Superman is finally making a full appearance in a Rocksteady game. For fans of the Arkham series, the Man of Steel’s upcoming role as the villain of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League raises some big questions.
Superman has ranged in power drastically over the years. While there isn’t much information on the Arkham universe’s Superman, there are few hints at the powers that he might have in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Rocksteady has already made clear in the Suicide Squad reveal 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 1940s Superman cartoons that Superman became able to fly in order to save animators time.
There are a few hints at what Superman’s powers could be in the Arkham-verse in the Arkham games themselves. “You think the Bat is tough to kill?” says one NPC in Arkham Knight, “You don’t want to go up against the other guy in the cape.” While this suggests the Suicide Squad will 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.
However, there is one piece of media that could be a more trustworthy indication of what Rocksteady’s Superman might look like. The original Arkham games were heavily inspired by Batman: The Animated Series, with Kevin 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 of The Animated Series can be found in Easter Eggs throughout the Arkham games. Batman: The Animated Series was followed by Superman: 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 the Suicide Squad reveal 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 the playable characters in Suicide Squad will 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 that Rocksteady could lead the Suicide Squad back to the developer’s roots if that detail is the same in the Arkham-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 in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will release in 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
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