WB Games Montreal have been incredibly tight-lipped on its latest project recently, despite as recently as January releasing some teaser images. Prevailing rumors and leaks state that it's another Batman/Arkham title, which is more than likely, even if it is dropping the Arkham subtitle. But one detail that specifically gets floated around a lot when discussing a new Batman game is the Court of Owls and the Talons. Many theories point to WB Games' teases and the various leaks to confirm that the mysterious group will be the main villain in the next game.
Looking back on the history of DC Comics, the Court of Owls and Talons are a relatively new addition to the Batman canon. After the group's first introduction in the DC reboot in 2011, the group of villains has become a very popular and infamous organization in the comics. Now many fans expect this group will be the center of attention in the next Batman/Arkham game, and there's plenty of evidence to back that up as well. Here's how that new force of evil may present itself in the next Batman game.
Who Are the Court of Owls and Talons?
The Court of Owls is an Illuminati-like organization in the DC universe comprised of members of the Gotham City aristocracy. According to Batman lore, the Court has secretly existed for centuries, as far back as colonial times for Gotham City. Their existence is first foretold from a Gotham City nursery rhyme, describing the Court of Owls as this all-seeing and all-knowing entity in the city. Politically powerful leaders throughout Gotham's history are known to be part of the Court of Owls, along with other influential individuals. The Court wields its influence on others to gain more power throughout Gotham's governmental hierarchy.
Instilling that influence is mostly orchestrated by the Talons, a collective of highly-trained assassins who have sworn allegiance to the Court of Owls. Similarly, the Talons have been around as long as the Court of Owls have existed. Each generation of the Court of Owls is defined by one Talon, who serves their command. In the case of Bruce Wayne and Batman, The specific Talon he faces off with initially is William Cobb, born in 1901. The Talon is over 100 years old because they are genetically enhanced humans capable of cell regeneration, thus the effects of old age and severe trauma are often not enough to kill Talons. Also important to note that Talons aren't constrained to one at a time, in fact Bruce Wayne nearly fought off an army of Talons in Batman comics before.
Mounting Evidence For Court of Owls
In terms of WB Games Montreal's next Batman game, there's plenty of mounting evidence that suggests the game will tackle Court of Owls in some way. The official Twitter account for the studio teased images of sigils or symbols that seemed to reflect multiple criminal organizations in Batman lore. Since then there have been numerous rumors/leaks detailing different aspects of the game, but practically all of these leaks line up with the Court of Owls specifically. Even as early as 2018, a developer part of the WB Games team shared a photo on Twitter of what looked like an Owl emblem, which was presumably part of a developer team T-shirt.
Fans have been finding ways to link together the teased emblems/sigils and see how it relates to Court of Owls. As of right now, only two of the logos teased by WB Games Montréal have been fitted into an overall shape, seen above. The running theory is that this sigil will form the conglomerate of organizations that comprises the Court of Owls in the next Batman game. As to what the two existing sigils represent, it's hard to say. Many theorize the one with the eagle is simply the crest of the Gotham City Police Department, but it's unlike any other iconic imagery from Batman lore. As for the other demonic sigil, some believe this imagery is related to the League of Shadows/Assassins. Assuming these two organizations (among others) are working together, it would only make sense that this tease is a Court of Owls reference.
Beware the Court of Owls
If this all does pan out to be true, then this next Batman game may serve as the hero's toughest battle yet. In the comics, the Court of Owls formed and mobilized after Bruce Wayne had returned to Gotham City with plans to revitalize the city. Obviously the Court of Owls would want to make sure Bruce Wayne doesn't interfere with their sphere of influence, so the organization ordered the Talon to murder him. Considering there are rumors that the next Batman will be some kind of reboot, or at the very least outside of the Arkham series, it makes sense. The Court of Owls storyline is relatively isolated from other Batman villains in the comics, which may be the same case here.
The ending of Arkham Knight, without spoiling the details here, feels final with little room for a sequel. Any Court of Owls game would likely reflect a veteran Batman taking on an enemy the likes of which he's never faced before. The state of Gotham would have to be vastly different compared to the Arkham titles. Plus this also lines up with several other rumors of multiple playable protagonists like Robin, Nightwing, as well as Batman himself. It'll be interesting to see how this game shakes out, whether it ties into the previous series, and if many of the other rumors and leaks are true.
Another Batman game is reportedly in development.