Highlights

  • Players will work alongside ARGUS in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League to customize weapons and prepare to take on the Justice League, expanding the game's lore beyond Gotham City.
  • Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will feature exciting references, Easter eggs, and characters from the Arkham games, with Batman making notable appearances.
  • Penguin's role in the game serves as a nostalgic link to the Arkhamverse, but Rocksteady exercises restraint in not relying too heavily on familiar characters by introducing new ones to the narrative in the player's support squad.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s second Suicide Squad Insider has given a look at the NPCs whom players will revisit often in order to customize their weapons and better prepare to take on the Justice League and Brainiac. The footage suggests that Task Force X will work alongside ARGUS much more closely than Amanda Waller simply tossing them into an overrun Metropolis to rely on their own devices, and it’s great to see a lot of new characters for players to meet in Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal’s Arkhamverse as it hopefully expands the lore far beyond Gotham City’s environs.

Of course, a lot of what may be exciting and popular about Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be all the references, Easter eggs, and characters players acknowledge from the Arkham games that precede it. Batman will be a scene-stealer whenever he appears or is heard, for example, and close attention will likely be paid to any throwaway line of dialogue that mentions another character or event from the Arkham tetralogy. Moreover, Oswald Cobblepot’s Penguin is crossing over into Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League alongside Harley Quinn, but in a way that is respectful to the new chapter the Arkhamverse is leafing over to.

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Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s Penguin is a Perfect Bridge for the Arkhamverse

Penguin’s History in the Arkhamverse is Rich

Penguin has always been an arms dealer in the Arkhamverse, and his earliest appearance is the same as Batman’s, showing up in Arkham Origins. Here, Penguin is already somewhat of a figurehead in the crime world, having established himself with a massive crew of henchmen as well as assistants Candy and Tracey aboard the Final Offer docked at Gotham’s Amusement Mile.

Of course, the entire setup for this sequence is an asset parallel of Batman confronting Penguin in the museum with a similar arena-style combat sequence and a large group of henchmen to defeat. Penguin skips Arkham Asylum, likely because he would have felt more out of place in Arkham’s den of homicidal maniacs, and between City and Origins’ subsequent prequel entry he appears as a formidable threat in Gotham’s criminal underbelly.

Then, Penguin’s role in Arkham Knight is similar and his Most Wanted side quest is fun to follow since it allows for story-related dynamic duo gameplay between Batman and Nightwing. Therefore, Penguin has been around in almost every installment and always supplies players with a great narrative-driven tie-in with great set pieces.

Penguin’s Role in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is the Right Dose of Nostalgia

Interestingly, Penguin goes from being a respected crime lord in the Arkham games to a much lower status in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, though he’ll certainly be a valuable asset to Task Force X as he’s kept busy since Arkham Knight. Penguin is now in Metropolis and specializes in anti-Metahuman weaponry, which is convenient since that’s what Task Force X needs to take down the titular Justice League.

Penguin no longer seems like the kind of antagonist who is dryly witty and sarcastic anymore, and instead appears cowardly in the face of Task Force X. But what’s most impressive about Penguin’s reprisal is Rocksteady’s restraint in not simply stacking Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s support squad with villains from previous Arkham games.

It probably would’ve been a popular choice to comprise this supplementary team with familiar characters from the Arkhamverse, such as Mr. Freeze possibly having a bomb in his neck to ensure he’ll make cryogenic weapons for the player, and saturate the game with overindulgent nostalgia bait.

Rather, only including one character from the Arkhamverse’s past in this support group is the perfect balance. This way, Penguin is another subtle bridge between Arkham games and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League while allowing Hack, Gizmo, Toyman, and ARGUS to shine instead, showcasing that this is a new chapter in the Arkhamverse with new characters to debut and learn about.