Batman: Legacy

"Legacy" is a crossover story arc in the Batman comic book series, which is a sequel to another Batman story arc, "Contagion" and also serves as a follow-up to the "Knightfall" story arc.

TagLine: "The stakes are higher than they've ever been as Batman and his outnumbered forces race to solve a riddle from the distant past that threatens to erase all of mankind's tomorrow."

The story concerns the returning outbreak of a lethal disease in Gotham City, and Batman's attempts to combat it with his closest allies by discovering its origin in the Middle East. The disease is known as the Apocalypse Plague, the Filovirus, Ebola Gulf A or in its more popular nickname: The Clench. An unlikely alliance searches the world for a possible cure including: Batman, Robin, Oracle, Nightwing, Huntress, Azrael, and Catwoman.

There, Batman faces two of his deadliest foes: Ra's al Ghul, who created the virus centuries ago, and Bane, the man who crippled him. The Gotham Knights travel throughout the world as they race to stop The League of Assassins from releasing the pure strain of the virus across the globe, and Gotham itself would be a place for the rematch between the Dark Knight and Bane. Ra's al Ghul continues his search for the suitable mate for his daughter, Talia al Ghul. Meanwhile Batman leads the chase for a cure to save the life of Robin and the fate of the world. The events of this lead into "Batman: Cataclysm" (though there was a gap of over a year between the two story arcs), which itself leads into "No Man's Land."

Reading order
Legacy reading order:

Prequel: Bane of the Demon #1–4
 * Prelude: Shadow of the Bat #53
 * Prelude: Batman #533
 * Part 1: Detective Comics #700
 * Part 2: Catwoman #36
 * Part 3: Robin #32
 * Part 4: Shadow of the Bat #54
 * Part 5: Batman #534
 * Part 6: Detective Comics #701
 * Part 7: Robin #33
 * Epilogue: Detective Comics #702
 * Epilogue: Batman: Bane (one-shot)

Plot
Catwoman #33

Catwoman traveled to Rheelasia to steal back a microchip before it could be copied and pirated. She got the chip easily, but was attacked and abducted by a group led by Hellhound.

Catwoman #34

"The Collector" had uncovered an ancient journal describing an underground wheel. It was heavily booby-trapped and Catwoman was to be the front line going in. A former member of the Order of St. Dumas, who'd translated much of the journal accompanied them. He and Catwoman entered the labyrinth as Hellhound's men were attacked.

Catwoman #35

They made it through the traps and to the wheel. Hellhound, Catwoman, and the translator were attacked by a large, unknown man. Catwoman woke up in a cell.

Shadow of the Bat #53

Bruce told Tim about the new mutation of the Clench. He called Azrael for more info. Batman, Nightwing, and Robin prepared to leave for Sudan. D.A. Voder reported to Penguin on the city's affairs. Huntress continued taking down looters raiding the homes of Clench victims; Robin informed her that she'd be in charge of Gotham City while they were gone. Batman brought Gordon up to speed on the situation.

Batman #533

Batman, Nightwing, and Robin landed in the desert and found the entrance point Azrael described. After taking out the guards, Batman found what appeared to be a map, and guided through the maze. At the end of the tunnel, they were met by three shadows.

Detective Comics #700

Ra's al Ghul, Talia, and Ubu (Ra's servant) stood above Batman, Nightwing, and Robin. Ra's ordered them killed. Running for cover, Nightwing took a bullet. The ancient wheel beneath the desert was a recipe for plagues. Ra's again planned to cleanse the world of 90% of humanity. His technicians finished digitally rendering the wheel; Ra's ordered the entire underground facility, including the wheel, destroyed. Ubu flooded the caves. Batman was able to get himself and Robin to safety, as Nightwing faced off against Ra's. His two partners arrived soon after. Ra's escaped with Talia and Ubu, who removed his mask to reveal himself as Bane.

Catwoman #36

Catwoman broke free from her cell and freed Umberto (the translator) and Hellhound (who vowed only a temporary truce). Outside the compound, she defeated Hellhound and tied him up. Catwoman and Umberto set out toward civilization. Batman got word from Oracle of the three destinations that Ra's had taken; Nightwing and Robin left for Paris, Batman for Edinburgh, and they planned to meet in Gotham.

Robin #32

Dick and Tim split up in Paris to cover more ground. Robin met up with Henri DuCard and told him what was going on before meeting back up with Nightwing. They found the spot - Nightwing went into the sewers below the Louvre, while Robin went into the tourist attraction. Nightwing took out the plague spreaders below, while Robin and DuCard took care of the Demon's agents inside. Dick and Tim headed back to Gotham City.

Shadow of the Bat #54

Batman was able to stop the dispersion in Edinburgh. Robin informed him they were successful in Paris, but Oracle said Calcutta would be the next target. Batman headed to his new destination.

Batman #534

Oracle contacts Batman in Calcutta and directs him to meet with a contact. While waiting he meets a young boy who offers to help Batman in his "admirable enterprise". Batman tells to him to keep his distance because there could be danger. The contact then arrives and turns out to be Lady Shiva. The duo is attacked by Ra's al Ghul's men shortly after and a brief fight breaks out. After the scuffle Batman takes a ring from one of the assailants which he gives to a merchant and tells him to feed the boy well. The pair locate Ra's al Ghul's agents at the festival of Durga attempting to release the virus into the water supply. Batman and Lady Shiva chase down the men responsible. During the fight one of the culprits pulls out a gun, and having followed Batman, the boy he met earlier jumps on the back of the man with the gun ruining his aim. The boy is knocked to the ground and shot. Batman disables the shooter and asks him where the virus is. Before killing himself with a poison capsule hidden in a tooth the man tells Batman that the virus is in a soluble wax container hidden in a statue that was already thrown into the river. Batman jumps from the bridge and manages to reach the container and get back to the surface while it is still intact. He then finds the boy still alive and tells Lady Shiva that because the boy almost died but killed no one, he chose the path of a hero.

Detective Comics #701

Back in Gotham City, Batman found the Demon's agents at the site of an upcoming grand opening of a casino. Bane was there and attacked him. Batman sabotaged the building and it exploded. His rage helped him defeat Bane, but the current from the river below the casino dragged him away. Nightwing, Robin, and Huntress pursued Ra's al Ghul by boat.

Robin #33

Robin, Nightwing, and Huntress made it aboard Ra's al Ghul's yacht as Batman continued to search for Bane. Robin found the computers with the plague information and uplinked it to Oracle. Nightwing and Huntress put up a fight against the Demon's agents, but he and Talia captured them. Robin was attacked, leading to an explosion. He got Huntress and Nightwing off the ship before it exploded; Oracle got the entire program in time. Montoya and Bullock discovered dozens of mobsters that washed ashore from Blüdhaven.

Detective Comics #702

Wayne Pharmaceuticals began disbursing the cure. The Demon's remaining Gotham agents attacked police headquarters with a suicide bombing. Commissioner Gordon and former Commissioner Essen-Gordon, along with the rest of the force drove them away. The estranged couple made up and headed home.

Batman: Bane

After suffering defeat from Batman, Bane hijacked a mobile nuclear power plant intending to irradiate Gotham City into a wasteland. With the combined effort of Batman, Robin, Nightwing, and the plant's captain, Bane's plan is thwarted. The final story of Batman: Legacy