Folks from WB Games Montreal give Bat-fans a twist on Batman games by killing the Bat right off the bat (no pun intended). In Gotham Knights, Bruce Wayne sends a message to four of his proteges after his supposed death. And while Gotham's criminals rejoice, the rest of the Bat-Family take the fight to them. As such, players take control of Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Red Hood in a cooperative game that is by no means similar to the Arkham series.
However, despite lukewarm reception in gameplay footage, fans do have questions about a lot of the elements in the game's story. Like Arkham, Gotham Knights seem to adapt a lot of elements from some of DC Comics' hit Batman stories. Thankfully, it seems the trailer offers a lot of insights towards the upcoming game's narrative. Here are some things Bat-Fans noticed:
10 Less Tacticool, More Batsuit
To start on a light note, it seems costumes of the Bat Family in Gotham Knights lean away from the Arkham's"tacticool" suits. As noted by some fans, Arkham's Batsuits look more of a tactical suits with tad a bit too much armor plating. As such, fans wonder about the "practicality" of such suits.
Meanwhile, the suits of the Gotham Knights appear more padded than plated. Moreover, there appears to be a focus on the appeal of the suits as superhero costumes as well. If Batman turns out to be alive in the game, his Batsuit may resemble his New 52 costume. However, perhaps his costume has the same padding as Nightwing's.
9 New 52: Past And Present
Interestingly, WB Games Montreal may be pulling a New 52 in Gotham Knights. Similar to reboots of other heroes in this new timeline, the New 52 Batman series begins a few years after Bruce Wayne donned the cowl.
Thanks to the popularity of classic Batman stories, New 52 Batman assumes that certain iconic Batman stories may or may have happened as per the convenience of the story. As such, New 52 only gets to confirm the canonicity of classic Batman stories once they're mentioned. Likewise, New 52 Batman dictates the current canonicity of these stories based on their intended narrative.
As such, it makes sense for Bat-Fans to assume that Gotham Knights may have a different take on some of New 52 Batman's most iconic storylines. These may also tie into the existing narrative surrounding the heroes.
8 Gotham Knights, The Belfry
Fans may already be aware that the Gotham Knights name applies both to the upcoming game and the 2016 comics. In fact, the Gotham Knights served as one of the aliases of the Bat Family in Gotham. Interestingly, the Belfry in Gotham Knights also appeared in the comics. Thanks to Tim Drake, the belfry on top of the Old Wayne Tower has become a base of operations for the Bat Family in the heart of Gotham, outside the Batcave.
In Gotham Knights, it seems the Belfry will serve as the central hub of the team after Bruce Wayne's death and while they fight villains. However, unlike in the comics, it seems Batman himself built the Belfry as a backup base for the team. Interestingly, Bruce also mentioned the Belfry had "old tech," implying it may have been an unused base for some time in the story.
7 Nightwing: Battle For The Cowl
When Batman fans think of Robin, they most likely remember Dick Grayson. While he operates as the solo superhero Nightwing, he still remains as the first Robin and one of Batman's closest confidants. As such, his appearance in Gotham Knights seems "given," especially since this is a Batman game. What's interesting is that Nightwing is present in a story where Batman's dead... and he's still Nightwing.
In the 2009 story Batman: Battle for the Cowl, the Bat Family argues about the line of succession on Batman's mantle. Dick eventually dons the mantle of Batman, with Damian as his Robin while protecting Gotham, before Batman's return. As such, it's interesting to note how long in Gotham Knights before such a conflict may also happen.
6 Red Hood: Outlaws
Jason Todd, the second Robin, appears as Red Hood in Gotham Knights. This appearance immediately confirms three things: the Joker exists, he's killed Jason Todd, and Jason gets revived. However, what's interesting is Red Hood donning the Bat Symbol in his vest.
In the comics, Jason's returned as Red Hood without any apparent logo. In fact, he only sported a red skull logo as the superhero version of Red Hood, when he competed against Dick's Batman for a short while. It's during his tenure with the superhero team Outlaws that he started wearing the Bat Symbol again. Does this mean the Outlaws may exist in Gotham Knights as well?
5 Batgirl: Post-Killing Joke
Barbara Gordon's return as Batgirl cements the connection between Gotham Knights and New 52, albeit even on a creative level. In Gotham Knights, players see a brief shot of Barbara's wheelchair in the control station of the Belfry. Following New 52's Batgirl, this means Gotham Knights' Barbara may have recovered from Joker's attack via a neural implant surgery and rehab.
Again, this tidbit confirms the Joker exists, and he's already attacked Batgirl. How did this horrifying incident - and her tenure as Batgirl - affect Jim Gordon?
4 Robin: The Wrong Costume
Fans who saw Robin in the Gotham Knights trailer initially thought of Damian Wayne. After all, the Son of Batman wore almost an identical costume in most of his appearance. As such, it's surprising how Tim Drake is actually the Robin in the game. Why Tim Drake, when he's clearly wearing Damian's costume?
Interestingly, fans might forget that Damian's first Robin costume wasn't even built for him. In Batman and Son, Damian tries to prove himself to Batman by escaping the Wayne Manor and fighting crime himself. However, he's wearing a variant of Jason Todd's old costume. In fact, this story implies that Damian's first iteration of his signature tunic was, in fact, Jason's.
If so, was Tim - now wearing the same tunic - wearing Jason's old costume?
3 Damian Wayne
If Jason Todd did get resurrected via a Lazarus Pit, then the League of Assassins may have been operating in Gotham and other parts of the world. As such, it's likely that Ra's Al Ghul and his daughter Talia also crossed paths with the Bat Family. With this logic, it seems very likely that Batman and Talia have formed a complicated relationship during these incursions. Moreover, given Tim's costume, it also seems possible for Damian Wayne to exist in Gotham Knights.
In the comics, Batman only got to know the existence of a biological son after Talia kidnapped him. In fact, Batman only got to meet Damian when the latter was already a teenager. Did Bruce fake his death to meet and protect Damian?
2 Court Of Owls
The trailer also revealed the Court of Owls. This organization, introduced in the New 52, changes Batman's viewpoint on Gotham's power structure. Unbeknownst to Batman, a shadowy organization controls Gotham from behind the scenes. Moreover, this group employs a team of trained assassins called Talons to take care of "problems" for them.
Since Bruce established his "death" in the trailer, fans may assume some involvement from the Court of Owls. Did they kidnap Bruce like in New 52's Court of Owls story? If not, what role do they play in Bruce's death? When the devs revealed that the game involves more than just the Court, it reveals more questions than answers.
1 The Justice League, Teen Titans
Fans may also notice something notable in Robin's arsenal of abilities: teleportation via the Justice League's Watchtower. This factoid reveals that the Justice League exists in the game. In fact, some might think Batman left this tech in the Belfry in case of emergencies. However, with that logic, it's safe to assume that other Justice League members also left this tech with their proteges.
As such, some fans might speculate that the Teen Titans may already exist in Gotham Knights. Alternatively, Tim Drake may eventually form the team after Gotham Knights. After all, Tim Drake still served as Batman's Robin when he formed his version of the Titans in New 52.