Highlights

  • Batman has a close-knit group of allies known as the "Bat Family" who often support him in his missions.
  • The Bat Family hasn't been well-utilized in recent video game adaptations, but Rocksteady has the potential to redeem them in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
  • The Bat Family's unique abilities and teamwork could make for an exciting and fun boss fight in the game.

Though Batman is often portrayed as this mysterious lone wolf figure, that's simply not the case for the vast majority of his comic book appearances. At all times, Batman is surrounded by allies, with some of his closest ones often being colloquially referred to as the "Bat Family." Whether it's Nightwing, Batgirl, the many different versions of Robin, or even Alfred, Batman also has friends around him. And with Batman making an appearance in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, it would only make sense for his Bat Family to follow him there too.

While Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will presumably focus on the titular corrupted superhero team, if the game's anything like Rocksteady's past DC titles, then there'll hopefully be an array of secondary villains to fight as well. And with Brainiac's brainwashing in play, any DC hero could become a villain in an instant, including the Bat Family. The Bat Family hasn't had a great track record in the video game space in recent years, but if anyone can redeem them, it's Rocksteady.

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Can Redeem The Bat Family

The Bat Family Wasn't Utilized Too Well in Gotham Knights

Gotham Knights got a pretty bad wrap when it first came out at the end of last year, and it's easy to see why. Trying to follow in Batman: Arkham's footsteps, at least in fans' eyes, Gotham Knights' floaty combat, slow traversal, and repetitive mission design made it a bit of a disappointment. That disappointment is now unfortunately linked with the Bat Family, some of whom really didn't get the love they deserved.

When it came to the Bat Family's characterization, WB Montreal did a fairly good job overall, making sure that each hero felt close enough to their usual comic counterparts. Each hero's unique moveset was also a major highlight of Gotham Knights, giving each member of the Bat Family an immediately distinctive set of skills that, again, fit well with the source material. However, for every good decision Gotham Knights made with its Bat Family, a number of strange ones soon followed.

One of the most infamous decisions Gotham Knights made was each Bat Family member's traversal ability. While Batgirl got the usual cape glide, Nightwing received an absurdly large glider, which immediately resulted in comparisons to Fortnite. Red Hood's movement wasn't much better, with the anti-hero bounding off mystical energy in midair. Robin's was arguably the worst of the lot, simply gaining the ability to teleport short distances. Another odd decision was to limit Gotham Knights' co-op functionality to just two players, which meant that half the Bat Family was always left lurking in the shadows.

The Bat Family Could Make for a Fun Boss Fight in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

The Bat Family is an integral part of the Batman universe, and it's time they were given their redemption, which Rocksteady is more than capable of doing. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has the perfect opportunity to give fans the version of the Gotham Knights they were hoping for, and deliver a boss fight worthy of the history books. With four members on each team, the Bat Family is a perfect match-up for Task Force X, and it'd be great to see not only each of their own unique, special abilities in combat, but see the entire Bat Family team work together to try and stop the Suicide Squad, a big element that Gotham Knights dropped the ball on.