Batman: Gotham Knight

**Batman: Gotham Knight** is an animated television series loosely based on the DC Comics character Batman, developed by Greg Weisman and Paul Dini. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the series originally aired on Cartoon Network from May 8th, 2017, to May 18th, 2020 with a total of 52 episodes. Volume 2 of the series aired shortly after, on October 18th, 2023, to October 25th, 2025 with a total of 40 episodes.

The series was praised as a retelling of the Batman origin story and incorporating stories from the comics, with its thematic complexity, darker tone, and artistic quality.

## Cast

### Volume 1

#### Protagonists

* **Bruce Greenwood** as **Bruce Wayne/Batman**
* **Jeff Bennett**as**Alfred Pennyworth**
* **David Selby**as **James Gordon**
* **Jesse McCartney** as **Dick Grayson/Robin**
* **Tara Strong** as **Barbara Gordon/Batgirl**

#### Antagonists

* **Mark Hamill** as **The Joker**
* **TBA**
* **TBA**

## Episodes

### Volume 1

#### Season 1

1. *Pilot*: Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City after 12 years of physical and mental training, coming to Wayne Manor. He's assisted by his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in becoming a vigilante. He roams around the streets, finding a sadistic killer about to murder a mother. A flashback commences of Bruce remembering his parents getting shot in front of him, before he tackles down the killer and starts beating him. The police arrive, and Bruce disappears.
#### Season 2

