Unveiling the Untold Secrets: The Astonishing Twist That Could Have Shaped Arkham Knight

Highlights

Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal's Arkham tetralogy celebrates the Batman mythology, with each entry offering unique elements and fan-favorite moments.

Batman: Arkham Origins distinguishes itself from the rest of the series as the sole installment not crafted by Rocksteady. However, it manages to maintain an exceptional narrative and portrayal of characters.

To enhance the revelation of Jason Todd as the Arkham Knight in Batman: Arkham Knight, it would have been beneficial to lay subtle hints about his presence in a prequel, resulting in a more seamless and interconnected storyline.

Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal's Arkham tetralogy is a brilliant homage to the Batman mythology, particularly in its portrayal of Batman's rogues' gallery. Each entry offers a unique experience, leading fans to have their own personal favorites. For example, Asylum sets the tone with its rich, gothic atmosphere, while City greatly enhances combat and traversal mechanics. The pinnacle of gameplay can arguably be found in Knight, although some argue that its story fell short with an unearned twist.

Considered the black sheep of the tetralogy, Batman: Arkham Origins stands out as the only installment not developed by Rocksteady. However, its narrative and depiction of characters are still exceptional. Origins explores Batman's first encounter with the Joker and introduces other villains that later appear in subsequent games, when considering the chronological timeline. Despite being a prequel, Origins missed an opportunity to establish a more logical connection to the events of Knight, which could have been ideal for the Arkhamverse.

Batman: Arkham Knight Set Up Its Jason Todd Twist Poorly

Rocksteady made the decision to make Jason Todd the Arkham Knight in one of two ways. Either they intentionally kept him hidden from any dialogue or information in order to keep his identity a secret, or they incorporated his involvement into the development of Knight, even though he was not previously connected to the Arkhamverse franchise, besides a reference to him killing Tim Drake's Robin. Regardless, because of the Arkham Knight's intense hatred for Batman, extensive knowledge about him, and lack of other ties to Gotham or Arkham, fans of the Batman mythology were able to quickly figure out his true identity.

There may have been a brief moment when fans first saw the Arkham Knight where they tried to think back to previous games like Asylum, City, and Origins to see if there were any logical candidates for his true identity. However, most of the characters encountered throughout the series were wrapped up without any loose ends. Furthermore, since Jason was being tortured by the Joker in Arkham Asylum, there was an opportunity for a prequel to establish their connection. Unfortunately, this potential storyline was left unresolved, requiring fans to suspend their disbelief.

An Arkham Asylum Prequel Needed to Lay Hints at Jason’s Existence

If Knight's plot twist had been brainstormed prior to Origins, WB Games Montreal's Batman prequel could have included a subtle nod to Jason, which would have been fantastic. Perhaps, during a side activity in Gotham's snowy streets, Batman could have stumbled upon Jason attempting to steal the Batmobile's wheels. Even if Jason didn't need to physically appear, the presence of a missing wheel and a tire iron in an alleyway could have sparked a crime scene investigation, providing an explanation for what had happened.

This seemingly minor addition would have explicitly established Jason's presence in this continuity, making his eventual reveal as the Arkham Knight more coherent before the hallucinations of his torture were depicted in Knight. Some might argue that this would have diminished the surprise of the reveal, but it wasn't particularly difficult to deduce his identity anyway. Without this inclusion, Jason feels forced into the Arkhamverse and serves as a reminder that the recruitment of each Bat Family member is a narrative gap between each game.

Batman: Arkham Trilogy will launch on Nintendo Switch in fall 2023.