We know that beggars can't be choosers. And while Batman: Arkham City is looking to bring more comic book villains to life than any game that preceded it, that doesn't mean that everyone will be happy. Rocksteady Studios may be doing everything they can to include both headlining and supporting cast-villains from Batman's past, but serious comic book fans will be sure to have at least a few favorite characters left by the wayside. And we are most certainly included in that group.
Any comic book fan can rattle off more than a few characters that desperately need to be realized within a video game - heck, we've even got our own list. But it's not easy to create a video game built around a preexisting character that fans won't absolutely detest, let alone embrace.
But Rocksteady has already shown they can do just that. Batman: Arkham Asylum proved that not only could the studio perfectly grasp the tone and maturity of the Batman universe, but finally show players what it must feel like to wear the legendary cape and cowl.
Sequels tend to be bigger and better, and now that Rocksteady has earned the trust of the fan base, Arkham City is ready to give new interpretations on more characters than many would have dared to dream. While a newly-designed Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Deadshot, Joker, and even the Mad Hatter have been called up for this open-world adventure, that doesn't mean we don't have our own favorites.
So we've put together a collection of the villains that we would love to see make an appearance as an actual villain, not a mere fan-service cameo. Whether it's our trust of the developers to do them justice, or a desire to see how they would re-envision them, or to tease a third installment in the Batman series we think you'll agree that we've made the right choices.
7. Clayface
More than half a dozen different men have claimed the title of 'Clayface' in the Batman universe, but that hasn't hindered the villain from becoming more than iconic in several different comic and television series. While the various character histories are as different as the superpowers possessed by each, it's the ability to shape-shift and become a part of the earth itself that intrigues us. Clayface appeared in Arkham Asylum as a trapped inmate, putting on several different guises before the player's eyes. Clayface even transformed his body into that of Commissioner Jim Gordon, which should give an idea of how he could impact story if he were set free.
While game writers could come up with a multitude of plot twists and conspiracies given Clayface's superpowers, it's the gameplay itself that we'd like to see. Arkham City is going to be putting players up against plenty of formidable opponents, but a truly supernatural face-off doesn't seem to be on the menu. We don't know exactly how Batman would fight a man capable of disappearing into, and reconstituting himself out of the ground itself, but that's a story that we would love to see Rocksteady tell.
Clayface has a history of rendering Batman's usual strategies and gadgets useless, so posing the same challenge in a video game makes perfect sense. And considering the clay-creature's habit of allying himself with fellow villains, the inclusion of a fully-fledged encounter with Clayface seems fairly possible after his brief appearance in Arkham Asylum.
6. Professor Pyg
If you're unfamiliar with Lazlo Valentin, consider yourself lucky. While 'Professor Pyg' is by far the newest of our included villains, he gets mention due entirely to the grotesque and twisted methods he employs in his battle against Batman and Robin. A circus boss with a flare for surgery and mind control, the pig-faced psychopath wouldn't be facing Rocksteady's Dark Knight all by himself. Pyg's strength comes from his 'Dollotrons,' kidnapped human beings who have been brainwashed and physically mutilated into his personal army of zombies.
What makes Professor Pyg's minions perfect for Arkham City is the lifeless doll mask surgically attached to their faces, sure to cause nightmares for countless players. While the methods of this maniac alone would take Arkham City's mature content to new heights, the challenge of taking out a horde of doll-faced automatons could introduce some new strategies. Even if this particular villain only makes a brief appearance, the sheer twisted pleasure we would get out of seeing the pig-masked madman and his army of living dolls couldn't be measured.
5. Hush
In case you haven't been keeping up with the Batman comic book series over the past few years, you should know that the vast criminal conspiracy at work in Arkam City isn't completely unprecedented. The 'Hush' storyline caught the attention of many fans when it pitted Batman against the bandaged, trenchcoated villain, forcing Bruce Wayne to reexamine his alliances, his romances, and his greatest failures. We know it's too much to hope that this entire story line would be played out in video game format, but even the appearance of Hush would be enough to send us reeling from the world of possibilities suddenly made possible.
There's no question that Hush is the least likely to appear in Arkham City, but his ability to manipulate and work alongside members of Batman's inner circle would bring a load of story potential. It would also be possible to see some reference ot him as a cameo or minor villain, due to his uncanny ability of teaming up with other members of Batman's rogues gallery.
