Warning, this article is made to explain the ending of Gotham Knights and therefore contains many spoilers. Read at your own risk. Gotham Knight was released on October 21, 2022 and has its share of initial bugs. If you were a little put off by these bugs and want to understand the ending, keep reading.
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On the way to the end
The game follows the adventures of the Bat Family, Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin as they do their best to protect Gotham City after his death. Taking advantage of the Dark Knight's death, not just one, but two secret societies seize the opportunity to take Gotham City for themselves. They decide to start by investigating the last case Batman was investigating before his death, which brings them to the scene of the murder of Dr. Kirk Langstrom, whose death can be attributed to the Court of Owls, a secret society they will meet later in the game and who is trying to take control of Gotham.
The Court of Owls was considered an urban legend, even by Batman, but in his absence, it is more active than ever. The Court is led by the Voice of the Court, who is eventually revealed to be none other than the CEO of Kane Industries, and Bruce Wayne's uncle, Jacob Kane. The Bat Family eventually manages to legally apprehend Jacob.
But the Court of Owls isn't the only secret society attempting a hostile takeover, as the League of Shadows has also begun to take hold. Talia, the leader of the League of Shadows, murders Jacob before he is put in the police car, which begins the League of Shadows' siege on Gotham.
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The final moments explained
At the end of Gotham Knights, after saving their friends from the League of Shadows attacks that are now happening all over Gotham, the Bat Family manages to find Talia and discover that she took the Dionesium from the Court of Owls for herself itself and combined it with the Lazarus Pit located beneath Gotham City. Using the now improved Lazarus Pit, she created more powerful creatures: the Man-Bats. The heroes must now fight these creatures.
Together, the Bat Family realizes that the Lazarus Pit is near the ruins of the Batcave, and Talia's plan comes to fruition. Talia uses the Lazarus Pit to revive Bruce Wayne, hoping to brainwash him and bring the formidable hero to her side of the fold. His plan works and a huge boss fight ensues where the students must now fight their beloved master.
Fortunately, before too much damage is done to the Bat Family, Bruce comes to his senses. Unfortunately, he is mortally wounded when a strike from Talia that was intended for him hits him instead. With Bruce on their side again, the hero must now fight against Talia herself. They are suddenly interrupted by the Court of Owls who already have their new Voice of Court, intending to claim the new Lazarus Pit for themselves. When it becomes clear that Talia will not win, she teleports away, leaving the hero to fend for himself against the army of the Court of Owls.
After telling his former sidekick to leave, Batman boards the Batwing that survived the initial destruction of the Batcave, and after denouncing the Court of Owls for using their wealth or power to control and harm others, he sacrifices himself a second time, destroying the Lazarus Pit and ultimately defeating the Court of Owls.
This time, gone forever, the game ends with the hero players were when they defeated Talia, donning a new costume and vowing to protect Gotham as the new Knight. Back at the Gotham Knight base of operations in Belfry, they watch a video that Bruce recorded for them, the dark message they all received when he died. He is interrupted by the Bat Family while recording and asked to join them for dinner. He ends with an emotional moment, looking into the camera and saying, “You always watch over me.” And that’s finally the end of Gotham Knights.
It's a bit long, I understand, but Gotham Knights has an incredibly touching ending that brought a tear to many seasoned gamers. A touching tale, the game is something of a warning of what happens to a society when the hero it relied on can no longer defend it.
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