Who is the Arkham Knight? Well, no one knows, at least not yet. No matter what your personal theory is, I’d argue that we as fans aren’t even asking the right question. Coming at it from a different point of view, I hope to put this potentially villainous character into a broader perspective. A perspective that encompasses far more than simply who’s behind the mask.
Whether it’s someone we know already, or an entirely new person, we all know that one thing is certain- the mask isn’t coming off until somewhere near the end of the game. This means that, for the majority of the game at least, this mystery man (I assume man because of the masculine build) is going to be acting under his Arkham Knight persona.
This is where we should be focused. What is the point of creating this character? What role will he play in the game? Independent of the actual person donning the suit, we must ask why he created it, and what the character’s motivation is. This will allow us to understand the Arkham Knight on a deeper, more practical level, and how he fits into the new Gotham.
#5 Money, Money, Money!
Generic, played-out, cliched- call it whatever you want, but it’s one hell of a motivator. This would be an extremely simple goal for the Arkham Knight, but it could be any form of personal gain, not just money. There could be something he wants, with some greater plan to acquire it.
This theory, however, doesn’t account for the apparent vendetta the Arkham Knight seems to have against Batman. If Batman was just someone standing in his way, he’d have no more of a personal grudge against him than he would towards the police.
In all honesty, I hope Rocksteady is far more creative than this, but it’s an extremely common theme that we can’t ignore. If this is the Arkham Knight’s motive, expect him to try to avoid Batman rather than fighting him. He would view the Dark Knight as merely an obstacle to traverse, and would try to work his way around a confrontation if possible.
#4 I Just Work Here (He’s Taking Orders).
Th Arkham Knight’s motivations may not be his own. Whatever his goal is, it could easily be dictated by another character he’s working for, or perhaps even being manipulated by. This other person would most likely be a major villain, such as Scarecrow, who we already know is the game’s main antagonist. He or she would either have a deal with the Arkham Knight, or possibly some sort of leverage over him.
This would allow the Arkham Knight to fit right into the current game universe, and could be a fantastic story element if done properly. That being said, I feel like the Arkham Knight has something in common with Batman- he doesn’t work well with others. I just don’t see this seemingly rogue character cutting deals or being toyed with like a puppet. He seems self-motivated to me, and his quarrel with Batman appears personal.If this is his motivation, expect the mystery to unfold slowly, with a lot of backstory along the way. Batman would continuously learn more about how the Arkham Knight fits into this larger plot. If he is under someone’s thumb, expect a deep exploration of why he’s being forced into villainy. If he isn’t self-motivated, he may be less threatening, more reasonable, and more reluctant to truly bring harm to Batman.
#3 He isn’t an Enemy.
What if, in all the chaos of domestic terrorism and fear mongering, the Arkham Knight isn’t actually a villain? He may not be Batman’s enemy, even though it appears so at first glance.
Now, we’ve seen our fair share of the titular “villain” fighting Batman, but this isn’t anything new for the Caped Crusader. He usually ends up getting in at least a bit of a tussle with anyone new, even Superman when they first meet in most continuities. Arguments over ideology and ethics, who gets to wear the pants- there’s always something Bats is butting heads over when a new face enters Gotham. Sometimes, this even includes fighting, although usually restrained.
So if them fighting doesn’t necessitate them being enemies, especially since neither seems to actually harm the other, what would the Arkham Knight’s role be as an antihero? Well, he could be assisting Batman against the Scarecrow’s attack on Gotham, or perhaps in another story conflict that hasn’t been revealed yet. Even if he isn’t helping from the start, he could be a character similar to Catwoman, who’s somewhat of a villain, yet at times sides with our hero.
#2 I am Vengeance, I am the Night, I am… Arkham Knight?
A good vengeance complex never goes out of style. Whether it’s Azrael, Jason Todd, or any of the other speculated characters, there’s no shortage of people in Gotham who have it out for our pointy-eared protagonist. It seems perfectly reasonable to think one of them could have geared up to take him on in his own city.To me, this is one of the strongest possibilities, since it’s a recurring theme throughout the franchise and it would explain why the Arkham Knight is specifically focused on Batman.
If this is the case, expect the Arkham Knight to show up repeatedly, unannounced. He’d track Bruce down, maybe even to Wayne Manor, and exact his revenge. He’d be solely focused on this, and would have no other part to play in the remainder of the story, though. This is the one true flaw that I see in this theory, since it would be more appropriate for the Arkham Knight to be a major contributor to the main storyline, especially since he’s the game’s namesake.
That being said, he could use his hatred towards Batman to take part in a larger conflict, and if Rocksteady wants to kill the Dark Knight off to end their trilogy, this would be an easy way to do it. I doubt they will, but I also doubted *SPOILER ALERT* that they’d ever kill off the Joker, yet we have the ending of Arkham City to prove otherwise.
#1 Become the Bat (Or at least the new one).
To me, this would be the perfect motive for the Arkham Knight, No working with the villains, no evil plans, no revenge; simply emulating and attempting to succeed the mantle of Batman. It could be a disgruntled Robin that didn’t want to live in his shadow anymore, or anyone else craving the spotlight, but whoever is behind the Arkham Knight mask, he intentionally designed it to look a lot like Batman. Not even just his own Batsuit, but a flashier, more contemporary version that screams, “I am the future of Gotham. Step aside, old man.” If this is the motive behind the Arkham Knight, expect a deeply personal conflict between him and Batman to unfold. There would most likely be a rich history between the two, in which whoever the Arkham Knight is felt unjustly inferior or marginalized.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my Top 5 possible motives list for the mysterious new Arkham Knight character in the highly-anticipated Batman: Arkham Knight. I’m kind of disappointed that Top 6 articles aren’t a thing, though. Number six would’ve been “Master Bruce said dinner was a little overcooked too many times.” because let’s face it- we all know it’s really Alfred.
On a more serious note, I’m anxiously awaiting Rocksteady’s bold conclusion to the acclaimed series, and can’t wait to find out all the answers. If you’re as excited as I am about the upcoming sequel, check out this article discussing what we want out of the Batman finale. If you’re not as excited, congrats on making it this far down the list, and this article will show you why you should be.
