Superman is finally making a full appearance in a Rocksteady game. For fans of theArkhamseries, the Man of Steel’s upcoming role as the villain ofSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueraises some big questions.
Superman has ranged in power drastically over the years. While there isn’t much information on theArkhamuniverse’s Superman, there are few hints at the powers that he might have inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
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Superman’s Strengths
Rocksteady has already made clear in theSuicide Squadreveal trailer that the studio’s take on Superman will have heat vision. This will not come as a surprise to many fans of the franchise, unlike the fact that he uses it to kill an innocent pilot in the teaser. All of Superman’s powers, however, have varied greatly over the characters’ many iterations. In the 1930s, Superman couldn’t fly, and instead was “able to leap tall buildings in a single bound." It was not until the 1940sSupermancartoons thatSuperman became able to flyin order to save animators time.
There are a few hints at what Superman’s powers could be in theArkham-verse intheArkhamgamesthemselves. “You think the Bat is tough to kill?” says one NPC inArkham Knight, “You don’t want to go up against the other guy in the cape.” While this suggests theSuicide Squadwill have an extremely tough time against Superman, again that will not come as news to DC fans. Some versions of Superman have been able to time-travel while others have struggled to lift cars, so there are plenty of different routes the character could go.
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The Arkham-Verse and Superman: The Animated Series
However, there is one piece of media that could be a more trustworthy indication of what Rocksteady’s Superman might look like. The originalArkhamgames were heavily inspired byBatman: The Animated Series, withKevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprising their roles as Batman, The Joker, and Harley Quinn respectively in the first game.
Although the games were more visually dark and occasionally gruesome, the influence ofThe Animated Seriescan be found inEaster Eggs throughout theArkhamgames.Batman: The Animated Serieswas followed bySuperman: The Animated Series, both set in the DC Animated Universe. In the Animated Universe, Superman’s powers were significantly dialed back significantly compared to some earlier versions. However, he did retain some key abilities.
The DC Animated Universe’s Superman has been shown to be able to lift up to 900,000,000 tons, and can possibly lift more. His body is practically invulnerable, and he has superhuman speed, hearing, and vision – including X-ray vision - as well as the ability to create hurricanes by exhaling and to shoot lasers from his eyes as seen in theSuicide Squadreveal trailer.
This version of Superman is also vulnerable to Kryptonite in some unique ways. In the DC Animated Universe, Kryptonite is one of few things able to pierce Superman’s skin. Animated villains like Amazo were also able to use Kryptonite to steal some of Superman’s powers in the show, making it possible that theplayable characters inSuicide Squadwill find themselves gaining some powers throughout the game, though that would likely concern their handlers.
In the DC Animated Universe, Bruce Wayne himself keeps a piece of Kryptonite hidden in the Batcave, and it is possible thatRocksteadycould lead the Suicide Squad back to the developer’s roots if that detail is the same in theArkham-verse. It remains unclear, however, what has made Superman so hostile in the new game to begin with.
If Superman is being controlled or influenced in some way, it is possible that that force could also have implications for his powers and how the Man of Steel can be defeated. Getting it right will be a tough task, but many fans will be hoping that if any developer can design a satisfying fight with Superman, it would be Rocksteady inSuicide Squad: Kill theJustice League.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewill release in 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
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