Batman: Gothic - Plot

Plot

Batman finds that a man known as "Mr. Whisper" is killing off five mobsters bosses one by one. The mobsters explain to Batman that he was a child killer twenty years ago, and the mobsters had found and killed him when there was too much pressure from the cops over them. At the same time, Batman's investigation links Mr. Whisper with a hideous event in Bruce Wayne's school days, a bargain reminiscent of Don Giovanni, and the Gotham City Cathedral.

The events take Batman to a Monastery in Austria, where he finds the truth about the Monk Manfred, who had ruled the same Monastery in the 17th century and, going mad from isolation, committed and guided his fellow monks in the commission of terrible sins, including the rape and murder of a group of nuns seeking sanctuary, with the worst of it reserved for the youngest nun, whose spirit haunted that place into the present. Manfred had sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for avoiding the Black Plague, which the unfortunate nuns had been fleeing. Manfred was also given three hundred years of life, after which he will be taken to hell. Despite some doubts about this story held by the present-day Head Monk, Batman soon discovers that Manfred is indeed Mr. Whisper, and also Mr. Winchester, a teacher Bruce Wayne had when he was a child and was studying in a boys only-British model Boarding school. Winchester had terrorized both Bruce and other students, culminating in the murder of one. Before leaving the school, Bruce saw that Winchester's figure was shadowless, like Manfred's figure is said to be.

Batman monitors the mobsters that can be attacked by Mr. Whisper, who is out for revenge. When Whisper makes his try at one of them, Batman chases him, but he is eventually captured by him. Whisper tells Batman that as a sign of appreciation over his persona and what he represents, he has prepared an elaborate death for him, which is essentially a Rube Goldberg/Heath Robinson-style device. Whisper also has kidnapped a young nun that has recently arrived to Gotham as a hostage, and keeps her captive in the Gotham Cathedral. Whisper reveals his plan to Batman: He is going to cheat the Devil by giving him the souls of the whole city instead of his own. This will happen exactly at midnight, and to achieve his goal, Whisper needs a combination of magic and the very same plague that almost killed him, which will be activated when the toll of Gotham Cathedral's bell announces midnight. Whisper reveals to Batman that he has both elements ready, and his killing spree of mobsters was not really motivated by revenge, being instead only a way of passing the time while waiting for his deadline to come.

Batman escapes from the trap and arrives to the Gotham Cathedral a few minutes before midnight. He fights Whisper in the Cathedral, but the floor collapses and they fall into the subway tunnel. There, Whisper is run over by a train. Batman disables the Cathedral's bell that should have rang, and thus the plague is kept contained in the Cathedral. Shortly after, Whisper is confronted by the young nun, who reveals herself as Satan, who carrying with their pact, finally takes Manfred to Hell where he belongs. Later, Bruce Wayne receives a package with Whisper's/Manfred's heart. He flies back to Austria as Batman, and throws the heart into the river to let the nun who was killed by Whisper so long ago finally rest in peace.