History HeadScratchers / BatmanArkhamAsylum

** The explosive gel is used to blast objects on the side opposite its own. This is why an Explosive Gel takedown requires a wall between it and the mooks. So when Batman gelled up his hand and punched Titan Joker with it, wouldn't ''Batman'' take the worst of the attack, not Joker?
*** In a way, he did. After the scene, you'll notice that Batman's arm is hanging limp at his side, which almost certainly means he broke it. I.e., Joker received a punch, to the face, with enough power to break bones. Good thing he was in super mode, else he'd be dead!
*** A gel takedown ''doesn't'' require a wall to hurt people. You can just pop some on the ground, then detonate it when the enemy gets too close - it's a cheap way to handle {{Psycho Knife Nut}}s. With the auto-detonator upgrade, you can use it as a landmine.

** In Arkham city, when Batman sends a request for his line launcher, Alfred suggests that Bruce might want to wear a bigger belt to carry all his stuff. Bruce replies that it slows him down too much, so he only grabs what he thinks he needs.

* Something which bugged me which I put down as a WhatAnIdiot moment for Batman. Shortly before Doctor Young died, she told Batman that there was a secret lab in the asylum gardens where Titan was being manufactured but she dies before having a chance to tell him where the lab is. Immediately after this, Batman goes chasing after Harley Quinn who has taken the warden hostage. The chase leads him through the cell block for the super-powered inmates, where a pained Poison Ivy begs Batman for help as she can feel the suffering of the plants in the garden. His reaction to this news is to tell Ivy that he doesn't have time to deal with it and warns her not to try escaping because he has enough to worry about without her running loose. Granted that Batman is going to put the Warden's life first, but you might expect him to take this information and try and use Ivy as a means of locating the lab since Ivy - crazed as she is - is usually depicted as being fairly honest when it comes to protecting "her babies".

* So, Lucius Fox created Arkham's locks. And he works for Bruce. Why could Batman not use Fox's technology and create himself a secret key? Thus he wouldn't need any codes and hacking equipment.

*** I believe in the Arkhamverse, as in the movieverse, Lucius is pretty aware of who Batman and Bruce Wayne are. He could personally give Wayne the "key", and set it so the overwrite code didn't leave any log or left a corrupted log, or even Lucius' log, which he can later claim he gave Batman after being personally requested since the situation was so extreme. No links with Wayne would even be needed.

** Inmates escape Arkham far too easily as it is. He doesn't want a system that is "foolproof-but-with-one-single-exception", he wants something that is foolproof period. If Lucius / Bruce can create a secret key, then so can somebody else, assuming it isn't stolen from him somehow. Some of the smartest and most dangerous men and women on the planet are locked up in that Asylum, and you don't throw people like that a bone.

** In the beginning of the game when the inmates first escaped, some of the TV screens around the building will show security footage of the prisoners escaping. If you keep on watching for long enough, eventually the escaped prisoners will start smashing the cameras and the footage will turn into static.

** Croc only ''looks'' like an animal; he's smart enough to plan ahead and strategize. He may have located a few isolated air-pockets in the drain network that he can grab a quick breath from in a pinch.

*** I'm sorry to interrupt with something so unrelated, but you guys are saying the Riddler fell in a Lazarus pit too? As did [[spoiler:Joker and Clayface]] in VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity? And Joker in the comics, when he became briefly sane? Tell me, how many of the Batman villains fell in the accursed things over the continuities? I reckoned they were supposed to be rare.
*** Riddler didn't fall in it; he actively sought one out because he was dying. The point is clearly made in this case that ''because'' they're rare, Ra's al Ghul will not be very happy with him as a result if he ever finds out.
** I could be remembering wrong, but it seemed like the Riddler's "hack" was only one-way. It allowed him to talk to Batman, but they never had any kind of back-and-forth. Sure, it could be that Batman was just playing Bat-possum by not responding to him, but wouldn't Bats have a protocol in place for if he thinks his comms are compromised (like changing frequencies or encryption keys)? If I were Batman (and I'm not saying I'm not), I would probably change the frequency/encryption of my chats with Oracle, but keep a second line open with the old frequency so that I could still hear Riddler's chatter (which could contain useful information).

*** Like all 'XP', the 'upgrades' are just the game's way of making Batman's tactics and thought processes visible and interactive throughout the game. Most of the updates, really, are just extensions or additions to things he's already got or can already do anyway; he doesn't have to ''literally'' pay anything at all, but it's the game's way of showing the point where he decides that, say, adjusting his batarangs so that the sonic functions are active might be a good idea. 'Experience points' are just how much experience he's had in the current situation and how it's influenced his thought processes with regards to the decisions he's making regarding the tools he's using.

* Here is a good one: the whole Project Titan. It begins with Doctor Young trying to make weak inmates stronger so that they can endure the "treatments" administered to them. This already raises some ''questions'' as to what kind of ''psychological'' treatment would require such measures. Then, Young experiments on Bane, of all people. The dude who was part of a SuperSoldier project, because his Venom formula is exactly what she needs. That's right, to survive treatments in Arkham, you need to be an ultra muscular 15-foot tall behemoth...and it only gets worse from here.

*** It isn't meant to be that strong a formula. The first test subject you fight is one of the Joker's first test runs with his adapted version of the formula. If you listen to the audiotapes, she's stopped working on Titan before the games even begin.

*** It's actually explained during one of the voiceovers in the Intensive Treatment center, spoken by Dr. Young. She was attempting to refine the Titan formula so that it could strengthen the bodies of weak patients. That way, the patients could better withstand the treatment. Of course, the question is, [[FridgeHorror what kind of treatment are they getting that requires such a robust constitution]]?

** One of his [[AllThereInTheManual interview-tapes]] suggests that Joker'd let Riddler in on his plot. It's possible that Riddler's part in events was to [[JustifiedTrope slow Batman down by]] [[PlotCoupon making puzzles for him]] in order to give Joker extra time to set everything up.

*** Alternatively; the maps aren't for Batman's benefit, they're for the Riddler's. It's quite clear that, for all the Riddler's taunts and boasting, he's not nearly as smart as he likes to think he is, and not nearly as smart as Batman. He creates and hides the maps to remind him where he's previously put a riddle/trophy or where he's found a secret message so he doesn't accidentally double-up.

** For some of the more out-of-the-way and difficult to access ones; he hid ''those'' while he was escaping in the past; a sort of 'catch-me-if-you-can' little taunt to the wardens and police to see if they could figure out how he did it. The fact that a whole load of them are clumped together might indicate a frequent escape route he takes, which is gradually closed off to him the more that Batman finds. In particular, the trophies; they're gloating little markers to indicate that 'the Riddler escaped through here, peons!'
** Not to mention that Riddler isn't above getting henchmen of his own or teaming up with others. Or for that matter, being an InsufferableGenius. He may have challenged or asked others to place trophies where he couldn't access or where they thought he might not be able to figure out. He figured it out, gloats, and leaves it there with a different hint to see if anyone can rise to his challenge.

