Thomas Roach with five characters who could be the Arkham Knight….
Batman: Arkham Knight has now been pushed back until June 2015 to the disappointment of many fans. Despite this delay and the original release date passing, fans still have no idea of the identity of the new villain, the Arkham Knight. Rocksteady, the studio behind the game, have insisted that this is a brand new character exclusive to the game, but fans are not buying that. Unless more information is released, the identity of this new villain will be shrouded in mystery until we get our hands on the game. With that said, here are five characters that could potentially be the Arkham Knight…
Warning! This post contains spoilers…
Thomas Wayne
This is probably the most unlikely character to be the Arkham Knight, but there is still a chance. For those of you who are unaware, Thomas Wayne was killed by a mugger which a young Bruce witnessed. This was explored a little in a dream sequence in Arkham Asylum, although this was not a flashback. We also heard the character’s voiceover in the trailer for Arkham Knight. What is the relevance of having a dead character do a voiceover? You may think simply it is part of Bruce’s mind or something to do with legacy but the voiceover should not be ignored. Maybe he was never killed at all? Maybe he has been brought back from the dead? Who knows?
In Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, there is an alternative timeline in which Thomas Wayne becomes The Dark Knight when Bruce is killed. Thomas Wayne’s Batman is very different to the Batman we have become familiar with. With his use of guns and murder, he is a villain and a militarised version of Batman, which is how the Arkham Knight has been described. There is a slim chance of the Arkham Knight being Thomas Wayne.
Talia Al Ghul
Could it be a woman? Talia Al Ghul was killed by the Joker in Arkham City. However, both she and her father Ra’s al Ghul have access to Lazarus Pits so they can heal themselves. From what we saw of Talia in Arkham City, she was deeply in love with Bruce Wayne and wanted him to become the next leader of the League of Assassins.
Despite her death and undying love, she could still prove to be the Arkham Knight because she felt let down by Bruce’s actions in the previous game. This may be going over old ground from both Arkham City as well as The Dark Knight Rises.
Talia is a highly trained assassin and does have the means to become the Arkham Knight. It would certainly be a great reveal to have the antagonist of the game be Bruce Wayne’s love interest.
Hush
Hush actually appeared in Arkham City briefly on a side mission. We discovered the character had been stealing the faces of people in order to make himself look like Bruce Wayne. There is no doubt that the character will appear in Arkham Knight, otherwise his appearance in Arkham City would be somewhat redundant. But could he be the Arkham Knight?
The fact that he wants to look like Bruce Wayne suggests he wants to embody Bruce Wayne. Could he also embody Batman? By wearing his own cowl and cape he could become the Arkham Knight. Hush’s skill set is not on par with that of Batman and the two would not be equally matched in a fight. Rocksteady have the freedom to create their own version of the character. Maybe Hush wears the suit to the level the playing field against The Dark Knight?
If the Arkham Knight is an imitation of Batman then he will match the character both physically and mentally. Despite not displaying the necessary skills before, Rocksteady have the freedom to change this for the final game.
Originally published October 14, 2014. Updated April 15, 2018.
