Sometimes bad things come of good intentions. To that end in comics, it has been argued that Gotham City is largely as bad as it is because Batman attracts supervillains seeking to challenge him. Ignoring that debate for the moment, a new DC villain was recently established as being created through the Dark Knight’s efforts to help others. Indeed, another superhero also had an accidental hand in creating the new criminal mastermind called The Lion.
The Lion was introduced in the current Detective Comics storyline, “The Courage That Kills.” Written by Tom Taylor, with art by Mikel Janín, the story pits Batman against a new supervillain called The Lion. He quickly deduced that The Lion was Louis King; a self-made millionaire and chemical magnate. However, it took him some time to recall that he had encountered King twice before.
Early in his war on crime, Batman confronted a hired gun named Mark Kingsford, after chasing him to his apartment. He did not realize at the time that Mark’s son, Leo, was hiding in a cabinet and heard the violent encounter. This gave Leo a deep-rooted fear of open spaces and violence, as he was sent into the foster care system.
As Bruce Wayne, Batman tried to care for Leo, paying for his in-home schooling. When Leo won a WayneTech Science Fair as a teenager, Bruce Wayne personally delivered his trophy and a newly funded cash prize. This formed the nest egg that Leo Kingsford used to become Louis King and The Lion.
How Black Canary influenced new Batman villain
Another clue to The Lion’s past led Batman to seek out Black Canary. When he fought The Lion, he recognized his particular style of boxing-based combat as being similar to that of Dinah Lance. To his surprise, he discovered that not only did Dinah remember Leo, but she also knew how he first began using the alias The Lion.
The visit from Bruce Wayne inspired young Leo to confront his fears. He started training at Grant’s Gym, which was run by Ted Grant, a former heavyweight champion. Grant was also the vigilante Wildcat, and trainer of several superheroes, including Black Canary and Batman.
Leo earned the nickname “The Lion” after confronting and beating a bully who called himself “The Beast.” The nickname referred to the lion’s status as “King of the Beasts.” Soon Leo was on the road to becoming a serious contender.
However, The Lion’s reign as the champ of Grant’s Gym was short-lived. His paralyzing fear came back after he lost a fight to Black Canary. This pushed him back to science and devising a chemical formula that eliminated fear. It also led to him threatening Gotham City, by making people so fearless they were reckless as The Lion.
Detective Comic #1105 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
