Batman: Arkham Knight concluded by killing Bruce Wayne. It brought Rocksteady's incredible trilogy to a close, and despite the Caped Crusader's death, rumours persisted for years about a potential follow-up.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League filled that role, to some extent, but was forced to retcon Batman's return and subsequent murder at the hands of one Harley Quinn due to fan backlash.
Back to this Arkham Knight follow-up, and while Damian Wayne was going to be its lead, Bruce would have returned as a much older Batman.
Thanks to concept artist Jerad S.Marantz (Spider-Man: Far From Home, Predator: Killer of Killers), we have a new look at Bruce and the formidable Batsuit he'd have donned while attempting to protect Gotham City. Based on what little we know about this unmade title, he'd have primarily served as Damian's mentor in a Batman Beyond-inspired story.
"I love Batman! I was so excited when I got a chance to design a suit for the Arkham universe," Marantz shared. "Unfortunately, this game was cancelled, but I am still so grateful to have had the time to do another Batsuit. This one was a fun take."
"It was a much older Batman," he continued, "and the suit was really holding this beaten and broken hero together. Batman is still my absolute favourite superhero. I could work on this guy forever."
It looks pretty cool, right? Well, lessening the blow somewhat is that this game wasn't being developed by Rocksteady; instead, Warner Bros. Games Montreal, the team behind the Batman: Arkham Origins spin-off, was working on the unmade game. The project was likely scrapped so the studio could focus on Gotham Knights, a title that received largely negative reviews.
The Batman: Arkham series began with Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009, setting a new standard for superhero games. It followed the title hero as he confronted iconic villains like the Joker, Scarecrow, and Poison Ivy while uncovering a sinister plot within the walls of Arkham Asylum.
The sequel, Arkham City, followed in 2009 and expanded the world by placing Batman in a larger, open-world Gotham district, pitting him against villains like Hugo Strange, the Penguin, and Two-Face. Finally, Arkham Knight wrapped the series up in 2015 with a massive open-world Gotham, introducing the titular villain, the Arkham Knight, later revealed to be a resurrected Jason Todd.
You can take a closer look at this new Arkham concept art in the Instagram gallery below.