Gotham Knights Star Says They Knew the Odds Were Against Them From the Start

Gotham Knights season finale, “Night of the Owls”, aired Tuesday night on The CW and the episode wrapped up much of the freshman DC series’ major storylines by delivering the defeat of Rebecca March and the Court of Owl and the exoneration of the young vigilantes as the center of the show. There was plenty still left on the table had the series gotten a second season — Harvey Dent’s transformation into Two Face and the mystery of what happened to Turner Hayes in particular — but as season finale’s go, it wrapped things up pretty well and it turns out that was by design. According to Misha Collins, the series showrunners knew from the start the odds were stacked against Gotham Knights.

“I have to say, as it plays, this season ties up so many of the story arcs on the show with a bow so neatly that it almost works as a one-season miniseries,” Collins, who plays Harvey Dent, told Deadline (via TVLine). “I’m glad that we’re not leaving the audience hanging… it feels like a very nicely encapsulated chapter and an OK stopping point. Yet, I felt like this the show was really getting cooking, and I would have loved to have had more time with it. I loved working with this cast. I loved working with these producers and writers. It was a very fun, fertile, creative playground. And I’m gonna miss all of that.”

He continued: “When we were shooting the pilot, they knew that the deck was stacking against it for a Season 2. So that factored into the decision, I think, not to make this a pure cliffhanger, because it would be really unsatisfying for everyone involved if at least the season’s main arcs weren’t resolved.”

Collins Breaks Down the Two Face Origins Twist in Gotham Knights‘ Finale

The season finale sees Rebecca make a demand of Harvey: let his “bad’ self out in exchange for the code to the bomb Harvey’s daughter Duela is strapped to. Duela — and the Knights — go to great lengths to try to avoid Harvey having to give into Rebecca, but Harvey ultimately realizes he has to. He lets his dark side out, but even then, he’s not on Rebecca’s side. He attacks Rebecca but she gets the upper hand and smashes a vial of acid on his face, disfiguring him. In that moment, Two Face is born. It’s a bit of a twist on the origin story for the iconic villain.

“This is a story that has been told time and time again, both in the comics and in movies,” he said. “The story of Harvey Dent devolving into Two Face is not new, but it’s been told in different ways many times. I really loved that we got to delve deeply into his psychology and give Harvey some agency in the decision to unleash Two Face as opposed to it just being how it’s been portrayed in the past typically, [which] is that he just comes to a psychic breaking point and cannot contain his alter ego. And what we have done in Gotham Knights is actually made it a conscious decision on Harvey’s part. He’s unleashing the Two Face character in order to serve what he thinks is the higher good.”

Gotham Knights Cancelled After One Season

Earlier this month, The CW cancelled Gotham Knights after just one season and shortly after that announcement, series showrunners James Stoteraux and Chad Fiveash took to social media to let fans know that the series was also unable to find a home at another network or streamer despite the best efforts of the studio.

“Thank you for all the kind words and heartfelt support. Since many of you have been asking about the possibility of Gotham Knights finding a new home, we wanted to let you know that, over the last few months, our producing partners at Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Discovery had been working extremely hard to get the show picked up or possibly even moved to a new network,” the statement reads. “There is a great deal of love and support for Gotham Knights at the studio, and at The CW as well. Unfortunately, despite all their efforts, The CW wasn’t able to renew the show, and the studio wasn’t able to find a new home for it. We can assure you all that it wasn’t for a lack of trying or a lack of enthusiasm. Even in a time of severe belt-tightening, the studio spent money and resources in the hope of continuing the show. And though they ultimately weren’t successful, their efforts deserve our gratitude.”

The first season of Gotham Knights will be available to stream on Max on July 28th.