Batman Arkham Knight Logo

The developers at Rocksteady Studios have shown a certain knack for getting their fans scrambling in anticipation, and the announcement of Batman: Arkham Knight was no different. Excitement and mystery abounded when the team revealed that 'Arkham Knight' wasn't just the arbitrary title of the third game in their series, but the name of a brand new villain created specifically for it.

Exactly how the Arkham Knight will fit into the surrounding roster of classic villains isn't yet clear, but fortunately, the character's design has finally been revealed in the latest batch of released images. Looking the part of a militarized and maddened Batman, the villain's design certainly won't disappoint.

The early descriptions of the new character promised a twisted imitation of the Dark Knight's uniform, with the physical embodiment of Arkham Asylum turning to firearms to help differentiate him from Batman (along with a varied color scheme and a helmet equipped with glowing eyes).

So without further ado, take a look at the Arkham Knight in all his glory (click to enlarge):

Rocksteady certainly knows how to re-imagine even established characters to better fit into their Arkham universe, and from this first image of the Arkham Knight, it's easy to see how even the villains will be evolving from the technology of the past. One of the most striking changes spotted in the Arkham Knight announcement trailer was the brand new, sleeker, slicker Batsuit Bruce Wayne will be wearing into combat. The developers explained that both the Batsuit and the new Batmobile were designed to reflect a single vision of cutting-edge technology, and the Arkham Knight seems to be keeping up nicely.

Since the character was revealed, fans have been debating the likelihood of the Knight's true identity; despite Rocksteady claiming they created the villain from scratch alongside DC Comics' Geoff Johns, many have continued to speculate that the character is truly Jason Todd, Deathstroke, or any other gifted assassin from the pages of Batman mythology in disguise. The new screenshots don't provide any further insight into those theories, but do show that whoever is under the Arkham Knight's mark, they truly are a worthy foe for Batman:

[gallery columns="2" link="file" ids="220180,220178,220175,220177,220176,220179"]

Besides the familiar faces and subtle details of the Arkham Knight's outfit, the screenshots also show one of Batman's newest additions to his Batsuit: the holographic projector. The new gadget allows Batman to engage in discussion with other characters through more than a simple touch of his earpiece. It's no surprise to see Oracle a.k.a. Barbara Gordon putting the projector to use, as her character will be playing a much larger role in this installment. And if the Arkham Knight is able to down the Dark Knight so easily, he'll need all the help he can get.

What do you think of the villain's design? Does this seem like an adversary tailor-made for the series' hero, or do you still have your suspicions that a reveal will show the Arkham Knight to be another DC character in disguise? Share your thoughts and reactions in the comments.

_____

Batman: Arkham Knight will be released in 2014 for the PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.