1. *Vengeance of Bane*: Bruce Wayne has been Batman for six months, dealing with the smaller criminals during that time. He hears about a drug called Venom rising in Gotham, and fights his first supervillain: Bane. Batman struggles against Bane, who is much stronger than him and is intelligent, but Batman manages to defeat Bane by cutting off the tube feeding him the drug Venom.
2. *Challenge of the Man-Bat!*: Zoologist Kirk Langstorm steals a serum made with the Venom drug that allows humans to fly from a museum, and tests it on himself, transforming into... the Man-Bat! Batman finds him stealing the serum, and battles Man-Bat who defeats Batman with ease. Man-Bat goes on a rampage around the city, terrorizing citizens until Batman manages to defeat Man-Bat who is taken to Arkham Aslyum.
3. *Riddle Me This*: In the past, Edward Nigma and Gorman are discussing about selling the former's invention to which he declines. Edward finds out the invention is malfunctioning and becomes angry, taking on the identity: the Riddler. The Riddler follows Gorman onto a bus where everyone is locked inside and is forced to answer his riddles. Batman appears and fights Riddler, who manages to get Batman tied up and is about to kill him but instead asks for clues on Batman's identity. Batman manages to escape while distracting Riddler, sending him to Blackgate Prison.
4. *The Cat*: A cat burglar naming herself Catwoman attacks Gotham, and in an encounter with Batman she gets away due to smittening him. Catwoman plots to break into Wayne Enterprises to steal blueprints. Bruce encounters Catwoman outside of his suit and tries to fight Catwoman, but Catwoman manages to defeat Bruce due to him not risking his identity. Bruce reveals to be conscious and sneaks away, attacking Catwoman who is on the chase. He takes back the blueprints, only to learn those were fakes as Catwoman escapes.
5. *Harley Quinn*: Batman is fighting Joker, who pulls many tricks up his sleeves but ultimately falls to The Dark Knight. Joker is sent to Arkham Aslyum, where he reveals his plot to bust everyone out from the aslyum. His therapist, Harleen Quinzel, tries to help treat Joker but Joker manages to smitten Harleen and she falls in love with him overtime while developing a hatred towtards Batman, saying that Joker's insanity is fueled by Batman. Harleen decides to convince Joker to love her by helping him escape and kill Batman, reforming into Harley Quinn. Batman fights Harley and Joker, struggling but manages to abuse Joker's hatred of Batman and redirect it at Harley, making Joker angry that she would try and kill Batman leading to their arrests.
6. *Terror*: Psychiatrist Jonathan Crane is at Arkham Aslyum asking Harley Quinn about her experience with the Joker and Batman and her fears, before leaving. Scarecrow starts to terrorize the city, first targetting Gotham University. Batman drives his Batmobile to Gotham University where he fights with Scarecrow one-on-one. Scarecrow tries to abuse Batman's fear, revealing to be that he is afraid he can't prevent all crimes. A flashback is seen of Bruce's parents getting killed, before Batman snaps out of it and defeats Scarecrow.
7. *Absolute Zero*: Ferris Boyle stops Victor Fries from crynogenically freezing his terminally ill wife, Nora. A criminal by the name, Mr. Freeze, has been committing ice-related crimes intrigues Bruce Wanye who quickly deduces that the ice villain is building a giant freeze gun. Mr. Freeze encounters Gothcorp's CEO, Ferris Boyle, and tries to freeze him but Batman stops him quickly with a batarang. Mr. Freeze attacks Batman, but Batman accidentally destroys his glass dome and tries to keep him conscious. Mr. Freeze is sent to Arkham Aslyum where he's seen weeping as his tears turn to snowflakes, crying over not being able to avenge his ill wife, Nora. Boyle is sent to jail for his crimes.
8. *Killer Moth*: In prison, Cameron van Cleer reads a newspaper of Batman's heroic feats. He's bailed out by a mysterious man named Black Mask, who orders him to establish a new identity and earn Batman's trust before assassinating him. Cameron van Cleer takes on the identity, Killer Moth, and is supplied with the items needed. He encounters Batman a few times after saving petty crooks, and stops a bank robbery. Killer Moth prevents Batman from saving someone from a fire, forcing Batman to punch him and save the people inside of the burning building. Killer Moth then flies Batman over the city, who calls the GCPD Headquarters for some help. Batman is plummetting to his death but is saved by John Blake and Commissioner Gordan who arrest Killer Moth.
9. *Two-Face*: Bruce Wayne attends a court session of his friend, Harvey Dent who is prosecuting Sal Maroni. Sal Maroni attacks Harvey Dent in the court and throws chemicals at his face, scarring Harvey. Harvey Dent tries to get plastic surgery for his face but the damage has already taken place. He kidnaps Commissioner Gordan and threatens to kill him, demanding for some help. Batman tries to stop Two-Face who retaliates at Batman. Batman is knocked out by Two-Face, who escapes to kill Sal Maroni. Sal Maroni is held at gunpoint by Two-Face, but Batman saves him and defeats Two-Face, sending him to Arkham Aslyum.
10. *The Big Heat*: Garfield Lynns is given a battle suit with weapons by Gothcorp, commanded to assassinate Bruce Wayne due to the company's rivalries. He kidnaps his ex-girlfriend Cassidy, a singer, after he messed up technical displays at her concert, and takes her to an abandoned factory. Batman finds him, and Firefly tries to kill Cassidy but Batman saves her. Batman's arm gets burnt and he struggles against Firefly who escapes. Firefly tries to kill Bruce Wayne during a meeting with Lex Luthor, forcing Lex Luthor's assistant, Mercy, to stop him with her mechanical arm. Bruce and Luthor find out Firefly was sent by Gothcorp, and the former learns that it's owned by... Black Mask.
11. *Arkham Aslyum*: Batman is investigating Arkham Aslyum to learn more about Black Mask, learning that many villains transferred from Blackgate Prison over to the aslyum. Batman is suddenly locked inside of Arkham Aslyum, as Black Mask appears with a group of villains escaping from their cells. Deadshot attacks Batman, shooting at him, while Batman tries to fight Black Mask and Black Spider at the same time. Hook manages to bruise Batman, who learns that the Joker, Black Mask, Penguin, and Bane are all fighting for control over Gotham City while Arkham Aslyum was just a diversion for Batman. Batman escapes barely, but learns that Deathstroke is out of his cell and Black Mask has disappeared.
12. *Eve*: Christmas Eve has come and Batman stop the four crimelords of Gotham all on his own. He turns to his friend, Commissioner Gordan, for advice and learns that Catwoman was aiding Bane with the blueprints while the Riddler's invention was sold around on the black market and was eventually found its way to Black Mask. Batman finds Penguin and is about to send him into Bell Revve where Amanda Waller will keep him there but is ambushed by Deathstroke. Deathstroke attacks Batman, the two even, and Batman falls off of the rooftop presumably dying. Batman though clings onto a window, hiding, before surprising Deathstroke and knocking him out.
13. *Gotham*: Batman finds out Penguin is only Bane's ally, who helped hook him up with advanced weaponry due to his wealth. Penguin is sent to Arkham Aslyum due to him not being too much of a threat, and searches for the Joker. Batman finds Bane on the streets with a crowd all using the venom drug, and finds out that they're Bane's "army". Bane's army keeps Batman busy while Bane tries to crash the stock market and take over Wayne Enterprises, but is surprised to find Joker and the Jokerz who attack him. Black Mask and his group, The False Facers, attack Wayne Enterprises and is surprised by both Bane and Joker. Police officer John Blake helps assist Batman stop Bane's group, and Catwoman aides him in stopping the three crimelords. Bane tries to break Batman's mask, but only injures his leg. Bane also tries to kill Joker, and Joker is seen falling off of the building rooftop before being saved by Harley Quinn. Black Mask vanishes, while Bane is defeated.

#### Season 3

1. *Boy Wonder Pt. 1*: TBA.
2. *Boy Wonder Pt. 2*: TBA.

## Trivia

* The series mixes elements from the Batman comics, Batman: the Animated Series/The New Adventures of Batman, The Batman (TV series), the Arkham games, and the Dark Knight trilogy.
* This is the longest airing Batman show, if vol 1 and vol 2 were combined.