** Escalation and need. For instance, the sonic Batarang. Up until that point, the suicide collars weren't being used so there was simply no reason for him to use them as they'd be no more effective than the batarangs he was already using. And while he could carry any and all toys he has, there'd be little reason too - no sense in packing an entire set of scuba gear on the off chance you might have to swim for 10 minutes. Explosive gel for instance while handy is also not something someone who relies on stealth would ordinarily use especially when he operates in an urban environment where he can't always guarantee that innocents won't get hurt (and he probably doesn't want to go around blowing up people's houses like that either). One of the reasons I can see his liberal use of it in the game is because he -knows- where all the good guys are and the amount of damage the Joker has already done (and any potential traps leftover) would necessitate renovating Arkham anyway. Redundancy also plays a factor - other than pure horizontal movement, the grapple is more or less superior to the zipline - the grapple is also superior to the bat claw in most cases. As the initial post said, he doesn't know what to bring - the game implies then, that he brings the general all-purpose tools that work in most situations and is relying on the player to assume this. On a gameplay level, it simply allows for exploration. On a story level, it allows for the development and mimicking of the comics where Batman's ingenuity for having what he needs (or making what he needs) at the right time. Note the ultra-bat claw is not something he had but something he made. It's also a way to demonstrate how Batman doesn't -need- his toys or fancy gimmicks; you, as a player, can beat the game using only the single Batarang, grapple, and no upgrades beyond the required ones if you so wish. For instance, right about the time you can earn the advanced combat moves is right about when the game starts throwing larger groups of mooks and Elite mooks - i.e. Batman doesn't need to throw or insta-takedown small groups of unarmed/gun-wielding mooks because his basic tactics work perfectly fine. Once they start using knives and stun batons which he can't necessarily defend against as easily (try taking away a sharpie pen from a little kid that doesn't want to give it to you. Now imagine that each line he makes on you is a knife wound), then he starts getting more brutal. The only thing that can't really be explained away would be the health upgrades - though it can sorta be handwaved in that the progression at which you can get armor upgrades also matches the size and strength of the mooks you're facing meaning, symbolically, it's representing Batman's increasing determination and will.

** As I read somewhere else, possibly on this site, Arkham is a very old place, and it's possible that these rooms are part of old sections that have been built around and walled off as new additions have been made.

** Consider also: the original Arkham Asylum was the mansion itself, which started life as a place for people to live in. Over time the original structure would have been modified to fit a hospital better, with medical equipment and cells and such, but it would still be the original mansion. Bedrooms, lounges, a study, a kitchen... it's possible the other buildings on the island were servant quarters or stables for horses, all of which were all reworked into being parts of the asylum complex too

*** Bingo. If you listen to the Joker's commentary during Predator sequences, he seems to find they're getting picked off entertaining to watch (when he isn't annoyed at his mooks' incompetence). In addition to buying him time, he acts like the whole thing is a prank on his own men.

** In some challenge mode endings (and I think somewhere in the main game?) there is a quote that effectively explains this: "Yaaawn-a-roony. We both know you eat thugs like those for breakfast! I've got some ''real'' surprises in store for you!" While you do get an ending if you lose, canonically, no-one ever beats the Bat like that, and the Joker is perfectly aware that sending half a dozen hardened criminals with semi-automatics, as well as giant monsters, is not sending an army to fight one man, but equivalent to sending a few unarmed, crippled old men into a pit containing several large, starving lions.

** Sleep darts. Worked for Solid Snake, will work for Batman.

*** Really? I thought it was one of the ''best'' things. The only problem I ever had with the Batman (post- Creator/AdamWest, that is) is that he sometimes verged on LawfulStupid in his insistence on saving mass murderers in circumstances where they would otherwise die of their own actions- so they could go out and murder some more.

** I know we're supposed to explain stuff In-Universe, but this one can only likely be answered with "they left it in the code and forgot to pull it out". I bet the developers planned for a lot more thunderstorms, then realized the code was insanely huge or impossible to pull off by deadline, and they cut it...but left it in the sanatorium thunderstorm.

*** We're told that ''one'' of the bombs is Marzipan and kittens. But this is still the Joker we're talking about. He could have 99 kitten bombs around the city, and one real one just to screw with you. Remember the episode "[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Wild Cards]]"? Some of the bombs were real, some of the bombs were duds just to fuck with the JL's heads.

* When the Joker shoots himself with a Titan injection before the final boss fight, why is there only a puff of smoke? Shouldn't the same thing that hit Batman when he jumped in front of Gordon has lodged itself into the Joker's throat?

* Something that makes me wonder is why Killer Croc attacked Scarecrow. Weren't they supposed to be allies against their common enemy the Batman?

** Yes, but he should at least has ''some'' understanding of who is the real enemy and who could be a helpful ally to him.

** Priorities. To Batman, Joker is priority #1, anyone in his way is #2 (just look at how he treats the mooks at the party before Joker unleashes the Titans!), everyone else is a distant third. Knowing Batman, he probably knows that leaving Ivy alone is going to bite him in the ass, but he needs to get to Joker.

** Plus, this is Poison Ivy we're talking about here -- she's ''always'' ranting on about how plants are suffering and in pain (usually due to those evil humans) whenever Batman encounters her; he probably thinks she's just dealing in her usual shtick and doesn't have time for it.

* That part bugged me for a different reason. I mean, I get that Western Civilization is all about punishing criminals rather than rehabilitating them, and Arkham doubles down on that while pretending to avert it, but Batman's cold treatment of Ivy is part of why she is as lost as she is. She doesn't feel human because no one treats her as such, no one makes the attempt to show interest in her interests. Yes, she's a dangerous and psychotic criminal, but she didn't get that way purely on her own. Batman treats Harley in a similarly cold manner, and it's just really off-putting to see him treat women who are as much the victims as they are criminals like they actively and independently chose to be homicidal criminals.

*** The mooks get pretty 'worn down' as well -- usually, after you knock them down the first time, there's a moment where they just lie there dazed. Thing is, there's usually several of them and one Batman, meaning that if one of them goes down for a moment there are others to keep going while they get their wits back, while if Batman goes down that's it for him -- note that one of them usually shouts "get him on the ground and stomp on his face!", meaning that if Batman goes down all the mooks assembled just keep whaling into him until he doesn't get back up again.
** Until this game, I was unaware that knives and electric stun-batons enhance your health and serve as personal force fields.

* Is anyone else bothered by the fact that Batman telling someone to stay put because 'you should be safe' is pretty much the kiss of death? Seriously, with the exception of Cash and a few doctors in the medical wing literally every person Batman saves and gives the whole 'it's ok, you're safe now!' speech to die a horrible, grizzly death the instant Bats turns his back. It all seems to stem from the fact that he doesn't bother to restrain any of the mooks he takes down with non-lethal force. A few hours later, these guys are waking up and they're still pissed over the pain of taking a batfist to the balls and they're looking to work that rage out on someone.

*** And to make matters worse, he shows more emotion when his car gets trashed than when the guards and orderlies get murdered. Save some guards, come back later to see their corpses strung up like piñatas and Batman won't say a thing (and if he does it's in a tone of vague annoyance). Go check on the Batmobile after its alarm goes off and Batman says, with noticeable anger in his voice, "Harley trashed the car..."

