The Arkham Series Set Up a Very Different Squad Than What Players Got in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has expanded the Arkhamverse considerably with the introduction of so many iconic DC characters, yet something feels off. While it is great to see the Squad and the Justice League in all their glory, this iteration of Task Force X does not really match what the franchise had been setting up. Even though the Arkhamverse was focused on Batman, there were also signs that Amanda Waller was out there building something, but that something does not seem to appear in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Suicide Squad gives players control of Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and King Shark. Each of those characters are great additions to the roster, with every single one of them also appearing as part of the team in film, TV, and comic books. However, the Arkhamverse had been setting up a much larger squad with different members that are not really mentioned here. Plus, some of the current members are supposed to already be dead by the time Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League begins.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s Team Doesn’t Match What the Arkham Series Set Up

The Arkhamverse’s Squad Looked a Bit Different

The Suicide Squad was first alluded to at the end of Batman: Arkham Origins, with Amanda Waller appearing to recruit her first member. After the Joker was defeated, Waller approached Deathstroke and tossed him the sign-up sheet. He could either join the team she was putting together or rot in prison for the rest of his life. Based on what happened next, it seems like he agreed to join in on the Task Force X fun.

The next time players saw Amanda Waller was in Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate. Alongside Rick Flag, Waller can be seen monitoring everything going on within Blackgate. In a post-credits scene, it was revealed that she actually hired Catwoman to break Bane out of the prison, likely to recruit him. While the mission was a failure, Waller was able to recruit Deadshot and Bronze Tiger to the team. However, Batman was also seemingly onto them as a tracker had been placed on her helicopter.

This iteration of the team would appear once more in the 2014 tie-in animated film Batman: Assault on Arkham. The film primarily focuses on the Suicide Squad, with the story following the team as they break into Arkham Asylum. This iteration of the team includes Black Spider, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, KGBeast, Killer Frost, and King Shark. But many of these villains fail to make it out alive. KGBeast, King Shark, and Black Spider are killed by Waller, while Killer Frost seemingly died in an explosion. While the survivors do appear again, this is the last time they appeared as members of Task Force X until Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

Suicide Squad Introduces a Brand-New Version of the Team

In Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, players are introduced to a very different version of the team. Now, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and King Shark are recruited to save the world from Brainiac’s forces. However, Suicide Squad‘s King Shark is supposed to be dead if the events of Assault on Arkham are still canon, and this iteration of Deadshot is not the same one that was in the previous Squad. Even though Rocksteady has explained both of these, it still feels weird to rewrite the canon this way.

Additionally, none of the other surviving members are a part of this core cast, as Deathstroke, Catwoman, and Bronze Tiger are nowhere to be seen. On top of that, it seems like Waller never did successfully recruit Bane, and Killer Frost must have actually died in that explosion. The only mention players really get of other Task Force X members is that it is heavily implied this team is not the first one Waller tried to get into Metropolis, it is just the first one that survived. While that makes a lot of sense, it still seems a bit strange not to include some of those members after spending three Arkham projects setting them up. Maybe DLC will give these missing characters their due.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

Released

February 2, 2024

ESRB

M17+ For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

10 Hours

Metascore

70