[6] A later issue shows a flashback, revealing that Duke's parents saved Bruce Wayne in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane caused by the Riddler.

[7] Duke tells him that he is training his mind to be able to make an unsolvable riddle that will set the city free, showcasing his heroic nature.

He sets up an elaborate stage on which to reenact the night the Waynes died, even going as far as to use an infected Joe Chill, the man who originally killed his parents, to emotionally torture Bruce.

He rebels as he feels frustrated by the lack of care and empathy the city has been granting to the Joker's victims, resulting in his parents still being missing.

Duke and his new friends are devastated, and become suspicious of The Nest, until Alfred provides them gear, and draws on their individual experiences to encourage them to keep fighting for their city.

Meanwhile, John "Smiley" Bender Jr., a teen with Möbius syndrome, whose parents forced him into surgery that left him with a permanent smile, kills them after getting out of juvie.

It is quickly revealed that this is the result of manipulations by the Court of Owls, as the councilwoman who headed the legislation, Noctua, wishes to earn a place in the society.

The Robins that went home see the destruction throughout the city, they decide to rally once more and the tides turn against the Court, temporarily sending them back underground.

After Robin War a new threat arises in a man who is doling out devices that give powers, however, they are experimental and are just as likely to kill their host.

He first shows the device to his older friend Daryl Gutierrez, a tech genius working as an engineer for the GCPD, who is unable to identify it.

After accepting Bruce's offer to train under him, Duke moves into Wayne Manor and begins working alongside all of Gotham's vigilantes.

He is a heavy feature in All-Star Batman,[11] assisting Bruce in dealing with Two-Face, Victor Zsasz, Hugo Strange, and Mr.

This led to a confrontation with the Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, who had been sent by The Guardians of the Universe to investigate sinister cosmic omens pointing to that location.

In the hidden level were various clues that Batman had collected and stored over the years related to Nth Metal, as well as a prison holding the Joker.

Duke took the codename The Signal and began his mission as the daylight protector of Gotham, recruiting his former Robin gang teammates Riko Sheridan and Izzy Ortiz for technical support.

After defeating Null, Signal decided to investigate further into Juvie Arkham, which had once been the old Gotham solarium before being reworked to house metahuman delinquents.

Signal theorized someone must be using Gotham Proper to direct supercharged solar energy toward different sections of the city like a sundial, creating unstable metahumans across The Narrows.

He shows them a live broadcasts of The Narrows overrun with innumerable metahumans, all chanting Duke's name, as they wreak havoc across the city.

Signal arrived at Gotham Proper just as Detective Aisi and the GCPD cleared the area, and the two enter the building to confront Gnomon together.

Still traumatized from the Karma attack, Duke and the Outsiders find themselves in a proxy war between Batman and Ra's al Ghul over the metahuman Sofia Ramos.

Following the transformation of his powers, Duke would defy Batman's instruction and test his new abilities on his own until Lady Shiva joined the team.

During the events of Death Metal, Prime Earth is destroyed and rewritten by the super celestial Perpetua following the defeat of the Justice League in the Justice/Doom War.

While Wonder Woman's team enacted her plan, The Signal, Orphan, Spoiler, and Red Robin fought to reclaim the section of Castle Bats that was once The Narrows.

Guarding the area was Quietus, an evil Lazarus Pit infused amalgamation of Duke Thomas, Ra's al Ghul, and Batman.

Duke's powers come from the metagene, a genetic variation caused by naturally occurring traces of Nth metal in the bloodstream.

[19] Photo-Umbrakinetic movement: By combining all of his photokinetic abilities, Duke can envision a path then move using light and shadows to near instantly traverse that distance.

[7] Duke was a child prodigy, going on to compete for a Genius grant against the likes of gifted engineer Daryl Gutierrez (Mr. Bloom) at age 12.

[10] After leaving the Robin movement Duke went on to receive training from Bruce Wayne, studying every discipline Bruce studied to become Batman; including training in various martial arts[33] and gaining access to drives that contained all of Batman's contingency plans, journal entries, and personal insights over the years.

Since joining the Outsiders, Duke's training has been overseen by both Katana and Black Lightning and he spars with both as well as Batgirl and Metamorpho on a regular basis.

Duke has a number of supporting characters such as Detective Aisi, Izzy Ortiz, Riko Sheridan, and the rest of his former We Are Robin gang.