The Court Of Owls has always been a dark presence throughout Gotham City’s history, but the upcoming Gotham Knights game will see the secret society expanded like never before. The Court will serve as the primary antagonists of WB Montreal’s upcoming superhero action title, which will see longtime Batman protégés Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood, and Robin step into the role of Gotham City’s primary protectors after the Dark Knight’s apparent death - as shown during the Gotham Knights presentation at yesterday's DC Fandome livestream.
The Court of Owls made its first appearance in the pages of the New 52’s Batman #2 in 2011, where they were established as a shadowy cabal of Gotham’s wealthy elite that secretly control all aspects of the long-troubled city with the aid of their superhuman “Talon” enforcers. They have been responsible for many of the tragic events to happen within Gotham’s streets, including the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents in some versions of the DC Comics lore. The Court of Owls has been featured in many adaptations since its introduction, with fans speculating that the Court will make an appearance in Matt Reeves’s upcoming film The Batman.
As for the Gotham Knights iteration of the Court Of Owls, a recent Behind The Scenes video on the Warner Bros. Games YouTube channel provides a brief but in-depth look at what fans can expect from the secret society when Gotham Knights launches next year. During the three-minute-long video, famed DC comic book creators Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, and Jim Lee discuss some of the real-life inspirations behind the Court Of Owls’ secret influence over Gotham City and its owl motif, before noting how impressed they were after seeing what developer WB Montreal is doing to bring their creation into the gaming world. Additionally, Gotham Knights creative director Patrick Redding and narrative director Ann Lemay discuss the challenges in translating the heavy lore of the Court Of Owls into an interactive medium, with the former promising that players will face off against different varieties of Talons with certain strengths and weaknesses.
Even before the DC Fandome, the Court made its presence felt thanks to a Gotham Knights gift package that was sent out to certain fans late last week which contained a replica Court Of Owls mask and newspaper chronicling Bruce Wayne’s mysterious death from an explosion at Wayne Manor. WB Games offered fans another look at Gotham Knights with a new story trailer during yesterday’s DC Fandome, which featured the Penguin ominously warning Nightwing against going up against the Court Of Owls while Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood battle hordes of zombie-like Talons within Gotham's ancient catacombs.
While the Court Of Owls is a relatively new addition to Batman’s massive Rogue’s Gallery, it remains a fascinating organization with great potential as villains in a video game like Gotham Knights – and this is made readily apparent given the excitement WB Montreal is showing in bringing the Court to live like never before.
Gotham Knights will come to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S platforms in 2022.
Source: Warner Bros. Games/YouTube