Once credits roll onGotham Knights, players will more-or-less have seen all the enemies and bosses that the game has to offer. Enemy factions include the GCDP, Court of Owls, the Mob, Regulators, and Freaks, andGotham Knightsonly technically features two main villains in its narrative campaign:the Court of Owls’ Jacob Kaneand Talia al Ghul. The League of Shadows has its own faction gang and that was a welcome surprise, though it is only composed of assassins and rocketeers, with the addition of Man-Bats.
The three other Batman villains players encounter are Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, and Clayface. These villains are only pursued in individual case file missions, which vary in length and boss fight satisfaction. Many fans were understandably disappointed byGotham Knights’ perceived lack of villains, but it would still be fantastic to see more appear post-launch if WB Games Montreal had DLCs planned. If so, there are a number of prime candidates for villains who could offer incredible case file missions inGotham Knights.
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Bane
Naturally,Bane would be a perfect villain forGotham Knights’ action-RPG combat. Bane is essentially identical to any ofGotham Knights’ enormous brute enemies with chains of lethal attacks, and his attacks could mimic that. It makes sense with Bane, too, since his fighting style is primarily that of a heavyweight grappler.
Gotham Knightslends itself to larger enemies that the Bat Family may not be able to dispose of easily, which is why Harley Quinn was perhaps a strange choice for a boss. She is not superpowered, nor does she have the martial arts expertise or gadgets that any of the Bat Family have, making her already seem fundamentally underwhelming from the perspective of a boss fight. In contrast, Bane is the ultimate bruiser character and would have fit in perfectly with the rest of the game’s heavyweight mini-bosses. IfGotham Knightsis planning a simple case file with more of the same, Bane would be its best candidate.
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy would be a perfect villain inGotham Knightsfor her environmental and elemental effects. Mr. Freeze’s Storm Engine encapsulates whole buildings in ice, while Clayface’s mercury-like substance can leap and submerge through Gotham City’s streets. Poison Ivy’s animated flora could behave similarly, using enormous, thorny plant stems to pursue players while they race away on the Batcycle or wreath entire buildings. Moreover, Poison Ivy could have a minion faction that is intoxicated by Ivy’s pheromones to do her bidding.
These enemies and Ivy herself could deal a poison elemental damage, which could require players to get their hands on Legendary gear with appropriate resistances. Therefore, Ivy could be significant toGotham Knights, both as a spectacle and with regard to what she could add to elemental effects in gameplay.
Jane Doe, Killer Croc, or Professor Pyg
IfGotham Knightswants to pull from its own established history of villains, it already has a few lined up that could be interesting case file additions in DLC.Gotham Knights’ trip to Arkham Asylum revealed several villains, and showed the cells that a few of them had inhabited. These included Jane Doe, Killer Croc, and Professor Pyg.
Doe would be excellent in a post-launch case file since it could revolve almost completely around new crime scene investigations with AR functionality, while Croc could be another big-body brute like Bane, though with more ferocity and potentially a cool lair in the sewer network. Pyg could have his own Dollotron minions and crime scenes, though this case file could be too similar toBatman: Arkham Knight’s Professor Pyg.
It would be great to seeGotham Knights’ take on these or any other characters, especially if they added more contextual lore for the narrative and the game’s Bat Family. There are currently no known plans for DLC or post-launch updates besidesGotham Knights’ four-player Heroic Assault mode, though, so fans should remain only cautiously optimistic about new villains being added at any point in the future.
Gotham Knightsis available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
