Created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo, the Court is described as an organization of the wealthiest and most influential citizens of the city of Gotham, having existed since the city's founding and completely unknown among its general population outside of an urban legend centered around their reputation for grisly assassinations carried out by indoctrinated agents known as Talons.

They feature prominently in the story of the 2022 video game Gotham Knights, and appear as main antagonists in the unrelated 2023 television series of the same name.

The Court of Owls was created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo and feature as Batman's main antagonists in the first two-story arcs of The New 52, the 2011 reboot of DC's continuity.

The Court of Owls is a violent cabal of some of Gotham City's oldest and wealthiest families who use murder and money to wield political influence throughout history.

Bruce Wayne recounts that, as a child, he believed the Court of Owls responsible for the death of his parents and personally investigated the conspiracy before determining that there was no evidence.

When Wayne announces plans to rebuild and reshape Gotham City for the future, the Court sentences him to death and their assassin, the Talon William Cobb, attempts to murder him during a meeting with Lincoln March.

In the 2015-2016 storyline Robin War, the Court of Owls reanimate Lincoln March, who has devised a way to obtain their prophesied Gray Son.

Councilwoman Noctua, a member of the Court, rises to power in Gotham City and implants laws that ban all Robin paraphernalia and will imprison those caught possessing or wearing anything Robin-related.

He willingly works for the Parliament to bring them down from the inside; they are wary of and suspect Grayson's true intentions, but they do not know that their leverage over him has been resolved.