We need to see these characters in Gotham Knights.
Gotham Knights has fans of video games and comic books excited – and for very good reason.
The Batman: Arkham games were classics. However, while everyone loved them, many found it disappointing that we could only use Batman and the occasional other characters during the game (or with the downloadable content). Now, however, we’ll be able to control Red Hood, Robin (Tim Drake), Nightwing, and Batgirl.
Each of these characters will have their own unique fighting style and weapons. Nightwing is acrobatic, Robin uses his staff, Batgirl is known for her motorcycle (as we saw in the trailer), and Red Hood has his guns. It’s great that we’re seeing four of the main members of Batman’s family. Although, it would be nice to see some cameos from other members of the Bat-Family.
If we only get to use the four characters, that’s more than a great start. It’s starting the evolution of a new series. Even if we can’t use more characters, cameos are always an important part of games. For example, we couldn’t use Alfred, but it was important that he was a part of the story.
With comic books – and Batman – being more popular than ever, adding more characters connected to Batman could certainly help, bringing recognition to them and adding to the overall story. Here are some characters we should see in Gotham Knights.
Let’s start with someone people are shocked isn’t in the game.
Batwoman
Kate Kane is one of the Bat-Family’s most underrated characters. Batwoman kicks all kinds of butt. Her military training – on top of everything she’s done beyond that – has made her very dangerous to the criminals of Gotham City. That’s on top of her just being a natural leader.
A cameo from Kate Kane is important for a couple of reasons. First, we need to see her in a future Gotham Knights game. She’s already a popular comic book character and The CW’s Arrowverse TV adaptation has made her a pop culture star. It would be foolish to not bring her in.
Second, she’s Bruce’s cousin and would undoubtedly take his apparent death hard. She may be one of the people who go to Jason Todd (Red Hood). They have a love/hate relationship, but Jason trusts her more than most people in the Bat-Family.
Also, there’s one more thing. Someone will have to wear the cowl. Someone has to be Batman. We know that Dick Grayson has never been comfortable with being Batman. Since Batwoman carries on the Dark Knight’s mission in The CW show, why not have her do the same thing here? The ending of Gotham Knights could be her taking the reins.
Superman
This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. It’s well-documented that Superman is Bruce’s best friend. They’ve fought side-by-side, shared dates with Lois and Catwoman, and they’ve saved the universe. There’s no doubt that Superman would cry upon finding out that Bruce was gone. Knowing Kal-El, he probably have immediately flown to Gotham to find out whether or not it was true.
This isn’t to say that we need a long cut scene with Superman, but having one in general wouldn’t be a bad idea. Something where he pops in during the middle of the game to let Nightwing know that he’s round if he needs to talk. More than that may seem weird because it would risk taking the spotlight from the Bat-Family.
Duke Thomas
Duke Thomas (The Signal) is the newest member of Batman’s family. When he recruited Duke, Bruce was asked if Duke was the new Robin. Bruce said no and that he was trying something different.
Duke sees the world differently than Bruce. This is why they work together and why Duke wouldn’t work as Robin. He is also the only member of the Bat-Family with powers – another reason this is different.
This cameo could go a couple of ways. First, it would be something where Duke appears and all we get is his name after we see him. He doesn’t have to be young either. In the White Knight series, Duke is an adult that led a community in Gotham and kept them safe. If this happens, it’ll let everyone know that he is in this universe.
Or, he could have been someone Bruce never finished training. Duke could have the Miles Morales treatment from the Spider-Man PlayStation universe. Someone we see throughout the game that gets used at a later time.
Harley Quinn
This is a weird one. Harley Quinn certainly isn’t an official member of the Bat-Family, but the back-and-forth villain is someone that Batman has learned to trust over the years. Considering her past with Joker, it really says something that Batman allows her to watch his back. Heck, she’s been in the Batcave as well.
