If the chance to see several characters from the Bat mythos in live-action for the first time isn’t exciting enough to get you excited, The CW has just dropped the show’s very first trailer, which promises lots of crime-fighting, a bit of Riverdale-style teen angst, and a ton of Batman-themed easter eggs. Check it out below: Eagled-eyed Batman fans will likely recognize quite a few of these DC comic book characters, but those who only know the Dark Knight’s world from the movies might be a little stumped. Let’s break down who’s who here:
Turner Hayes (Oscar Morgan)
While he’s an original creation for the show, Turner is likely based on the many sons Bruce has adopted into his crime-fighting family in the comics. Dick Grayson, the first Robin, was the original. When Grayson went solo as Nightwing, Bruce next took in Jason Todd. After Jason died, Tim Drake became the third Boy Wonder. These days, it’s Bruce’s biological son with Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne, wearing the red and green tights. And Batman has had plenty of other sidekicks in between, some of which are featured in this series. But he’s not the only one who could be equipped to become Gotham’s foremost protector…
Carrie Kelley (Navia Robinson)
We also get a live-action version of Carrie Kelley, played here by Navia Robinson. While it looks like she’s not officially the Robin of this CW universe, Carrie does reveal Batman used to call her “his little robin,” which is close enough! This character was first introduced in the comics in 1986 in the pages of The Dark Knight Returns, the book by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley that is arguably the most influential Batman story of all time. It only makes sense it would make its way into Gotham Knights somehow. In those comics, Carrie was a Batman super-fan who took it upon herself to become his new Robin for the Dark Knight’s. Carrie went on to become a vigilante named Catgirl and later Batwoman. It’s clear in the trailer that this Carrie admired Batman and sees it as her mission to continue what he started, including protecting his son from evil-doers. We see that she’s also already mastered the art of combat, Batarangs, and explosives, which makes the most capable of the group of new heroes.
Stephanie Brown (Anna Lore)
The drama isn’t just unfolding on the streets of Gotham but in the halls of a high school, too. We see Anna Lore’s Stephanie Brown walking through the halls of what is likely Gotham Academy from the comics. (And Turner also mentions she knows Carrie “from trig.”) In the trailer, it’s Stephanie who walks down the steps of the Batcave with Turner, likely discovering Mr. Wayne’s dark secret for the first time here. But this isn’t the first time Stephanie has appeared in live action. In fact, The CW first brought her to life on Batwoman, where she was played by Morgan Kohan.
Duela, the Joker’s Daughter (Olivia Rose Keegan)
The Joker has a daughter?! Well, jury’s still out on that one, but she is clearly just as chaotic, even “shooting her legal counsel in the kneecap.” Known as “Duela Dent” in the comics (although that may not even be her real name), this rogue was introduced in 1976 in a story in Batman Family #6 by Bob Rozakis and Irv Novick. Duela’s had several different origin stories throughout her history, depending on whether you’re reading a story from before Crisis on Infinite Earths or after. DC altered her backstory again after 2011’s New 52 reboot. In many ways, Duela’s true identity is as hard to pin down as her alleged father’s. But she’s not always played the role of straight villain. At one point she was even a member of the Teen Titans! The trailer shows that this Duela is definitely very rough around the edges, but will she step up to become someone better? Duela was first played by Alessandra Torresani on Batwoman. In the comics, Harper must protect Cullen from an abusive father and bullies, and is a brilliant electrical engineer, helping Batman on the tech side from time to time too.
Harvey Dent (Misha Collins)
You know this guy: Supernatural‘s Misha Collins plays Gotham district attorney Harvey Dent, who in the comics and on the big screen is better known as the duplicitous villain Two-Face. But in the universe of Gotham Knights, Harvey hasn’t gone through that transformation and has even outlived the Batman. It looks like he’s now the adult left to guide all of these troubled kids through this tragedy. Harvey Dent was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and first appeared in Detective Comics #66 in 1942.
A Very Dead Bruce Wayne?
This trailer isn’t kidding: the Dark Knight is dead. We see who we assume is Bruce Wayne bleeding out on the pavement after being thrown out of his office window. Whoever did this first put the Bat cowl on his head in order to out Bruce’s secret life as the Caped Crusader. Now the truth seems to have been revealed. While being interrogated at the precinct for the murder of Bruce Wayne, Harper, Cullen, and Duela claim that they were paid to just break into the billionaire’s office. We see the trio of delinquents booking it out of the office in the trailer. Written on the shattered window behind them is the declaration: “Your Bat Is Dead.” In other words, these kids are going to need a very good lawyer to get them out of this one… Gotham Knights premieres in 2023 on The CW.
