2022 seemed to be a very traumatic year for The CW. Just before being sold by WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS to Nexstar Media in August 2022, ten shows were canceled from the station includingLegends of TomorrowandBatwoman. The new owners reportedly have a strategic plan in place that will exclusively focus on live event broadcasts as well as sitcoms and policed themes dramas for the older demographic. With the current season ofThe Flashending the run of the hit superhero show, it seemed like this would mark the finale of anything DC ntil aBatmanspin-off comic series decided to make a grand entrance for the transitioning network.
WithGotham Knightsfirst being reported back in December 2021 as just an untitled project, the series was formally announced six months later in May of the following year. With the death of The Dark Knight being the main premise of the show, Batman’s adopted son Turner Hayes must unwillingly team up with children born from the various villains of the caped crusader to find out who is not only framed them but who got away with killing thegreatest hero Gotham has ever known.
DC Lore Comes to Gotham Knights
The gallery of former antagonists turned good include Harvey Dent’s daughter Duela, Cluemaster’s daughter Stephanie Brown, and Lincoln March’s son Brody. Alongside a female version of Robin named Carrie Kelley, a recent addition tothe comic book Bat Familywho goes by the heroine alias of Bluebird will both be by Mr. Haye’s side during this harrowing time. With the characters sorted, and the initial premise filled in, the only question remaining are any and all plot details contained withinGotham Knights.Let’s take a look at what could be awaiting comic book fans once this show premieres in Spring 2023.
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The most recent rumor regarding this show may be our strongest lead regarding possible storylines that people want to see. A leaker for all things pop culture, Daniel Richtman, or DanielRPK, outlines the main antagonist of the show as being thecollective secret society known as the Court of Owls. Existing since Gotham was created and populated by the city’s wealthiest, they employ a group of killers known as the Talons to carry out the court’s orders.
Speaking of the Talons, it does seem that this faction is already cemented into the story of Gotham Knights asthe newest trailershows an all-black, blade-wielding attacker reigning down on the knights when they are weakened. Since the mysterious assailant is also wearing goggles which is very much akin to the attire of the subgroup featured in DC Comics, they are surely a force to be reckoned with for the young Gotham aristocrats. For comic book fans who tune into this new CW show, they are hoping to see more of the primary leader of the Talons, William Cobb, and his familial relationship with Nightwing who has yet to make his on-screen debut in any medium.
Danger Lurks Around Every Corner In Gotham
Being that the Court of Owls was very much present in another Batman-centric television show calledGotham, a more varied spin would help shed more light on this underrated cult in this new rendition on The CW. Considering the fact that Robin is already confirmed to be inGotham Knights, the comic book arc of the character being lured intothe high societal cultwould be a great way to show the influence that the Owls actually have.
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Besides Robin possibly being a focal point of the show, there is also a tie-in novel that was published in February 2019 where a college student who reluctantly joins the court has the power of seeing into the future and predicts Dent’s grotesque transformation into Two-Face. Besides their citywide reach, this arc on the small screen would show audiences that the Court of Owls is not afraid of manipulating those with superpowers. Plus, we would get to see a sneak peek of Harvey Dent’s alter ego which is always a welcome sight to see.
Could Iconic Batman Villains Return?
A character that should be fully explored withinGotham Knightsand would undoubtedly bring attention to the show is Duela. In the show’s synopsis, she is set to be Harvey Dent’s daughter, but on the comic book side of things, the character was instead introduced as the Joker’s daughter and then as time went on, she became more deluded and pronounced herself to be the offspringof various DC villainslike The Riddler, Catwoman, Scarecrow, and even Darkseid. While the latter name has no place in a show about the denizens of Gotham, those other names could definitely be used for some interesting callbacks to set up this new era of characters. If they were used in Fox’s 2014 seriesGotham, then why not here?
With all that’s been talked about, comic book fans can finally see whatGotham Knightshas in store when the enigmatic show hits television screens on March 14 of this year. It’s going to be exciting to see who dared to bring an end to the caped crusader after all these years.