It’s likely that we’ll see Harley at some point in this game. And, for once, she won’t be the villain. Harley has been more of a hero in pop culture and in the comics. This is a trend that will continue into Gotham Knights. That’s not to say you won’t fight her. You’ll likely encounter her and there’ll be some kind of misunderstanding and Batgirl will no doubt have to vouch for her since they have a history together.
Batwing
Lucas “Luke” Fox is the son of Bruce’s business partner and friend Lucius Fox. Just like his father, Luke is a genius inventor. He’s more like Tony Stark than anything. They’re both rich, have an advanced suit of armor, and are futurists. The difference is Lucas Fox is a much better fighter. He’s trained in mixed martial arts. Stark is a fighter, but not like this.
Lucas could appear to help Tim and Barbara upgrade the tech in the Belfry. Tim and Barbara are smart, but they’re going to need some help. Especially if they’re out saving the city. Luke doesn’t think like them. In this new era, that will be needed. Luke will bring ideas that they’d never come up with.
Who knows, in a future Gotham Knights game, maybe we’ll be able to use Batwing in the future to fly around Gotham. That would be amazing.
Damian Wayne
It was somewhat disappointing to see that Gotham Knights hasn’t added Damian Wayne as a playable character. He’s the son of Batman and an engaging Robin. If they only wanted one Robin in the game, it’s not as if Tim Drake doesn’t have other personas or costumes he can use.
As strange as it was, this could also have been a strategic move. Damian could be someone the Bat-Family doesn’t know exists. At the end of the game, we could find out that Bruce had a son he didn’t know about, perhaps?
There might be another explanation. Damian may not be ready to fight the way his father taught him. Damian has a temper and would be ready to kill every villain in Gotham. That would be counterproductive to what Bruce wanted for him. So don’t be shocked if you have to fight Damian in Gotham Knights.
Orphan
Orphan deserves to be recognized. She’s so good that even Batman knows he may not be able to beat her in a fight.
She communicates by speaking in broken sentences, sometimes only using a few words at a time. It’s because she wasn’t raised to talk. She was raised to be a fighter and a weapon. There was no need to speak. You might think the game would struggle to translate that from page to screen, but it’s something the creators would be more than capable of.
When Batman recruited her, she developed a father and daughter relationship with Clayface that helped them both. They learned that they aren’t the monsters that people see. They were more than tools for violence. With The Outsiders, her and Duke have become friends. Duke is learning to fight from her while he is helping her with emotions.
Orphan may not be in this one, but you can almost guarantee that she will be in a future Gotham Knights project. Even if it’s only downloadable content. She’s too good to not be around.
Renee Montoya
Another thing we learned from the Gotham Knights trailer is that the Gotham Police Department doesn’t trust the Bat-Family. Since Commissioner Gordon is gone, whoever is now in charge may want to do things in a new way. That person may be Renee Montoya. For all we know, she could be the new commissioner. Maybe even the chief of police. If Batman or someone in the Bat-Family indirectly caused Gordon’s death, she may not have forgiven them.
There’s also the possibility that she may still be on the force and giving them information from the inside. Renee Montoya had a relationship with Kate Kane in the comics, so if Kate exists in this world, she may be sympathetic because of that.
It’s doubtful that Montoya would just give up on the Bat-Family. However, this is an alternate reality. Who knows what’s going on. Regardless of how it happens, she’s another must-have in this game.
Catwoman
Other than Dick Grayson, no one is going to take Bruce Wayne’s death harder than Catwoman. The two of them have been playing the cat and mouse game for years (decades in the real world). They love each other.
In this universe, they may not have been married or even in a relationship, but that isn’t going to stop her from mourning the loss of her love. She’s most likely devastated and is going to rob a millionaire to ease her pain. That’s where Catwoman will make her appearance. Will you have to fight her? Constantly chase Catwoman as she drops clues throughout the game? Or will she help you on your mission? We’ll have to wait and see because it’s unlikely that she won’t be in this game in some capacity.
What do you think? Which characters would you like to see in Gotham Knights? Let us know in the comments below.