Batman: Arkham Knight - 10 Coolest Easter Eggs, Secrets And References Explained

2. Beware The Gray Ghost!

Batman Arkham Knight Gray Ghost
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Batman: The Animated Series was a pretty big influence on the Arkham franchise. Not only did Rocksteady opt to reuse the series' voice cast - at least in respect to Batman, Joker and initially Harley Quinn too - the studio also utilised the talents of Paul Dini to construct the overarching narrative of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.

BTAS' influences are plain for all to see across the Arkham series, but Arkham Knight has by far the coolest nod towards the show in the form of a poster referencing the Gray Ghost, which can be found in Oracle's clocktower.

The Legend of Zorro has long been a formative influence on Bruce Wayne in the comics, but BTAS opted to showcase another figure who inspired its own version of Batman in an episode called 'Beware the Gray Ghost'. It's a genius episode, not just because it celebrates one of the Dark Knight's most beloved onscreen figures, but also because it highlights one of his biggest literary influences: The Shadow.

The Gray Ghost is a fictional hero in the DCAU, and one portrayed by an actor voiced by sixties Batman star Adam West. The episode eventually sees West's character don the Gray Ghost mantle once more, with Batman fighting side by side with his childhood hero.

Content Producer/Presenter

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.