(Batman / Captain America #1) - <January, 1945> Batman and Robin were investigating a case involving the Joker, and ended up in a highspeed chase in the streets of Gotham with their Batmobile pursuing the Jokermobile. Joker drove to the docks and then launched himself in the air using the Jokermobile’s spring-loaded seat, and opened a parachute so he’d land safely far away from the Dynamic Duo. Batman started investigating the Jokermobile for clues when he heard a ticking, and he and Robin jumped in the harbor just before the Jokermobile self-detonated. The legendary Captain America and Bucky were fighting in the European theatre when they were called stateside by military intelligence for a top-secret mission. His plane arrived in Gotham Municipal Airfield just as criminals hijacked a top priority flight. Cap leapt from his plane to the priority flight, but the crooks started shooting at him, and he lost his grip. Batman arrived just in time in his Batplane to rescue Captain America, and together they boarded the priority flight and made short work of the crooks. They found Robert Oppenheimer tied up on the plane and realized the flight was a priority because it was connected to the Gotham Project, a high-level military project developing the atom bomb. Batman interrogated the crooks, who all started dying with grins on their faces. Batman found skin patches on them that released a fatal dose of Joker venom. This was the third time Joker had broken his normal M.O. and committed attempted acts of espionage targeting the Gotham Project. Batman and Captain America parted company and military brass told Captain America they wanted him to shadow Bruce Wayne by serving as his bodyguard in his civilian identity of Pvt. Steve Rogers. Bruce Wayne was a major funder of the Gotham Project, and the military suspected he might be behind the Joker’s espionage attempts because although he was a millionaire he had a spotless personal and business life, making him seem too good to be true. Captain America found his higher-up’s reasoning to be less than solid, but followed orders and started serving as Wayne’s bodyguard. Bruce quickly tired of being kept from going into action as Batman, and told Dick Grayson he was going to give Rogers the slip so he could find the Joker. Roger overheard parts of the conversation and believed Bruce was in league with the Joker. He followed Bruce to the Wayne Foundation, where he was going through private files, and attacked him. Bruce and Steve were too evenly-matched and fought to a standstill. Bruce and Steve recognized each other’s fighting style, and any doubt about Bruce’s loyalties faded in Steve’s mind when they agreed to work together on the Joker case as Batman and Captain America. They met in the Batcave and Batman ran a program on the crime-computer to calculate where Joker was operating out of in Gotham. Commissioner Gordon lit the bat-signal, and Batman sent Captain America and Robin to respond. They learned that Joker had stolen Fat Boy, a working prototype atom bomb produced by the Gotham Project. Batman and Bucky went to the warehouse the crime-computer pinpointed as Joker’s likely hideout, but they were ambushed by a mob of criminals and overwhelmed. They woke up tied up and at the mercy of the Red Skull, who’s contacted the Joker to work on behalf of Germany’s war effort. He set up a timebomb and left the duo, but Batman and Bucky managed to slip their bonds. Red Skull met Joker at a secret airforce base, and told Joker he couldn’t allow him to use the bomb to blackmail Gotham City as he’d planned because the Skull was going to detonate it over Washington, D.C. Joker didn’t realize he was working with Nazis, and tried to kill Red Skull with his Joker venom, but the Skull was immune, and his men captured Joker. Skull loaded Joker and the bomb into his plane and set course for Washington. Batman, Cap, Rob and Bucky pursued Red Skull’s plane in the Batplane, and Batman and Cap boarded their enemies flight. Joker attacked Red Skull again when he entered the bomb bay and Batman took control of the plane, flying it out over the Atlantic Ocean. Joker, the Skull and the bomb tumbled out of the Atlantic, and the resulting atomic explosion seemingly killed the villains.

(Superman & Batman Generations #1 (fb, BTS)) - <1940> Bruce Wayne adopted Dick Grayson after the death of his parents. Bruce revealed his secret identity of Batman to Dick and trained him to be his crimefighting partner Robin. With Robin in his life Batman toned down his earlier brutal methods of dealing vigilante justice.

(Superman & Batman Generations #1) - <1949> Robin decided to hang up his tights, telling Batman he was headed off to college. Batman somewhat resented his sidekick leaving him, but Alfred said he had to allow the boy to grow up and forge his own path. When Commissioner Gordon lit the bat-signal Robin decided he wanted to go off on one last mission with Batman before leaving Gotham. Gordon informed the Dynamic Duo that Joker, long thought dead, had robbed a Gotham metallurgy lab of green and gold kryptonite. Joker and Lex, who knew Superman’s secret identity, kidnapped Superman’s pregnant wife Lois Lane to lure Superman into a trap. Batman and Robin alerted Superman, and Batman burst into Luthor’s hideout, disguised as Superman. Joker opened a lead-lined box of green kryptonite and Batman feigned weakness before grabbing the Joker’s wrist and breaking it. Lex shot Batman in the back, and Superman melted the bullets with his heat-vision, but Batman pretended to be fataly wounded. Lex took off Batman’s Superman mask, and then Robin burst in, aslo disguised as Superman. He said he’d forfeit his own life if the villains let Lois go, and Lex said he didn’t want superman dead, he wanted him powerless when Lex took over the world. He revealed a safe containing the gold-k that would permanently strip Superman of his powers when the real Superman sealed it shut with his heat-vision. Superman, Batman and Robin all came after the villains, but Lex had an escape rocketship at the ready and said his farewell would remind Superman and batman of their last encounter. Batman used a batarang to jam the rocketship’s launch rail, and after freeing Lois they fled from the hideout, knowing Lex had set it to blow. They left the destroyed hideout and Lois got a checkup at the doctor’s. Lex had exposed her to the gold-k, ensuring that her unborn child would never have Kryptonian powers. Lois and Clark were troubled by the idea of their powerless future son knowing Superman was his father, and decided to never let him know the truth.

(Batman / Captain America #1) - <1965> Batman (Dick Grayson) and Robin (Bruce Wayne, Jr.) were pursuing Joker Jr. In the batsub in the North Atlantic. They found no sign of the Joker, but did find a block of ice with a man trapped inside in suspended animation. The ice melted, revealing Captain America, who’d disappeared at the end of WWII. They took Cap back to the Batcave, where Alfred served them tea. Bruce Wayne was glad to see his old friend was miraculously still alive, and Alfred said it was providence because troubled times like the ‘60s needed a man like Captain America.

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