Gotham Knights is an upcoming game developed by WB Games Montreal that sees players take control of members of the Bat Family as they are forced to navigate a world where Batman is now gone. As for the villains of Gotham Knights, we actually know very little about who will be in the game, with the only ones confirmed thus far being the Court of Owls, their Talons, Penguin, and Mr. Freeze.
When looking at who we hope will appear in Gotham Knights, how the villains would fit in the game as either primary or side villains will be taken into account. There is also the possibility of DLC if WB Games Montreal ever feels like there are villains who should be included this way. Lastly, there will be numerous mentioning of the Batman Arkham series, but the Gotham Knights universe is not the same as the Batman Arkham Universe, so the inclusion of this topic is mainly to illustrate comparisons and how Gotham Knights could feature villains in an even better way.
Before getting into the list, I also wanted to briefly mention two characters not on the list. The first is Joker, a character that has been used to the point of oversaturation, so it would be nice to finally have a game in the Batman Universe that doesn’t involve the Clown Prince of Crime. The second villain that shouldn’t be in the game but is worth a mention is Harley Quinn, who, even though she would be a perfectly fine addition to Gotham Knights, she’ll be a main character in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, so ideally I’d prefer this game to focus on other villains in the meantime.
So, without further ado, here are the 12 villains that we hope will appear in Gotham Knights:
Scarecrow
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
Scarecrow is an intriguing villain who would fit the world of Gotham Knights incredibly well. First of all, the game trailers have hinted at a bit of a horror element, especially when it comes to the story with the Court of Owls, which Scarecrow would complement significantly given horror is his specialty.
There could be a mission where the Gotham Knights encounter Scarecrow, and he shows them their fears of not being able to successfully be the heroes that Gotham needs. With how the Bat Family is seemingly thrust out of nowhere into needing to protect Gotham, a mission with Scarecrow would provide a perfect way of showing the players how the Knights are being affected by this. Also, considering how iconic the sequences with the Scarecrow were in the Arkham games, it would be fantastic if WB Games Montreal could find a new way to interpret sequences with the villain.
Killer Croc
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
Speaking of horrific villains, Killer Croc is another perfect example of this. His appearance in both Batman Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham Knight’s DLC showcased just how terrifying this character can be; this time, Killer Croc could perhaps even influence the story of the game in a much more significant way.
Killer Croc could be involved in the game’s story as the Gotham Knights need to get past the villain in the Gotham City Sewers. However, a more interesting and unique way to take the villain would be to instead bring in a bit of his crime boss past in previous mediums, something that the Batman Arkham games mostly shied away from. This would give Killer Croc a unique interpretation that would make him feel fresh in Gotham Knights, yet also could still include the horror that has been used to interpret the character.
Poison Ivy
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
Poison Ivy has always been a popular character, but thanks to some incredible character developments in the comics and the Harley Quinn HBO Max series, Poison Ivy has had a resurgence of popularity. This means that now would be the perfect time to capitalize on the popularity and include even more appearances for the character.
Poison Ivy’s control over plant life could provide for an exciting boss battle, something we haven’t gotten since Batman: Arkham Asylum; even there, that boss battle didn’t show how interesting Poison Ivy’s powers can be. There’s a good chance that if the villain were to show up in the game, it would be through a side mission, but this doesn’t mean she couldn’t be a formidable foe to go up against. I’m also hopeful that there would also be at least a mention of the LGBTQ+ elements of the character that have been a major part of the comic book character now, so even though Harley Quinn probably shouldn’t be involved in the game, she could still be referenced through Poison Ivy.
Clayface
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
Clayface is another character who would likely show up as a side villain if included. A big reason to see Clayface included in the game’s roster of villains is that the possibilities with the character are endless, given that he is a shape-shifter, which could provide an intriguing fight against the character.
We’ve only really had a serious video game appearance for Clayface with Batman: Arkham City, so it would be nice if we could get an appearance for the villain where we explore more of the character. Even though Clayface appeared as the final boss in Arkham City, the moment more focuses on Joker instead. In Gotham Knights, there could be a section when the search for the Court of Owls leads to his territory, or maybe Renee Montoya and the GCPD need to take the villain down, providing an opportunity for the heroes to go after the villain.
Firefly
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
Firefly is another character who would likely make his appearance in the game as a side villain if he’s in it at all. Firefly could stand out amongst the villains who we face in Gotham Knights, as he can fly and use his flamethrower, which made the character have a boss battle that stood out in Batman: Arkham Origins. The possibility for a cinematic nature, like the one in Arkham Origins would work towards giving us a distinguished boss battle.
Suppose Firefly does appear; the most likely reason would be because he is supposed to be the main villain of the upcoming Batgirl HBO Max movie, so it would be interesting if it was somehow worked into the game where he and Batgirl are rivals. He is another likely villain who may be doing his own things in Gotham that the GCPD needs help with, which despite being a bit generic, the unique qualities to having the character are the main reasons as to why he should appear in Gotham Knights.
The Ventriloquist and Scarface
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
A mobster who uses a doll to speak and commit his crimes through makes this villain instantly unique. Despite Scarface making an appearance in the Batman Arkham games, we never had a genuine appearance of the criminal duo, as it doesn’t truly count unless they both show up.
