A recent Gotham Knights gameplay video showed off Red Hood's mystical traversal ability, and the superpower doesn't quite fit into Batman's world. The upcoming open-world adventure sees Batman's closest allies unite to defend Gotham City following the untimely death of the Dark Knight. In Gotham Knights players will take control of Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin and Red Hood, and each of these iconic characters will possess their own unique combat abilities and traversal style. However, Gotham Knights' resurrected Red Hood will possess very different abilities when compared to his typical incarnations.
The brutal vigilante known as Red Hood was once Jason Todd, a street orphan caught by Batman while attempting to steal the Batmobile's tires. Batman decided to train Jason as the second Robin - following Dick Grayson's transformation into an original hero named Nightwing - to form a new incarnation of the Dynamic Duo. However, after a brief stint as the Boy Wonder, Jason was brutally tortured and killed by the Joker during an infamous storyline called Death in the Family. Death was not the end for Jason Todd, however, as he was eventually brought back to life by the universe-altering events of the Infinite Crisis storyline. After his resurrection, Jason became a lethal vigilante named Red Hood, named after the Joker's supposed first criminal identity, which is a title he holds to this day.
Within Gotham Knights' stealth gameplay and combat systems, which are tailor-made to fit each member of the Batman Family, Red Hood stands out due to his use of firearms. Following his brutal death and resurrection, Jason has no qualms about killing criminals, so he often makes use of handguns, rifles, lethal explosives, and more in his ruthless pursuit of justice (although this version uses non-lethal ammo). Jason's training as Robin made him a formidable hand-to-hand warrior and stealth operative from a young age, and additional training after coming back to life has further honed those skills. However, like most members of the Bat Family, Red Hood is usually depicted without any superpowers other than his years of combat training and unwavering determination.
Gotham Knights Gives Red Hood Supernatural Powers
While he usually lacks actual superpowers, Gotham Knights recently revealed a mystical supernatural power available to Red Hood. Each of the game's four playable heroes possesses a unique method of traversal, with Nightwing using the Flying Trapeze glider to fly while Robin hacks the Justice League's Watchtower to teleport around the map. However, Red Hood's traversal power stands out as quite bizarre. The violent vigilante is able to perform Mystical Leaps, which sees him use his own soul energy to perform massive jumps that can let him travel across the skies above Gotham.
While Mystical Leap is the only supernatural power shown so far, a recent gameplay video specifies that Red Hood gained superpowers after being resurrected by an assassin cult. This may suggest that Jason's resurrection is tied to Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins, which is a popular change to his origins as Red Hood. The mention of more than one supernatural power suggests that Red Hood will gain mystical abilities outside of his Mystical Leap traversal power. Offensive soul magic, or perhaps more unusual abilities like invisibility or teleportation, may be unlocked through the criminal killer's character progression tree.
Supernatural Powers Make Gotham Knights' Red Hood Less Interesting
While tying superpowers into his mystical resurrection may be interesting, giving Jason Todd superpowers in Gotham Knights is a disservice to the popular Batman character. Red Hood gameplay in Gotham Knights should demonstrate a version of Batman with the same level of training and dedication to justice as the Caped Crusader but without any of the moral standards that make him a hero. Batman may be a DC Comics icon, but one bad day could result in him becoming an unstoppable killer that leaves bodies in his wake. Red Hood is a dark reflection of Batman that has stooped to this level of brutality, and Batman's failings as a mentor and father are partly responsible for that outcome.
By giving him superpowers, WB Games Montréal has made Red Hood a less interesting character. Rather than demonstrating the potential danger of an ordinary human with a bloodlust, Gotham Knights instead turns Jason Todd into just another superpowered anti-hero. Since the other members of the Batman family are still just highly-trained humans, the change also makes Red Hood stand out amongst his peers. Batgirl, Nightwing, and Robin all protect Gotham without any superpowers in Gotham Knights, but suddenly Red Hood needs supernatural abilities to keep up with his allies. The Injustice 2 version of Red Hood was able to hold his own against other DC juggernauts without soul energy abilities, but Gotham Knights has unintentionally downplayed Jason's skills compared to typical incarnations.
Red Hood Could Have Used Other Unique Traversal Methods In GK
So far the Mystical Leap is Red Hood's only confirmed supernatural power, and Gotham Knights could have easily included another skill or gadget in its place. For example, in the pages of DC Comics Jason has used a set of absurdly sharp arm blades capable of conducting electricity. While mainly used as an offensive or defensive weapon, these blades also give Red Hood the ability to glide as a means of short traversal. These gadgets would have been a wise addition to Gotham Knights, with Red Hood's traversal being a slightly different version of Batgirl's cape glide. The blades' dual purpose as both a weapon and traversal method would also help illustrate Red Hood's brutality and violent crime-fighting style. Meanwhile Red Hood in Batman: Arkham Knight, was able to get around by simply leaping and grappling across rooftops, which could have been another alternative to the Mystical Leap.
While Gotham Knights strives to make each playable hero unique, giving Red Hood supernatural powers was not the ideal way to differentiate the undead anti-hero. Each member of the cast possesses unique qualities, ranging from Nightwing's acrobatics to Red Hood's ranged ruthlessness, so superpowers seem like an unnecessary addition to the group of talented human heroes. Other traversal methods could have fit Red Hood better than the Mystical Leap, and the addition of supernatural powers undermines the character's human skill and determination. Luckily, given the role-playing nature of Gotham Knights, players may not actually be forced to use any superpowers while playing as Red Hood.