The Order of St. Dumas

""Just what I need. Another secret society.""

—Batman learning that the League isn't his only problem.

The Order of St. Dumas is a secret society which has become based in Gotham City. To date, the only member whom has been seen is Azrael.

Before Arkham City Incident

The Order of St. Dumas claimed to have been around for over 500 years; during their existence they fought corruption in Gotham through unethical means.

Michael Lane would eventually be found by the Order. Seeing it as an opportunity to redeem himself for his past, Michael Lane willingly took up the title of Azrael and devoted himself to the Order and their goals, not realizing that they were secretly stripping him of his free will in order to make him into the perfect weapon.

Arkham City Incident

The Order of St. Dumas had long wanted to be the guiding force against crime and corruption in Gotham. When news came that Bruce Wayne/Batman was rumored to be currently in Arkham City, the Order jumped at the opportunity. Sending Azrael out to earn Batman's trust. The Order provided the Dark Knight with a cryptic message that would come true one year later.

Arkham Knight Incident

On the night of Scarecrow's revenge, amongst all the chaos, the Order finally decided to make their move. Sending Azrael to trick and kill Batman, so that they could take his place. But Batman, whom had grown suspicious of Azrael and the Orders motives, discovered the truth, only to be suddenly interrupted by Azrael. Batman then presented Azrael with a choice, to kill him or walk away. Azrael chose to break his own sword, and he would be freed of his mind control. He would then vow revenge against the Order for what they have done to him.

Behavior

To date, not much has been revealed about this shadowy organizations methods. However, it can be safely assumed that they share similar views as the League of Assassins. They appear to believe that Gotham's savior has to be willing and relentless to the point where they will do anything, including kill, to get the desired result. Since Batman was clearly unwilling to go that far in his crusade, the Order decided that another would have to take his place.

Trivia

• The leader of the group is voiced by Keith Szarabajka.
• It remains unknown if the Order and the League know of each other.
• Some fan theories include that the Order may a faction that broken off from the League, and some hoped that there would either be a confrontation or alliance between the two. This doesn't quite work out though, as the Order of Saint Dumas more similarly function as the Knights Templar.
• The Order shares many similarities with the Knights Templar, a medieval Catholic Military Order who were one of the major participants of the Crusades for the Holy Land. They were lead by a man with the title of Grandmaster.