*** Not to mention, you guys just pile everything on Batman's shoulders, don't you? You're saying Batman should not only beat inmates unconscious, but also a zeal for the safety of the guards who were supposed to be doing the job he ''is doing for them''? If Batman breaks someone's arm in a takedown and then the guy gets up later, and with his ragtag bunch of bat-broken-bones-brothers kill security guards who are not only healthy but also wearing better protection equipment ''and'' better weapons, I'm blaming the guards' ineffectuality at defending themselves. If it's not the thugs Batman breaks who kill the guards, but Joker himself or Harley Quinn, well, he can hardly be blamed for not having Superman's hearing to know the guards are in danger or Flash's speed to get there in time to save them. He did all he could given the situation.

* Why is Killer Croc's old cell filled with skeletons? Like, seriously, there were like 30 or so skulls in there and two full skeletons. Are those real? If so, why weren’t they cleaned when Croc was confined to the catacombs before the start of the story and given a proper burial. If they are props, then who the heck gave him those and figured it would help rehabilitate him?
** Right? See, the thing is, I could let it slide if there were, like, maybe three skeletons in there, on the basis that Croc killed some workers who went in there for some normal purpose, and everyone else was too scared to go in and clean it up (ignoring the question of when this happened, which is a can of worms). But the sheer mass of obvious bloody murders that took place in a closed-cell within an active facility implies that people ''just kept going on in there'', or at least within reach. Ever seen the "flash grenade" scene in Film/MomAndDadSaveTheWorld?

*** Considering that Croc can be described as a 'special needs' inmate, perhaps keeping him in Medical was initially thought the logical thing to do rather than the cellblock? And presumably, there would have been guards in the medical facility as well. And perhaps when he first came to Arkham, he wasn't quite as monstrous as he is now. Of course, it's also possible that when we look at that cell we see the reason they don't keep him there anymore?
*** There could have been a time where they were more actively trying to reverse his condition, and so he was in Medical on an extended stay for more extensive testing. But they eventually realized that he was going to keep transforming and gave up. But his medical health was more serious than the other patients' initially perhaps (none of the others were actively losing their human anatomy).

** Because he's Batman? Not only is releasing a dangerous supervillain something he, by definition, would never do, but Ivy could've easily killed the Joker (something Batman wouldn't allow) and she could've been a far bigger threat for the city (the Joker's bombs were fake and he was focusing on him, but we know a previous attack from Ivy would've killed everyone in Gotham if Batman hadn't stopped her) and she's both insane and unreliable... Not to mention, Batman doesn't know the Joker is going to release Ivy because he doesn't know the Joker needs Ivy. If she's in her cage, she's not a threat, but if he releases her, he knows for sure he's going to have to defeat her later. And you think Batman isn't planning?
** At that point in time he did not know Titan was produced with plants. There was no information he could give her, even if he wanted to.

** Plus, for all he knows at that point, she's lying, or is just dealing in her usual "plants are suffering because of those evil humans!" shtick, and it's not like he's got copious amounts of free time to humor her at that point.

** As mentioned above; in a later cutscene, when Harley eventually does let Ivy out, what happens? Ivy slinks out as calm as you please, apparently without a care in the world, purrs that she's much better, blows Harley a kiss, and struts away. While she probably does sense what the Titan is doing to the plants on some level and isn't happy about it, Ivy's "suffering" was just her playing possum to get someone to let her out. Had he tried to enlist her help, Ivy would almost certainly have tried to twist it to her advantage and lead Batman into a trap of some kind. Batman was right not to trust her.

** Who says Batman has the same health? Mook goes down in 3 hit combo, rolls around and unless knocked out by Ground Takedown, he will get up after a while. Compare Batman, who can take numerous punches, knife hits, stun batons and bullets and still keep going before he finally falls down from exhaustion. The only reason why we don't see him getting up is that usually there are several thugs ready to beat him while he is down, AKA Batman gets mug version of Ground Takedown. In a 1-on-1 fight, Batman wins without much of a fight, 3 punches and while the guy rolls around trying to get his bearings, Batman punches him into the face hard enough to knock him out. It's just that usually there are at least 3 mooks who don't want you to finish with one guy.

* This technically has more to do with the sequel, but my problem springs from something in this game. OK, Warden Sharpe took credit for the defeat of the Joker and used that to springboard a successful mayoral campaign. But here's my question: how did he take credit for that? The final battle with the Joker was seen by several news helicopters, and it would be easy to tell that it was Batman who beat the Joker once and for all. The best I can think of is that Sharp claimed that he gave Batman a lot of advice on how to move through Arkham and take down the inmates. Granted, the sequel isn't even out, so it's possible there's a good answer to this that hasn't been revealed yet.

* Why is it so degrading to use the internet to find everything the Riddler left out? Isn't it in Batman's style to use every resource he has to best the bad guys?

* Why don't the indoor guard posts, along with a number of other areas, have doors? Why is Arkham just relying on an electric force field to keep their staff safe in the event of a riot? Breakouts at Arkham might be easier to prevent, or at least contain if every area of the building had actual, physical ''doors''. Instead of, you know, a force field, because when that thing fails due to someone simply ''cutting the power'', you now have absolutely ''nothing'' between your guard post and all of the lunatics in the building. Sure, a lot of the doors lock electronically -- and therefore can conceivably be unlocked the same way -- but at least you can blockade a door. Considering people in this game aren't affected by the InsurmountableWaistHighFence clause, shoving a desk in an open doorway once your force field fails won't help much.

** In the case of the indoor guard posts, the guards are probably well trained enough to put a round or two into an inmate if they get antsy. Go on, charge a position when one or two guys with big guns are aiming at the only way you can get in. I'll wait.
** It's possible they do. Maybe there's some sort of failsafe that drops a three-inch metal door in place if the power cuts out. Of course, the real answer is because it gave the devs a reason to include the frequency-matching mini-game.
*** Totally agreed on the part about the dev team. In-game, however, it makes little sense. Wouldn't it be far more sensible (and, hell, ''cost-efficient'') to simply have plain old doors? Because if there really is a failsafe, clearly the [[{{Irony}} safety part was a failure]]. Good old-fashioned doors still seem like the best option. I mean, make the doors as high tech as you want -- lock electronically, require [[WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens an assprint scan to open]], whatever. But at ''least'' have them be reinforced doors that open inward. All a person would have to do then is shove a desk or other heavy object(s) in front of the door. Presto! Instant barricade. I'm not saying it'd be a perfect defense, but it's gotta be better than nothing at all.

** The electronic doors have a number of advantages over real doors. They can be activated and deactivated remotely. A lot of people are mentioning the defensive capabilities of regular doors while forgetting that these things work in both directions. Electro doors prevent the inmates from barricading themselves in with the same efficiency. You can see through them so you can know for sure if it's safe to open the door or if they just got very quiet and hoped you went away. They are harder if not impossible to brute force open whereas regular doors are great until Croc and Bane decide they want out bad enough to team up.

