Warning: Spoilers ahead for Batman Gotham Knights.There's a good chance that Gotham Knights has spelled the end for one specific trope in regards to Batman games. Even though he was not the star of the game, Bruce Wayne was a major figure in Gotham Knights' story, with the backstory to the game heavily hinging on him. With Bruce not physically in the spotlight, the game takes a more unique approach with him, primarily making his appearance felt through his apprentices and their actions throughout the game. However, at least one of the game's tricks probably won't be returning in Batman's next gaming appearance, and that is Wayne's resurrection.
It was quickly established that Batman's death in Gotham Knights was going to be one of the main focal points of the story. Bruce Wayne dying mysteriously ends up being the catalyst for Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood to come together and defend Gotham City in his stead. It's undeniably an interesting premise for a video game. After all, Batman often seems to be the only thing keeping Gotham from descending into other chaos, so seeing how the city would survive after his death is worth exploring. Following the events of Gotham Knights, it's worth wondering if the story has any ground left to cover.
Gotham Knights' Bruce Wayne Twist Probably Can't Happen Again
Even though there is no playable Batman in Gotham Knights, it's hard to deny how important he is. Each of the four protagonists was personally trained by him, and spent at least some time as his sidekick in fighting crime. His supposed death weighs on all of them in different ways. Even Alfred is suffering, since Bruce was practically a son to him. It makes for an interesting dynamic, and arguably does more to show the hole that Bruce's departure left than the lawless state of Gotham does. For all of Gotham Knights' faults, Batman's death is a solid idea to base a game around.
In a twist, not only is Bruce alive, but Gotham Knights has a Bruce Wayne boss fight at the climax of the story. As it turns out, the League of Shadows recovered Bruce's body after his death and revived him in order to use him as a weapon for their own ends. Luckily, the heroes are able to defeat him and bring Bruce back to his normal personality. However, the reunion is short-lived, as Bruce ends up sacrificing himself to prevent the League from using the Lazarus Pit under the Batcave again. Losing Bruce a second time is devastating, but hopefully gives the Bat Family closure.
There is one element that future games will probably not be able to take from Gotham Knights' solid incarnation of Batman, and that's its big twist. It's highly unlikely that a faked Batman death in a future game would have the same impact that Gotham Knights' revival did. After all, many have theorized that Bruce fakes his death at the end of Arkham Knight, so Gotham Knights' revealing that Batman didn't really die wasn't all that original. Even though Bruce really did die in Gotham Knights' backstory, his return was one of the game's biggest moments, especially since his death had such an effect on all the heroes. If a future game tries a similar twist, it won't be fresh, and the impact will be lacking. A false Batman death should be a one-and-done trope, so using that trick yet again would be a mistake.
It's highly unlikely that a faked Batman death in a future game would have the same impact that Gotham Knights ' revival did.
While Gotham Knights' temporary revival of Bruce Wayne was a key part of its story, it's unlikely that future DC video games can recreate it to the same effect. It worked for the story that it was in, but it's probably not a repeatable circumstance. Considering how touchy the subject of killing off a hero can be in the first place, fake deaths are even more dangerous to play with, as they can make a narrative feel pointless. There are still whole worlds' worth of Batman plots for future games to experiment with. As such, it's time for Bruce Wayne to stop coming back from the dead.
Gotham Knights
Gotham Knights is an open-world action RPG developed by WB Games Montreal. Featuring Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and Red Hood, players explore Gotham City to take on iconic Batman villains like Harley Quinn, customize their characters through gear and skill trees, or team up together through two-player co-op gameplay.
The action-packed story is set in DC's Batman Universe where Belfry is the base of operations and the heroes will need to solve the mysteries that are devastating Gotham.
