Kevin Conroy's Batman in the Suicide Squad game: Arkham links explained

Developed by the same studio, Rocksteady, there are plenty of expected ties between the Arkham games (and wider media) and Kill the Justice League.

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We know that Batman is involved - an evil version, no less - but how does that make sense? Now the game is finally here, we have some answers.

Keep reading to find out how Batman is in the Suicide Squad game and to discover if Kill the Justice League is in the Arkhamverse or not.

Who plays Batman in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?

The late, great Kevin Conroy voiced Batman/Bruce Wayne in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, reprising his role from the Batman: Arkham games.

Kevin Conroy sadly passed away in 2022 after a battle with cancer. He remains beloved around the globe for his performances as Batman, having voiced the character in Batman: The Animated Series and countless other projects. He even played a live action version of Bruce Wayne in The CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths event.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League sees Conroy giving a twisted version of his usual performance, with this version of Batman having been brainwashed by the villainous Braniac.

Despite some confusion on topic, it turns out that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is not Conroy's final performance in the role. Prior to his passing, he also recorded voice work Batman/Bruce Wayne in a multi-part animated adaptation of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Part 1 is out now and two more parts are still to come.

How is Batman in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League?

Apologies for spoilers for a game that was released seven years ago, but the ending of Batman: Arkham Knight suggests that the Caped Crusader was killed as part of Operation Knightfall. This was the ending of the 2015 game's main story.

The public found out that Bruce Wayne was Batman, and there were literally TV cameras watching as Bruce's house blew up with him and Alfred both in it. The assumption, then, is that Bats is dead. Roll credits, thanks for playing!

How, then, is Batman in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League? The answer is simple: he didn’t actually die.

According to an interview in Game Informer as part of a hands-on preview of the game, Kill the Justice League production manager Jack Hackett says that the 100 per cent ending of Arkham Knight "did set up something" to keep Batman around, and that final moment "is considered canon".

What happened in the Batman: Arkham Knight 100 per cent ending?

Those of you who played Arkham Knight and achieved 100 per cent completion will know that it ended with a mysterious version of Batman seeming to be alive and well. If you need a refresher, watch the video below:

As you can see, although the world still thinks that Bruce Wayne is dead (with his house blowing up shortly after his secret identity was revealed), there is still a Caped Crusader trawling the rooftops of Gotham and saving ladies wearing pearls from being mugged.

This version of Batman seems to have notes of Scarecrow's fear toxin about him, with the criminals seeing a mysterious ghostly mist around The Dark Knight. This could come in handy if Bruce Wayne, or whoever is wearing the suit in his stead, really doesn't want the wider world to know who's under the cowl.

So, Batman — or the idea of Batman, at least — didn’t die after all, and that’s likely how he appears in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The new game is set some five years after the true, canonical ending of Arkham Knight, so you can expect to find out more in the game about that mysterious smoky cameo.

Update: we've now played a fair bit of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and you'll want to listen to the museum exhibits at the game's Batman Experience to find the missing piece of story here. The main story will take you to this location fairly early on.

Spoiler warning before we say happens! Look away now if you don't want to know.

Still here? Okay. The final exhibit at the in-game museum explains that Bruce did fake his own death at the end of Arkham Knight. Years later, having operated from the shadows as 'The Demon Bat', he accepted an invitation to join the Justice League and reveal that he was still alive.

Is Suicide Squad in the same universe as the Batman: Arkham games?

While there is some confusion out there, Rocksteady has confirmed that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is indeed set in the same universe as the Batman: Arkham games.

How that can be true considering the appearance of King Shark and Captain Boomerang – both said to have died in the Arkhamverse – will be found out soon, as the game is out now in early access.

There’s conflicting information out there, but an interview with Sefton Hill of Rocksteady from November 2020 confirms that Kill the Justice League is definitively part of the Arkhamverse. Skip to 11 minutes below to check out Hill’s quotes on it:

Hill explains: "This is a continuation of the Arkhamverse, so a lot of the through-threads and the storylines, you’re going to see come to fruition in this game."

Time will tell, of course, but now that the game is in the hands of early adopters, we’re bound to find out soon enough what the truth is – and you can do so yourself!

Read more: Is Suicide Squad crossplay? | Suicide Squad Joker DLC | Is Suicide Squad down? | Suicide Squad plot | Suicide Squad reviews situation | Suicide Squad PC requirements | Suicide Squad trophies | Suicide Squad chapters list | Suicide Squad game cast | How to change character in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

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