The Court of Owls Just Killed A Classic Batman Villain

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Gotham Knights season 1, episode 3, “Under Pressure.”An unexpected Batman villain was added to the kill count of the Court of Owls in Gotham Knights, the latest person to fall prey to Gotham City’s infamous secret society. While the show is centered on the narrative hook of exploring the fallout of Bruce Wayne’s murder, it’s become clear that the Court is causing trouble for anyone that stands in the way of their yet-to-be-revealed end goal. Only three episodes in, bodies are starting to pile up.

The death of one long-time Batman villain, however, was completely unexpected given how much they’d already been set up as a villain to both the teen heroes framed for Bruce Wayne/Batman’s murder and as an obstacle to Harvey Dent doing his job. A seemingly central antagonist being taken out certainly opens the door to more unexpected deaths, whether they be on the side of the heroes or the villains. The Court’s latest victim also opens the door for another classic villain to potentially grow in power, inching closer to their classic comic-book look and personality.

Hamilton Hill In DC’s Batman Comics Explained

Created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Don Newton, Hamilton Hill first appeared in Detective Comics #503 in 1981. A corrupt politician in the pocket of crime lord Rupert Thorne, Hill won the Gotham City mayoral election while running on a platform of being tough on crime and combating police corruption. In truth, Hill used his position to force Commissioner Jim Gordon to resign and began undermining the honest police officers working to bring down Boss Thorne and his operations.

Hamilton Hill grew bolder and more corrupt the longer he was in office, hiring an assassin to take out Detective Harvey Bullock. He also worked with Boss Thorne and various supervillains to try and unmask Batman publicly or discover his secret identity so that they could kill him in secret. Hill was finally exposed as a criminal and forced from office in Batman #381 in 1985 after he was caught working with the villain Nightslayer to frame Batman for a series of thefts.

Why Hamilton Hill’s Death In Gotham Knights Is A Major Game Changer

While Hamilton Hill was a thorn in the side of Gotham City’s heroes, his public display of incompetence during a hostage crisis was too much for the Court of Owls to tolerate. The Gotham Knights episode “Under Pressure” ended with Hamilton Hill discovering a gold coin with the Court of Owls’ symbol in his car just seconds before it filled with toxic gas. This scene was intercut with Harvey Dent, who saved lives during the same hostage situation, declaring his candidacy for the Mayor’s office. The implication was that the Court was putting its support behind Harvey, believing him to be a better tool for their plans than Hill.

Hill’s death is also a sign that nobody among Gotham Knights’ cast of characters should be considered safe from death. While Hill is far from the most famous member of Batman’s gallery of rogues, he was one of the most dangerous, wielding political power against the Dark Knight in a way that even Bruce Wayne’s resources and reputation could not counter easily. This raises the stakes of Gotham Knights considerably and makes the series’ ongoing mysteries even more thrilling.

Gotham Knights season 1 continues on Tuesdays on The CW.