Gotham City is a place full of deranged lunatics who wish nothing better than to bring suffering and despair upon the general public. Last year, Batman: Arkham Asylum showcased some of the most popular villains in the franchise. The Joker led a rebellion against the Dark Knight, and characters such as The Riddler, Killer Croc, and Poison Ivy were portrayed in an excellent manner that made gamers want to take them down with a little brutal punishment. And although Batman needs to show restraint, clobbering The Joker’s goons and dealing pain to the maniacs of Arkham Asylum was truly satisfying.
Loosely based on the grim graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, Batman: Arkham Asylum was chilling, dark, and gritty to the end. With Batman: Arkham City now a major focus for developer Rocksteady Studios, you can bet that the Gotham knight will have his hands full with villains such as the Joker, Catwoman, and Two-Face. But what other foes should appear in the upcoming game? Here are five of Batman’s biggest enemies that would be great to see in the hero of Gotham’s upcoming adventure.
Clayface
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth was notorious for portraying many of Batman’s most viscous enemies in ways that were almost eerie. Though Clayface appeared briefly in the last game, the shape shifter deserves some more time in the spotlight. In keeping with the themes of the graphic novel, it would be great to see a dying Clayface similar to his portrayal in the literary masterpiece. Seeing a weak, decaying Clayface attempt to infect Batman was dark and truly disturbing, and if Rocksteady included this Clayface in the game it would definitely add to the intense and dark atmosphere. Oh, but Rocksteady, please let us break Clayface’s decaying leg off.
Firefly
He may not be one of the most popular villains in the Batman universe, but Firefly is just crazy enough that he deserves to be a part of a serious Batman game. I remember reading a comic book when I was a young kid that revolved around Firefly. Every time the pyromaniac lit buildings on fire he would fantasize that the flames were nude women, and he got a disturbing sense of pleasure out of it. Include Firefly in this perverted, twisted manner, and you’ve got a foe that gamers will really want to beat down.
The Penguin
Though the Iceberg Lounge makes a brief appearance in the trailer for Arkham City, it is still unknown whether the Penguin will make an appearance in the game. If he does pop up in the Dark Knight’s next crusade, let’s hope he takes an active role in making the brooding hero’s life just a bit more difficult. The Penguin is a classic villain and a staple of the Batman franchise, and for him to appear in a minor role would be a crime.
The Mad Hatter
Some villains are known for their ability to verbally and mentally attack Batman. The Mad Hatter is one of these villains. He may not be big, and he may not be very strong, but he is certainly witty, intelligent, and capable of challenging Gotham’s knight in a more intellectual manner. He’s no Riddler, but with his fantastical mindset and obsession with Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter is a perfect fit for Arkham City. Maybe he can put some of his mind control devices to use in the game and trigger some sort of context sensitive minigame. Successfully avoiding being hypnotized by the Mad Hatter would definitely add to the dark crusader’s badassery.
The Ventriloquist
While someone like the Joker is crazy in an obvious way, the Ventriloquist’s lunacy is far more complex and just plain creepy. The guy literally thinks a puppet is going to take him out if he doesn’t do his bidding! This multiple personality disorder case is worthy of appearing in the next Batman game, and Arkham City would be the perfect setting for the duo of Arnold Wesker and his boss Scarface to wreak havoc. Admittedly, Wesker manages to evoke some sympathy, but once he lets his Scarface personality take over as the boss, he quickly becomes another enemy for Batman to pummel.
The Batman universe is littered with countless crazies, and the ones listed here deserve to appear in a video game just as they have in comic books. Rocksteady’s last Batman endeavor was inspired by Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, a graphic novel that wasn’t afraid to portray Batman’s worst enemies in the most horrific ways imaginable. Here’s hoping the developers let that inspiring work’s themes have some sort of impact on Batman: Arkham City and the enemies we’ll see in that game.
