If you’ve been on the internet lately, you’d probably be aware of the controversy surrounding Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. The latest title is an action shooter spin-off of DC’s renowned Batman: Arkham video game series. Unfortunately, it garnered flak from netizens and fans due to a disappointing cutscene involving the Arkhamverse Batman. Following the game’s Early Access release, the clip of the controversial scene has been making the rounds on social media platforms.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
It would be an understatement to say that the game has infuriated those who grew up with the series. In a nutshell, the premise sees The Dark Knight—brainwashed by Brainiac—captured by the Suicide Squad. He is subsequently unceremoniously executed by Harley Quinn. While perhaps a fitting choice for the latter to land the final blow given her revenge-seeking arc in the games, the fate dealt to the Arkhamverse Batman has caused an uproar online.
The endeavor being the late Kevin Conroy’s posthumous stint in the role of Batman, and as confirmed by reports, his final video game voice appearance as the character, have led fans to believe that this creative decision has tarnished the voice actor’s enduring legacy.
Fans Are Furious About Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Tarnishing Kevin Conroy’s Batman Legacy
One could contend that it is only fair for members of the Justice League, including Batman, to be killed off by the supervillains ensemble, as the spin-off’s title suggests. And, of course, that’s precisely what the video game does—Batman, Green Lantern, Superman, and The Flash all perish at the hands of the Suicide Squad.
However, it’s The Dark Knight on whose backs the beloved Batman: Arkham video game series developed itself and its universe. To have the character be discourteously executed in the game’s primary campaign is what has saddened most fans. If this is how Arkham Batman meets his conclusion, makes the outcome much more disheartening, given the journey most enthusiasts witnessed the character undergo through the four games constituting the main series.
The Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League cutscene’s anticlimactic nature is primarily why people have found it disrespectful and contentious. It occurs after two Justice League members are eliminated and the ensemble of villains captures The Caped Crusader. Subsequently, a mind-controlled Batman and Harley Quinn engage in a back-and-forth of taunts.
After the adversary is finished heckling Kevin Conroy’s Batman, he challenges Quinn, saying, “Are we done with your bad stand-up routine?” We see the Task Force X member respond, “Almost. But you always gotta end on your best joke.” And with that, Batman gets shot in the head at point-blank range by Harley Quinn.
And that’s the send-off the legacy character gets. What’s worse is that this is not just any Batman iteration; this is the Arkhamverse Batman—one that enjoyed a reputation of being widely loved by fans.
That’s not all, though. Fans’ clamoring also stems from the fact that they initially perceived this to be the legendary Kevin Conroy‘s last performance as Batman. The esteemed voice actor of the Batman: The Animated Series fame tragically passed away in 2022 and was known for having voiced the DC IP in various media endeavors, and that too, for decades.
While IGN has confirmed that Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice isn’t the reputable Conroy’s final posthumous Batman outing, it is his ultimate video game voice appearance for the character. It’s no wonder, under such circumstances, that enjoyers of the video game series and Conroy’s body of work have expressed dissatisfaction with Arkhamverse Batman’s fate.
Nevertheless, it must also be noted that Rocksteady Studios likely didn’t anticipate this to be one of the actor’s last performances. Plus, game director for Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Axel Rydby (via Eurogamer) affirmed that Conroy enjoyed his performance in the endeavor, which suggests that involving the late star in the discourse becomes a murky line to tiptoe.
Fans Express Their Outrage Over Batman’s Death In Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
Fans believe that the death would’ve been devastating but practical and dignified if Arkhamverse Batman at least put up a fight. They now find it even more frustrating to deal with the underwhelming fate of the series’ protagonist—he doesn’t even try to struggle or plan his way out of the squad’s capture and is brutally killed off. No deus ex machina is introduced. Nothing happens.
And this is the same Batman who’s been through worse. Gaming and DC enthusiasts, therefore, believe that if this is how Arkham Batman’s story ends, it’s the most ‘disrespectful’ treatment of the character ever. Following are some reactions on X that iterate this criticism of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.
This is so ridiculously mean-spirited.
It’d be one thing if this were some one-off Batman but no, they just had to set this in the Arkham-verse and kill off the Batman fans have been playing as and have grown to love since 2009. https://t.co/p8rLgwHvCD
— Carn (@BitesTheCarnage) January 29, 2024
That’s how Arkham Batman goes out & Kevin Conroy’s last words as him?…….Damn, that’s completely ass. Whoever wrote that should be fired, it just makes me sad, and Batman’s death felt like there was zero respect for him https://t.co/4QlGvfbdM9 pic.twitter.com/e1zQkfz1uK
— JobberGodot (@JobberGodot) January 30, 2024
Calling this canon to Arkham is an insult to that series of games
— Synth Potato🥔 (@SynthPotato) January 29, 2024
Regardless of Kevin Conroy’s passing, I think it’s a very bad idea to unceremoniously kill off one of the most popular versions of Batman ever, almost a decade after his story got a definitive ending.
There’s no reason for this to take place in the Arkham universe. https://t.co/RA97rIMlAM— Jake! 🔜 C2E2 (@Vaughanilla_) January 30, 2024
They've desecrated the great Kevin Conroy Arkham Batman.
— Real Talk T.V. (@Realtalk2022) January 29, 2024
You mean to tell me that Arkham Batman endured all of these ordeals only to be shot in the head just like that?
They did him SO dirty. https://t.co/x76ZhN4dHr pic.twitter.com/PVvXGjo8Av
— Nyxael ☆ (100.00%) (@Dr_Nyxael) January 29, 2024
Superheroes frequently die and then return to life. That is how the norm in comic books dictates their existence. Though numerous individuals think there could be a method to undo the jaw-dropping development that Arkham game fans have been offered, it’s unclear how—or if—that might be done. How precisely Rocksteady’s DC universe will carry on following this catastrophic outcome in Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is yet unknown.