*** Just to put a real-world example on the table: Modern stealth technology (the B-2 and F-117) are more concerned with reducing radar and infrared signature, not reducing noise. Even though they're subsonic, the idea is that by the time you can hear it, you're about to be VERY dead. I can't find any information on how many decibels the B-2 and F-117 produce, and it's probably classified information anyway; but at a distance of 100 feet, the engines of a commercial airliner produce around 140 dB. (For comparison, OSHA regulations won't allow you to work for more than 15 minutes at more than 115 dB without protection; the NIOSH, which is part of the CDC, sets the threshold even lower, at 100 dB.) Inside the cockpit, the pilot would probably be subjected to around 75 dB if he wasn't wearing a headset.

** Joker did have a guard (whose name escapes me) working for him. Maybe he was the one who decided to take the Joker out of his restraints?

* Why have none of the Arkham guards (or Orderlies, or Sharp himself, for that matter) just murdered the Joker quietly? Sure, Batman is insane, so continue to adhere to a code of behavior that continually results in an increasing body count of innocent people in order to justify his own existence, but surely one of the hundreds of people who have lost friends or family to the Joker would have said "You know what? Enough is enough." and just shot him in the head while he was helpless in Arkham. To me, the failure of some random individual in Gotham to permanently remove some of the more extreme Bat-rogues shatters suspension of disbelief. By this point in the continuity (As of right before the Aug 2011 DC-reboot), the Joker's body count is in the tens of thousands. SOMEBODY should have decided to murder him while he's in custody by now.
** Probably something to do with the bystander effect. Everyone wants him dead, but nobody wants to be the one to do it, figuring someone else will do it eventually anyway. There's also fear of retaliation; what would Harley do to the person who killed her puddin'?

** And this ''is'' the Joker we're talking about; as much as everyone wants him dead, everyone is also shit-scared of him, with good reason. Even leaving aside the fact that the Joker is a vicious psycho with a knack for murdering people in gruesome ways, he's also got a habit of playing mind-games and labyrinthine schemes which make people think they're doing one thing when in ''fact'' they're actually doing something else which is what he totally wants them to do -- so if you're alone in his cell with a gun pointed at his head, part of you is probably going to wonder whether the reason you're there is ''not'' because you're so badass that you're gonna be the one to take out the Joker, but rather because he ''wants you to be there''. On top of this, he also has a knack for coming back from the dead. Seriously, every time the Joker's been in a position where it looks like he's dead, he's totally back right as rain not long after. This would tend to build up an impression that he's practically indestructible. And yeah, as noted above, he's probably going to be ''really'' happy at the person who put him in that position in the first place. Basically, there's a whole mystique that's built up around the Joker that means that anyone who isn't Batman, much as they might want him dead, is probably too fucking scared of him to go anywhere near him if they don't have to. (And incidentally, the whole "Batman is insane" part is perhaps a ''tad'' unfair, but that's a discussion for another day.)
** What makes you think that some 'random individual' is going to have any better luck dealing with the Joker than ''Batman'' of all people? Batman is a brilliant, brave, and resourceful detective and vigilante with combat training, psychological insight, wealth, and resources up the wazoo, and even ''he'' is frequently driven to the edge of his limits by the Joker. Is there really anything to plausibly suggest that some random schmuck with a gun is going to be better equipped to take care of him for good?

*** Let's be clear here. Refusing to kill a clear and present threat to people's lives, someone who has repeatedly proven that he can easily break out of prison because if you let yourself kill just one person you'll go on a murderous rampage of everyone who breaks the law, is not really the mindset of a sane man.
*** Of course he's not entirely sane, he's running around every night beating criminals to a pulp while dressed as a bat, for crying out loud! He's seen the worst of humanity on a daily basis and is basically walking on the knife-edge of sanity, but he recognizes this, which is why he refuses to kill, for any reason. If he kills the Joker, he has no reason to stop at just the Joker, he could start killing other members of his Rogue's Gallery, and eventually, anyone who tries to stop him from killing, including the police, his allies, the Justice League (most versions of Batman have contingencies in place to take down the Justice League if necessary) and no one would be able to stop him.

* Anyone else bugged by the fact that Cash is clearly disabled, yet still allowed to keep his job guarding dangerous mental patients? Or would his hook provide a reasonable alternative to let him continue working?

* The third time you get all hopped up on Scarecrow toxin, Batman's hallucinations get a little... odd. The first two times, they centered around Batsy's immediate fear for Gordon's life, plus his lingering guilt issues and trauma over the Waynes' murder. Par for the course. The third time, however, all the hallucinations seem to imply that he's afraid he, himself, is insane. The Joker and Harley haul him into Arkham. We see numerous crazy Batmen. Scarface even calls him a "classic case of multiple personalities". Now, I admit that I'm not ''especially'' well-versed in the Batman canon, but this is the first time I've ever seen Bruce presented as even having his own disturbed nature give him a moment's pause - much less fear that he is or will turn into a crackpot. He always seems quite assured that what he is doing is perfectly rational, shrugging it off completely should anyone tell him otherwise, even disregarding it when people like Alfred and Leslie question whether dressing up as a cute fuzzy critter and punching people is healthy. So what's up with the seemingly sudden fears for his mental state?

* Well, why are so many of Jokers thugs in Intensive treatment and not in the penitentiary where they belong? And wouldn't these lunatics that are released by Joker when you get the cryptographic sequencer fit better in Intensive Treatment? One could argue that you have to be crazy if you work for Joker, given the Warden's state of mind. And it's better to have "normal" enemies to teach you the basics of fighting instead of charging lunatics, but still...

* Anyone else bugged by the way Batman just incapacitates thugs and leaves them on an unsecured island? I know he had no other choice, but throughout the game I felt, I'm knocking these guys out but with the island less and less in control, is that doing anything? In the one-night idea of the games timespan that still means that Batman is probably going to be knocking the same guys out multiple times(unless he's hitting them hard enough to risk brain damage). It just didn't feel like he was achieving much. On the other hand, it would be a FridgeBrilliance way to explain why Joker has such a vast number of disposable mooks. (Although he did have a prison's worth to start with)
** But what else, practically, is he really supposed to do? He kind of has a lot on his plate, it's pretty urgent that he stop whatever the Joker's planning and get ''him'' securely contained ASAP, and he doesn't really have time to find somewhere secure to hold all of these mooks he's kicking the crap out of and transport them back and forth once he's done beating them up, or no doubt enough cuffs to restrain what is pretty much the entire population of a prison (and that's at least hundreds of guys to start with, and any number of their comrades could happen upon them) and even if he did under the circumstances any number of their comrades could happen upon them and release them, thus rendering it pointless from the start. If they're knocked out, they're at least not really going to be any good to anyone for a while, until they regain consciousness and come around from the concussion, so he can focus on getting what he needs to be done at that moment without having to worry about them.
*** Thing is, Bats is not simply knocking them down, he is effectively breaking their bones and twisting their joints, causing concussions and etc. Even if they wake up, they won't be able to fight again, at least not on the exact same night the game takes place.

