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| As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
No, I never told her. I fed the fire. It was easier to have her blame you than blame me for not being there. She was already surrounded by people who loved her and hated you. The image of your deadly weapon stuck in her mother's neck made it easy for disdain to take root. You became Astrid's greatest monster. 
Astrid Arkham, more commonly known as the Arkham Knight, is one of Batman's newest foes. She seeks to bring about something she calls "The Eclipse".
Contents
History
Origin
Astrid Arkham's parents were both doctors in Arkham Asylum, her father Jeremiah Arkham was a descendant of the Asylum's founder Amadeus Arkham. Her mother Ingrid Karlsson was a kind-hearted woman who was liked and respected by even the most psychotic patients of Arkham Asylum like the Joker. While Ingrid was heavily pregnant with Astrid a riot broke out in the prison. It was in this precarious environment that Ingrid went into labor. In a moment of human compassion super-villains such as Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Joker, Solomon Grundy and Clayface stopped rioting to help and protect Ingrid during her time of need. However this didn't stop tragedy from striking as a rogue Batarang thrown by an inmate struck Ingrid in the neck, killing her.[1]
The riot soon subsided and Jeremiah was left to raise his daughter alone, who grew up within the confines of Arkham Asylum. She didn't get to spend time with other children as Jeremiah home schooled her in Arkham, instead she made friends with the inmates of the Asylum who all took care of her as an act of kindness to her dead mother. She would sit outside the Joker's cell and read fairy tales with him, she always idolized the knights in these stories.[1]
She soon grew to hold a grudge against Batman, who she always saw as a demon who hurt her only friends. Jeremiah tried to tell Astrid the reason Batman hurts her friends, but she couldn't understand his point of view. This grudge turned into hatred when she uncovered video tapes of how her mother died. The tapes obscured who threw the Batarang so Astrid believed Batman had killed her mother.[1]
Swearing revenge on her mother's killer Astrid trained herself into a skilled fighter and started a cult called the Knights of the Sun, a group of Arkham inmates who wanted to rid Gotham of Batman, who they saw as a dark blight on the city. Astrid began calling herself the Arkham Knight, just like the knights in her bedtime stories.[1]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Leadership: The Knights of the Sun are completely devoted to Astrid, and will follow any order she gives them, despite previously being chaotic madmen.[2]
- Martial Arts: Astrid trained for years in order to fight toe-to-toe with Batman. While she does possess incredible martial prowess, she wasn't able to hold her own against Batman for very long.[1]
- Mechanical Engineering: Astrid appears to be a gifted engineer, as she was able to design and create an energy device capable of outputting enough light to cover the whole of Gotham City.[2]
- Pedagogy: Astrid trained and indoctrinated chaotic and dangerous inmates of Arkham Asylum, turning them into determined and dangerous killing machines.[2]
- Swimming: Astrid can swim.[3]
- Weaponry: Astrid is proficient with various types of archaic weaponry. She was able to use a cattle prod to knock Robin unconscious, and has made keen use of a shield in battle.[3]
- Swordsmanship: Astrid's primary weapon is a sword, which she is incredibly efficient with.[2]
- Throwing: Astrid can throw shurikens with deadly accuracy.[3]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Body Armor: The Arkham Knight wears a suit of protective body armor similar to Batman's Batsuit. This suit is stronger then Batman's, capable of deflecting machine gun fire with no issue. The suit is also air tight, allowing Astrid to operate while submerged.[3]
- Smoke Capsules: Astrid often carries smoke capsules on her person. These bombs can be thrown against a surface to create a cloud of smoke. The Knight usually uses these bombs for a more concealed attack or a quick get away.[3]
Weapons
- Shurikens: Astrid carries golden shurikens shaped like the sun into battle to be used as throwing projectiles similar to Batman's Batarangs.[3]
- Sword and Shield: Astrid wields a sword and shield shaped like the letter "A" into battle.[2]
Notes
- Arkham Knight was created by Rocksteady Studios, first appearing in Batman: Arkham Knight #1. However, in the Prime Earth continuity, Arkham Knight first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in Detective Comics #1000 by Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke.
Trivia
- Astrid is of Scandinavian descent.[4]
- According to Robin, Astrid is in her late teen years or early twenties.[4]
Related
- 7 Appearances of Astrid Arkham (Prime Earth)
- 7 Images featuring Astrid Arkham (Prime Earth)
- 5 Quotations by or about Astrid Arkham (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Astrid Arkham (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
  Batman Villain(s) |
