The Game Awards last week revealed a new clip from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. It was fantastic to see the game reprised at The Game Awards after having appeared there last year, especially since this was the first time that fans have heard from Rocksteady’s four-player shooter since it was hit with a huge delay. However, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League did not return with a traditional trailer, but a clip from the game that was in honor of the late Kevin Conroy who had passed away recently.
In this clip, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League revealed that Conroy will be returning as the Arkhamverse’s Batman one final time. This was likely a reveal that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was originally hoping to conceal until the game’s release, considering how much effort its previous trailers put into obscuring him from its continuity. Of course, this was a touching tribute and highly appropriate for Rocksteady to honor the actor in this way. This Batman will be much different than Arkhamverse fans remember, though, giving Conroy a posthumous chance to portray him as a villain.
Kevin Conroy is Synonymous with Rocksteady’s Arkhamverse
Conroy’s inclusion in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League may be posthumous, but he is undoubtedly the face of Rocksteady’s franchise. Having Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their roles respectively as Batman and Joker was fantastic, and it was special to see them converse throughout Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League did not necessarily need to feature Batman to be interesting, but it is now a wonderful way for Rocksteady to honor Conroy’s lineage as the Caped Crusader.
Indeed, it will be interesting to see how the Arkhamverse’s Batman is brought back to the mythos, since the world was supposed to believe Bruce Wayne and Batman to be dead following the events of Batman: Arkham Knight. Instead, Harley calls out to him as “Bruce” and demonstrates that he must have publicly reclaimed the Batman moniker at some point in the time gap between these installments, revealing the character to be alive after all.
Kevin Conroy Gets to Play a Murderous Batman in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
This Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League clip demonstrates how terrifying Batman’s predator stealth antics are from the criminals’ perspective. Batman’s grapple features a nostalgic sound design that cues before he sweeps in and whisks the police officer out of view. The officer is then dropped to the floor, seemingly mangled, before Batman lands on the floor with the room now bathed in an ominous red light.
It is made clear here that this Batman is murderous after having been influenced by Brainiac’s mind control, and the terrified expressions on Task Force X’s faces are evidence of that. Therefore, it will be incredibly exciting to hear Conroy deliver lines as an evil Batman. This will certainly not be the only time that Conroy has played Batman with more of a sinister tone, but following his passing, it will be another chance to honor him and cherish his work as the character, especially with a fun and dynamic take on the otherwise stoic crime-fighter for Rocksteady’s Arkhamverse.
It will also be interesting to see how Task Force X is able to take Batman of all Justice League members down. Fortunately, Barry Allen’s Flash is there to potentially save the Suicide Squad from Batman if they were successful in reversing his mind control.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launches on May 26, 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.