Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a reinvention of the Lego game formula, including a much-needed trimming of some of the bloat present in the series’ past entries. One way bloat has been reduced is by limiting the roster of playable characters, giving each character unique abilities in addition to a variety of costumes.
In total, there are seven playable characters, outside of the occasional one-off section in some levels where characters like Alfred are briefly playable. Characters are unlocked via story missions, giving you access to new activities in the open world. If you’d like to see the whole list of capes and cowls you’ll be donning, keep scrolling.
The characters are listed in the order you unlock them, with minimal story spoilers.
Batman
Naturally, your first character will be the Dark Knight himself. While it takes a couple of missions to get into the suit, you’ll be Bruce Wayne the entire game. Batman has two primary abilities, his Batarang and his Batclaw grappling hook, in addition to a couple of passive abilities unlocked throughout the game. His other abilities include various types of X-rays and UV vision, as well as his explosive spray, which allows Batman to take down destructible walls.
One of your two characters is Batman at almost all times, and he cannot be swapped out in the open world.
Jim Gordon
Jim Gordon, who rises the ranks from detective to commissioner, is unlocked in Chapter 1, as soon as Bruce sets out as Batman for the first time. Gordon comes equipped with a Foam Sprayer, which can gunk up pipes, and his Rebound Launcher, which shoots a bouncing projectile. Gordon also unlocks the ability to solve missing posters in the open world, although you don’t have to be Gordon to complete these activities.
Catwoman
Catwoman joins Batman in his quest early into Chapter 2 after tracking Penguin to the zoo. Her main abilities are her Whip, which can rotate screws and Lego bricks, and her Call Kitty, which lets her control a cat who can enter vents. Cracking a safe requires a quick minigame, where you have to rotate the dial slowly to drop the pin in correctly.
Catwoman also has several passive abilities that are exclusive to her, like cutting open certain glass windows, climbing walls, and cracking safes.
Robin
Robin dons his costume in Chapter 3, joining Batman’s crusade. Robin has his Birdarang, which functions similarly to Batman’s Batarang, but can target multiple items with a single throw, and his Cable Launcher, which creates a walkable cable between two points. The Cable Launcher is also overpowered in combat, letting you stun and knock down enemies with ease.
Robin also has his bow staff, which can be used to pry open certain doors that can only be opened by Robin.
Batgirl
Batgirl joins at the start of Chapter 4 and has a tech-focused set of abilities. Her Hackarang can attach to certain pieces of technology so Batgirl can control them. Her Drone can be used as a grapple point and in combat. Her Hackarang opens up a small minigame, where you need to navigate to the center of a maze.
Batgirl is needed to interact with radio towers in the open world, which add all activities and collectibles to the map for that area.
Nightwing
Robin graduates to Nightwing at the end of Chapter 4. His abilities don’t change too much, becoming the Electrorang and Electric Cable Launcher, which function similarly as before but can be used to power electrical devices. His bow staff also gains an electric charge, which can be used to power generators.
Nightwing does not replace Robin on the roster, although Nightwing can perform any interactions that Robin can.
Talia al Ghul
Despite appearing in the prologue alongside Bruce, Talia al Ghul doesn’t become a fully playable character until Chapter 5. Her abilities come from her League of Assassins training, giving her Blowdarts, which put enemies to sleep, and her Ninja Dash, which lets her teleport a short distance, covering gaps other characters can’t or passing through broken doors.
