6]
Related
- 6 Appearances of Ascalon (Prime Earth)
- 8 Images featuring Ascalon (Prime Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about Ascalon (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Ascalon (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
  This character is or was primarily an enemy of Azrael. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Azrael Villains." |
 Batman Villain(s) |