With how the Court of Owls story is involved with the Gotham City Underworld, it is easy to see how the Ventriloquist and Scarface would be involved as either major or side villains. Perhaps they know something about the Court, or maybe they are sent after the Knights and/or Renee Montoya. However they are included, seeing how Gotham Knights interpret the duo would be fascinating and certainly serve as nightmare fuel, especially for those with a fear of dolls.
Two-Face
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
Two-Face is a character with tons of personality, as he is basically two characters in one and thus can make for a fascinating villain. This was one of the reasons that it was disappointing when looking at how the character was used in the Batman Arkham games, as even though he was portrayed well, he was hardly in them. This was especially the case when it came to Batman: Arkham Knight, where he was only a side mission. Two-Face both needs and deserves redemption for hardly being used in the Batman Arkham series.
In Gotham Knights, Two-Face could be involved in the Gotham Underground and the Court of Owls plot. However, this could make him seem too similar to how the Penguin is involved in the game, so perhaps they could have it be that the Gotham Knights know that Two-Face has information that they need, so maybe they need to instead speak to the Harvey Dent side of Two-Face. This would really play up the split personality angle and show us how the two different sides of Two-Face are genuinely distinct.
Black Mask
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
Black Mask deserved better treatment than the one that he got in the Batman Arkham series, so Gotham Knights would be the perfect opportunity to make up for this, as he only had a cameo in Arkham City, was briefly in an Arkham Knight DLC. Not to mention that despite being teased as the main villain of Arkham Origins, this was not the case at all and was a major bait and switch. Black Mask can be interesting given his sadistic and paranoid nature, something that maybe the Court of Owls can play off of. Perhaps he is not happy that this group is seemingly stepping on his toes, despite being around much longer than him.
As for how Black Mask could fit in Gotham Knights, he is a member of the Gotham City Underworld, so with how Gotham Knights and the Court of Owls fit in with the Gotham Underworld, the villain could be included in this way. Black Mask could also be in Gotham Knights as a major foe for Red Hood, given the rivalry between the two characters in previous media.
Anarky
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
The world of Gotham that we see in Gotham Knights is anarchy, so it seems like the perfect fit to bring in a character whose actual name is Anarky. Anarky is a lesser-known Batman villain, but he did appear in Batman: Arkham Origins in a side mission, which is how Anarky would likely be included. I don’t see Anarky being a significant villain in Gotham Knights’ story, but as a side mission or included as DLC, he would work perfectly.
There could be a point in the game where the Gotham Knights encounter Anarky creating chaos throughout the streets of Gotham. Perhaps their GCPD contact Renee Montoya needs help with settling some of the chaos and anarchy in the streets, so the Gotham Knights go after Anarky to help alleviate the mess Gotham is in. If the game goes in this route, Anarky could be a villain that gives us more of a look into the state of the GCPD and how the citizens of Gotham City are viewing the events of the game.
Ratcatcher
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
Despite being a much more minor Batman villain, there are quite a few reasons as to why we hope to see the villain in Gotham Knights. For starters, Ratcatcher is one of the Batman villains who we never got to see make a full appearance in the Arkham games. There is also the fact that Ratcatcher’s daughter proved to be a fascinating character in the recent movie, The Suicide Squad, so seeing this interpretation of the character would be awesome.
Lastly, I would be remiss not to mention the game, A Plague Tale: Innocence, which is getting its own sequel. This game shows just how effective rats are and even indicates how visually interesting they can be in the video game medium, so to get a mission seeing Ratcatcher sending his or her rats after you would provide a unique challenge and be an incredibly memorable villain for us to interact with.
Professor Pyg
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
When looking for another absolutely terrifying villain from Batman’s Rogues Gallery, people need to look no further than Professor Pyg. If you were to ask yourself just how terrifying a pig-themed villain can be, you have Batman: Arkham Knight and the Gotham TV show as pure evidence of how this character, despite being a bit campy, is one of the most sadistic creations in the Batman mythos. An important thing to remember with Batman: Arkham Knight, in particular, is that Professor Pyg would lobotomize his victims into obeying him in his quest to find a perfect specimen.
As for how Professor Pyg could be involved in Gotham Knights, while a side mission is probably more likely, with how Professor Pyg has a history of brainwashing people and that there are members of the Court of Owls who have been brainwashed, he could be a member of the Court, being their resident brainwasher. On the other hand, there could be a side mission where the Gotham Knights learn that the Court has had their brainwashing techniques get out, which Professor Pyg has gotten his hands on.
Prometheus
12 Villains We Hope Appear in Gotham Knights
Prometheus is a character who, despite often being fan requested and theorized to show up in the Arkham games, never did; thus, this could be fixed with Gotham Knights. He is an intriguing character that not too many people are aware of as he hasn’t crossed over into being a mainstream villain, which would give Gotham Knights a unique opportunity with the character that they don’t have with many other characters.
In the case of Prometheus, Gotham Knights could involve the character but also mess around with his origin to make him fit the game. Prometheus’ parents were killed by police right in front of him, which is honestly rife for commentary if WB Games Montreal were willing to go there. The character of Prometheus could also be included in the main story of Gotham Knights, with perhaps the Court of Owls taking an interest in the young boy who watched his parents killed and was brought into the Court to become a member of their Talons or another faction within the group. Perhaps they may have even ordered the police to kill his parents; whatever the case is though, there are ways to bring the character in that fits the story more so than most other characters.
Those are the twelve villains that we hope will appear in Gotham Knights. Gotham Knights is set to finally release on Oct. 25 of this year. Look to Twinfinite for updates on the game, with some links provided below.
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