#dcu etc

Around the time tensions between Bruce and Jason are starting to rise, the Earth is invaded by arbitrarily powerful aliens, the Plot Devices I'm going to call them the Nilbog. They're really weird about it. Anyone who tries to attack them who is remotely a credible threat gets seized and imprisoned, but beyond that they mostly observe through drones and mechs.

So: Batman is being held prisoner by aliens and everyone knows it.

(Bruce actually managed to escape the Justice League's disastrous first engagement but didn't realize the aliens now knew his identity and gets grabbed publicly as Bruce Wayne. A little weird, but some other rich guys have also been taken — Lex Luthor, Steve Dayton, Oliver Queen — so I guess they're a targeted demographic?)

Some of the Titans try to go after the Nilbog and are also captured and put on ice. Dick isn't one of them. Jason, Alfred, and about-to-retire Barbara have been left in a Batmanless Gotham, and unlike some city's rogues Gotham's criminal element is mostly not interested in challenging aliens. They need Nightwing's help.

Unfortunately Dick disappears soon after arriving in Gotham. (Alfred, Barbara, and whichever Titans aren't captured conclude the aliens took Nightwing. Actually, the Court of Owls felt Bruce's disappearance means it's safe to grab Dick Grayson.) Jason and Barbara have to handle Gotham themselves. They try. It's better than nothing.

Then the Joker captures Robin. But he's not going to kill him when Batman isn't even here!

It's Jason getting the Joker Junior treatment this time (the animated Tim who inspired the Joker Junior scenario had just as much in common with Jason as with comics Tim).

So Joker is dragging around poor Joker Junior Jason, and the other Gotham Rogues are inspired and think 'I gotta get me one of those'. It's a status symbol.

Scarecrow kidnaps a half-dozen kids and runs them through trials to identify the best candidate to be his apprentice/lab rat/mascot. Tim is the one who figures out what he's looking for fast enough to stay alive. ("Crow".)

Riddler grabs that poser Cluemaster's kid. Steph does not express due gratitude for being elevated into the upper echelons of Gotham villainy. (In fact it's hard to get her to cooperate at all but Riddler is determined and also able to obtain a shock collar.) ("Clue".)

Ivy shows up with a mysterious silent ninja girl. (Ivy is pretty good at nonverbal communication — though chemical rather than gestural — and is struck by Cass's purity of conviction. She wants to sway Cass to her, Ivy's, convictions. Cass is unswayed but frequently doped up. ("Blossom".)

Penguin doesn't actually have much interest in a kid sidekick and wouldn't dream of doing anything like training a replacement — people would get ideas — but everyone is doing it so he kidnaps some random kid and threatens his family to ensure cooperation. Duke has nowhere to turn. (Not sure — "Adelie"? Hmm, is there a particularly characteristic fish that penguins eat?)

Two-Face also doesn't actually have much interest in a kid sidekick but everyone else is doing it so he's going to have two. If nothing else he can flip a coin to decide which of them to hit. (Harper and Cullen. It's worse than life with their dad but not as much as it should be.) ("Dos" and "Zwei" maybe?)

As for Damian he is like seven? and the League of Assassins is in turmoil following their failed attempts to defeat the Nilbog. Talia is captured and Ra's is vanished or in hiding. Damian has been left in the custody of Dusan who is really putting his all into the Wicked Uncle role. Cinderdamian?

Eventually the Nilbog decide this isn't a good use of their time and resources, return everyone they captured, and just leave.

Bruce has to deal with all this.