After months of rumors and speculation, WB Games Montreal finally revealed Gotham Knights, a new co-op brawler that blends mechanics similar to the Batman: Arkham games with action-RPG elements. Since its initial reveal, WB Games Montreal hasn't shown a whole lot of Gotham Knights, leaving fans to speculate about what exactly the upcoming superhero game has in store.
This includes the villains in Gotham Knights, many of which are still a mystery at the time of this writing. It's been confirmed that the Court of Owls will play a central role in the game, as will their dangerous Talon operatives. However, it's quite likely that Gotham Knights will have many more villains available, including some of Batman's oldest and most recognizable foes.
As far as old-school Batman villains go, Gotham Knights has confirmed Mr. Freeze and not much else. With Gotham Knights looking to launch at some point in 2021, though, one has to imagine that more villain reveals will come sooner rather than later. And once they do, it would be great to see the villains listed here as part of the lineup.
Here are some Batman villains that would potentially make great boss fight encounters in Gotham Knights.
Bane
Bane has long been one of Batman's most formidable foes, infamously "breaking the Bat" by snapping his back. Bane's ability to defeat Batman in combat, not to mention his immense size and strength, could ensure that he is a particularly exciting boss fight in the Gotham Knights video game. His use of Venom to boost his power has already been used to add some extra layers to Bane boss fights in previous Batman-related games, and so WB Games Montreal could take inspiration from those fights for a potential showdown with Bane in the new game.
Clayface
Clayface is not the most famous Batman series villain, but like Bane, he would provide a nice, tanky challenge for Gotham Knights' playable characters. Clayface's shapeshifting abilities would give the developers at WB Games Montreal some serious freedom when it comes to designing a boss fight around him, plus his abilities lend themselves to nice story plot twists.
Deathstroke
Deathstroke played a prominent role in WB Games Montreal's Batman: Arkham Origins, so the studio is already well-acquainted with the character. His extremely impressive combat abilities make him a no-brainer for a boss fight in Gotham Knights, not to mention he has major history with some members of the Gotham Knights team. Deathstroke has served as one of the main antagonists of the Teen Titans over the years, coming into direct conflict with Dick Grayson, who is operating under the Nightwing persona in Gotham Knights.
In fact, there are some who label Deathstroke as Nightwing's archenemy, so it makes even more sense for him to be featured in the Gotham Knights video game. Deathstroke has had encounters with Batgirl as well in the comics, so there are numerous conflicts he could be a part of that could make Gotham Knights' story more engaging.
The Joker
The argument can be made that including The Joker in Gotham Knights would be a mistake. After all, Gotham Knights exists in a world where Batman is dead, and so it really provides a unique opportunity for the games to get away from the Clown Prince of Crime. Then again, one of the reasons why The Joker is such a constant presence throughout all Batman media is due to how fascinating of a character he is, and for his name recognition. Including The Joker in Gotham Knights would undoubtedly get more eyeballs on the game, even though some fans may have had their fill of The Joker in the Batman: Arkham games.
It should be noted that Gotham Knights has its own continuity separate from the Batman: Arkham games, so nothing that happened to The Joker in Rocksteady's trilogy applies here. In that sense, Gotham Knights actually presents an opportunity to bring the fan favorite villain back. Whether or not WB Games Montreal was able to resist the temptation remains to be seen, but fans should find out as more of Gotham Knights' villains are revealed to the public.
Another argument in favor of The Joker being added to Gotham Knights is due to his history with the playable characters. The Joker literally beat Jason Todd/Red Hood to death with a crowbar, and he did unspeakable things to Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in The Killing Joke graphic novel. While The Joker and Batman may have one of the most legendary comic book rivalries, he is also one of the main villains for the rest of the Bat-Family as well, and so there would be some value to having him in the new game.
Killer Croc
Killer Croc has been a constant presence in Batman-related video games, and it wouldn't be a bad to see him return yet again for Gotham Knights. Killer Croc, like Bane and Clayface, would serve as a tank-style boss that could take a lot of hits from the Gotham Knights playable characters. WB Games Montreal could also look to Killer Croc's appearances in other Batman video games for inspiration on how to spice up boss encounters with him in Gotham Knights.
Poison Ivy
Rumors are already swirling that Poison Ivy may find herself in the Gotham Knights game. WB Games Montreal recently released an image that shows a poster advertising the Flying Graysons circus, which supposedly took place in Robinson Park. Robinson Park just so happens to be an area of Gotham City that has been associated with Poison Ivy in the past. Before fans get too excited about Poison Ivy being in Gotham Knights, though, it must be stressed that it's quite possibly just a coincidence and not a purposeful tease on WB Games Montreal's part.
If Poison Ivy does find herself in Gotham Knights, it's easy to see how she would prove to be a formidable foe for the Bat-Family. Poison Ivy's control of plants has seen her launch all kinds of plant-based massive monstrosities at Batman over the years, so perhaps the team will have to face off against one of them.
Ra's al Ghul
In terms of hand-to-hand combat skills, there aren't many who can go toe to toe with Batman. One of them is Ra's al Ghul, the virtually immortal leader of the League of Assassins. If Gotham Knights' roster of playable characters included Damian Wayne, then Ra's al Ghul's inclusion would be even more interesting, as he is Ra's al Ghul's grandson. Regardless, Ra's al Ghul would not only serve as a challenging boss fight to Gotham Knights players, but his inclusion in the game would be an excuse to add the League of Assassin grunts as smaller-scale villains as well, opening the door wide open for more variety in the combat.
Scarecrow
One of the most memorable villains in the Batman: Arkham series was the Scarecrow, though not necessarily any combat encounters against him. What made the Scarecrow such a great villain in Rocksteady's games was how he used his fear toxin to make Batman hallucinate, resulting in some especially creative and mind-bending levels in the game. It may be trickier pulling something similar off in Gotham Knights with multiple playable characters, but it would be cool to see.
Something that could help Scarecrow leave just as big of an impact in Gotham Knights as he did in the Batman: Arkham games would be if the fear toxin impacted each playable character differently. For instance, Robin could have a Scarecrow mission unique to his fears, whereas Batgirl's fear mission would be completely different. It seems pretty complicated to pull off, especially since Gotham Knights has multiple playable characters and co-op, so fans shouldn't hold their breath, though hopefully Scarecrow makes an appearance regardless.
Two-Face
Two-Face is one of the most recognizable villains in all of Batman media, having made multiple appearances in films, video games, and more. Two-Face is just a regular human being, so he wouldn't pose a significant threat against the Gotham Knights characters on his own. However, there are plenty of story reasons that WB Games Montreal could cook up to make a fight with Two-Face more exciting. Perhaps Two-Face could bring some of his hired thugs to the mix, which, similarly to Ra's al Ghul, would provide players with more variety when fighting the lower-level enemies in the game.
Gotham Knights launches 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
