1. The Knightfall Protocol Misses The Point Completely
Of all the divisive elements of Knight's plot, the Knightfall protocol seems to be the most contentious - the reason being it completely misunderstands the nature of Bruce Wayne and the character of Batman as a whole. A common misconception (and a clichéd one at that) is that Bruce Wayne is merely the mask that hides Batman - the true face of Gotham's protector, but this is wildly incorrect. Yes, it's true that the billionaire playboy persona is merely a façade to keep the tabloids and the wider press occupied, but Bruce Wayne is so much more. He engages in philanthropy, makes friends, develops connections, falls in love, and even cares for his family that helps him in his nightly escapades. To eliminate him would be a huge failure for a character that has overcome the lure to commit to being a ruthless vigilante 24/7 - he would've failed. But no, Arkham Knight's ending seems to wish to portray this failure as a triumph, as Bruce succumbs to the Bat in creating a 'new legend' altogether. He throws away Selina, severs any and all ties he had with his family (bar Alfred) and all in the name of continuing his descent into the Batman persona. Many have speculated that it's an entirely new Batman featured at the end of Knight, but Bruce's final words to Selina imply quite the opposite. It's a very sombre ending for a hero that deserves so much more, and the tone it wishes to portray is completely and utterly oximoronical. For a story that had attempted to illustrate how important Bruce's allies actually are, the 100% Knightfall Protocol goes to great lengths to negate any and all meaning it may have had. What points from Knight's story do you find yourself debating? Or do you find most chatter is mostly positive? Sound off below and don't forget to 'like' the Facebook Page for more!
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
