Rocksteady’s most recent title within the Arkham universe, Batman: Arkham Knight, left the series with an uncertain ending that might finally be getting an explanation in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Considering that Suicide Squad is in the Arkham universe, the assumption that there will be some crossover between some of the extended storylines isn’t exactly a stretch of the imagination.
The real question comes from the way that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is approaching some of DC’s biggest heroes as the antagonists, and what that could have to do with Batman’s disappearance in Arkham Knight. Two huge issues that rise from the game’s title, as well as the concepts raised in the trailer, are the location of Batman and why Superman seems to be on a murder spree.
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One thing that upset players in Rocksteady’s last Batman title was the way that the secret “true” ending of Arkham Knight was hidden behind a lengthy hunt for every villain, including the tedious quest for The Riddler. To make matters worse, this secret ending gave a vague impression that Batman, who was thought to be dead, had somehow survived in some way as a fear toxin-induced nightmare for criminals. Five years later, and players still don’t have an answer for what happened after Bruce Wayne “retired” via exploding the Wayne Mansion and supposedly dying.
As far as anyone could tell when watching, it was likely that the explosion was planned and a ruse for Batman to fake his own death, which would explain the fear toxin version of him as a way to cover for continuing to fight crime. However, while much of what players have clung to so far have been assumptions and piecing together hints and clues from throughout the series, Suicide Squad has a chance to give players more concrete answers. In a way, by seeing the rest of the DC Universe from the perspective of Suicide Squad‘s playable characters, like Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang, it could show the effects of Batman’s disappearance.
One impact that seems to have happened on the world is the way that Superman seems to have been corrupted, or turned evil in some way, which may have more to do with Batman’s contingencies than having been ousted as Bruce Wayne. The trailer shows enough for fans of other DC properties, like Injustice 2, to assume that Superman’s sudden villainous behavior is likely the result of Brainiac’s brainwashing. This hasn’t been entirely confirmed, but the giant skull ship with the three purple dots and giant tentacles are a classic calling card of one of the DC Universe’s most dangerous villains.
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In this sense, the takeover of Superman and other Justice League members in Suicide Squad could have had a few outcomes. It could be that Batman faked his death, went into hiding, but was then somehow taken control of by Brainiac. Perhaps the terrifying figure at the end of Arkham Knight is just that, a Brainiac-controlled Batman, and he could serve a role in the main plot or serve as a secret boss. It would be interesting to see, and many would welcome the explanation. Some would likely not be happy with this, though, but the whole Justice League could be corrupted, so it makes sense. However, the fact that the player will be controlling characters like Harley Quinn and Deadshot, with no sign of Batman in sight, there is another possibility for how that ending will be explained.
It’s entirely possible that Batman really did die at the end of Arkham Knight and the explosion that players saw was the end of this version of Bruce Wayne. So when players pick up the story with Suicide Squad‘s characters, they’re taking the role as Batman’s replacement, organized by Amanda Waller in order to make up for the loss of Gotham’s Caped Crusader. This concept wouldn’t actually be too far off from previous uses of the villains turned heroes team, as the death of Superman had been the motivation in the Suicide Squad movie, yet this is also very similar to the premise of Gotham Knights.
A lack of Batman could also make defeating an enemy like Brainiac incredibly difficult, as it is generally his intelligence that wins the day in most iterations against the classic villain. Regardless, choosing to put Suicide Squad in the Arkham universe means that this new game’s story could go anywhere at this point.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will release in 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
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