Lincoln March was a mayoral candidate and the C.O.O. of March Ventures. In reality he is a rogue member of the Court of Owls who believes himself to be Bruce Wayne's presumed-dead brother, Thomas Wayne Jr..
Lincoln serves as the mainstream continuity version of the villainous alternate reality Anti-Batman, Owlman. Thomas' belief in being Thomas Wayne Jr. reflects how the most popular Owlman is his world's Thomas Wayne Jr.. Lincoln also parallels the "Boomerang Killer" from World's Finest #223 who was Bruce Wayne's secret older-brother Thomas Wayne, Jr., raised in secret due to having been driven mad by trauma from a car-accident.
History
Origins
"Lincoln March" was a paralytic orphan-boy at Willowood Orphanage in Gotham City. March was often visited by Willowood sponsor Martha Wayne who would spend hours sitting beside him at his bed and gave him a ceramic-heart pendant (potentially a trinket given out to all of the orphans). Due to these encounters, the boy believed himself to be Thomas Wayne, Jr., a second son whom Martha was pregnant with but allegedly miscarried due to a car-accident. The boy came to believe that he was paralytic due to having survived the miscarriage and was at Willowood to be raised in secret as the car-accident was arranged by the Waynes' enemies in the Court of Owls, an aristocratic secret-society which controlled Gotham.
After Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered by Joe Chill, the boy was adopted by the Court of Owls. While in the court, his paralysis was seemingly cured (likely via the court's regenerative metal Electrum). At an unknown point of time, the boy took up the name, "Lincoln March" as a reference to the car-accident which he believed to have been born from having occured on the intersection of Lincoln & March. Lincoln March became the C.O.O. of March Ventures and he underwrote Leslie Thompkins satellite clinic on the east side of Gotham City.
The Court of Owls
Lincoln March is a current candidate for Gotham City Mayor and supporter of Bruce Wayne's vision of a new and revitalized Gotham. Upon meeting Bruce, he told him that he too was an orphan and had lost his parents in his youth. He said he didn't remember the face of his mother very well but he still remembers the pin she was wearing the day of the accident. He had made the pin for her at school in ceramics. It was a little heart with one side bigger than the other side. Both of his parents died in a car accident where the other driver was drunk. After that, he was hopeless. After school he went to college and "Gotham saved him".
After an assassination attempt at Wayne Industries (of both himself and Bruce Wayne), Bruce visits him in hospital and learns that Lincoln March has not only heard whispers about the Court of Owls existence but had also had his life threatened by them. He warns Bruce not to discount them just because he's never seen them before because the greatest danger can sometimes be under your feet and you don't realize it.
City of Owls
It is later revealed that Lincoln March was a member of the Court of Owls. However, Lincoln has betrayed the founding members by calling an emergency meeting and poisoning all the members that arrived, then siphoned off all of their money into his accounts.
When Batman finally catches up to Lincoln in Gotham's abandoned Children's Hospital, Lincoln reveals that the court rescued him from the children’s hospital, not due to his natural talents, but rather his family blood line. Lincoln reveals that in fact he is Bruce Wayne's younger brother Thomas Wayne Jr., explaining that when Bruce was three years old, a pregnant Martha Wayne was involved in a car crash. Due to the crash, Martha went into labor early. It was discovered that Lincoln had sustained substantial injuries due to the crash. As a result, the Wayne’s placed Lincoln into the best hospital money could buy. When Lincoln was 4, he made Martha the heart shaped pendant that she is wearing in the painting hanging above Bruce's fireplace. However, the very next year, Thomas and Martha were murdered. They died with the secret that Lincoln was their son. Without the Wayne fortune financing the hospital Lincoln was in, it fell into the hands of Gotham City. Once it was under new, corrupt management, Lincoln and all the other patients were subjected to abuse, malnutrition and neglect.
Lincoln has placed the blame of his parent’s death squarely on Bruce's shoulders, vowing to avenge their deaths by killing Bruce and taking his rightful place as a Wayne. Additionally, Batman noted that without a proper DNA analysis, it is impossible to know if March's claims about his lineage are actually true.
Batman Eternal
Lincoln would become a benefactor for the C-D tier super-villain Arthur Brown AKA The Cluemaster in a scheme to destroy Batman. Lincoln used Brown as his puppet to make schemes revolving around having minor villains wreak havoc on Gotham while systematically seperating the bat-family and even framing Commissioner Gordon.
When Cluemaster finally had Batman incapacitated on the roof of the GCPD building, he was going to shoot Bruce dead before Lincoln murdered Arthur in his place. Bruce managed to take this time to use his last remaining energy to charge at Lincoln, knocking them off of the rooftop which they survived thanks to rockets in the Talon suit.
After this, the two found themselves surrounded by the entire Bat-Family which beat Lincoln down. After this, the Court of Owls would return to take March's body and place it in cryonic storage as punishment for his treachery and in-case they needed him some other day.
Joker War
The Joker would go on to awaken Lincoln from cryo-stasis following the Court's destruction at the hands of the Batman who Laughs. With no Court to serve, Lincoln would join Joker's, "army" (which is somewhat strange considering how Lincoln didn't even serve the court itself).
Powers, Skills & Equipment
- Talon Serum Infusion: The Talon Serum altered his metabolism to have fierce regenerative abilities which makes him nearly-immortal. It also enhanced his natural strength, stamina & speed.
- Martial Arts: He has displayed martial artistic prowess which would require rigorous training. Although he is nowhere near Batman's skills.
- Political Skills: He has shown superior political skills, especially in "the very halls of power". He is also a master of manipulation, as he was also able to manipulate Batman.
- Talon Exoskeleton: The Talon armor gave him superhuman strength, superhuman speed, superhuman durability, life-support systems & energy blasts. It also has retractable claws, hidden blades & other retractable blades, which enhance his combat abilities. He also has a large supply of throwing knives, grappling hooks & other bladed weaponry for combat situations.
Notes and trivia
- In Prime Earth continuity's Lincoln's campaign occurred in the year 2012.