Gotham Knightshas gone mostly radio silent since it was delayed back in March. The game looks a lot like theBatman Arkhamgames as far as gameplay goes, though it’s being handled byWB Games Montrealrather than Rocksteady. Plus, Batman is absent from the story this time around, at least from what fans have seen of the game. That gives WB Games Montreal a unique opportunity to include an incredible villain, though.
Of course,Gotham Knightswill likely include the usual suspects – Two Face, The Penguin, and the rest – thoughThe Court of Owlsis an interesting new addition. However,Gotham Knightsis introducing tons of changes to the formula, offering co-op and loot alongside a different set of protagonists: Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood.
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That set of heroes, specifically, is what presents such a great opportunity to introduce one of DC’s most brutal villains into the fold. That villain isThe Batman Who Laughs, a twisted version of Bruce Wayne that has been infected with a modified version of the Joker Toxin. That puts WB Montreal in a unique position to have the quartet of heroes try and take down the villain.
The Batman Who Laughs
The Batman Who Laughs is a dark character all around, though their origin is essentially that of the more gallant Bruce Wayne that fans have come to know. His parents were shot in an alley and he went on to pursue a life of crime-fighting. The difference is that this Bruce Wayne was corrupted by an incurable form of the Joker Toxin, and went on to murder his closest allies and gain cosmic powers.
All of that makes The Batman Who Laughs a formidable threat against the heroes featured inGotham Knights,as they’re (partly) the ones that are murdered by him in the comics. That presents a surprisingly interesting plot point, though, asGotham Knightscould essentially focus on taking down a corrupt form of Batman that the group of heroes is completely unequipped to handle. Plus, The Batman Who Laughs is one of the most wicked-lookingvillains that DC has created, which is icing on the cake.
Not to mention, the villain hasn’t had much of a presence in video games, partly due to how recently he was created. First appearing in 2017, DC hasn’t had many opportunities to include the character in anything outside of comics, though he did sort of appearing as aMortal Kombat 11skin for Noob Saibotalongside the Joker DLC release. As such, there are likely lots of casual fans that wouldn’t know about The Batman Who Laughs, which is a great opportunity to introduce some extra horror into the game.
The Bruce Wayne Problem
The big question right now is what happened to Bruce Wayne.Gotham Knightsisn’t a sequel toArkham Knight,so the question of what caused Bruce Wayne to die is still lingering. Obviously, fans are already speculating that Bruce Wayne might not be as dead as the protagonists seem to think he is. And while that may seem like a fairly obvious twist to include in the game, it’s still possible for WB Game Montreal to subvert expectations and add another layer to it.
There would be few better ways to reintroduce the “dead” Bruce Wayne than by making a corrupted form of him one of the game’s final boss fights. The explosion that killed Batman could easily be explained as Bruce Wayne trying to stop his transformation into The Batman Who Laughs, recognizing thatthe Joker toxinis taking hold and trying to save his allies. It fits the character, especially if the last-ditch effort didn’t shake out, which could explain why Bruce was never able to warn his friends of what was going to happen.
Of course, that leaves a lot of questions unaddressed. There’s still relatively little information about whatGotham Knights’story will entail, as fans really only got a few looks at the game duringDC Fandomebefore the game was ultimately delayed. That’s not necessarily a red flag, but the way the game has approached its marketing does suggest that there’s more going on in the narrative than what meets the eye, and The Batman Who Laughs being a central character wouldn’t be something many people are expecting.
Where’s The Joker?
One of the other big questions going intoGotham Knightsis the Joker’s role in the plot. Oddly, Warner Bros Montreal is being a bit too quiet on the subject, even suspiciously so. For instance, on theGotham Knightswebsite, Red Hood is only listed as dying a “violent death,” though it doesn’t specifically name The Joker as the culprit. It’s a small detail, but it’s odd that WB Games Montreal is avoiding it in the first place.
It could be that the developers are just trying to throw players off of the scent of the plot, as it seems likely that The Joker will appear in some capacity. He’s the most likely figure behind Bruce Wayne’s “death,” and that sort of proximity does make an appearance from The Batman Who Laughs seem a bit more likely. The Joker toxin has played a pretty big role in pastBatmangames, and whileGotham Knightsisn’t a sequel, it could be something that gets reintroduced in the game.
Fans aren’t going to get any real answers for a while, as the game isn’t slated to come out until next year at the earliest. However, there are a number of theories that seem like they could end up being correct. The Batman Who Laughs just so happens to be one of the most interesting ways that WB Montreal could take the game, and all of the puzzle pieces are in place for that to happen right now. It might not be safe to bet on it due to how dark of a character The Batman Who Laughs is, but it would be an interesting addition.
Gotham Knightsis currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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