* Why did Bane attack in the first place? While it wasn't confirmed until the second game Bane in the Arkham verse is clearly an intelligent tactical individual. Attacking Batman serves absolutely no purpose and he's demonstrated in the past not only a willingness not to fight Batman for no good reason like in No Man's Land but occasionally to team up with Bats for when they have the same cause. Unless Venom drives you really really insane in the Arkhamverse Bane's response to being pumped full of Venom should have been a polite thank you to Joker followed by brushing Batman casually aside and going after the Brujah.

*** Perhaps I've read all the wrong comics but I had the impression that Bane's doesn't especially dislike Batman. He's a mercenary who happens to end up opposite Batman more often than not but their interaction in No Man's Land clearly demonstrates he's not fighting Batman for free. His lines and general attitude during the fight don't show him to be particularly insane but the Troper who suggested it's probably Titan not Venom and Bane just had a better reaction to it than the normals. Most likely because he's built up some sort of immunity to Venom so he just got really aggressive instead of outright crazy.

* Why does Batman lack, of all things, a gas mask? Between Joker Venom and Fear Toxin, there are a lot of enemies who use poison gas weapons. Shouldn't a CrazyPrepared SeenItAll genius has one of these on him? (Or at least in the Batmobile, Batcave, etc...)
** Considering how often Batman is attacked with various gases all the time in both this game and other media, why Batman doesn't have a Gas Mask on or at least carry one at all times is a bigger question.

** Do you have any idea how many counter-measures and fail-safes the Batmobile has? Neither does The Joker, but he would probably suspect that anything he does try would only serve to hurt him, or at least make things more difficult to carry out his plans. And besides, his scheme didn't involve taking the Batmobile for a Joy ride.

*** My guess is that it helps with her hyper-sexuality, you know, her desperation to be visually appealing to the male guards. It's basically a necessary exception to keep her at bay, and forcing her to wear pants would only add fuel to the fire anyways. The personnel must've figured that having her look so promiscuous would help suppress her mood swings, and considering that the more emotional she gets, the stronger the connection with her babies, I wouldn't disagree.

** Not to mention, as someone else pointed out above, we're just demanding that Batman do ''everything'' aren't we? Not only is he supposed to catch all the criminals, not only do we frequently criticize him for not funding all of Gotham's educational and welfare programs to completely eradicate crime, now he's supposed to personally run the jails and asylums and monitor the criminals as well. Batman doesn't imprison the Joker because ''that's not his job''; to paraphrase Shawn Spencer from ''Series/{{Psych}}'', the actual authorities really do have to start chipping in at ''some'' point in this whole process.

** She just wasn't a priority at the moment and any energy used attempting to detain her would take away from getting the antidote for Titan. It's easy to forget since it's a video game but the clock was literally ticking at every point he met Ivy. The better question I've always had was why not be cordial? Ivy for all her crazy problems she's fairly consistent and a tiny act of kindness with Batman swearing he'll find out what Joker is doing to her babies and stop him (which he was doing anyway) could quite possibly have made the difference between her attacking him later and making a b-line for Joker. Which I honestly don't understand why she didn't do anyway. Titan injected Ivy was by far the most powerful being on that island.

** If nothing else, ''Arkham City'' depicts the Penguin as someone who has his own fair share of psychological issues, including violent sadism. In this universe, it is highly likely that he's been an inmate of Arkham at some point.

** The Arkham City Stories in the sequel confirms that Poison Ivy did have Titan poisoning and was dying, but the Sharp allowed a priest to come in and give her last rites. He had pollen from a rare plant on him, that fell onto her, and with her unique biology synthesized an antidote for herself. So if Batman and Joker were dead by that point, she would likely have found a cure for it and therefore have taken over all of Gotham and probably killed everyone on the planet or was stopped by Superman or some other superhero.

** Some Batman sourcebooks claim his cape has metal tips at the end to allow for stunning people with a cape swing, so it's possible Arkham Bats has them in order to stick to the magnet idea.

** Given the general level of decay and neglect on Arkham Island, it's likely that the graveyard was disrupted by something -- a previous escape attempt, an earthquake or some similar phenomenon, etc. -- that has caused the graves to be pushed up and exposed, and no one's really been bothered to do anything to fix it up.

** Basically, yeah. He's the poster boy for being a {{Determinator}}. He routinely ignores or resists extremely painful injuries or mental attacks by virtue of his Iron Will.

*** A gel takedown ''doesn't'' require a wall to hurt people. You can just pop some on the ground, then detonate it when the enemy gets too close - it's a cheap way to handle {{Knife Nut}}s. With the auto-detonator upgrade, you can use it as a landmine.

** It is possible for him to do so, but it will also have the dangerous effect of leaving behind a trail that can risk revealing Batman's identity. Imagine if Bruce Wayne personally ordered a personal overwrite code for all the security systems designed by Wayne Tech, then Batman uses the same code to unlock doors. It will not be too hard for someone to put the two together and discover who Batman really is.
*** I believe in the Arkhamverse, as in the movieverse, Lucius is pretty aware who Batman and Bruce Wayne are. He could personally give Wayne the "key", and set it so the overwrite code didn't leave any log, or left a corrupted log, or even Lucius' own log, which he can later claim he gave Batman after being personally requested since the situation was so extreme. No links with Wayne would even be needed.

** My guess that I'm [[AssPull sure has much supporting evidence]]: Joker (and/or Riddler's) fiddling probably made it difficult for Bats to hack into the security feed (plus the inmates were probably smashing the majority of cameras they find). And the Joker was more interested in having fun.

** And given some of the comments the Joker is making regarding Batman's actions, he's clearly watching Batman; the reason he doesn't use this further is because, in his mind, it wouldn't be any fun.

*** Actually, in 'Hush', the big blockbuster storyline from a few years back, Eddie actually plans on exploiting his knowledge to all of Batman's foes after it 'came to him' following a dunk in a Lazarus Pit. Batman then promptly tells Riddler that knowledge of his identity is about as useless as a fence sat on by an elephant - Given the number of people Eddie played during the story - Especially Ra's Al Ghul, who would not be best pleased by a criminal using one of ''his'' Lazarus pits. So it's more that Bruce's ID as Batman is worthless if he reveals it because Ra's will just kill him.

*** GameplayAndStorySegregation? AcceptableBreakFromReality? It's not like these upgrades ever get brought up in story.

* Here is a good one: the whole Project Titan. It begins with Doctor Young trying to make weak inmates stronger so that they can endure the "treatments" administered to them. This already raise some ''questions'' as to what kind of ''psychological'' treatment would require such measures. Then, Young experiments on Bane, of all people. The dude who was part of a SuperSoldier project, because his Venom formula is exactly what she needs. That's right, to survive treatments in Arkham, you need to be an ultra muscular 15 foot tall behemoth...and it only get worse from here.
** Ah, but this is actually a FridgeBrilliance moment. Listen to the Spirit of Arkham tapes again and you'll notice how the spirit mentions he's found a young doctor who's akin to him... i.e., a certain Dr Young. From that to conclude that she's a sadistic monster, despite her change of heart, well... and she isn't experimenting on Bane, she's extracting the Venom from his body so that she can create Titan.
*** Considering the BreatherBoss died because he used an early version of Titan, it would make sense she'd want to refine it. However it becomes clear that she wants no part of it, once she realizes the danger of the drug.

