It's been four years since the release of Batman: Arkham Knight, the finale to the trilogy of Batman games by Rocksteady Studios. Fans have been speculated for years about when the next game will be revealed and who or what it will be about. Recently WB Montreal has teased a game in the Arkham universe inspired by the Court of Owls story arc, but what about Rocksteady Studios' next project? Assuming their next game is also in the Arkham universe, let's look at ten characters who could or should lead the next Batman Arkham game.
10 Red Hood
A game where players assume the role of Jason Todd's Red Hood would have to lean into the violence which might not be the best approach from a marketing perspective. Also, Red Hood is the type of character who works best when he's challenging the morality of a hero with a strict code like Batman. There would be plenty of unique and new gameplay opportunities for him though and good storytellers and game developers could make it work. Rocksteady Studios care and are skilled enough to make a Red Hood game work.
9 Cassandra Cain
Cassandra Cain is a relatively new member of the Batfamily who will hit the mainstream audience as a character in the upcoming Birds of Prey movie starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. Cain has gone by many titles, with the most important being Batgirl and Orphan.
She has the honor of being the first Batgirl to star in her own comic book series. Considering that she's still a lesser-known character it'd likely be best to make her a supporting character in someone else's game before trying to have her star in her own standalone adventure.
8 Robin
Robin, aka Tim Drake, is currently fighting crime in Gotham with the help of Oracle even after the supposed death of Batman in the Wayne Manor explosion. A game titled Robin probably wouldn't sell as well as one titled Batman, and fans would probably lose their minds if Tim Drake ever sported the iconic batsuit. This leaves him in a tough predicament in terms of getting his own game. Unlike Red Hood or Nightwing, Robin is still buried in the weight of corny costumes and a sidekick persona.
7 Thomas Wayne
Flashpoint is one of the most popular DC Elseworlds stories and fans have been clamoring for it to be turned into a video game. During the events of Flashpoint, history is rewritten and the events and origins surrounding characters in the DC universe are altered. Batman's origin, for instance, has Thomas Wayne taking on the mantle of caped crusader after his son Bruce dies after the family walks out of a theater. With Bruce dying instead of his parents it leads to his father becoming the symbol of justice and his mother descending into madness as the Joker.
6 Batwoman
Kate Kane is a character who was never featured in any of the Batman Arkham trilogy games, but can easily be introduced. Considering her origin revolves around her being inspired by Batman to use her wealth and resources to do more to help those in need, the ending of Arkham Knight sets it up perfectly.
Batman is presumed to be dead, which means that someone out there could feel compelled and inspired to continue what he started. Her black and red suit would also look great in a 3D open-world action game.
5 Batgirl
Truth be told this would be a hard game to explain existing in the current Arkham universe as Barbara Gordon is now stuck to a wheelchair and going about her duties as Oracle. A game focused on Dick Grayson's Nightwing could feature flashbacks to Barbara's time as Batgirl as her and Dick's relationship would inherently be a big part of his standalone game. She could also star in her own game and it could simply all take place before her fateful run-in with the Joker that changed her life forever.
4 Damian Wayne
Damian Wayne is a hard sell for people because many still see him as the whiny son of their favorite hero. That being said, if Rocksteady could make a game where players assume the role of Damian, but learn and are mentored from the Bruce Wayne they experienced a trilogy of storytelling with it could be a great way to have people fall in love with his kid. It'd be difficult to introduce him out of nowhere since he hasn't been a part of the Arkham universe, so maybe another game with Bruce could introduce the events leading to Damian's birth.
3 Nightwing
Though he's not nearly as popular as Batman, Nightwing has quickly emerged as a popular character who's built a strong fan base of his own. Whether through the Arkham games, Young Justice, or Titans he's quickly become his character who exists because of Batman, but not solely for Batman.
His acrobatic skills and fighting style were crafted and trained by Batman, but he does fight in his way. A game revolving around him could focus on being a hero trying to escape the shadow that is Batman's legacy.
2 Terry McGinnis
With WB Montreal likely heading to the past with a Court of Owls game, imagine if Rocksteady aimed at the future and built a game around Terry McGinnis. The game would loosely be based on events from the beloved Batman Beyond animated series and could feature an older version of the Bruce Wayne from their trilogy. This could provide players with a refreshing experience and let developers reinvent what a Rocksteady Batman game could be. It would also give artists a chance to flex their creative muscles with an entirely new art style.
1 Bruce Wayne
It's hard to imagine the next Rocksteady Batman game and not see it featuring Bruce Wayne as the caped crusader. If they plan on doing another Batman game it will be a tough sell to have anyone else under the cowl that isn't Bruce. The only way to get around that would be to do Batman Beyond or to do an Elseworlds game inspired by Flashpoint. The ending of their last game teased a future with someone taking on the role of Batman, but it's unclear if Bruce Wayne survived the manor explosion.