10 Major Realizations I Had Watching The Secret Fourth Movie In The Dark Knight Series

Summary

Each segment of Gotham Knight was animated by different studios, showcasing different visual styles.
The movie features several nods and connections to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, enhancing the overall experience.
Realizations from rewatching include insights into Batman’s tech, villains, and potential expansion of the universe overall.

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I recently got the chance to rewatch Batman: GothamKnight, the lesser-known and yet canonical fourth movie that’s secretly a part of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. An animated feature released in 2008 just before The Dark Knight, Gotham Knight is set between the events of Nolan’s first and second Batman movies. As such, I had a few realizations about the feature with its 78-minute runtime, especially regarding elements I’d completely forgotten relating to the rest of The Dark Knight trilogy.

Consisting of six different chapters, each segment of Gotham Knight was produced and animated by different Japanese animation studios, each with its own visual tone and style. Regardless, the events of the movie as a whole are connected and meant to be canon to the version of Gotham and Batman created by Christopher Nolan and his live-action trilogy, though the events themselves are rather inconsequential to the trilogy’s narrative overall. In any event, here are 10 realizations I had rewatching Batman: Gotham Knight, a DC feature I hadn’t seen in quite a long time.

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10 The First Story Sets Up Batman As An Urban Legend Made Real

Various First Impressions

In the first chapter, “Have I Got A Story For You”, a group of teens gathers and discuss their various experiences seeing Batman for the first time. While one kid describes The Dark Knight as a monster made out of smoke and shadow, another sees him as a giant winged bat monster. Another sees Batman more as a robot armed with an array of gadgets before the real Batman emerges and takes down the criminal known only as the Man in Black.

To that end, it’s very much like the episode “Legends of the Dark Knight” from Batman: The Animated Series when a group of kids similarly gathers to tell Batman stories. However, I realized it also ties into Batman’s debut in Gotham in Batman Begins when he was fighting the League of Shadows and Scarecrow. With fear toxin having flooded the city, Batman first appears to several citizens and criminals alike as a literal bat-monster, something that likely aided in The Dark Knight initially being viewed as an urban legend and something beyond human.

9 The Second Story Reveals The Fallout Of Batman Begins

The Narrows

In the second chapter, “Crossfire”, MCU officers Crispus Allen and Ramirez deliver the Man in Black to Arkham, the institution for the criminally insane that greatly expanded in the wake of Batman Begins. While it’s not described in great detail within The Dark Knight trilogy itself, Gotham Knight helped me realize that the worst section of Gotham known as the Narrows was effectively taken over and fully became part of the greater Arkham infrastructure. After all, it was the part of Gotham that was hit hardest by the Scarecrow and the League fear attacks.

8 Lucius Fox Was Working On An Epic New Batmobile

Tumbler Meets Burton-Era?

In the third chapter (“Field Test”), Batman’s unofficial armorer Lucius Fox provides The Dark Knight with some new tech. However, he’s also seen briefly working on a brand-new Batmobile, one I didn’t look at closely enough upon my first viewing. Despite having provided Wayne with the impressively armored Tumbler in Batman Begins, it looks as though Fox was inspired to keep the vehicular experimentation going with this new model that was never featured in the live-action films.

In essence, this new Batmobile looks to be a cross between the Batmobile from 1989’s Batman starring Michael Keaton and the Tumbler seen in the Nolan movies. Although Batman does end up driving this new ride while dealing with Sal Maroni and the Russian, it’s only in this singular chapter alone. That said, I certainly enjoyed seeing this souped-up Batmobile appearance, even if it was just a “car cameo”.

7 It’s Good That Nolan Kept Batman’s Tech Grounded

A Force-Field Was A Little Too Out There

Lucius Fox didn’t just provide Bruce Wayne with a new car in “Field Test”, he also gave Batman a reworked gyroscopic electromagnetic guidance system taken from a satellite. Having been modified by Fox himself, the new device was rigged to electromagnetically deflect small arms fire via advanced sonic sensors. This effectively granted Batman his very own force field, though one that couldn’t account for ricochets potentially injuring or even killing those nearby, hence Batman’s decision to discard the device before the events of The Dark Knight.

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While fun as a one-off gadget, I realized that it’s probably for the best that a force field didn’t make its way into the live-action Dark Knight films. Nolan’s films are ultimately very grounded with a certain level of realism, and this includes the gadgets and devices Batman uses in his crusade. To that end, I’m pretty sure a bullet-deflecting force field would have crossed the line too much.

6 The Fourth Story Is The Only Chapter Where Batman’s Logo And Suit Are Accurate

Batman Actually Looks Like Nolan’s Dark Knight

As previously mentioned, every individual segment of Gotham Knight comes from different animation studios. This means that every story featured a Batman and Bruce Wayne that looks pretty different from the next, even though the chapters are all connected and are meant to be set in the same Dark Knight universe. However, I realized that only the fourth chapter “In Darkness Dwells” is the only segment that has a Batman and overall aesthetic that actually resembles the live-action films.

As seen in this fourth segment, the Bat Signal is the only one that has the same logo design as the one in Nolan’s movie. The same is true of Batman’s suit with the all-black padding, gold utility belt, and correct cowl. To that end, I did find myself enjoying this story more than the others, in part because of the greater accuracy to The Dark Knight trilogy itself.

5 Gotham Knight’s Scarecrow Sets Up His Dark Knight Rises Appearance

Scarecrow As A Judge

“In Darkness Dwells” also reveals the fate of Scarecrow following when he was last seen in Batman Begins and his brief appearance getting captured by Batman at the beginning of The Dark Knight. Likewise, I realized that his appearance in Gotham Knight basically foreshadows Scarecrow’s role in The Dark Knight Rises. In the third Nolan film, Doctor Jonathan Crane is released from Arkham by Bane and his men during their Gotham takeover. Scarecrow subsequently becomes the city’s new judge as appointed by Bane, handing down execution and banishment sentences to those deemed unworthy.

