DC FanDome was an massive event filled with announcements and reveals that fans were relishing in, and among the announcements was none other than the long-teased game by Warner Bros. Montréal, which was revealed to be Gotham Knights. The new game will be separate from the Arkhamverse, and will feature The Court of Owls as the main antagonists.
Part of the excitement surrounding Gotham Knights is that players will be able to immerse themselves into choosing the roles of multiple superheroes. So far, the heroes that were shown consisted of: Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl and Robin (Tim Drake). One of the details revealed in the world premiere trailer for Gotham Knights was that Bruce Wayne is dead, which of course, isn't a light piece of information to drop.
Now, being that this will be the first time The Court of Owls are utilized in a game, it came as a bit of a shock that fans wouldn't be controlling Batman in this story. Nevertheless, despite what was shown, there is still a big chance that Bruce Wayne is alive, and could in fact be fighting the Court of Owls in his own way. After all, in the comic version of the story (which Gotham Knights seems to be pulling from heavily) at one point Bruce Wayne was declared missing.
Where Is Batman's Dead Body?
One of the most important aspects about a character's death in anything comic book-related is that to cement the death of a character, a body must be shown. In this case, only a recording of Bruce Wayne was shown to players during Gotham Knights' trailer, which indicates that there's a chance Bruce Wayne may return. The idea that Bruce Wayne allowed himself to "die" in an explosion is a bit of a stretch, and here's why: Bruce Wayne has a code that forbids him from committing murder, so the question is, why would he kill himself? The idea doesn't mesh with the ideology of Batman, unless, of course, he only wants people to think he's dead.
The fight against a corporation as massive as The Court of Owls will mean that Bruce Wayne would need to do the impossible to ensure their defeat. Having Bruce's allies believe he's dead would mean the Court wouldn't have much reason to think he's still alive. That way, Bruce would have the element of surprise, and the game's developers have a chance to do something really bold with the franchise's established characters.
Instead of just the usual scheming behind-the-scenes, Bruce Wayne could end up being a double-agent, infiltrate the group as a Talons himself, and when the time is right, he would strike from the inside-out. Of course, this would have to be towards the ending of Gotham Knights' story, but it could show the entire Bat Family united together against the Court. Something like this could easily be done, and even create tension between Batman and the rest of his family, because of his choice to not let them in on his plans. However, in a recent interview with Gamespot, the developers have assured fans that Batman truly is dead (although this could just be a lie so the surprise isn't ruined).
Regardless, the idea of Batman being dead does welcome different ideas and stories that could potentially lead to something unexpected. The fact that the title of the game doesn't have Batman in it could mean that Warner Bros. Montreal have committed to the idea of him being gone permanently in Gotham Knights' story, and if so that would be a bold (but interesting) decision.