That's a talent that Hush shares with Arkham City's new protagonist Hugo Strange, along with the fact that both men are aware of Bruce Wayne's secret identity. While Hush's whispered verse is soemthing that we would love to see performed in digital form, we can hope that some of his other personality traits will be adopted for this portrayal of Strange.
Bat is to Batman, what Cat is to...
4. Catman
Alright, we know this is going to seem like a crazy pick. Catman may sound like a pathetic feline knock-off of the Dark Knight, but that's only true if you don't know the real story of Thomas Blake. An experienced trapper and hunter, Blake soon grew tired of wasting his time with wild animals and turned to a life among superheroes and villains. While initially a criminal modeled after Catwoman, Blake's history has seen him leave society to live among a pride of lions. That's right, the 'cat' in his name doesn't refer to a tabby, but one of the strongest big cats in the world. That he can personally out-wrestle.
Catman uses his physical strength and heightened animal instincts to battle crime these days, favoring the role of antihero over that of supervillain. Still, Catman possesses the same aversion to proper society and the rule of law as Catwoman, and even though he operates in the name of good over outright evil, Blake is no fan of Batman. We don't know about you, but a man who is a physical match for Batman, and just as dedicated to his own concept of justice would be welcome among the nuttier villains of Arkham City.
Don't get us wrong, we love the theatricality of Gotham's criminal underworld. But Catman would offer a truly grounded opponent in Batman's journey through Arkham City. He isn't insane, is highly skilled and intelligent, and has no reservations about taking on the king of the jungle, let alone Bruce Wayne. It's not out of the question to see Catman make an appearance in Arkham City, with or without his lion kin. But hopefully Blake will get the respect he deserves sooner rather than later.
3. Man-Bat
Dr. Kirk Langstrom is a man who needs no introduction. Upon consuming his chemical serum, Dr. Langstrom undergoes a physical transformation into the creature known as Man-Bat, gifted with superhuman strength, flight, and the sonar resources of the creature he resembles. We don't have to make an argument for why Man-Bat deserves to appear in Rocksteady's series, since his presence in nearly every single incarnation of Batman does that for us. What seems most apparent to us is how perfectly the traditional 'Man-Bat plot' would fit into the tropes of a video game.
Dr. Langstrom isn't an evil or mad scientist, just a man who enjoys flying around town with super strength as much as anyone would. But there's a reason why Batman is exceptional, and in most cases the good doctor soon finds himself in over his head, and Batman is tasked with acquiring an antidote and returning him to his human form. But to do that would mean that Batman would have to eventually take the fight to Man-Bat, hundreds of feet above the streets of Arkham City. We've seen for ourselves just how gorgeous the gliding will be in Arkham City, but incorporating combat into the mix would be even better.
Since most of the combat will be against generally weaker opponents at a distinct disadvantage due to Batman's sophisticated gadgetry, facing an enemy that is more at home in the sky than the player would be a welcome change of pace. Having to chase an airborne opponent is always a satisfying task, but exactly how Batman would combat Langstrom mid-flight is something we'll leave in the capable hands of Rocksteady. There haven't been any mentions of an appearance, but considering how well suited the character would be to the gameplay of Arkham City, it would be strange to not see this mechanic implemented in some way.
2. Ra's Al Ghul
There is no greater opponent that Batman has had to face over the years than Ra's al Ghul, the 'Demon's Head' himself. An immortal assassin who has shaped the world for centuries is a powerful enough enemy for the best of superheroes, but nobody has caught al Ghul's attention like Gotham's costumed crime-fighter. We won't go into the various reasons why Ra's should be featured in Arkham City - since we've already done that - but it's seeming more and more likely that the mystical mastermind will wait until the third installment in the series to take center stage.
That's alright with us, since a man as monumental as Ra's is more than deserving of his own game. In fact, the sheer scale and brilliance of any plot Ra's would concoct would demand an entire video game all to itself. And while Ra's did make a cameo appearance in Arkham Aslyum, we haven't received the slightest whisper of a presence in the forthcoming game. What we have gotten however, is a fair share of clues pointing to his importance beyond the confines of Arkham City. Particularly the inclusion of his daughter.
