Rocksteady’s Arkham games helped redefine the superhero genre in video games, and are some of the most acclaimed and beloved representations of the DC universe across all mediums. The studio’s upcoming title Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had its first teaser trailer revealed at DC FanDome, and for the first time appears to see players leave Gotham for the high-rises of Superman’s home, Metropolis.
Metropolis has had many different iterations in the comics and across its representations. However, the teaser trailer for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League leaves DC fans some big hints about what they can expect from Metropolis in the Arkham-verse.
In the DC Universe Metropolis is one of the most populated and wealthy cities in the world. Like Gotham, depictions of Metropolis have always been heavily influenced by New York City, with legendary DC comics writer Frank Miller claiming that “Metropolis in New York in the daytime; Gotham City is New York at night.”
Metropolis has most commonly been depicted with bright art-deco style architecture in contrast to Gotham’s naturally gothic take on NYC. The Suicide Squad teaser trailer shows a city that’s far more colorful than any rendition of Gotham seen in the Arkham games and most iterations of Metropolis, suggesting that Rocksteady is attempting to capture the same night-and-day relationship that Metropolis has been said to have with Gotham in the comics.
Judging by the trees, the game also appears to be set in the summer, with a far greener look compared with previous Rocksteady titles. The teaser trailer also appears to show downtown Metropolis in particular, with the LexCorp tower visible behind Captain Boomerang when he says that “that should knock a few years off the old sentence.”
In several iterations of Metropolis, the LexCorp tower is the tallest building in the whole city. This does not appear to be the case in the trailer, though it may be a matter of perspective. As well as downtown, there are a few key areas in Metropolis that players may be able to visit in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Southside, also known as “Suicide Slum” is a run-down and crime-infested area of Metropolis. It is also where Lex Luthor grew up in the Post-Crisis continuity. Not only is it aptly named for a visit by the Suicide Squad, but several stories have dealt with Superman’s inability to truly help the area. It is possible that failures like this could explain why Superman has become antagonistic in the new game, taking more radical action as his original good intentions spiral out of control. If something is manipulating him, it may have done so by exploiting this insecurity.
New Troy is Metropolis’ largest borough and most consistently appears, with Planet Square standing in for Times Square in Manhattan. In several iterations, Centennial Park stands in for New York’s Central Park as well. Fans can likely expect Rocksteady to experiment, flipping their Arkham formula from their Batman games for Metropolis’ design. In contrast to Gotham, Suicide Squad players can expect bright colors, green trees, and the almost cartoonishly exaggerated art-deco style seen in the background of the trailer. However, as with Gotham, fans can expect to see areas that appear to be beyond the help of superheroes.
This could pose a particularly interesting dynamic with the Suicide Squad in the city. Perhaps it is possible that the Arkham-verse’s Metropolis will explore how, beneath its brightly colored surface, the city has problems which cannot be solved by individuals, even Superman. The set-up of the city itself could be used to explore the limitations of heroes like Superman, other Justice League members like Green Lantern, and even the Suicide Squad itself, which could prove very interesting if Superman is the villain as the trailer implies.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will release in 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
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