Warning: contains potential spoilers for Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of the White Knight!
Later this year, introduce Terry McGinnis and Neo-Gotham to the White Knight universe. Sean Murphy, architect of the White Knight alternate universe, will co-write the series with Clay McCormack; it will be illustrated by Simone Di Meo.
Batman: White Knight, written and illustrated by Sean Murphy, debuted in 2017, as part of DC’s Black Label imprint. The Joker, apparently cured of his madness, became a politician, exposing the evils of Gotham City—including Batman. The series concluded with Batman realizing he was part of the problem and unmasking to Commissioner Gordon. A follow-up series Curse of the White Knight followed, incorporating new characters such as Azrael into the universe. Murphy’s White Knight universe has proven so popular that DC has commissioned spin-off titles, exploring the stories of Mister Freeze and Harley Quinn. In addition to introducing Azrael, Curse of the White Knight also introduced Red Hood. Now, Murphy returns to Red Hood later this year in a brand-new mini-series.
In a recent roundtable with ScreenRant, Murphy revealed more details about the forthcoming series. When Murphy was planning Curse of the White Knight, he intended to introduce Red Hood earlier in the book but opted to save the reveal to the end. Murphy confessed he did not know “exactly what [he] was going to be doing” with Red Hood, thus pushing him to the series’ end. However, Murphy has created a backstory that will form the basis of the forthcoming two-issue miniseries. One of the goals of the new book is to “humanize” Red Hood; he will take on a daughter-figure and as he trains her, he comes to new realizations about his relationship with Batman, ultimately empathizing with his former mentor. Murphy did not reveal an exact release date for the series, simply saying it was coming later this year.
Sean Murphy’s White Knight universe has proven popular with fans, so much that DC has allowed Murphy and his collaborators to create an entire universe based around it. In addition to providing readers with a slightly skewered version of Batman, Murphy has incorporated other characters from the Dark Knight’s mythos, such as Azrael and soon Terry McGinnis, as well. The White Knight universe takes a more grounded approach to Batman and his allies, and Red Hood, with his street-level approach to crime fighting, makes sense. Red Hood’s relationship with Batman has never been the best, and in this forthcoming mini-series, he will gain a new understanding about Batman and what it means to “care about somebody,” according to Murphy.
Sean Murphy’s Batman: White Knight universe continues to grow and expand, incorporating more and more of the Batman mythos. Red Hood will soon get the White Knight treatment in a new series debuting later this year.
