Dr. Simon Hurt
One particularly striking and defining characteristic of the Arkham Knight is the uncanny and incredible sense of purpose and focus in directing all energies towards the single objective of destroying Batman, his legacy, and Gotham City. There is perhaps one other Batman villain to display such fanatical fervor – his name is Dr. Simon Hurt.
Originally based on an unnamed psychologist from a 1960s Batman story called “Robin Dies At Dawn”, Grant Morrison created, quite literally, one of Batman’s most diabolical villains. The true identity of Dr. Hurt was always ambiguous – it was hinted that could have been a devil worshiping ancestor named Dr. Thomas Wayne, a demon, an avatar of Darkseid, or the Devil himself.
What was always consistent with the character is that he a master of psychology, guile, manipulation, and malevolence. Armed with secret knowledge about Batman, Dr. Hurt assisted the Black Glove in Batman R.I.P. in an all-out campaign of psychological and physical warfare against Batman. In Dr. Hurt’s final gambit, Bruce was left in Gotham City lost, naked, disoriented, and an amnesiac.
Dr. Simon Hurt would make a surprising but fitting reveal as the Arkham Knight considering both their unsurpassed strategy, tactical mastery, guile, and mercilessness. Similar to Jason Todd, Dr. Hurt has intimate knowledge about Bruce which he consistently turns to his advantage. Finally, the Arkham series was never afraid to embrace the supernatural stories from the comics such as Ra’s Al Ghul and the Lazarus Pits. What a plot twist for the ages it would be if in Arkham Knight you were actually facing off against the Devil himself?