Warning: contains spoilers to Batman: Urban Legends #5!
After months of hints and cameos, the WildC.A.T.s just officially returned to DC Comics continuity. The former Image Comics and WildStorm Productions superhero team haven't officially been seen together since 2011, but thanks to DC's new Omniverse and the merged continuity of the Infinite Frontier initiative, their stories are now part of the official ongoing DC Universe. Appearing to help out Grifter, the team aren't just back in comics canon, but seem to have been working on a secret plan from the shadows.
Created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi, the WildC.A.T.s were a "covert action team" of superheroes connected to the ongoing intergalactic war between the Kherubim and the Daemonites. Later incarnations of the WildC.A.T.s incorporated the Halo Corporation and its founder Jack Marlowe, where the WildC.A.T.s' desire to protect the world was complicated by team drama and corporate politics. Ultimately sold to DC Comics, the team were last seen in 2011’s Wildstorm: The World’s End before the Wildstorm universe was destroyed and incorporated into DC's New 52 continuity. Although characters like Grifter and Zealot would find new purpose in this reimagined DC universe, other members haven't been seen until now, as DC establishes a new continuity where all past stories combine into one official canon.
When Cole Cash, aka Grifter, was first revealed to be Lucius Fox’s new bodyguard and head of security, his discussion with Batman referenced Halo, which hinted that other Wildstorm characters were on the way. In 'The Long Con, Part 5' from Batman: Urban Legends #5 - by Matthew Rosenberg, Ryan Benjamin, Antonio Fabela, and Saida Tomfonte - the WildC.A.T.s make their official Infinite Frontier debut to save Cole and Lucius from vengeful Leviathan agents who’ve trapped them in a Wayne Industries sub-basement.
The WildC.A.T.s' return adds another popular superhero team into the mainstream DC Universe, similar to how fellow Wildstorm alum the Authority are being reintroduced in a new form, but this story hints that the WildC.A.T.s have been busy while they’ve been out of the spotlight. Cole's almost pathological ability to lie, cheat, and manipulate situations to his advantage sees him use Leviathan's attack to trick Lucius into giving him access to the company's data archives and main server, aka the Batcomputer. This appears to have been Cole’s true objective all along, as he begins to download the computers contents, requesting all of the building's security measures be shut off so his long-absent team can teleport in to save the day.
It was clear that DC was integrates its Wildstorm properties into the mainstream continuity - with Zealot recently facing Wonder Woman - but the full reveal of the WildC.A.T.s as a functioning team continues to honor its Infinite Frontier promise that all past stories are relevant and interconnected. After defeating Leviathan’s forces, Cole tries to reassure the perplexed Lucius that not only will everything soon make sense but that Grifter and the WildC.A.T.s are the good guys. Disappearing before Batman can arrive, they leave many questions - primarily what they intend to do with the Batcomputer's stolen information. Although the WildC.A.T.s aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, their diverse powers and unique purpose makes them a fascinating inclusion in the DC Universe, able to act as both allies and enemies to DC Comics' more traditional heroes depending on the story.