The CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’ Features a Ragtag Team of Characters from DC Comics in an Intriguing Story

Gotham Knights

Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux (showrunners)
Oscar Morgan, Olivia Rose Keegan, Navia Robinson, Fallon Smythe, Tyler DiChiara, Anna Lore, Misha Collins (cast)

Pictured (L - R): Tyler DiChiara as Cullen, Navia Robinson as Carrie, Oscar Morgan as Turner, Fallon Smythe as Harper, Olivia Rose Keegan as Duela -- Photo: Steve Wilkie/The CW -- © 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

In Gotham Knights, we’re back in Gotham, but this time we follow Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan), the adopted son of the city’s richest man, Bruce Wayne. Turner’s living the normal life of a rich kid—living it up in Wayne Manor, going to a fancy school, beating people in fencing lessons, and throwing impromptu parties for his schoolmates. Life is good, but it could be worse… as he soon finds out.

The rug is pulled out from under Turner when Gotham loses its Dark Knight, Batman, aka Turner’s very own adoptive dad, Bruce Wayne. And then Turner is implicated in Batman’s murder, alongside a ragtag group of kids, so he’s soon on the run with few allies to aid him. Who really killed Batman, and how did these kids get wrapped up in this mess?

The CW’s Gotham Knights is the latest, and possibly the last, DC Comics adaptation from the old guard to hit our screens. It really feels like the end of an era, with The Flash ending and the demise of Superman & Lois already on the horizon. I’m not sure how or why Gotham Knights was greenlit, but it’s here. Warner Bros. Discovery hasn’t had a cohesive plan in quite a while, so the show’s debut appears to be doomed to fail—no matter what Gotham Knights does right, the writing is probably on the wall for it. One season is the best we can hope for.

The story in the pilot takes a minute to kick off. It particularly drags as we have to suffer through Turner’s rather cliché storyline, but things pick up soon after, and I have to say I am invested. Most comic book readers will figure out the underlying forces behind the murder of Batman, but how do these forces come to the surface? What does it mean for Gotham to be without its protector? I am keen to see how the political machinations and Gotham’s notorious corruption play out in this series.

I’m still confused by the title of the show—it has nothing to do with the comic book run of the same name, the animated Batman: Gotham Knights film, nor the video game that’s been hyped for so long. The show does pull on the adoption thread seen in the comic book run and has a dead Batman, like in the game, but so far, those appear to be the only connections. The name is cool, so I don’t blame the creators for choosing it, but why couldn’t we have more from either source material?

The pilot episode introduces and establishes the main players. There’s Turner, the privileged adopted son of Bruce; a character created just for the show. His closest friend, and obvious unrequited love interest, is Stephanie Brown (Anna Lore)—Stephanie is a long-running Bat-Universe character in the comics, who has been a superhero in her own right for a few decades now. Leading the pack of fugitives is Duela (Olivia Rose Keegan). Though she isn’t introduced with her original surname, most readers will recognize her eccentric and violent personality as that of the comic book character Duela Dent, aka Joker’s Daughter. Duela’s accomplices are Harper (Fallon Smythe) and Cullen Row (Tyler DiChiara), the brother and sister team desperate to leave the city. Harper Row is a superhero and Batman ally in the comics; on the show, she is an openly bisexual person and has the technical skills to fix and break anything. I like how protective she is of Cullen Row, her trans brother, and I think we’ll see Cullen growing more confident in himself and finding his own space as a hero as the show goes along. Rounding out the Gotham Knights is Navia Robinson as Carrie Kelley, the sole, recognized female Robin from the comics (Stephanie’s short run is often forgotten, not least by Batman himself). Carrie is the only one with actual superheroing skills and she had a close connection to Batman. Last, but not least, Misha Collins is back with the CW as Harvey Dent, Gotham’s DA, and future villain Two-Face.