Don't get us wrong, the presence of Talia al Ghul is a pleasant surprise, opening the door to even more romantic entanglements for Batman. But the truth is that although Talia is an impressive assassin in her own right, and has a complicated past with Batman in the comic book series, there isn't any real compelling reason for her to make an appearance. The classic, beloved and recognizable villains are all integral to the fight against Batman, with secondary characters being relegated to side quests. we would expect the same from Talia, but her apparent affiliation with Joker hints at a much larger story.
If there is a larger story at play, it's extremely unlikely that Ra's isn't involved. If Ra's is involved, then it's even less likely that he isn't the main force behind the conflict or conspiracy implied. We may be proven wrong when the game is released, but we're putting our money on Talia acting as a bridge to a Ra's-dominated third game. Even if Ra's only makes an appearance in a closing cinematic we'll be happy.
1. Red Hood - Jason Todd
Before we get into our last choice, allow us to make a recommendation: if you have yet to read through Batman's 'Hush' and 'Under the Hood' story lines, please do so immediately. While many of you may only know of 'Red Hood' as the persona adopted by Joker before his life-changing chemical bath, the character we're referring to is the current incarnation. Rocksteady has shown that they are capable of dealing with severe trauma in Bruce Wayne's life, as witnessed by Arkham Asylum's Scarecrow levels (which sadly won't be returning). But there is one event that stands above all others as the greatest failure in Batman's life (Spoilers Ahead).
The death of Robin. Yes, while Dick Grayson may have graduated from his role as Robin to become Nightwing, his replacement didn't fare as well. Jason Todd was captured and killed by Joker before Batman could rescue him, shaking the very character of Batman to his core. In the rewriting of fiction that the comic book universe has become so fond of, Jason Todd was brought back to life twenty years ago to find a disturbing scene. When trying to grasp what had transpired in his absence, Jason learned that his death had not been avenged, and that he had once again been replaced by Tim Drake.
This was all it took to unleash the rage that had always been at the core of Jason, who took up the mantle of Red Hood to fight crime in Gotham with a savagery and brutality that Batman never allowed. Simply put, Red Hood fights the same criminals that Batman does, but is willing to cross nearly every line that Batman is not. What you end up with is a gun-wielding, physically-dominant student of the world's greatest detective who carries more than a small grudge against Bruce Wayne. Feel free to imagine the gameplay possibilities yourself.
While the explanation for Red Hood's current pulse is one that only comic books could come up with, the character has fared extremely well in both the comic books and an animated feature. While we would usually concede that it's unlikely to see such a troubling figure in Batman's psyche even be approached in a video game, recent announcements have us questioning that. The fact that both Nightwing and Robin will be included in Arkham City (albeit in Challenge Modes alone) show that the developers are aware of the key figures in Batman's life, and the unique combat style for each shows they understand more than just names and costumes.
Even though we would love to see Red Hood given the proper treatment in the upcoming game - which we would trust Rocksteady to accomplish - the sheer volume of character drama and back-story required might rule out his inclusion as a main opponent. That being said, the undeniably stylish character design and attitude that has come to represent Jason Todd's version of crime-fighting is almost too good to pass up, and could be thrown into the game for fan service. It's not the kind of story we would hope for, but even having Rocksteady acknowledge the character would be better than nothing.
There is an outside chance that Jason Todd could be alluded to in much the same way as we suspect Ra's al Ghul will be, with a greater role in whatever game comes next for the series strongly hinted at. Since Jason Todd's revival has been attributed (in some continuities) to the Lazarus Pits possessed by Ra's al Ghul, the two fit together better than one might expect. If Ra's was to unleash a vast attack against Bruce Wayne in the future, then there's no doubt that Jason Todd would be the perfect man to lead it. All we have is our imagination at the moment, but we'll keep our fingers crossed and hope that this is a story Rocksteady would like to tell.
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So there you have it, the supervillains that we personally think should be getting some face-time in Arkham City. Some would offer inspired gameplay, others some well-deserved credit for unappreciated characters, and others a truly satisfying cliffhanger leading into Rocksteady's next game. There's a good chance that we'll be proven wrong, and an even better chance that some fantastic candidates have been overlooked. So feel free to give your opinion on our picks, and those you would have in the comments section.
Batman: Arkham City will be released for the Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 18, and the PC on November 8.
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Share your picks with me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.