It has been revealed that the Dark Knight will soon be swooping down on the PS4, Xbox One and PC in Batman: Arkham Knight, and as a huge Batman fan, I cannot wait to see Rocksteady back at the helm of the series they created.
Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were not just two of the greatest comic book video games of all time, they were two of the greatest video games of all time period, and although it’s slim pickings on the information front at the moment, that hasn’t stopped me from conjuring up a multitude of different ideas I’d love to see implemented in the game.
As a fan of the Batman comics, movies and games (along with an avid collector of Batman figurines and memorabilia in my childhood), I’ve conjured up a list of the top 5 ideas I have for Batman: Arkham Knight.
As always, let me know if you agree/disagree with me in the comments section below.
5 Ideas For Batman: Arkham Knight From a Batman Fan
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The death of the Batman.
Wow, I've started off strong here, haven't I? Only one idea in and I'm already suggesting that Rocksteady should kill Batman off in Arkham Knight. But before you start lighting your torches and brandishing your pitchforks, let me explain my reasoning behind this.
Rocksteady already took a big risk by killing the Joker in Arkham City, so we know that they have the testicular fortitude necessary to kill such a prominent and iconic character if the story calls for it. And it is my belief that the Arkham series calls for the demise of Batman.
In Arkham Origins, the first steps Batman makes as the World's Greatest Detective leads to the rise of the Joker, along with an influx of twisted assassins brought in specifically by the Clown Price of Crime to bring down the hero. In Arkham Asylum, it is made clear by the various encounters Batman has with its multitude of inmates that his presence is fuelling them on as they each wish to bring Gotham to its knees. I will explain in more detail later, but basically, the impact Batman has had on Gotham hasn't been an 100% positive one.
With that being said, I believe that if Rocksteady were to depict the death of Gotham's maniacal criminal underworld in Arkham Knight, then they should also depict the death of Batman. While Batman has stood to serve and protect Gotham in the Arkham series, he has also undeniably spurred on its villains.
If Commissioner Gordon is to take a more prominent role in the series following his appearance in Origins (which, again, I'll get to later), then Gotham doesn't need Batman, and his presence only stands to fuel the insanity that he himself has helped create. However, whether or not Bruce Wayne should die alongside Batman, or whether Wayne should just hang up the cape The Dark Knight Rises style, is up for debate. Personally, I think the death of Wayne and Batman would be a hugely symbolic and resonant end to the series.
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The Joker flashbacks.
The Arkham series has been the Joker's story as much as it has Batman's, and never was this more apparent than in Arkham Origins. While that game was developed internally at Warner Bros. rather than by Arkham Asylum and City developer Rocksteady, now that Rocksteady is back at the helm we hope that the Clown Prince of Crime isn't overlooked following his death in Rocksteady's last entry in the series.
While I hope that Rocksteady doesn't throw Arkham City's conclusion out of the window and somehow find a way to resurrect the Joker (stay far away from the Lazarus Pit, guys), I believe that I've got a solution to this potential Joker-less Batman game: flashbacks.
Yes, it's an easy conclusion to come to, but think about it. In Origins we were shown the Joker's rise to criminal prominence, but in the period of time between that game and Arkham Asylum, so much had happened within the Batman universe. For one, the Arkham games haven't yet gone into detail regarding the tragedy of the wheelchair-bound Barbara Gordon, who assumes the moniker of the Oracle in Asylum following the Joker's barbaric torturing of her in the infamous comic series The Killing Joke.
In The Killing Joke, the Joker shoots Barbara Gordon and effectively cripples her from the waist down. He then strips her naked and sends photos of her to her father, Commissioner Gordon. This is a HUGE moment in Batman canon (not least because the ending of The Killing Joke appears to depict Batman breaking his one rule by strangling the Joker to death, which won't make it into the games for obvious reasons), and one which has an unquestionable psychological impact on both Batman and Commissioner Gordon.
Then you have Death in the Family, another hugely influential Batman comic series that depicted the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin, at the hands of the merciless Joker. Jason Todd is deceased in Arkham's canon, but Rocksteady has yet to delve into the emotional trauma Batman experiences following his untimely death.
