Highlights

  • Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a departure for Rocksteady, offering a co-op multiplayer experience with the antagonists as the protagonists.
  • The game must strike a balance between portraying the Justice League as both compelling heroes and corrupted by Brainiac, while also staying faithful to their iconic traits.
  • Rocksteady's challenge is to subvert the established canon of the Justice League from its previous works, while also addressing the previously untold backstory of these "evil" heroes in the Arkhamverse.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a significant departure for developer Rocksteady. While it has experience in the DC universe, it only extends to Gotham City with its sublime Arkham trilogy giving a new chapter in Batman's enduring legacy. Those games branch out into including other heroes, more prominently those in the Bat Family, but the focus is always on The Dark Knight and how he hopes to put an end to the plans of series villains like the Joker and Scarecrow.

In 2024, Rocksteady will take advantage of the ever-rising popularity of Task Force X as Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League puts the bad guys in the driver's seat and offers a co-op multiplayer component to contrast the single-player offerings of the past. With the antagonists now acting as the protagonists, that means the villains of the story have to be something new, and in the case of the Justice League that the game will include, the way its members are implemented will be key to the game's narrative success.

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Puts the Bad Guys at the Forefront

Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and King Shark from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

While it may be tough for some to adjust to the thought of Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and Captain Boomerang being the heroes that (hopefully) save the day, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is taking that approach, for better or worse. They're a likable bunch as their flaws can be amusing or compelling plot points, but the game has to live up to both halves of its ambitious name, meaning Task Force X isn't the only group that has to be well-crafted.

An evil version of Superman isn't new in gaming, with NeatherRealm's Injustice series being rooted in Superman's reign as a dictator-like figure.

Rather, the Justice League are the ones the lovable rogues have to stop, which is something that Superman is specifically accustomed to in the gaming space. That topsy-turvy perspective is the reason why Rocksteady can make it stand out in a sea of other ensemble-based games like Eidos-Montreal's Guardians of the Galaxy and Crystal Dynamics' Avengers project.

The London-based studio will have its work cut out, though, as its previous works have set a standard of the Justice League that has to be both adhered to and somehow completely subverted to make them effective enemies. Moreover, because this is an already established canon, Rocksteady should make some effort to address where these 'heroes' have been until now, though maybe Batman's life in Gotham was self-contained as a way to not allow for much exterior influence anyway.

The Justice League Has to be Evil, but Recognizable

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has a huge weight on its shoulders. The year-long delay has only made people more curious, and Rocksteady will have to quash these concerns with something great. Perhaps more difficult, however, is the need to show two different sides of the famed Justice League to make them both compelling and nuanced heroes while also showing the extent of their corruption by Brainiac. Fans of the Arkham series were treated to subtle Easter eggs alluding to Superman's presence, and seeing as the 2024 Suicide Squad-centric offering takes place in the same universe, those breadcrumbs will now have to lead somewhere.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was delayed from its May 26, 2023 release date to February 2, 2024, as Rocksteady looked to "take the time needed to work on getting the game to be the best quality experience for players."

The Justice League making its debut in the Arkhamverse means it has to be far more than just Brainiac's puppets to not be disappointing. Superman's heroism, Wonder Woman's bravery, and the positivity of The Flash have to be on display to make them feel faithful. However, the game also has to ensure this doesn't get in the way of their evil deeds as they still seem to be the antagonists of its story.

With the antagonists now acting as the protagonists, that means the villains of the story have to be something new, and in the case of the Justice League that the game will include, the way its members are implemented will be key to the game's narrative success.