*** It isn't meant to be that strong a formula. The first test subject you fight is one of the Joker's first test runs with his adapted version of the formula. If you listen to the audio tapes, she's stopped working on Titan before the games even begins.

*** It's actually explained during one of the voiceovers in the Intensive Treatment centre, spoken by Dr. Young. She was attempting to refine the Titan formula so that it could strengthen the bodies of weak patients. That way, the patients could better withstand treatment. Of course, the question is, [[FridgeHorror what kind of treatment are they getting that requires such a robust constitution]]?

* Dr Young didn't intend for Titan to turn people into Bane-like 15 foot behemoths. Joker SUBTLY got her to work on it by faking another identity, providing funding, etc, convincing her that a weakened version of it would help patients recover. She honestly just thought she was helping patients by working on the formula. Joker manipulated the samples she was given and manipulated her results into making her believe this. When she discovered the truth, she immediately stopped all work on it and tried to destroy the formula. So no, she didn't intend for any of that to happen...that was ALL Joker. He just used her to develop the formula HE wanted by manipulating both her and her research.

* Here's a big one: How the hell did Riddler hide all those trophies? Seriously, they're hidden behind walls, metal grates, on miniature islands outside the batcave, and generally placed in spots that require Batman to use the full extent of his multi-thousand dollar costume and gadgets, but a spindly little prick like Riddler was able to hide them with what he could get from Arkham?
** Remember how in the Riddler's first interview he was revealed to have been beaten by his father for allegedly cheating? This happened in the comics too, but it was more regular than implied in the interview and more because Edward's father was jealous of his son's genius intellect. This caused him to compulsively reveal any deceit he makes, it just so happens that riddles also tied into his childhood and he can get around his impulse to tell the truth by leaving a riddle because if solved it does expose the truth.
** One of his [[AllThereInTheManual interview-tapes]] suggests that Joker'd let Riddler in on his plot. It's possible that Riddler's part in events was to [[JustifiedTrope slow Batman down through]] [[PlotCoupon making puzzles for him]] in order to give Joker extra time to set everything up.

*** The answer is because he has to. Seriously. It's part of his obsessive-compulsive disorder. He literally ''has to'' leave the clues to his riddles where someone can find them. In fact there's an old Batman comic where the Riddler tries to commit crimes without leaving clues and riddles for Batman to find, and he discovers he ''just can't do it''. It would be like Adrian Monk trying to ''not'' wipe his hands after he shakes hands with someone or trying to ''not'' touch every parking meter as he walks down the street. He can't. He's compelled to. Almost ''obsessively'' compelled, you might say...
*** Alternatively; the maps aren't for Batman's benefit, they're for the Riddler's. It's quite clear that, for all the Riddler's taunts and boasting , he's not nearly as smart as he likes to think he is, and not nearly as smart as Batman. He creates and hides the maps to remind him where he's previously put a riddle / trophy or where he's found a secret message so he doesn't accidentally double-up.

** Because he's insane? Part of that insanity is that his compulsive need to create riddles and clues because he believes he's so smart that even with said clues, no one can figure it out. That's precisely why his ending is the way it is. He simply cannot believe that someone -could- figure out his supposedly enigmas. It also ties into his backstory via the interviews - he won a school trivia contest or some other contest involving high intelligence... by -cheating-. If he - the Riddler - had to cheat for stuff he himself thinks are enigmas, things he believes to be enigmas to others then -must- also be solved by cheating. A bunch of Insane Troll Logic sure but again... he's insane.

*** He paid off others? Considering you find the Ratcatcher's gear in a vent, it's not that big of a stretch to think that Riddler would have paid off different people to hid stuff while they're escaping or working.

* If Batman is capable of carrying all his equipment at once (zipline, batclaw, batarangs, etc.), why doesn't he start off the game with all of it? It could have been easily {{Handwave}}d by having the Arkham guards insist that Batman leave all (or most) of his stuff behind for security reasons, or that the CrazyPrepared Batman doesn't always know exactly which of his toys to bring.

*** A gel takedown ''doesn't'' require a wall to hurt people. You can just pop some on the ground, then detonate it when the enemy get too close - it's a cheap way to handle {{Knife Nut}}s. With the auto-detonator upgrade, you can use it as a landmine.
** Escalation and need. For instance, the sonic batarang. Up until that point, the suicide collars weren't being used so there was simply no reason for him to use them as they'd be no more effective than the batarangs he was already using. And while he could carry any and all toys he has, there'd be little reason too - no sense in packing an entire set of scuba gear on the off chance you might have to swim for 10 minutes. Explosive gel for instance while handy, is also not something someone who relies on stealth would ordinarily use especially when he operates in an urban environment where he can't always guarantee that innocents won't get hurt (and he probably doesn't want to go around blowing up people's houses like that either). One of the reasons I can see his liberal use of it in the game is because he -knows- where all the good guys are and the amount of damage the Joker has already done (and any potential traps left over) would necessitate renovating Arkham anyway. Redundancy also plays a factor - other than pure horizontal movement, the grapple is more or less superior to the zipline - the grapple is also superior to the batclaw in most cases. As the initial post said, he doesn't know what to bring - the game implies then, that he brings the general all-purpose tools that work in most situations and is relying on the player to assume this. On a gameplay level, it simply allows for exploration. On a story level, it allows for development and mimicking the comics where Batman's ingenuity for having what he needs (or making what he needs) at the right time. Note the ultra-batclaw is not something he had but something he made. It's also a way to demonstrate how Batman doesn't -need- his toys or fancy gimmicks; you, as a player, can beat the game using only the single batarang, grapple, and no upgrades beyond the required ones if you so wish. For instance, right about the time you can earn the advanced combat moves is right about when the game starts throwing larger groups of mooks and Elite mooks - i.e. Batman doesn't need to throw or insta-takedown small groups of unarmed/gun wielding mooks because his basic tactics work perfectly fine. Once they start using knives and stun batons which he can't necessarily defend against as easily (try taking away a sharpie pen from a little kid that doesn't want to give it to you. Now imagine that each line he makes on you is a knife wound), then he starts getting more brutal. The only thing that can't really be explained away would be the health upgrades - though it can sorta be handwaved in that the progression at which you can get armor upgrades also matchs the size and strength of the mooks you're facing meaning, symbolically, it's representing Batman's increasing determination and will.
*** Oh (and to break up the last bit), one reason I could also see him being willing to use the explosive gel so freely in Arkham is evident only by looking carefully. Note that the security system in Arkham is Wayne Tech. So, he has an ulterior motive for doing a little creative demolitions (even without the gel) - then he can jump in as Bruce Wayne and fund the re-construction of the place. This would allow him intimate knowledge of the place and to influence and install whatever he wants, figure out how the Joker infiltrated (and how others escaped), and resupply/expand/rebuild the Batcave there. It also allows him to recover any technology he may have left there.

** In addition to the above: He was delivering an already captured prisoner to a secure location. The fact that he carried any gadgets at all at the beginning is a sign of a healthy paranoia.