Considering that Arkham Knight is set to be the finale of the Arkham series, to skim past such crucial moments in Batman's story would be to lessen the impact of its conclusion. Batman's story is not one of a hero routinely saving the day, but one of a vengeful man attempting to rid his city of crime whilst arguably causing more of it in his wake. If Arkham Knight is to truly hammer home the toll that Batman's journey has taken on the man beneath the pointy-eared mask, then delving into the period of time between Origins and Asylum would be the way to go. Plus, we'd get more Joker, and that's never a bad thing.
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A detailed look at Batman's negative impact on Gotham.
While Bruce Wayne donned the cape and pointy ears in order to thwart a consistently expanding crime problem in Gotham, it's inarguably true that he has left a whole wave of lunatics in his wake, seemingly feeding off the drama of his persona and all obsessed with taking him down.
Essentially, Batman is fighting a problem that he himself is unwittingly help create, but also one only he can stop. It's a catch 22 situation, and it's been noted in comics, movies and the Arkham series itself that Gotham wouldn't be such a breeding ground for bloodthirsty maniacs without the looming shadow of the Bat.
The Arkham games make clear that Batman is single-handedly breeding and then thwarting Gotham's criminal underworld, with the Joker's rise to prominence in Origins being a direct result of Batman's impact upon the city, and the bloodlust each of Arkham Asylum and City's inmates harbour for him only standing to further their criminal behaviour.
In Arkham Knight, Rocksteady would do well to look at both sides of the coin. Batman has been through a lot in the Arkham series, and following the death of the Joker and yet another epic crimespree on behalf of Gotham's villains, you've got to imagine that the Batman of Arkham Knight would be mentally weaker than ever.
I'd love to see Rocksteady delve into the impact Batman has had on Gotham for the final act in the series, questioning whether or not what he has been doing has changed anything for the better and adding some real weight to the trials and tribulations he has faced over the course of the past three Arkham games.
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Scarecrow's Fear Gas in Gotham.
It's been revealed that the Scarecrow will be the main antagonist in Arkham Knight (unless Rocksteady pulls off an Origins-esque switcheroo), and considering his impactful appearance in Arkham Asylum, I'm more than prepared for more fear gas-induced hi-jinks.
Personally, I'd love to see Arkham Knight expand upon Batman Begins' plot (only without the humiliating tazer incident), with Scarecrow somehow bringing Gotham to its knees with his patented Fear Gas. Not only would this make for some intriguing gameplay, but it would also push an already mentally worn Batman to his limits. Imagine the entirety of Gotham turning into one hellish nightmare? That's an idea we should all be able to get behind.
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An emphasis on Batman and Commissioner Gordon's relationship.
Arkham Origins took its cues from Frank Miller's award-winning comic series Year One, which sees Commissioner Gordon arriving into Gotham in order to shake up the town's crooked police department. In the Arkham series, Gordon is portrayed as he is in Miller's story: a straight-laced cop who forms an unlikely partnership with a masked vigilante, simply because he recognises that he cannot tackle Gotham's exorbitant crime problem alone.
Origins expanded upon Gordon's story moreso than any other Arkham game (he was very much an auxiliary character in Rocksteady's entries in the series), and even displayed some of his military-honed hand-to-hand combat. I would love it if Rocksteady would use Arkham Knight to further develop upon Batman and Gordon's relationship, taking the foundations laid by Year One and Origins and expanding upon it to show just how important Gordon is to Batman and Gotham in general.
As previously mentioned, it is my belief that if this is the conclusion of the Arkham series, then in one way or another it should mark the end of the Batman. With Batman seemingly facing his final gauntlet of enemies following the death of the Joker, his departure could signal an end to the madness that engulfs Gotham, and the reinstatement of some semblance of order to the city, spearheaded by Gordon. Essentially the ending of The Dark Knight Rises, then, but without the corny Alfred/Bruce nod 'n' wink.
