Rocksteady’s story trailer for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League revealed several Justice League affiliates and players will likely be fighting all but one of them. There is a lot, though, that this trailer does not reveal, or at least obscures from the player, such as Batman’s enormous statue in the Hall of Justice. Likewise, there are brief shots in the trailer that players could easily miss that show Harley Quinn lying on the floor as someone takes a pistol and points it at her. This could be anyone, but there may be good reason for fans to believe it is the Arkhamverse’s Red Hood.
Fans of Rocksteady’s Batman games will be familiar with Red Hood as a profoundly traumatic character who had previously occupied Gotham City with militia forces as the Arkham Knight. Red Hood’s persona is presumably not out to kill any decent Gothamites, but his penchant for murder was still ripe in the momentary DLC for Batman: Arkham Knight where he was playable. There is still no confirmation whether Red Hood will appear in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but since he was recently established in the Arkhamverse, it would certainly be possible and narratively significant.
Red Hood Has Good Motivation to Hunt Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
In terms of where he would land in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s narrative, the Arkhamverse’s Red Hood could still be on a murder binge. Red Hood was last seen murdering Black Mask by kicking him through a window, where the DLC abruptly ended.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s narrative could therefore be incredibly compelling if Red Hood hunts Harley Quinn for her association with the Joker, and what would make this interaction even more arresting is if Harley had no idea that Jason Todd had been kidnapped in the first place.
Harley is not known to be exceptionally empathetic, but this moment of discovery could help make her personable if she was able to feel pity for Jason. Seeing someone as sociopathic as Harley wrestling with that reconciliation could be enough to have Red Hood turn over another leaf and shelve his dual pistols.
Of course, a boss fight may ensue beforehand anyway, and it would be fun to see how Rocksteady decides to interpret him in a new era for the Arkhamverse. There are likely many characters in the Arkhamverse who have ongoing quarrels with Task Force X’s criminal antiheroes, but Red Hood in particular could grant a lot of closure to both himself and Harley in the narrative.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s ARGUS May Appreciate Red Hood’s Involvement
If Red Hood is out and about with a desire to lethally punish criminals, he may be a figure that ARGUS already has their eye on. ARGUS is known to send out Task Force X on suicide missions because, as supervillain criminals, they are expendable.
Red Hood may be eager to kill criminals, though he would not likely be accepting of ARGUS trying to order him around. On the other hand, ARGUS may be willing to let Red Hood operate on his own without interference because they know he will do their dirty work for them anyway.
This somewhat echoes what ARGUS’ relationship with Deathstroke could be, where they may wish to recruit him for their efforts. Deathstroke may be more willing than Red Hood to be affiliated with ARGUS, though, since he is a mercenary after all. If Red Hood appears in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and wants to kill Harley, it will be interesting to see if ARGUS interferes.
The only reason ARGUS would interfere is if it deems Harley necessary to take out the Justice League. Otherwise, it would be more characteristically believable for ARGUS and Waller to let that interaction play out as it may.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is scheduled to release in early 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