Pictured (L-R): Olivia Rose Keegan as Duela, Oscar Morgan as Turner Hayes, Fallon Smythe as Harper Row and Tyler DiChiara as Cullen Row -- Photo: Jasper Savage/The CW -- © 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

I like that the show features a hodgepodge team of characters from the Bat-Universe, it’s something of a refrain with DCTV shows. I also like that there’s some obvious queer rep in Gotham Knights with the Row siblings. But the show isn’t as diverse as it should be. The majority of the cast is still white, though I like that Carrie Kelley is now played by a Black actor.

The biggest problem with the show, at least in the pilot, is Turner Hayes. I have never seen a more bland, turgid and boring character before. His backstory makes him sound like a Z-grade Dick Grayson. And it’s obvious that he’s oblivious to how sheltered and privileged his life has been. He knows nothing; he can intuit nothing; he’s so dumb. I don’t understand why so many American shows claim to be diverse and inclusive, but will still centre a tedious cishet white boy in the story. I have never seen Oscar Morgan in any other production, but he lacks any ability to emote in this episode. I felt like tuning out every time he was on screen. I feel bad for criticizing him so much as he’s definitely a young actor—it’s not like people put much store by the performances in CW shows, but jeez, at least put in some effort. He’s not helped by being saddled with such a blank-slate character arc either.

Considering how many adoptive sons Bruce Wayne has in the comics—Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Duke Thomas—as well as a biological son, Damian Wayne, plus the fan-favourite heir to the cowl, Terry McGinnis from Batman Beyond, it’s an odd choice to create a new character simply to ensure the supposedly large white male comic book watching crowd will tune in. I can’t think of any other reason for making Turner a walking cliché. He’s a character done to death, especially in comic book fare. And what’s worse, he lacks the charisma of other cishet white dude heroes of DCTV like Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen in Arrow or Grant Gustin as Barry Allen in The Flash or Brenton Thwaites as Dick Grayson in Titans.

The issue is, none of Batman’s other kids would be as ignorant as Turner is, so even if the lead had been Tim Drake (which would have made sense since Tim and Stephanie have a long romantic history in the comics), there’s no way he could have been an audience stand-in like Turner is. I think it’s a disservice to the show to have a lead who’s just a plot enabler. Maybe Turner will become more than that, but right now, he’s the most boring part of the show.

On the other hand, the Rows were the most interesting part of the pilot. They have a comic book accurate back story, they add a bunch of inclusivity to the show, and both Fallon Smythe and Tyler DiChiara put in good performances. I’m also floored by how the pair make convincing siblings, even though the actors are not related in real life. Olivia Rose Keegan as Duela at least brought some energy to the screen, though her final scene was a letdown—this is less to do with the actor but more to do with the creators trying to shoehorn some relatable fear into the character. Let her be a badass.

We got very little of Navia Robinson as Carrie Kelley, but I’m hoping she lightens up a bit. The whole point of Carrie is that she has a vivacious, if somewhat edgy, personality. I get that this Carrie is dealing with the loss of her mentor, but I need someone to add a little bit of wit and joviality to proceedings. Maybe Carrie is it. I’m hoping Carrie is it.

Stephanie Brown isn’t on screen much, but I am really disappointed with what we’ve got so far. Honestly speaking, her characterization is somewhat on point with how female characters are usually written in comics, including Stephanie. She’s already shown as being handy with tech, but she’s a lot more cowed than I expected, and there’s too much reliance on her empathetic qualities.

I’ve seen Misha Collins do better. He’s almost too grave and serious in this, but again, the situation does call for it. I’m not sure how much of this overly serious tone I can take though. We need something to lighten the mood.

Obviously, this being a comic book show there are a lot of Easter Eggs. Some cool ones, some esoteric ones; what do they all mean? We’ll find out soon enough.

What I’ll say is, Gotham Knights proves, to me at least, that Bat-Universe shows and properties work well without Batman. Look, I love the Caped Crusader as much as the next comic book nerd, but he’s overused in every form of entertainment media. It’s too much. And it doesn’t help that Batman always looks and represents one sole community all the time. I’ve said this before, Gotham needs variety, and that comes in the form of heroes from different genders, races, and economic backgrounds. Gotham Knights gives us that variety (except for Turner, he’s a lost cause). For that, I’m glad we have this show.

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