The recent trailers for WB's upcoming Batman game, Gotham Knights, delivers the foundation for an enticing plot. However, they still only reveal a sparse amount of information, and details on key elements like the identity of the villains and Bruce Wayne's true fate are incredibly murky.
It's clear from the beginning that despite their work on Batman: Arkham Origins, WB Montreal is not trying to make another Arkham game. For starters, Batman himself does not seem to be playable in this game. Instead, players are expected to control Batgirl, Nightwing, Robin and Red Hood in their quest to protect Gotham. Players can choose to control any one of these four, both in single and multiplayer formats. However, the details of how and why Batman is no longer participating in his Gotham night life are few and far between. Luckily, the trailer's two voiceovers do establish several key concepts that open the way for speculation in Gotham Knight's story.
The official trailer for Gotham Knights shown off at DC FanDome begins with a voiceover from Bruce Wayne. He has sent a pre-recorded video will to the major members of the Bat Family, explaining that he has died and set off an explosion large enough to take the Batcave, and presumably Wayne Manor, with him. In his absence, he is leaving Gotham's protection in the hands of the Bat Family, and has provided an HQ in the form of his backup base in Gotham's Belfry Tower. However, one other individual who resembles Bruce almost exactly (save for a long scar across his face) also receives the message. It is unknown if this is the real Bruce Wayne, or an impostor akin to the villain Hush in Arkham City. Regardless, this mysterious figure adds an element of chaos into the mix which makes Bruce Wayne's death a questionable event at best.
Gotham Knight's Trailer Voiceovers Build The Game's Mysterious Plot
What's even more mysterious is the question of who organized Batman's death and why. It's unclear if the explosion that destroyed the Batcave also actually killed Bruce, but he does make it clear that it was an intentional self-sabotage. However, it is not explained who managed to get the upper hand on him so much that Batman was forced to initiate Code Black. Despite this scenario's resemblance to the end of Arkham Knight, it cannot be as a result of efforts from Jason Todd or Scarecrow. Several details, such as the death of Jim Gordon, Jason Todd's persona as the Red Hood, and Barbara Gordon's persona as Batgirl, have set Gotham Knight's timeline as one completely distinct from the events of the Batman: Arkham series.
The trailer does give one final hint in its last moments as to who conquered Batman. After showing off Bruce's video will and the abilities of the game's four playable characters, the trailer reveals the presence of the mysterious Court of Owls. This surreptitious group of unknown crime lords have pulled the City of Gotham's strings since its earliest days. If the creepy, owl-masked figures shown off in the trailer aren't enough proof of their involvement, then surely the trailer's second voiceover, an unspecified child reciting an old Gotham nursery rhyme about the Court of Owls, is sufficient evidence.
There are very few people who have the intelligence and resources to out-perform Batman, and the clandestine secret society which controls Gotham's underbelly is surely one of them. It is still up in the air whether or not the Court is behind Batman's death, but it is certain that they have some hand in the event. How the Bat Family uncovers their involvement, and how that knowledge affects the story of the game, is even more uncertain. Still, WB Montreal has shown off just enough to make room for speculation, effectively adding to the hype surrounding Gotham Knights' release date in 2021.