Night of the Monster Men was a Batman Family crossover involving Hugo Strange unleashing massive Monster Men on Gotham City.
History
As Hurricane Milton approaches Gotham, Batman, Batwoman, and Nightwing prepare for the storm while strange events unfold at the Tolliver Memorial Morgue. Hugo Strange, in collaboration with Psycho-Pirate, activates a sinister plan, causing corpses to mutate into "Monster Men" who begin attacking the city. Batman leads an evacuation effort, deploying his allies Spoiler, Orphan, and Clayface to manage the chaos. In the midst of their struggle, Nightwing investigates the origins of the creatures and discovers that the monsters were once human, transformed by Strange's experiments.
As the Monster Men rampage through Gotham, Duke and Alfred monitor the situation from the Batcave, where Duke expresses frustration about being sidelined. Meanwhile, Batman tasks Nightwing with uncovering the source of the monsters at the morgue, where Nightwing finds more mutated bodies and realizes the situation is worse than anticipated. With the GCPD fighting a losing battle against the creatures, Batwoman expands the evacuation zone while Batman uses the Bat-Beacon to broadcast a message of hope across Gotham.
As the monsters wreak havoc, tensions rise within the team, with Batwoman questioning Batman's leadership and Nightwing defying orders to stay behind, determined to help. Batman, Batwoman, and Clayface fight the monsters in the streets, while Spoiler and Orphan manage a near-chaotic evacuation site where evacuees are covered in a strange red substance. The team eventually discovers that the creatures were once patients under Hugo Strange’s care, transformed by a new cell-altering process.
Nightwing faces a critical moment when Gotham Girl, still unstable after Psycho-Pirate's manipulation, rushes into danger at Blackgate. Batman orders her to stand down, but Gotham Girl, overwhelmed with rage, tears apart a "mama monster," only to be transformed herself by the creature's blood, along with Nightwing. As Batwoman and Batman struggle with the mutated Nightwing and Gotham Girl, Duke works on a plan to administer a cure. Spoiler and Orphan, after dealing with violent mobs, burn away the algae-like substance affecting the people at the evacuation site.
In the final act, Duke manages to cure Gotham Girl, while Batwoman is able to save Nightwing by delivering an anti-steroid to reverse their transformations. However, the danger isn't over, as a new mutated monster emerges from the debris at the evacuation site. Batman confronts Hugo Strange, who is dressed as Batman and claims only he can keep Gotham safe by assuming the mantle. Batman subdues Strange with the help of Clayface, while Nightwing realizes the final monster represents a child, symbolizing Batman’s own inner turmoil.
The story concludes with Gotham's recovery and a reflection on the toll the battle has taken on Batman and his allies. Strange is taken into custody, and Bruce stands over the graves of Strange's victims, vowing to confront Bane, who was ultimately responsible for the Monster Men formula.
Issues
- Batman (Volume 3) #7 (Night of the Monster Men, Part 1)
- Nightwing (Volume 4) #5 (Night of the Monster Men, Part 2)
- Detective Comics #941 (Night of the Monster Men, Part 3)
- Batman (Volume 3) #8 (Night of the Monster Men, Part 4)
- Nightwing (Volume 4) #6 (Night of the Monster Men, Part 5)
- Detective Comics #942 (Night of the Monster Men, Finale)
Links and References
  This event or storyline is specifically related to Batman, or to members of the Batman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the Batman Storylines category. |