Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League points to shocking Joker twist
We always knew he'd get the last laugh, and while you might not expect the Joker to appear in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, it looks like Rocksteady Studios couldn't help but bring back the Arkhamverse's biggest big bad.
With the Clown Prince of Crime being the Tom to Batman's Jerry, he was the perfect villain for the Arkham trilogy that spanned 2009's Arkham Asylum through to 2015's Arkham Knight. He even had a part to play in WB Montreal's Arkham adjacent Origins. Now, it looks like Task Force X will be laughing on the other side of its face.
The Joker is (somehow) back in Kill the Justice League
Rocksteady and Warner Bros. are rolling out the big guns ahead of Kill the Justice League's February 2 release, with new promo art showing Mr. J in all his glory. The official KTLJ account has shown off a Jokerised Daily Planet in Metropolis - which is where the game is set.
While there could be any number of things this means, a picture of the Joker adorning the front cover of The Daily Chuckle paper suggests he's alive and kicking somewhere. Given Joker's relationship to Harley Quinn and her prominence in the game, it makes sense that he's back... but there's one problem.
With Kill the Justice League being a sequel to Arkham Knight, a Joker return is a little difficult. The events of 2011's Arkham City saw Joker slowly succumb to the effects of Bane's Venom toxin and die in a climactic final battle with Batman. Although he appeared in Arkham Knight, he was only a figment of Bruce Wayne's imagination.
What does Kill the Justice League's Joker twist mean?
Click to enlargeThe obvious twist is that the events of Kill the Justice League will tap into the potential of the DC Multiverse. We know James Gunn has hopes for more Rocksteady games, but if Kill the Justice League lives up to its name and kills off the heroes, we'd effectively be wiping out a slate of potential titles.
Putting the game in its own DC Multiverse allows Harley and co. to dispatch Batman and the other brainwashed supes, bring back Joker (possibly as the mastermind pulling Brainiac's strings), and then reset in the final moments.
While we're over the moon to see Joker back and potentially have Mark Hamill voice the cackling clown again, it feels like the whole Multiverse idea robs Kill the Justice League of its stakes. There isn't long to go until we'll find out, and either way, consider our interest piqued.
