Who are the Court of Owls, the main antagonist of Gotham Knights?

The upcoming Gotham Knights title has revealed that one of the primary antagonists will be the Court of Owls. The mysterious group, also known as the Parliament of Owls and the Tribe of Judas, is an ancient conspiracy that has reportedly controlled Gotham City for centuries.

They are said to wield an enormous amount of power in Gotham City, controlling the city from behind the scenes.

Dick Grayson mentioned them in Batman #4, Volume 2:

“Look, Bruce. No one knows Gotham better than you. It's your city. It's Batman's city... But it's also nearly four hundred years old. Which means over the years, maybe it belonged to something else, too. Something big. Something dark.”

But who is the Court of Owls?

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How could the Court of Owls be used in Gotham Knights?

How will the Court of Owls affect the Gotham Knights story (Image via DC Comics)

Though the leaders of the Court of Owls just wear owl masks, the rest of the organization are mutated and are human/owl hybrids. They have unsettling, distorted faces and sport long claws to slay their foes in an efficient way.

Since Gotham Knights is a traditionally grim, dark, Batman setting, the Court of Owls will likely be behind the scenes, manipulating the Bat-Family. Talons are the assassination arm of the Court, and loyal only to the Court.

Skilled murderers, Talons sleep within the inner sanctum until summoned. It could be similar to the original Court of Owls story, where they are simply unleashed upon the city to do battle. Given that the Talons are traditionally immortal, they are the perfect soldiers to fight the Bat-Family.

It is likely they will be the primary force the Bat-Family will have to deal with in Gotham Knights. They are not a force to be taken lightly, but who are the Court of Owls themselves?

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First appearance and origin of the Court of Owls

Only spoken of in the most hushed tones, or through a nursery rhyme, the Court of Owls appear in the Batman franchise as Bruce Wayne announces he wants to reshape Gotham City for the future. This action gains the attention of the Court of Owls, and Talon is sent to deal with Wayne.

"Beware The Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadow perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send The Talon for your head."

Talons are a group of highly trained assassins, bred only to kill targets picked by the Court of Owls. They will probably be a major threat to the Bat-Family in the upcoming Gotham Knights game. Talon fails to best Bruce Wayne and survives a fall from the top of Wayne Tower.

The Court of Owls has eyes everywhere and even has hidden rooms in every building established by the Alan Wayne Trust. Alan Wayne, the founder of Wayne Enterprises, feared the Court of Owls was real instead of just a rumor.

After failing to slay Batman, the Court unleashed their army of Talons on the city, to eliminate Batman and all of his allies, and ultimately gain control of Gotham. Through the hard work of Dick Grayson, who will be playable in Gotham Knights, the detective learns the Court of Owls is just a branch of a cabal of the wealthy, the Parliament of Owls.

Immortal and restless, Talons will be a threat for the Gotham Knights players (Image via DC Comics)

The mission of the Parliament is one that could only take place in a comic book series like Batman. They worship the Bat God Barbatos and descend from the Tribe of Judas. The goal is to infect a son of the House of Wayne with five metals from the Dark Multiverse.

The group was informed that doing this would allow them to rule the world, alongside Barbatos. This was not fated to be, as the Parliament was killed by the Robins of The Batman Who Laughs.

The Owls are a powerful faction among the Batman villains and have been used in a variety of Batman-related media. They have been a part of the Gotham TV series, and the Batman vs. Robin animated feature as well.

The Court of Owls will surely be a serious force in the upcoming Gotham Knights title.