Gotham Knights Pros & Cons Of Batman Really Being Dead

Gotham Knights: Pros & Cons Of Batman Really Being Dead

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WB Games Montréal’s choice to kill Batman in Gotham Knights was risky, but there are pros and cons to Bruce Wayne’s demise for the story and gameplay.

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Gotham Knights Pros & Cons Of Batman Really Being Dead

Perhaps the most startling revelation for Gotham Knights came during its announcement trailer, where Bruce Wayne informed Gotham’s new protectors that he was dead – but is killing Batman the best choice? WB Games Montréal’s inclusion of Batman’s death in Gotham Knights is a bold one, with few games in the DC universe daring to exclude the Dark Knight from their roster. Removing Batman from a Gotham-based story gives WB Games’ creative team many opportunities to expand on new stories. Still, Batman’s death could affect public interest and the story quality for Gotham Knights.

Gotham Knights takes place in Gotham City after Batman’s untimely demise, leaving Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin to defend their home alone. With Batman’s absence ushering chaos into the city, villains like the Court of Owls and Mister Freeze have begun enacting their nefarious plots against Gotham and its citizens. Gotham Knights allows co-op or single-player gameplay, with players able to choose multiples of the same hero. Unfortunately, Gotham Knights’ gameplay and story details are hazy, with WB Games Montréal playing everything close to the chest until the game approaches completion.

While the choice to kill Batman off before Gotham Knights’ story begins is bold, it ensures the game will be unique from Batman Arkham and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. The Batman Arkham series already explored many avenues of the character and enjoyed a legendary saga of the Dark Knight’s adventures. Similarly, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League takes place in the Batman Arkham universe but won’t focus on Batman. However, Suicide Squad has several Batman Arkham references and could feature Batman in some form. This dependence on Batman could undermine the playable characters and Justice League heroes in some capacity, which Gotham Knights could be trying to avoid.

Gotham Knights Pro To Killing Batman: Can Focus On Other Characters

Gotham Knights Pros & Cons Of Batman Really Being Dead

There likely isn’t a superhero or comic book fan on Earth that doesn’t know the story of Batman, Bruce Wayne, and the traumas that led him to become the Caped Crusader. Despite the variations between different superhero universes, and the thousands of stories throughout DC, Batman is an iconic character with a set storyline. However, Batman isn’t Gotham’s only hero, and others have begun getting more attention in comics, TV series, and animated movies.

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Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin all have fascinating character arcs often overlooked due to Batman’s constant presence in the spotlight. Gotham Knights can set itself apart from other games by utilizing unique, interesting characters without depending on Batman. By using other characters in the Batfamily, Gotham Knights has appealed to a new portion of the DC fandom, whose interest in Batman’s legacy may outweigh the Dark Knight’s popularity.

Con To Killing Bruce Wayne: Batman Might Attract More Players To Gotham Knights

Gotham Knights Pros & Cons Of Batman Really Being Dead

WB Games put Gotham Knights into a precarious position. While the Batman Arkham series focused on Bruce Wayne’s Batman at various points throughout his career, Gotham Knights focuses on four distinct characters. This means WB Games Montréal will split character development, screen time, plot time, and more between Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin.

These characters are lesser-known and far less popular than Batman, whose name would have drawn significant attention to Gotham Knights. Though the game’s title already connects to the character’s legacy (referencing both Gotham City and the Dark Knight), Easter eggs and flashbacks can’t compare to the real thing. Without Batman, Gotham Knights risks losing players to other DC games like Suicide Squad.

Pro: Batman’s True Death In Gotham Knights Is Unexpected

Gotham Knights Pros & Cons Of Batman Really Being Dead

When the Gotham Knights announcement trailer was first released, fans met Bruce Wayne’s announcement of his death with skepticism. DC and Marvel often kill their headliners for shock factor, only to revive them in increasingly creative ways. If Batman is genuinely dead in Gotham Knights, it would take many fans by surprise and avoid Batman: Arkham Knight’s mistake of faking Batman’s death.

Conversely, if WB Games Montréal sticks to its guns and removes Batman from the story completely, it would show incredible dedication to crafting a truly unique, daring game with Gotham Knights. Avoiding narrative tropes in Batman, like the Lazarus Pit or a body double, increases players’ stakes in the story while maintaining the presence of a serious threat to Gotham. After all, what DC fan doesn’t want to brag that they defeated Batman’s murderer in hand-to-hand combat?

Con: Batman’s Death Eliminates Gotham Knights’ Potential For A Twist Villain

Gotham Knights Pros & Cons Of Batman Really Being Dead

If WB Games Montréal truly killed Batman off before the beginning of Gotham Knights, the studio has lost an opportunity for a surprise (and powerful) villain. DC games rarely offer the opportunity to fight Batman head-on, except in fighting games like Injustice. By utilizing the Court of Owls, WB Games Montréal could have used Batman to return as one of Gotham Knights’ Talon agents for the Court, or possibly even Owlman.

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If Bruce Wayne stays dead, the opportunity to pit him against his proteges is eliminated. The emotional, mental, and physical trauma that Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin could experience by defeating their mentor and father figure could provide an opportunity for significant character development. If Batman is really dead, then Gothman Knights misses out on this huge opportunity.

Pro: Gotham Knights’ Villains Can Prove They Don’t Need Batman

Gotham Knights Pros & Cons Of Batman Really Being Dead

WB Games Montréal confirmed several villains for Gotham Knights, including the Penguin, Mister Freeze, and the Court of Owls. Rarely do these characters get to enjoy the spotlight outside of Batman’s shadow, and their obsession with the Caped Crusader often subverts their more fascinating intricacies. Freeze’s efforts to find a cure for his wife’s terminal illness and Penguin’s desire to reclaim his family fortune and legacy are just some of the stories hidden beneath Batman’s human punching bags. Aside from their intrinsic relationship with Batman, the villains now have the opportunity to create new rivalries with Gotham’s new heroes. The failure to give Gotham’s Rogues a more thoughtful story arc was a mistake in Batman Arkham that Gotham Knights can fix.

Con To Killing Batman: Gotham Knights Lost Its Father & Mentor Figure

It’s undeniable that Gotham Knights’ playable characters have powerful connections to Batman. Bruce Wayne took in Dick Grayson, Nightwing’s civilian identity, shortly after his parents died. Similarly, the orphaned Jason Todd tried to steal the wheels off the Batmobile and became Bruce Wayne’s newest ward and son. Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake both have living parents (at first) but bond with Bruce (and Batman) as a mentor figure. If WB Games Montréal had only severely injured Batman instead of killing him, there would have been more opportunities to explore Bruce’s relationships to Gotham Knights’ heroes without the Batman identity.

Whether Batman is genuinely dead in Gotham Knights or WB Games Montréal is setting up a surprise twist is unknown, but more information is likely to come as 2022 draws nearer. Scarce gameplay has been revealed, and fans only have a handful of cinematic trailers to understand the story. Gotham Knights will release in 2022, but it has no set release date yet.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/gotham-knights-batman-death-bruce-wayne-good-bad/

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