With the upcoming seriesGotham Knightshitting the CW Network, many comparisons are being made to the video game of the same name. But the title of Gotham Knights has a more extended history than that, and here we look to focus on the team that was introduced in James Tynion IV’s run on Detective Comics. We’re going to look at how things would be if the TV show focused on adapting this run, first introducing the team members and then how Batman will be involved. Spoiler alert, he’s not immediately killed off. We’ll then look at the different dynamics among the team as well as the overall story arcs that can be taken from the source material.
While the upcoming DCU show focuses on the next generation, with characters such as Joker’s Daughter, Bruce’s adopted son, and more, this team was comprised of people Batman believed could become the perfect protection force for Gotham City.Starting with Batwoman, Batman recruited his cousin because he was looking for someone who could act as an effective trainer and field leader whenever he was away on Justice League business. Next was Tim Drake, at the time going by the name Red Robin, themost intelligent of Batman’s sidekicks. Tim’s role on the team was to be a visionary, and he had a strong hand in creating the base of operations the Knights would use and coining the name for the team.
Next was Stephanie Brown (a character set to be featured in the show), also known as the Spoiler. Daughter of the Cluemaster, Spoiler has intelligence on par with Tim Drake and is a grounding focus for team members. Cassandra Cain, or Orphan, would be recruited because she has proven to be a stronger fighter than Batman and because she looked to the team to give her a sense of belonging. Basil Karlo, the rogue known as Clayface, is the final member of the initial lineup. Batman believed Basil was still a good man and needed help to regain control of his powers and mental state. As the series continued, the team would recruit other members, such as Batwing, the genius son of Lucius Fox, and Azrael, the holy warrior formerly of St. Dumas.
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Batman’s Involvement
In the DCU show, Batman is set to be killed off immediately. While this is a tool used to set up this cast of characters to take the focus, Tynion IV would show off his skill for writing ensemble stories, keeping Batman involved while still giving time for the other characters to shine. Batman recruits the team, and despite his original musings that the team would grow to work independently of him, he still finds it hard to let go.
There would often be plenty of story moments for Batman to bounce off of the others, such as when Batwoman challenges whether Bruce trusts her to lead the team or when Spoiler begins to ideologically oppose Batman and his means of fighting crime. Things would come to a head when Batman tries to do what he feels is best for the team, leading to his beliefs being challenged by multiple members. Keeping Batman involved in the growth of a new generation can help guide these young heroes into the spotlight instead of cutting him out of the story and leaving untested characters to take charge.
The Relationships
The dynamic between the characters is the crux of James Tynion IV’s run on the series. Nothing can make or break an ensemble series like the characters' relationships. We’ve already spoken of the familial relationship between Batman and Batwoman, and this is displayed multiple times in the beginning through flashbacks to how both were there for each other when they lost their parents as children. Tim and Stephanie have a romantic relationship, dating one another before the team was recruited. Tim is split between his two worlds, but Stephanie constantly acts as his sounding board, reminding him that he is capable of helping the world, both as Red Robin and as Tim Drake.
While Orphan has a deep friendship with Stephanie, the friendship between her and Clayface helps make these two characters stand out. Cassandra is near mute, never being raised as a regular part of society, instead being trained to kill. Clayface decides to help Cassandra better understand human language by practicing Shakespeare with her, significantly improving her vocal expression. In return, Oprhan would often teach Basil how to fight and offer sympathy whenever he became depressed and felt he was nothing more than a monster. Understanding the feeling that everyone looks at you with trepidation and fear, Cassandra gave Basil a friend when he desperately needed it. While there are some time jumps throughout the story arc, they’re minimal, and an adaptation can choose to lessen them by giving more time to the casual bonding moments on the team.
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There would bemany villains facing the Gotham Knightsin this series. The beginning of the story sees Batman recruiting the team to save them from the Colony, a military team that has been targeting vigilantes. This group’s attack would be thwarted by the Knights, but not before seemingly murdering Tim Drake in a massive drone strike. Stephanie would finally boil over after the Victim Syndicate would attack, revealing they are a group composed of people who suffered during attacks by Batman’s rogues. The League of Shadows would attack, led by Lady Shiva, who would be revealedas Cassandra’s biological mother, and Tim would manage to return to the team but not without an alternate future version of him who is dead set on killing Batwoman. One of the most substantial plots featured throughout the run is that Clayface struggles to be cured, only for the Victim Syndicate to return and force him into an emotionally unstable state, causing him to become a monster entirely.
Cassandra would help him retain his state, though there was an immediate fear he would turn back. To stop this, Batwoman took the initiative and killed Clayface, much to the anger of Cassandra and Batman. The team would split in two over this decision, and as each member began to go their separate ways, the audience would see clues as to what the future held for each of them. It was even teased that Batman would begin to lead another team outside of the Gotham Knights. Were a show to adapt these key story arcs and engage the audience with each team member, we could see an act similar toArrowthat could branchoff into multiple spin-offs—following Red Robin into the formation of Young Justice. Stay with Cassandra as she joins Signal, Black Lightning, and Katana as part of the Outsiders. Watch as Azrael joins Cyborg on a mission to space or continue to followBatwoman on her adventuresalongside her father’s tactile military approach. While creating something wholly original is always enticing, this is just a glimpse of what could happen if Warner Bros. looked to the talented writers creating content in the source material.
