Summary
When Rocksteady’sBatman: Arkham Knightreleased back in 2015, it really felt like the end of an era. A trilogy of some of the best superhero video games of all time, accompanied by some great spinoffs and prequels developed by other studios,theBatman: Arkhamuniversehad a great run on the whole. Though it received criticism at the time for its overabundance of Batmobile gameplay,Batman: Arkham Knightwas a great swansong for the beloved series. But thenSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguereared its head.
After years of speculation surrounding Rocksteady’s next project, it was finally revealed in 2020 that the renowned studio was working on a 4-player co-op game centered around Task Force X, more commonly known as The Suicide Squad. While some fans were initially disappointed withSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s trailer, the concept of returning to the Arkhamverse once again was enough to get most excited. Even now, after the disappointing launch ofSuicide Squad, that hope to one day return to the Arkhamverse again is still there for many fans, but a possible return would now be an uphill battle.
Rocksteady’s Arkhamverse Can Easily Continue After Suicide Squad
Theending ofSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueleaves Rocksteady’s Arkhamverse in a difficult spot. Throughout the game’s main story, Task Force X makes good on its promise of wiping out each member of the Justice League one by one, taking down The Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, and Superman by the time the credits roll, with Wonder Woman also meeting her end during the story. With no Justice League anymore, and more importantly no Batman, the Arkhamverse is left a little empty, but that might not be the case for too long.
Though it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet by Rocksteady, a number of leaks from the last few months suggest thatSuicide Squad’s Justice League will be making a return in the near future. Allegedly coming as part ofSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s post-launch live-service seasonal updates, each member of the Justice League will apparently return to the Arkhamverse, with their dead counterparts actually being Brainiac-created clones.
There are multiple ways Rocksteady could bring the Justice League and Batman back to the Arkhamverse, especially with the door being swung open on DC’s Elseworlds multiverse. Speaking strictly from a narrative perspective, the Arkhamverse really doesn’t need to end withSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Rocksteady still has the opportunity to create the long-desired Superman game, oranotherBatman: Arkhamgame, or even anotherSuicide Squadgame at this point. Though it might seem likeSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueburned all of the Arkhamverse’s bridges, they can be easily repaired with just a few multiversal tweaks.
What’s far more likely to affect the Arkhamverse is the reception toSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Mere weeks afterSuicide Squad: KJTL’s launch, Warner Bros. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels publicly stated that the game had “fallen short of [Warner Bros.'] expectations,” and though they aren’t necessarily the best point for extrapolation,Suicide Squad’s player-count on Steam exemplifies this statement. WithSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s first season of live-service content also being met with a sea of complaints on launch, it’s not looking great for what should have been Rocksteady’s triumphant return.
