Summary
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguefeatures in the same universe as theBatman: Arkhamgames, providing a new look into the universe left behind afterBatman: Arkham Knight. As such, Rocksteady has taken the time to show some distinct differences for some iconic characters, with 5 years gone by since the events of the last game. Aspart of theBatman: Arkhamgames, it’s time to look atSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueand how it changes some key character aspects.
With Batman taking on a big role in this game, and some of his most famous rogues being part of the titular Suicide Squad, there are some things that fans have noticed about the changes in these characters. A few of these changes mark a natural progression of the characters in this universe. However, some changes broke the canon established in Arkhamverse comics and animated movies.
7Batman Becomes A Killer
A Brainiac Controlled Batman Breaks His One Rule
The first set of video games in theArkhamuniverse were very good at allowing the player to exercise the only rule that Batman uses when fighting crime. That is the fact that he does not kill, no matter the circumstances. The version of Batman in this universe stays very true to the one in the comics, as there hasn’t been a single instance where he has outright murdered a villain. Fast-forward toSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,though, and Batman is dropping bodies all over the city.
The Batman in this story has been taken over by the villain, Brainiac, so he isn’t in full control of his actions. However, it is still a big shock to see this version of the hero taking out his enemies in such a brutal and permanent way, and his no-kill ruleproves how he deserves better.
6King Shark’s Appearance & Resurrection
King Shark’s Fate Was Different In Assault On Arkham
TheArkhamvideo games were so popular that they inspired an animated movie.Batman: Assault on Arkhamwas released in 2014, and it features a plot where the Suicide Squad is placed on a mission to break into Arkham Asylum and steal information from The Riddler. Although the video games in this universe are far more popular than this animated movie, the events inBatman: Assault on Arkhamare supposed to still be canon in this series.
That fact leads to a lot of confusing canon breaks, but none are as obvious as King Shark’s appearance. In the movie, he is depicted as someone who is humanoid with a metal jaw and a single fin on his head. However, the King Shark inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueis even more like a shark. Basically, Rocksteady rips the brutish and amphibious version of the character from the comics and replaces the old one, which is a wise move, considering the old one literally died in the same animated movie.
5The Riddler’s Commitment To AR Challenges
Task Force X Must Complete Traversal Challenges For Riddler’s Amusement
The Riddler is a Batman villain who makes an appearance in all the previousArkhamgames.In Nigma’s bid to prove that he is smarter than Batman,he places trophies all around Gotham City for the player to collect. Many of these can only be collected by solving a specific riddle or puzzle. However, The Riddler stepped things up inBatman: Arkham Knightby creating a series of challenges to complete using only the Batmobile.
It seems that The Riddler is once again trying to show off his advanced tech skills inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The villain has left his signature trophies around Metropolis, but he has also set up a series of AR challenges. These challenges require the player to enter a virtual reality scenario to test their mobility and traversal aspects to get the best time possible. It may be another tedious Riddler challenge, but at least he is doing something new.
4Batman Has Superhero Friends
Batman No Longer Pushes His Allies Away
The Batman in the rest of theArkhamseries is far from a lone wolf. This version of the character already has allies in Robin, Oracle, and Nightwing, but he hasn’t been part of a super-powered team yet. The Batman museum inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguedoes help fill in the player on everything that the Caped Crusader has been up to sinceBatman: Arkham Knight. After faking his death, Batman starts using the Scarecrow’s fear toxin to become a new hero in Gotham City known as ‘The Demon Bat’. However, The Justice League forms after being inspired by Batman’s sacrifice and persuades Bruce to join the team in his old persona.
The Batman in the older games is already shown as a powerful force to be reckoned with. Now that he has found allies with the Justice League, it seems there is little thatthe villains can do to cause trouble, unless they use a giant skull ship to take over the minds of the League.
3Poison Ivy Returns As A Child
Ivy’s Death Provides A Rebirth
Poison Ivy has already had a strong story arc in these games. InArkham Asylum, she is one of Batman’s most powerful foes. However, she later finds some redemption inArkham Knightby sacrificing herself to help clean Gotham’s air from Scarecrow’s fear toxin. Fortunately, this act of bravery has been rewarded as her plants were able to unite and bring Poison Ivy back to life.
The only downside to this reincarnation is that this new version of Poison Ivy is starting life again as a child. Therefore, only time will tell if this character will return to her old villainous ways, or become a new ally to the forces of good. It’s a fresh start for her, since she lacks the memories of her former self, but has familiar pheromones for those she recognizes.
2Harley Quinn Goes Solo
Joker’s Sidekick Is No Longer Committed To The Gig
The Harley Quinn that players fought in the previousBatmangames in this series is very true to her early depictions. She is little more than a pawn to be used by The Joker and rarely acts with any autonomy. She is seen leading some other goons, but without Joker’s name attached, she commands little respect. Even Batman says she was never very bright.
Fast-forward toSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, though, and it seems that Harley Quinn is now more of an independent character thanks to the death of The Joker.Not only is she able to make her own decisions and stand as a character with no ties to this former villain, but she leads the rest of her team quite well. She is shown to be the one talking with Amanda Waller the most and gives out the most instruction to the team. This change shows Harley’s growth more than how the canon is affected, but it is great to see this anti-hero stand on her own feet in this universe.
1The Imposter Deadshot
Players were first introduced to the Batman villain Deadshot inBatman: Arkham City. This assassin-for-hire also reappears in the prequel as one of the main villains inBatman: Arkham Origins. On both these occasions, the character is a Caucasian male with a dark goatee. However,the Deadshot that appears inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueis a different race, and with a completely different personality.
As explained in the game, theArkham CityDeadshot was an imposter Floyd Lawton, and theSuicide SquadDeadshot is the real deal, who killed theArkham Cityversion when his reputation was challenged. Yet, this led to the once-retired hitman’s capture, and his entrapment into Task Force X.
