For better or for worse,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguehas ended with a lot of rippling threads left dangling in its wake. The Arkhamverse that had previously been exclusively prefaced with theBatman: Arkhamtitle and kept itself compartmentalized within Gotham City has now explored not only Metropolis but a series of multiversal Elseworlds. A Justice League has spawned with Batman having joined it between the events ofBatman: Arkham KnightandSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and where the franchise is taken next is guaranteed to be a doozy regardless.
Perhaps the easiest string to follow and knot in a future Arkhamverse game is the aftermath of Metropolis’ Brainiac invasion, and if a sequel decided to focus entirely on Batman’s mythology again—like the Arkhamverse’s days of yore—it would absolutely need to address theinsinuated death of the lore’s most recent Robin, Tim Drake. In doing so, a direct throughline could potentially correlate the death of a Robin and the birth of a Terry McGuinness Batman.
Tim Drake’s Robinmask seen damaged and lying in a tiny pool of blood doesn’t necessarily ensure that the character is dead, but that imagery definitely wants to at least make it look like he is. Taken at face value, it appears as if Batman’s purple-eyed clone did murder Tim, who would’ve come across him and maybe even tried to best him in battle before being overwhelmed.
Multiversal events and alien invaders is a more grandiose headline and one the DC mythology would run first, and yet becauseSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueis an extension of the Arkhamverse it’s impossible not to consider Batman-related story beats to land much more heavily. Wonder Woman dying is arguably a waste of a character, for example, but because she’s never been seen or heard about in the Arkhamverse beforehand it isn’t as devastating of a blow to be dealt than hearing that Robin could be dead. This is because Tim was an intricate part of theArkhamgames sinceBatman: Arkham Cityand he might’ve played a big role in future games set in Gotham City had he still been alive.
Tim had time to shine as a Boy Wonder inBatman: Arkham City’s Harley Quinn’s Revenge DLC, but he was undermined inBatman: Arkham Knightand used as yet another Bat-family companion for Scarecrow to kidnap in the span of one night.
Robin’s Death Should Incite the Beginning of a Batman Beyond Storyline
Tim Drake died as a man who simply wanted to aid Bruce Wayne in his plight to quell crime and was incessantly neglected by him. If Bruce was never going to recover from losing Jason and would be internally crippled by the paranoia of possibly losing another Robin it makes no sense at all why he’d accept Tim into the Bat-family. Nevertheless, withBruce’s fear of losing Bat-family companionscoming true, how Bruce navigates this grief and what the next Arkhamverse game entails are going to be crucial to the franchise’s storytelling direction.
to make the absolute most out of Robin’s tragic demise and not let it be taken for granted, Tim’s death should be the spark that ignites aBatman Beyond-esque storyline and provide the necessary explanation as to why Bruce may be apprehensive about taking yet another companion under his wing, much less a successor to the Batman mantle. Bruce’s overprotective nature was always subversively hinted at via Barbara being crippled, but because that was a moment that players never saw or experienced beforeBatman: Arkham Knightit was less explicit.
Jason remained discreet if not wholly nonexistent untilBatman: Arkham Knightas well, which was the only upper hand Rocksteady had in masking the Arkham Knight’s true identity. If Tim is truly dead, Rocksteady can’t make the same mistake. This thread of events all tethered together could reinforce Bruce’s fears and give weight toa potentialBatman Beyondchapter in the Arkhamversewhere, against his better judgment or instincts, he welcomes a new Bat-family member into the fold.
