Summary
Warning! Batman: Arkham series spoilers ahead.The Joker is back inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and the developers at Rocksteady have just shared some insight into why this new version of the Clown Prince of Crime looks so different from the one from past Arkhamverse games. Although the Joker fatally succumbed to Titan poisoning at the end of 2011’sBatman: Arkham City, there were rumors that Rocksteady was planning to bring the cackling fiend back in some way inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s post-launch DLC.
These rumors were eventually confirmed during a Rocksteady dev diary video earlier this month, which revealed thatSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s story DLC will explore DC’s multiverse and feature versions of classic villains from alternate universes. The first of these extra-dimensional travelers will benone other than the Joker, who will be unlocked through regular gameplay for free when the inauguralSuicide SquadDLC season launches in March. The Joker will have his own story content as well, set in the aftermath of Brainiac’s attack on Metropolis and the resulting fight against the brainwashed members of the Justice League.
Suicide Squad’s new version of the Joker is already strikingly different from the one players fought intheBatman: Arkhamseries, and Rocksteady advanced scriptwriter Kate Watson recently opened up about why her team took this approach. During a Q&A session on the officialSuicide SquadDiscord server (viaComicbook.com), Watson explained that the past Arkhamverse Joker is already so iconic that Rocksteady deliberately set out to make this new version stand out on his own.
Kate Watson elaborated on this by saying thatSuicide Squad’s version of the Jokeris even more theatrical than the one from the past games, and this is present in his more colorful costume and rocket umbrella-fueled transversal gameplay. She also credited voice actor JP Karliak for bringing the Harlequin of Hate to life, saying that his improvised dialogue was often better than what the writers had come up with. Lastly, Watson revealed thatSuicide Squad’s Joker has a prosthetic leg from a bombing mishap.
Sure enough,Suicide Squad’sElseworlds take on the Joker is confirmed to be in the early years of his criminal career, and was even amember of Task Force Xin his home universe. As a result, he is shown to be less hostile than the one from theBatman: Arkhamgames, and the Rocksteady development staff says that he is masking his own insecurities through his supervillain antics. This doesn’t make him any less unhinged though, as shown in a scene where he fires his gun wildly while laughing during his reveal trailer.
The return of the Clown Prince of Crime inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewas controversial even before it was made official, andthis new Joker will face an uphill battlein winning over fans of Mark Hamill’s beloved portrayal in theBatman: Arkhamseries. The developers at Rocksteady seem well aware of this and are aiming to make its new Elseworlds version of Batman’s most iconic foe stand out in his own way.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
WHERE TO PLAY
Play as the Suicide Squad to take down the World’s Greatest DC Super Heroes, The Justice League. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, is a genre-defying, action-adventure third-person shooter from Rocksteady Studios, creators of the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham series.
