Gotham Knights Introducing The City’s Secret Society As Main Villains?
A noted leaker, DanielRPK, has revealed that The CW's Gotham Knights will feature The Court of Owls as the main villains.
The Arrowverse may be about to end, but The CW’s superhero shows live on with the upcoming Gotham Knights. Set in a world after the murder of Batman, and also by strange coincidence billionaire Bruce Wayne, the show has kept most plot details under wraps. Noted leaker DanielRPK has helped fans connect some dots about the show’s main antagonist by suggesting it will be The Court of Owls.
Gotham Knights will include some classic Batman villains, including Two-Face, but it’s a relatively new addition to The Caped Crusader’s rogue’s gallery that will serve as the primary antagonist. First appearing during Scott Snyder’s run on Batman in 2012, The Court of Owls is a secret society comprised of the wealthiest and most influential members of Gotham society. The closest Gotham’s residents have come to encountering The Court of Owls is whispered rumors about the mysterious masked assassins used to enforce their whims, the Talons.
This is where DanielRPK’s leak picks up validity as the recent Gotham Knights trailer showed a quick glimpse of masked assassins with bandoliers of knives, a trademark of the Court of Owls enforcers. In addition, the show includes Rahart Adams as Brody March, the son of Lincoln March played by Damon Dayoub, a Batman villain that once used the Court of Owls resources to try and kill Batman. The 2014 series Batman Eternal appears to be one of the primary inspirations for the show, from March and the Court, to featuring different vigilantes from the streets of Gotham.
Joining Oscar Morgan as Turner Hayes, Bruce Wayne’s adopted son in the universe of Gotham Knights, is Navia Robinson as Carrie Kelly (Robin, from The Dark Knight Returns comics), Fallon Smythe as Harper Row (Bluebird), Anna Lore as Stephanie Brown (Spoiler), and Olivia Rose Keegan as Duela Dent. Those characters went up against The Court of Owls directly after Batman Eternal in the cross-over event “Robin War,” which saw the organization renamed as The Parliament of Owls.
Gotham Knights won’t be the first time that The Court of Owls is depicted in live-action, that honor goes to Gotham, a show set before there was a Batman. This version of the secret society turned out to be the puppet masters behind Hugo Strange and the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Talons in Gotham wore suits and domino masks instead of the loose fitting well-armed outfits of the source material.
If Gotham Knights is moving forward with The Court of Owls as the unseen hand manipulating events in the city, then the Talons provide ready made antagonists for the young vigilantes. Preserved assassins from throughout history, in the original “Night of the Talons” event it was revealed that some even pre-date the industrialization of Gotham, with another born in 1655. William Cobb, the most popular Talon, went on to star in his own series and as a member of the Suicide Squad.
No matter how Gotham Knights utilizes The Court of Owls, or The Parliament of Owls, it’s great to see the insidious secret society getting their due as a great villain for The Dark Knight. Great characters have been created since the 1968 Batman television series that deserve their time in the spotlight. Gotham Knights debuts March 14th on The CW.
