Batman Is Dead in 'Gotham Knights' — Or Is He? Players Want to Know

This article contains SPOILERS for the plot of Gotham Knights.

The long-awaited Gotham Knights game from DC and Warner Bros. has finally arrived, and while the game has been met with some mixed reviews, hardcore DC fans will revel in a chance to play as some of the lesser-known heroes that makeup Batman's inner circle.

Before the title's release, the developers told players that Batman was dead, leaving others to care for Gotham in his wake — but is Batman truly dead in the game? Is there a way to play as Batman in Gotham Knights?

In the open scenes of Gotham Knights, players watch the catalyst for the game's story as Batman tragically dies.

During a face-off with Ra’s al Ghul, Batman makes the decision to blow up the Bat Cave with both of them inside. While it costs Batman his life, leaving the members of the Gotham Knights to take over in his wake, it also eliminates the leader of the League of Shadows.

But, in true DC fashion, Batman still makes an appearance later in the game.

Though Bruce Wayne may have died before the game really gets going, the League of Shadows has some dark means of bringing characters back from the dead. With the Lazarus Pit, Ra’s al Ghul's daughter, Talia, attempts to bring the hero back to life — and convert him to the League of Shadows's side.

In his reanimated state, Batman temporarily rules at the helm of the group he once fought to destroy, but it doesn't take long before the Gotham Knights attempt to rectify this problem.

In the game, the group of heroes breaks Batman out of his reanimated state, and Batman, in true martyr fashion, sacrifices himself once again, this time destroying the Lazarus Pit with him.

While many were hoping there would be a way to bring back DC's founding hero, doing so would've undermined the point of Gotham Knights — which is that the other members of the Bat Family are heroes enough to take care of Gotham in his stead.

Though Gotham Knights is meant to be a continuation of the storyline set out in the Arkham games, this is the first time in the series that you won't be able to take on the streets as the famed caped crusader. Batman may make a brief appearance in the game, thanks to the League of Shadows’s Lazarus Pit, but there isn't a way to play as the hero — especially since he was brought back to life to take over as the lead for the League of Shadows.

Instead, you'll have to pick your favorite of the four other playable characters in the game: Red Hood, Robin, Batgirl, or Nightwing. Though you're missing out on the head of the Bat Family, switching between four other iconic heroes in the DC universe is a unique experience that hasn't been seen before in the franchise's video game adaptations.

Gotham Knights is now available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.