* Among all the other cracks to be made at Arkham Asylum's nutcase architecture, there's several rooms that just don't make sense. Not just the [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded bell-tower Batman locks himself in]], but other places like the top floor of the library or an office with Harley's memorabilia. If you look around, there's no actual way to get to these otherwise completely ordinary rooms without crawling through air-vents and other videogame antics, meaning only Batman or a very dedicated janitor could reach them.

* Why is the Joker so very A-Ok with his Mooks killing Batman? Giving his TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou attitude, you'd think he'd be pissed off when a Mook guns you down, rather than laughing and taunting you.

** Because Batman being beat up by Mooks isn't funny/what he wanted/expected out of Batman? And if Batman's going to be a poor sport and ruin the joke/Joker's big moment, the Joker's not going to have anything to do with it. Screw Batman, in that case, he'll go find some other play mate like Superman that will 'play along'.
** Because he's the Joker. If he decides that "Batman gunned down by random thug" is as funny as "Batman driven mad by my elaborate scheme" on a whim, he'll do it. Besides, the chances of Bats actually getting killed by his goons are pretty low if you know what you're doing.
*** Bingo. If you listen to the Joker's commentary during Predator sequences, he seems to find their getting picked off entertaining to watch (when he isn't annoyed at his mooks' incompetence). In addition to buying him time, he acts like the whole thing is a prank on his own men.

** Actually, Joker is very Genre-Savvy. It's safe to say that he "knows" Batman will not only defeat all the mooks, but make his way to a final showdown. He knows Batman too well to be taken down by average thugs, or even super-mooks. All of this is just for his kicks.

** Batman is known for not using guns against people. Doesn't mean he never shoots a gun that uses bullets at all.

** Also, while Batman might not shoot guns himself he often investigates people who have. If he's, say, investigating a sniper (Deadshot, for example), he can work backwards and use the bullet drop compensator in his scope to get an approximate idea at least of how far away the sniper was shooting from.

* How is knocking someone out and leaving them face-down in a stream/pool of water considered "non lethal"?

*** The only way it would be less than lethal is if someone came along and pulled their head out of the water. It's particularly ironic given the scene where Batman drops a mook into a room full of happy gas, and then says "I can't just leave him to die".

*** That line was actually the worst thing about Batman Begins. In all of his incarnations, Batman doesn't just hate killing people, he also hates letting them die, and has a huge need for saving everyone he can. Talk about "not doing their research", huh?

** I know we're supposed to explain stuff In-Universe, but this one can only likely be answered with "they left it in the code and forgot to pull it out". I bet the developers planned for a lot more thunderstorms, then realized the code was insanely huge or impossible to pull off by deadline, and they cut it...but left in the sanatorium thunderstorm.
** In universe - Arkham is under a curse, as the scarab audio logs clarify. On this night, with Batman, the Joker, the Riddler, Bane, Poison Ivy and Croc all coming together at once? The spirits are '''very''' restless.

** I've always just assumed it's like how it is with any other AppliedPhlebotinum that makes people/things grow. It causes growth on a cellular level. Just like a baby growing into an adult, only much, much, much faster. Could also explain why Joker looks so old and withered in the teaser trailer for the sequel. Now as to where does the energy come from? Ya got me.

** He ''does'' swim. Fall into the water around the docks, or anywhere else that isn't off a cliff and ''then'' into the ocean, and Batman will simply pull himself back out. In fact, in Croc's lair, if you tumble into the water, Batman surfaces without trouble and treads water for about half a second -- before Killer Croc drags him down to his death. Batman can swim just fine, he just never ''needs'' to swim in the game.

** You may be the only one who was ''disappointed'' by that. Bothered? No, I'm right there with you. [[DistractedByTheSexy But I wasn't disappointed, per se]]. But in all seriousness, a big part of Ivy's shtick is her seduction. She also doesn't fight people hand-to-hand, instead using plants, since she's no threat on her own. It makes a weird sort of sense that giving her something that would give her superpowers a massive boost would affect her that way. Ivy's powers, in the simplest terms possible, are growing plants and being sexy. The Titan formula ''really helped with that''.

* Okay, we are told that the "bombs" the Joker scattered around Gotham to keep people away from Arkham were in fact just marzipan and kittens. This raises two questions: First, when the police discovered this, why didn't they send backup to Arkham Island? Second, if the Joker actually ''did'' bother to scatter crates full of marzipan and kittens around Gotham... well, why didn't he just plant real bombs instead?

** Hast learned nothing from survival horror games? NothingIsScarier. The rule for VideoGame/HalfLife fan levels is "A headcrab in every vent? Not scary. A head crab in every ''fifth'' vent? Scary." Imagine knowing that some of the bombs are only kittens and cake, but some of them aren't. Now you not only have to deal with the Joker, his crazy, and his bombs, you also have to fight yourself to keep from relaxing in the face of real and deadly danger, making everything ''that much harder''.

* When the Joker shoots himself with a Titan injection before the final boss fight, why is there only a puff of smoke? Shouldn't the same thing that hit Batman when he jumped in front of Gordon have lodged itself into the Joker's throat?

*** I think it meant the dart hit Joker, ''then'' got stuck in the end of the barrel.

* Did they explain how the Joker captured Commissioner Gordon ''again''? Boyles captures him, Batman moves Heaven and Earth to save him and finally gets him to a police boat to go get control of the city. Then he just abruptly appears in the cell block for the Joker's big finale. If he got jumped by his own men twice in the same night, he really, really needs to invest in better background checks.

** Replaying the game after so many years of its initial release, I was thinking the same thing, and then a few clues came into mind that I didn't think of before. One, it's already established that communications have been cut off all around the island, so they can't call for backup. Two, Joker even announces that if anyone DOES try to reach the island, he's detonate bombs hiding around the city. And yet, despite these two facts, a GCPD boat has arrived on the dock. Anyone think this was part of Joker's plan all along?

* I know, I know, I shouldn't be thinking like this. But if the Joker was so upset that Batman was 'resisting the change' while injected with Titan, why didn't he just shoot him ''again'' ?

** I actually found this to be a highly realistic depiction of insanity, as far as Bat-media as a whole is concerned. A horrendously big ego, couple with lack of foresight, tend to be hallmarks of criminal insanity (especially the flamboyant kind that the Bat-Rogues possess). In other words, Croc ''didn't care'' that Scarecrow might have been able to help him, because in his mind, he didn't need any help.

* Something which bugged me which I put down as a WhatAnIdiot moment for Batman. Shortly before Doctor Young died, she told Batman that there was a secret lab in the asylum gardens where Titan was being manufactured but she dies before having a chance to tell him where the lab is. Immediately after this, Batman goes chasing after Harley Quinn who has taken the warden hostage. The chase leads him through the cell-block for the super-powered inmates, where a pained Poison Ivy begs Batman for help as she can feel the suffering of the plants in the garden. His reaction to this news is to tell Ivy that he doesn't have time to deal with it and warns her not to try escaping because he has enough to worry about without her running loose. Granted that Batman is going to put the Warden's life first, but you might expect him to take this information and try and use Ivy as a means of locating the lab, since Ivy - crazed as she is - is usually depicted as being fairly honest when it comes to protecting "her babies".