Keeping that in mind, Gotham Knight puts Crane in a very similar role, having forged his own cult of followers in the Gotham sewers comprised of Arkham escapees and the homeless. Upon capturing a cardinal, Scarecrow is seen passing his own brand of judgment upon the man before Batman finds Crane and saves the cardinal, destroying Scarecrow’s underground throne in the process.

4 Killer Croc Proves Nolan Chose The Right Villains

Waylon Jones Is A Hard-Sell For This Version of Gotham

Waylon Jones’ Killer Croc also debuts in Gotham Knight’s fourth chapter. Established as an inmate at Arkham whom Crane was helping get over his fear of bats, it was revealed that Jones suffered from a rare skin disorder and had filed his teeth to points, having joined a circus of freaks as Killer Croc, an origin mirroring his most common origins in the comics. However, it was also confirmed that Jones had Crane’s fear toxin pumping within his bloodstream which could be transferred through his bites. Protecting Scarecrow’s lair in the sewers, tying Croc to Scarecrow in the Nolan-verse was certainly an intriguing idea.

That said, Croc appears far more reptilian and monstrous than one would expect for The Dark Knight franchise and its more grounded universe. As such, Croc’s appearance in Gotham Knight further cements my longstanding (and generally popular) belief that Nolan absolutely picked the best villains possible for the live-action trilogy. Whether it’s Crane, Joker, Two-Face, Bane, or even Ra’s al Ghul, each one could feasibly exist in the real world. Killer Croc on the other hand requires the limits of reality to be stretched a little further than is likely comfortable for this Batman universe.

3 Gotham Knight Confirms TDK’s Batman Had More Teachers Beyond Ra’s al Ghul

Cassandra (Lady Shiva?)

The fifth chapter, “Working Through Pain”, features flashbacks to Bruce Wayne’s years abroad. As such, this new story confirms that Bruce Wayne had more than one teacher beyond Ra’s al Ghul. While traveling through India, Bruce learns from a woman named Cassandra who guides him in the art of controlling pain. However, I noticed upon rewatching that Cassandra and Bruce are featured training near artwork of the Hindu god Shiva. As a result, I feel as though this new teacher could be Lady Shiva from the comics who helped train Batman during Knightfall. Interestingly enough, her daughter was also named Cassandra (and became a Batgirl).

2 Gotham Knight Pays Homage To More Than One Batman

Keaton and Conroy

While Gotham Knight is meant to connect to the canon of The Dark Knight trilogy, it’s not the only version of Batman the animated feature pays homage to. Examples include Kevin Conroy voicing Batman in all six segments of Gotham Knight, the iconic voice actor known for voicing the Caped Crusader in Batman: The Animated Series, the Arkham video game trilogy, and more. Likewise, the aforementioned first chapter is basically a different version of the “Legends of the Dark Knight” episode from the animated series, as well as the “true” Batman looking a lot like Conroy’s version.

I also noticed that “Working Through Pain” features a brief cameo from the exact same Batmobile driven by Michael Keaton’s Batman from the 1989 movie directed by Tim Burton. It appears when Alfred arrives to pick up an injured Dark Knight following his battle with Killer Croc and Scarecrow. While it isn’t featured again, it is a fun little Easter egg to Keaton’s Dark Knight I didn’t notice the first time I watched Gotham Knight.

1 Deadshot Will Always Be A Great Batman Villain

World’s Greatest Marksman

The final segment of Gotham Knight is entitled, “Deadshot”, debuting The Dark Knight universe’s version of Floyd Lawton, the World’s Greatest Marksman. Having been hired by criminals in Gotham to take out Batman, it’s very exciting to see Deadshot take on The Dark Knight, just as it is on the page and in any version of the two DC rivals. To that end, it does make me wish that Will Smith’s Deadshot could have had more of a legitimate confrontation with Batman in 2016’s Suicide Squad.

Deadshot’s love of firearms contrasted with Batman’s hatred is on full display in Gotham Knight. It’s a prime example of how Lawton has the potential to be such a strong Batman villain going forward in the rebooted DC Universe. As such, it was fun rewatching this final segment featuring Deadshot, especially after the villain has received such a greater spotlight on screen than he had back in 2008 when Gotham Knight first released

The Dark Knight
PG-13
Action
Thriller
Drama
Crime

Christian Bale once again embodies the man behind the mask in The Dark Knight, reuniting Bale with Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman has been making headway against local crime—until a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker unleashes a fresh reign of chaos across Gotham City. To stop this devious new menace—Batman’s most personal and vicious enemy yet—he will have to use every high-tech weapon in his arsenal and confront his beliefs if he hopes to stand a chance against the Clown Prince of Crime.

Director Christopher Nolan Release Date July 18, 2008 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers Christopher Nolan , Jonathan Nolan , David S. Goyer Cast Nestor Carbonell , Morgan Freeman , Ritchie Coster , Cillian Murphy , Chin Han , Gary Oldman , Eric Roberts , William Fichtner , Aaron Eckhart , Maggie Gyllenhaal , Christian Bale , David Dastmalchian , Michael Caine , Anthony Michael Hall , Heath Ledger Runtime 152 Minutes Franchise(s) Batman Sequel(s) The Dark Knight Rises prequel(s) Batman Begins Budget 185 Million

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Upcoming DC Movies	Release Date
Joker: Folie à Deux	October 4, 2024
Superman	July 11, 2025
The Batman – Part II	October 2, 2026

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