Batman: Arkham Knight - 10 Big Story Moments Fans Will Debate For Years
5. Oracle's Kidnap Was To Force Melodrama
Once again Barbara was used as a means to force melodrama, but this time it was between the commissioner and Batman. Not only did Rocksteady not offer any explanation as to how the Clocktower's defences were breached (we're led to believe the Knight had this knowledge already), but Oracle's absence results in a rift opening up between Jim and Bruce. It can be argued that Oracle's elimination made logistical sense for the Knight's forces as she's Batman's key supporting element, but she was clearly targeted by Rocksteady to stoke drama between two very amiable allies - something that was much better done in an episode of The New Batman Adventures entitled 'Over the Edge'. Though Knight's second act may be more controversial due to its insistence on recurring tank sections, the first is just as divisive in the narrative sense. No wonder people were anticipating the Batgirl DLC so much.
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.
