Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale’s iteration of Batman is deservedly praised by critics and viewers alike, but The Dark Knight trilogy’s secret fourth installment – Batman: Gotham Knight – manages to improve his character and universe. The Dark Knight trilogy is renowned for its relatively realistic take on the Batman characters and mythos, taking a vastly different approach than the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher Batman movies. Gotham Knights, which came out in 2008 as part of the lead-up to The Dark Knight, continues Batman’s story between the trilogy’s first two installments.

The Nolan Batman universe has relatively little content outside of the films themselves. The Batman Begins video game remains largely faithful to the film it adapts, as do the trilogy’s novelizations. The franchise does include spinoff comics and a series of live-action web shorts, but the most prominent non-movie property in the Nolan Batman franchise is Gotham Knight, an animated film comprised of vignettes that bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and improve the characters and lore of the live-action Batman movies.

Batman: Gotham Knight Expands The Rogues Gallery In Nolan’s Universe

The Dark Knight trilogy sought to take the characters and lore of the Batman comics and reimagine them from a relatively realistic perspective. Batman’s various gadgets and vehicles are explained as rare and experimental military equipment and Gotham City itself looks more like an amalgamation of New York and Chicago than the surreal, macabre, cityscape of the Burton films. One unfortunate consequence of this approach was that Nolan’s Gotham did not always feel like a nightmarish city filled with strange criminals with specific preoccupations. Gotham Knight manages to retain Nolan’s preferred realism while bringing Gotham closer to its comic roots.

Gotham Knight expanded Batman’s rogues gallery in the Nolan universe, adding classic villains like Killer Croc and Deadshot while also creating new adversaries like the Man in Black (Jacob Feely) and The Russian. Established (or soon to be established) Nolan villains like Scarecrow and Sal Maroni appear in Gotham Knight, further cementing the film’s ties to the live-action movies. Gotham Knight effectively gives the impression that Nolan’s Gotham City does have the same surreal and strange qualities as the comics while remaining true to Nolan’s vision.

Every Villain That Appears In Batman: Gotham Knight

How Batman: Gotham Knight Sets Up The Dark Knight

In addition to deepening the lore of the Nolan Batman universe, Gotham Knight also strengthens the character of Christian Bale’s Batman. By the end of Batman Begins, the hero has established himself as Gotham City’s protector and initiated his superhero career. Although an explanation is not necessarily needed for Batman’s more seasoned role in The Dark Knight, Gotham Knight shows Batman growing from a novice vigilante to an adept hero. “Field Test,” notably, reinforces Batman’s stance on not killing, with an electromagnetic modification to his suit providing additional protection from firearms but further endangering his enemies, leading Batman to abandon it.

Gotham Knight also performs some interesting maintenance to The Dark Knight trilogy’s lore. The film establishes Sal Maroni as Carmine Falcone’s successor and pits him against rival crime boss Yuri Dimitrov, also known as The Russian. The gang leader known as The Chechen in The Dark Knight might be Dimitrov’s successor, implying that Maroni won the gang war in Gotham Knight, perhaps killing The Russian.

Another important element of Gotham Knight is how it portrays the citizens and police force of Gotham City, with their various perceptions of Batman tying into his goal of becoming a living legend in Batman Begins. “Have I Got A Story For You” has a group of children each recounting instances of observing Batman, each imagining him. “Crossfire” presents two differing views on Batman’s vigilante activities from Crispus Allen and Anna Ramirez, respectively. While obscure, compared to the live-action Dark Knight Trilogy films, Batman: Gotham Knight is a worthy chapter in Nolan’s Batman story.