Batman: Arkham Knight - 10 Things It Must Learn From Origins

5. Don't Ignore The Supporting Cast

A key element of WB Montréal's prequel was the emphasis on how Batman forged the relationships that came to define him as a character. Indeed, Bruce Wayne's supporting cast defines him just as much as his pointy-eared cowl does. Origins portrayed a strong emotional arc between Bruce and his loyal butler, Alfred, and even showed the transition of Batman's tumultuous relationship with the GCPD to one much more amiable in nature. The game's plot didn't necessarily cover all the bases, but it established the origins of Arkham brilliantly. In both of Rocksteady's games so far we have seen Batman's supporting cast in a very limited aspect, with Oracle and Jim Gordon bearing the brunt of attention in Asylum and City. Alfred's companionship was sadly cut short in City, and the Commissioner was almost non-existent in the game's storyline as well. Robin had a brief cameo, but he wasn't really given anything to do until the Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC - it is therefore essential that Rocksteady aim to do justice to Batman's supporting cast this time around. Batman would be nothing without his allies - they form a part of his rich and colourful history, and whilst the more solitary of tales have worked to writers' strengths in the past, a supporting cast really is a must-have for a game as expansive as Arkham Knight.
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.