Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was released to much anticipation from the fans but so far fan opinion is pretty divided on the game. With the Justice League members being brainwashed and controlled by Brainiac, the game focuses on the Suicide Squad’s task of killing the Justice League.
While the game has an intriguing storyline, the fact that Rocksteady chose to introduce the popular Justice League characters only to be killed off has irked quite a large section of fans.
Fans have been particularly enraged with how Rocksteady handled the Arkham franchise’s main character, Batman.
>game is called kill the justice league
— Rock solid (@ShitpostRock) February 3, 2024
>suicide squad spares some of the justice league members https://t.co/0ZfTrA3Jlt pic.twitter.com/US6yQ2y0aa
What Went Wrong With Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was an ambitious project by Rocksteady. But fans probably guessed that in spite of the moniker, they will not have to kill their beloved superheroes. Most notably, fans have been left fuming in their seats because of the way Rocksteady sent off their iconic hero, Arkham Batman.
Fans took to social media to express their displeasure at Rocksteady’s handling of Batman. Some of them even painted out elaborate theories as to how Rocksteady could have given Batman a proper sendoff and truth be told, these look far more appealing than the storyline of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
While there could have been an argument regarding the numerous licensing issues the developers would have to face, fans are likely to point out that the characters are already there in the new Suicide Squad game.
So if Rocksteady wanted, they could have made a perfect send-off game for Batman instead of having his brains scattered unceremoniously and Harley Quinn delivering a single line regarding him being a cool character and all. All in all, fans rightly feel that Rocksteady failed to show Batman and Kevin Conroy (the voice of Arkham Batman) the respect that they deserve after their successful run in the Arkham series.
The Future of Rocksteady: Rocky or Steady?
Back in 2006 when Rocksteady released Urban Chaos: Riot Response, nobody ever comprehended them making a Batman game, much less release 4 widely acclaimed, critical masterpieces as Arkham became a fan-favorite franchise.
Naturally, when they announced the making of the Suicide Squad game, fans were excited. But that joy was cut short soon after the release of the game as firstly, numerous bugs and glitches plagued the servers for quite some time afterwards. Secondly, and more importantly, as the title Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League suggests, players would literally have to kill the Justice League members, including Arkham Batman as the storyline unfolded.
And the fact that Harley Quinn delivers the killing blow, can feel even more outrageous to the fans of the Arkham series. The same Batman that has battled and won people of far greater power and prowess than Task Force X getting killed by Harley Quinn came as a major shock to fans.
Fans are clearly not happy with the game. And that has nothing to do with the stunning graphics and relatively smooth gameplay. However, including the game in the Arkhamverse and then the killing of its icon isn’t something the community foresaw.
The suicide squad game would not be getting half of the shit its getting had they just not tried to make it an arkhamverse thing
— Taku 🔜 Con Nooga (@Yotakuboi) February 1, 2024
Whether the franchise can save themselves from widespread discontent only time will tell. But the early numbers have started coming in, and so far the hype train is doing its part as is the relatively alright gameplay.
But given the initial fan reaction, Rocksteady better be going back to their old habit of delivering critically acclaimed masterpieces. With their first DLC already announced, the developers have shown backing behind the game.
Would Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League be better off as a standalone game rather than being part of the Arkhamverse canon? What do you think the developers should do next? Which direction is Rocksteady heading? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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