The Court of Owls have been a popular Batman antagonist since its secret society’s inception in the comics. As a clandestine criminal organization that has had a hand in many societal and governmental underpinnings in Gotham City, the Court of Owls makes for a great antagonist group. The Court of Owls is now set to be the chief antagonist in Gotham Knights, and while this may be incredible news for fans, it is rather unfortunate that this news had been shared so early. Indeed, having the Court of Owls revealed already spoils what makes it as compelling as it is.
In terms of gameplay, the Court of Owls makes for a great antagonist group since it can be its own faction gang in Gotham Knights’ open-world Gotham City. Gameplay footage has shown encounters where players fight against the Court, composed of ordinary individuals in suits and owl masks, as well as eerie Talon enemies who are either skinny and appear in a mob, or are hulking and wield a shield and a spiked club. It is great to know that Gotham Knights will have a definitive antagonist, but it would have arguably been better if kept a secret until fans played the game themselves.
Gotham Knights Spoiled Its Most Interesting Reveal
.png?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
In the latest trailer, players approach Oswald Cobblepot’s Penguin in Gotham Knights to learn more about the Court of Owls. Here, Penguin claims that “Not a whispered word is said.” Unfortunately, Gotham Knights' marketing materials have not operated with the same secrecy.
How Penguin knows about the Court of Owls is a mystery, but as for it being a secret otherwise, players have now known about the hidden society for the entirety of Gotham Knights’ public development. Looking back at the earliest marketing promotions for Gotham Knights, it was unclear at that time what kind of game it would be. Fans could only assume Batman would be playable once again, and WB Games Montreal would infrequently post cryptic symbols.
It was then subtly revealed that the Court of Owls would appear before the game even revealed Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood as its playable protagonists. There is no chance now that fans will be surprised by their appearance in Gotham Knights’ narrative, and that could make any subsequent themes that involve them fall flat as well.
Gotham Knights’ Court of Owls Needed to Be Kept a Secret
.png?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
The most interesting premise about the Court of Owls is that nobody knows about them, and that they have secretly been pulling Gotham’s strings. This could lead to some compelling narrative beats, such as explaining why Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon are dead in Gotham Knights.
However, these reveals would land much more meaningfully if the Court of Owls had been kept a secret entirely from fans until the end of the game. Following leads as fledgling detectives, the Knights could have been lured down a rabbit hole to learn about crime scenes and murders that had occurred in Gotham’s past.
Following a more hidden path, a full reveal of the Court of Owls would have been remarkable. The only downside to the Court of Owls being kept a secret would have been the fact that its other villains would have been much less interesting. Gotham Knights would need to carry its marketing on the backs of its playable protagonists alone, since Harley Quinn, Clayface, and Mr. Freeze are all known villains in the Batman mythology.
Gotham Knights’ supplementary villains are still intriguing, but it is unlikely that fans would have been as excited for them as they are for the Court of Owls. Either way, the Court of Owls is Gotham Knights’ centerpiece, and although other surprises may be in store, it is great to see such a unique and fresh antagonist group play a key role.
Gotham Knights is scheduled to release on October 21, 2022, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.