Batman fans have been eagerly awaiting a Gotham Knights video game for years. The game features the accidental death of Bruce Wayne, and his proteges Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and Jason Todd pick up his job of protecting Gotham. Now, there’s another version of Gotham Knights on the way, though it’s not a video game. The CW has a pilot in development for a series of the same name, though it might not be strictly based on the video game - or the comic book series of the same name that predates it.
Right now, the official word on the show is that it will follow Batman’s “rebellious adopted son” as he investigates the murder of Bruce Wayne. He won’t be investigating alone though. He’ll be teaming up with the children of Batman’s villains to do it as they all find themselves suspects in Bruce Wayne’s murder. Gotham Knights is being developed by Natalie Abrams, James Stoteraux, and Chad Fiveash, who are all currently writers for the Batwoman series, but the two shows aren’t expected to be connected. With the summary not mentioning any character names outside of Batman himself, there’s a lot of speculation as to just which characters will be featured - and who should be.
Stephanie Brown
One thing fans should note is that just because the series will feature the children of villains doesn’t necessarily mean those characters have to be villains themselves. Stephanie Brown, the only comic character to take on the mantle of both Batgirl and Robin as well as having her own codename, Spoiler, is the child of a villain known as Cluemaster.
The CW’s Batwoman series featured Stephanie Brown (played by Morgan Kohan) in a single Season 2 episode as she teamed up with Luke Fox to help Batwoman stop her father. Since then, the character hasn’t appeared again - which is probably good since the third season has been focused on reinterpreting legacy villains and the impending arrival of Poison Ivy. Stephanie, whether played by actress Morgan Kohan or a new actress, would be a great addition to the show as someone who just wants to step out of her father’s villainous shadow. Given the multiple worlds used in the Arrowverse on the CW, Kohan could easily play another version of the character as well.
Cassandra Cain
Fans were excited to see Cassandra Cain on the big screen in Birds Of Prey. Unfortunately, the Harley Quinn movie didn’t really deliver. The character was great for the movie, but she wasn’t at all the Cassandra Cain comic book fans imagined. An arc for the character in Gotham Knights could change that.
Cassandra Cain is the child of a pair of assassins. One of those is Lady Shiva, who is a hero or a villain as the mood suits her and depending on how the story serves her. Cassandra is raised to be the perfect weapon, so she’s got incredible fighting skills before her path ever crosses with any of the Bat-characters. Gotham Knights could easily adapt her to be someone who isn’t exactly fast-friends with Batman’s adopted son, providing a great foil for the character.
Jason Todd
Jason Todd already exists in one corner of current DC TV. Curran Walters plays the character for Titans, but as fans all over the internet have pointed out since the potential series was announced, “adopted rebellious son” sounds most like Jason Todd of the Bat-family. Considering the third season of Titans sees the character on his own and very much apart from the titular team, it’s not a stretch to think he could be the main character for Gotham Knights.
It would certainly be great for fans to see Curran Walters reprise his role as Jason Todd, especially since he’s already done such a great job embodying the Titans version of Red Hood, but if that doesn’t happen, the character would still make for a great focal point in the series. Jason Todd has always been smarter than the villains give him credit for. His impulsive nature tends to see him written off a lot, but he’s got the same detective skills of both Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. His time as Red Hood is also a signifier that he wouldn’t keep to the same code that so many heroes of the Arrowverse do of not killing their enemies. He could make for a slightly darker main character.
Damien Or Helena Wayne
The biological son of Bruce Wayne (and one of the characters to become Robin) in the comics, Damien Wayne frequently gets forgotten in discussions of the Bat-Family. The same is true of Helena Wayne, an alternate timeline version of Huntress who is the daughter of Bruce and Catwoman’s Selina Kyle. Including both characters in the series might be overkill for fans, but at least one of them would be a welcome addition.
Part of what makes Batman’s many sidekicks in the comics so compelling is because they are essentially bonded as family. They don’t just learn to fight under Bruce’s leadership; they live in his house and treat one another as more than a team, even though they all become Batgirls and Robins at different times. It’s why the term Bat-family exists at all. Helena or Damien could both come back to Gotham after Jason begins investigating their father’s death, allowing the writers to explore even more of the family dynamic than simply one son of Batman.
Where many of the Arrowverse shows excel is in their family dynamic. The connections forged between the members of teams Arrow, Flash, Batwoman, and Supergirl are what keep the audience interested. Exploring another sibling relationship would definitely allow the series to do that beyond the heroes working with the villains trope.
The Talons
The Court Of Owls has been a long-running part of Batman’s comic book mythos. The organization has run Gotham for generations, kidnapping children and forging them into weapons in a much darker and twisted version of Batman’s own taking teenagers under his wing. Dick Grayson would have been kidnapped and turned into a Talon for the Court of Owls if Bruce Wayne hadn’t adopted him, for example.
The Talons are essentially the assassins for the Court of Owls. They do the dark deeds of the court because they are conditioned to be unflinchingly loyal killing machines. Though the Court Of Owls was briefly highlighted in shows like Gotham, it really hasn’t had the chance to be the proper villain in a live-action Batman project yet. Gotham Knights could be the chance to really explore how the organization works and create some compelling villains who aren’t the Joker or the Penguin.
While fans wait to find out if Gotham Knights will officially be picked up to series, there’s plenty of Bat-related content out there right now. Titans is available to stream on HBO Max, Batwoman is available to watch on the CW, and The Batman lands in theaters in March 2022.