The Arkham Series Had a Better Option Than the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

SPOILER WARNING: There will be some spoilers for the Batman: Arkham Trilogy games and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, so be warned.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been…contentious at best. I want to make this clear: I am not here to insult *that* game, but instead to look at where it should have gone. The Arkham universe has been a great series, but I feel like they went in the wrong direction with the next game, and there was a perfectly good sequel concept. 

I believe that the ideal place to start with was precisely where the last left off. However, I would not have followed Batman on his new quest but would have instead looked towards the redemption-seeking son of Gotham’s caped crusader. 

Of course, I mean Jason Todd, also known as Red Hood.

If you have never played Arkham Knight, then allow me to illuminate you. The plot follows Batman on his third adventure, where he must battle Scarecrow to help Gotham again. However, his avian-scaring foe isn’t alone, for he is accompanied by the mysterious Arkham Knight! This new foe holds some secret connection…okay, spoiler alert, it's Jason. 

Jason, in the comics, was the first Robin to actually die (to a fan poll, no less) but eventually returned as a figure who didn’t mind killing criminals to get his way due to trauma and some Lazarus shenanigans. The Arkham version is similar, if much more broken. He has a redemption arc of sorts and a DLC mission, but there wasn’t much else for the character. However, a sequel could have changed that. 

The concept of a redemption arc is one that gamers would enjoy playing through, plus it gives a chance to include all the bat family again. Have Nightwing and Oracle desperately trying to connect with him, while Tim remains distrustful of the person who hurt Barbara (their relationship is still the oddest part about the Arkham series). It gives the characters room to grow, much like Gotham Knights tried to do but failed. 

There is also an interesting mechanic that was rumoured to be a planned addition to the next Arkham game, and it's one that we know very well and would be perfect for Jason: The Nemesis System. If you don’t know what that is then play the Middle-earth: Shadow of War series, trust me they’re awesome. If you don’t want to do that, then just imagine a system where enemies remember you and change depending on your actions. 

Let’s look at this in the context of Red Hood: imagine you have three gangs to deal with, the first you recruit and funnel supplies into. The second you wipe out and set their boss on fire. As you work with your gang to deal with the third, you are suddenly attacked by a villain who is obsessed with fire; it is the boss you took out before, and he remembers what you did. Alternatively, maybe you chose to side with both gangs, but they both turn on you for appearing too weak! 

This has two effects; one, it makes the world feel more alive. If there were one major complaint about the Arkham games, it would be how empty the worlds feel. I know this can be explained away by everyone “leaving”, but that still feels weak as an explanation. It also allows the enemy's origins to feel more organic and based on the plater, which is perfect for Jason as he doesn’t have any enemies in this universe, at least not ones that fans would be horrified to see die and it would let the player build their own rogues gallery. Heck, you could include the fear toxin-using Batman, who begins to hunt you down if you kill too many people, etc.

Imagine you suddenly hear that your gang is vanishing, they’re being picked off one by one, and eventually, you run into Batman, but he is different. Something has happened to him. He is a monster now, heck you could have even included the Brainiac control here and have this be the lead-in for that whole plot point. Regardless, having Batman involved, as well as goons who get more powerful as you either fail to take them out or improve them on your own.

I’m not saying this is a perfect concept by any means, and I once again want to state that I hold no hatred for Suicide Squad and in truth this is unlikely to ever happen now for a variety of reasons. However, would this not be more fitting and a better resolution for the character we already knew and loved? 

Or just make a Batman Beyond Arkham game…that would work too.