Gotham Knights
Gotham Knights, the 2022 action role-playing game developed by WB Games Montréal, features events that take place shortly after the death of Batman!
Taking on the role of Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, or Red Hood (or a combination of all 4 characters), you must investigate the final case Batman was working on before he died and take on a range of bad guys as you pursue your mission.
But can Batman really be dead? The game’s developers wouldn’t really kill off the Caped Crusader, would they? These are the questions you will likely ask yourself as you play through the game.
If you haven’t finished the game’s story yet and you don’t mind a few spoilers, keep reading as we take a closer look at the game’s story and its surprising conclusion.
How does Batman die?
At the beginning of Gotham Knights, Batman is ambushed in the Batcave by Ra’s al Ghul, the ancient leader of the mysterious group known as the League of Shadows.
Ra’s is set on ending not just Batman’s life but everyone the Caped Crusader swore to protect. He mortally wounds Batman but before the villain can carry out the rest of his dastardly plan, Bruce activates the Batcave’s self-destruct sequence that triggers a series of bombs that explode and kill both himself and Ra.
Shortly after, the Bat family turn up at Wayne Manor and find it in flames. Along with the wreckage is Batman’s dead body.
We are then taken to Batman’s funeral where his former sidekicks decide to team up to investigate Batman’s death and protect Gotham City in his place.
What do the Gotham Knights do next?
The crew set up a base of operations at the Belfry and begin their investigation into the death of their friend and mentor.
They take on Batman’s final mission – to stop the League of Shadows from waging a war against the Court of Owls – and pursue one of his leads, a scientist by the name of Kirk Langstrom, who we discover was working with the Court to replicate the Lazarus Pit.
The Knights find Langstrom but getting him to talk isn’t easy as the guy is dead! After recovering a DNA encryption key from his body at the GCPD morgue, they encounter Talia Al Ghul who is incinerating the body of her father. She tells them she isn’t part of the League of Shadows anymore but that the group is about to make their move on Gotham.
The Knights continue their investigation and receive information from Harley Quinn and Penguin that clues them into the location of the Court of Owls and the part the secret society have played in bringing misery to the residents of Gotham. At this stage, we don’t know who the Court members are but we learn that Batman’s death has enabled them to solidify their hold over the city.
Do the Knights unmask the Court’s leader?
Talia urges the Knights to stop the Court before the League mobilizes their forces. They continue their investigation, which involves them infiltrating a masquerade party which has been hosted by the Court. It’s here where they discover the identity of the Court’s leader, Jacob Kane, who just so happens to be Bruce Wayne’s uncle.
The Knights turn Kane in to the police but just as he is being led into custody, he is killed by an assassin’s arrow. The identity of the assassin? Talia, who we discover is the new leader of the League of Shadows. It turns out that she had been lying to the Knights all along to make them take down the Court of Owls to give herself and the League free rein over Gotham. Furthermore, her plans also involved the resurrection of Bruce Wayne using the watered-down version of the Lazarus Pit the Owls had created.
Why does Talia want to see Bruce alive?
The Knights track Talia down to the ruins of Arkham Asylum where the League have taken over the new Lazarus Pit.
We then discover she has used the pit to revive a mutated version of Bruce who has been brought back to life to rule over the League with her.
The Knights are forced to take on the resurrected hero when he attacks them. He is no longer able to follow his usual moral code due to the mind-altering waters of the Lazarus Pit but the Knights try to subdue him anyway in an effort to make him come to his senses.
Eventually, Bruce does regain his normal self. Disappointed by this turn of events, Talia turns on the Knights in an effort to destroy them, but the ensuing fight is interrupted by the Court of Owls who move in to take the pit for themselves. Talia eventually teleports away but not before wounding Bruce. A fight then erupts between the Knights and the Court’s assassins but this is broken up by Bruce, who makes one last sacrifice.
Is Batman dead at the end of Gotham Knights?
Mortally wounded by Talia, the injured Bruce climbs into the Batplane and uses the radio to remind the Knights that they are stronger than he is when they work together.
He then tells the Knights to leave the Batcave because he is about to commit one final act of heroism. Using his last ounce of strength, Bruce crashes the Batplane into the Lazarus Pit, killing both himself and most of the Court members in the blast.
But Batman’s not really dead, right?
Unfortunately, yes! His remains are found in the wreckage of the Batcave so he’s not coming back from this one. Well, unless a new Lazarus Pit is created that is, but that all depends on whether or not a sequel to this game is made.
As the game ends, we learn that both Talia and the Court of Owls have gone to ground, so at this point, they have both escaped justice. But as the Knights are now the protectors of Gotham, with a renewed sense of purpose to stop any criminal from destroying the city after the second death of Batman, we know that these adversaries will likely face justice if they ever return to take control over Gotham!
Read More: Gotham Knights Game Review