The Order of St Dumas has always been at odds with the Batman's way of thinking, so it's no surprise that Azrael's alliance with the world's greatest detective is an uneasy one. Just by violating The Dark Knight's 'no killing' rule alone places Michael Lane's Azrael on the wrong footing with Bruce, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Bat Family needs all the help it can get. Unfavourable to them however is the fact that Azrael sees himself as Gotham's true protector, and he's willing to accomplish that goal by any means necessary - even if it necessitates killing the Bat. In the comics, a previous Azrael called John Paul Valley took over the reigns as Batman during the much-lauded Knightfall saga - resulting in grave consequences for all those involved. Not only was this Batman more brutal in airing his reproach, he was more than willing to cross a line the real Batman never could. If Rocksteady were feeling particularly brave, having Azrael off Batman near the end of the game's events would really cement Arkham Knight as being a truly revered tale. Not only that, but having the rest of the Bat family unite to take down a pretender to the Bat cowl would be glorious to partake in, and would lead the series down new and exciting directions for all characters involved. Are you at all worried at the prospect of Batman dying? Or do you think the statue is meaningless? Sound off below and be sure to give the Facebook Page a 'like'!
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.
