How an Underrated Batman Foe Created DC’s Biggest Unresolved Cliffhanger

Batman Vs the villain Onomatopoiea.

One underrated Batman villain left readers on a devastating cliffhanger many years ago, and it may be well pastime for a comeback. Although Kevin Smith and Walt Flanagan’s Batman: The Widening Gyre (2009-10) was plagued with enough hiatuses to finally be put on an “indefinite hiatus” after six of its twelve planned issues, it introduced and developed a number of plot threads that could have been central to Batman’s character before the aforementioned cliffhanger put all of them on hold for good. Among these threads was the introduction of a new vigilante in Gotham City, one who proved to be not all he seemed–to disastrous results.

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Batman: The Widening Gyre largely centers around the story of Batman’s experiences with Baphomet, the aforementioned new vigilante in town. Baphomet seems largely inspired by Batman himself and, at first, appears highly competent despite his lack of experience. It is this high level of skill that leads Batman to develop a rapport and initial level of trust with Baphomet, thinking of him as a potential candidate for the family. This story is intertwined with the return of Silver St. Cloud, a woman many fans consider Bruce Wayne’s one true love, into Bruce’s life, and the growing level of trust and affection Bruce develops for Silver, as they fall in love again, and Bruce lets a woman in for one of the few times in his life.

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All seems well at first, but as it turns out, the demon-masked vigilante Baphomet had actually been the supervillain Onomatopoeia, first introduced in Green Arrow Vol. 3 #12 (written by Kevin Smith, art by Phil Hester,) in disguise all along. The fact that Onomatopoeia had managed to get so close to Bruce’s inner circle, even gaining access to the Batcave, had devastating consequences–as it enabled him to get close enough to slit Silver St. Cloud’s throat. Of course, this was the cliffhanger upon which the miniseries ended–leaving Silver St. Cloud’s final fate unknown, even now, twelve years after the fact. Batman’s greatest love was killed by Onomatopoeia and not only has her death never gotten justice, it may never at all.

DC Villain Onomatopoeia almost killing Silver St. Cloud.

While the argument can be made that it was the distraction of romance that let Bruce fail as Batman and ultimately cost Silver’s life, the fact remains that Silver St. Cloud’s death should have been one of the most tragic moments in Batman’s adult life. Instead, it was never truly explored, never given the dramatic weight it deserved, because the fallout of the moment had been intended for the second part of the miniseries, which was never released. Silver St. Cloud could have been the love of Batman’s life, but instead of even having a decisive ending, she has been stuck in limbo for the past twelve years, neither alive nor dead, but halfway between at the edge of Onomatopoeia’s knife.

Although Smith and Flanagan planned to return to the world of The Widening Gyre with Batman: Bellicosity in 2014, the story remains as-yet unfinished. This may be complicated by the number of reboots that have happened since then, as the New 52 brought Onomatopoeia back, re-imagined as an enemy of the Teen Titans. Silver St. Cloud, on the other hand, remains in her state of uncertainty, the story of her apparent death having not been revisited since publication. Considering this as one of the darkest and most tragic unresolved threads of Batman’s life, it is hard to find another unfinished Batman story more deserving of an ending.

Author: Deann Hawkins