Batman: The Ultimate Evil themes concerning child sexual abuse and explored the topic of child sex tourism. The publisher required Vachss to follow certain rules, like making a clear distinction between fiction and reality and prohibiting the Batman character from killing, cursing, or having sex. In the story, billionaire Bruce Wayne, who as a child witnessed the murder of his parents Thomas and Martha, encounters the social worker Debra Kane, who takes Wayne to check up on her clients: he sees clear cases of child abuse and brave but futile resistance to it. Wayne's loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth, gives him the secret files from
Batman: The Widening Gyre return to Gotham City. As Alfred takes St. Cloud back to her home, her final words to Batman haunt him, and he gives chase. After stopping Alfred and St. Cloud on the roadside, Batman forcibly plucks one of St. Cloud's hairs, and runs a DNA test on it to confirm that she is human. Embarrassed by his paranoia, Batman confesses that he thought St. Cloud was an android created by Professor Ivo as part of a trap. St. Cloud admits that, because of Batman's lifestyle, she knows their relationship will never be normal, and she forgives Batman. That night, Batman