** You might also expect him to keep quiet on exactly how bad the situation is, if only to discourage Ivy from trying to make things even more difficult.

*** He has no reason not to trust Ivy when it comes to plants and pain. Several Batman villains have their schtick that they simply wouldn't lie about. If the Mad Hatter tells you Alice in trouble, she's in trouble. If Two Face is worried about his coin, his coin is in trouble (it may not be in your best interest to fetch it of course) and if Ivy says her plants are in pain then they are in pain. That doesn't obligate Batman to do anything and she IS going to take the first chance she gets to attack him most likely. Batman effectively made all the worst choices when dealing with Ivy.

** Arkham's grounds are ''huge'' in this game. Who's to say Ivy wasn't whining about an entirely different bunch of plants, e.g. some flowerbed that a random pyromaniac inmate happened to be torching?
* That part bugged me for a different reason. I mean, I get that Western Civilization is all about punishing criminals rather than rehabilitating them, and Arkham doubles down on that while pretending to avert it, but Batman's cold treatment of Ivy is part of why she is as lost as she is. She doesn't feel human because no one treats her as such, no one makes the attempt to show interest in her interests. Yes she's a dangerous and psychotic criminal, but she didn't get that way purely on her own. Batman treats Harley in a similarly cold manner, and it's just really off putting to see him treat women who are as much victims as they are criminals like they actively and independently chose to be homicidal criminals.
** Batman has usually managed to be fairly equal opportunity when it comes to his violence and certain iterations of Two-Face and Mr.Freeze aside (in the Animated Series he has a real soft spot for Two Face and Arkham City shows he and Mr. Freeze can almost get along, a little less testosterone on both accounts might have changed their encounter.) he doesn't care what your malfunction is. As for Ivy's interests there are lots of groups IRL that presumably exist in one way shape or form in the DCverse that share her interests. Greenpeace just off the top of my head. She's an eco-terrorist. Anybody marching around with a save the tree sign is showing interest in Ivy's interests. Ivy got where she is more or less completely on her own, certainly anybody who cared about rare plants a great deal has no more or less reason to be a criminal than she does. Now I've often wondered if Ivy was sane enough that if given the reins of a foundation with the means to accomplish her goals through non-criminal acts if she would but that's not Batman's priority for better or worse.
*** Well, to be honest, her main goal is essentially the destruction of humanity. Now, given that she's actually, so far as I know, a chosen conduit of the Green, it's at least vaguely possible that if her homicidal tendencies could be resolved that she'd be more of a well-intentioned extremist, or even outright force for good. As it is, she believes that plants are subjugated by animals. She may not have chosen to have her mind broken, but she is seeking a goal which can pretty comfortably be called "evil."

* There's something that appears to have been easily ignored or overlooked in all this. When Batman first encounters Ivy, she's howling and screaming about the plants suffering, yes. Same when Harley encounters her. But when Harley actually lets Ivy ''out'', what does Ivy do? Stroll out of the cell as calmly as you please, purr "''Much'' better," blow Harley a kiss and stroll off without an apparent care in the world. Apparently her pain and suffering was instantly cured the second someone let her out of her cell. While she might not have been lying about being affected by what the Joker was doing to the plants in some way, it almost certainly ''wasn't'' affecting her as badly as she was claiming. She was playing [[WoundedGazelleGambit Wounded Gazelle]] to get someone to let her out. Batman was entirely right to regard her with distrust and ignore what she was saying.

* I don't know about you, but if someone fires a rapid, propelled grappling hook at me, even if I know its coming, I can't just 'shrug-dodge' it.

*** Note that Batman's own detective mode notes that the walls that the explosive is bringing down are practically falling apart anyway -- you can see right through them in detective mode, even without it there's usually large holes in it, and once you get the final Bat-Claw you can pull them down fairly easily without explosives. Presumably the explosive is very mild but is nevertheless capable of bringing those walls down.

*** The mooks get pretty 'worn down' as well -- usually, after you knock them down the first time, there's a moment where they just lie there dazed. Thing is, there's usually several of them and one Batman, meaning that if one of them goes down for a moment there's others to keep going while they get their wits back, while if Batman goes down that's it for him -- note that one of them usually shouts "get him on the ground and stomp on his face!", meaning that if Batman goes down all the mooks assembled just keep whaling into him until he doesn't get back up again.

*** IIRC, the mooks with knives were "high security patients" or something like that -- perhaps the reason that they're high security is because they're really buff or whatever, and take more force to bring down?

* Is anyone else bothered by the fact that Batman telling someone to stay put because 'you should be safe' is pretty much the kiss of death? Seriously, with the exception of Cash and a few doctors in the medical wing literally every person Batman saves and gives the whole 'it's ok, you're safe now!' speech to dies a horrible, grizzly death the instant Bats turns his back. It all seems to stem from the fact that he doesn't bother to restrain any of the mooks he takes down with non-lethal force. A few hours later, these guys are waking up and they're still pissed over the pain of taking a batfist to the balls and they're looking to work that rage out on someone.
** I agree, it made Batman look terribly ineffectual and having your triumphs constantly undone because cutscene-Batman wouldn't take his opportunity to put the Joker down was frustrating.

*** 'Ineffectual'? The man who essentially puts down an entire asylum of rioting prisoners practically single-handedly in one night? A ''bit'' harsh, surely? As for showing no emotion upon murdered orderlies, that's true in a few cases (but he perhaps reasons that finding and stopping the people who did this to them would be a more effective way of honouring them rather than breaking down and angsting about it), but then there's the scene in the Botanical Gardens where, after the Joker narrowly escapes from him, he comes across some orderlies he'd previously saved that the Joker killed. He sounds a lot more angry and sickened about that this than he does when his goons trash his car.
** This isn't entirely fair to Batman. For one thing, in most cases of this kind of chatter it's not actually Batman who's saying that they're safe; it's the guards who upon seeing Batman sigh things like "it's okay, it's safe, we've got things under control now"; it's actually ''Batman'' who's telling ''them'' that they still need to be on the alert, and that the Joker is unpredictable and that things might happen that they might not expect. They're armed with machine guns and work at Arkham of all places, and he can't be everywhere at once and protect everyone; he can surely be forgiven for assuming they aren't going to just stand around with their thumbs up their asses and can take care of themselves to some degree. If memory serves, those who Batman does say are safe are those who he's just plucked from the clutches of death and are a bit freaked out and need some reassurance (and most of whom, if memory serves, actually do end up okay). He also presumably assumes that they understand that he's speaking relatively and that they shouldn't put their feet up and read the newspaper just yet; 'should be safe' isn't the same as '100% safe', after all.
*** Not to mention, you guys just pile everything on Batman's shoulders, don't you? You're saying Batman should not only beat inmate unconscious, but also zeal for the safety of the guards who were supposed to be doing the job he ''is doing for them''? If Batman breaks someone's arm in a takedown and then the guy gets up later, and with his ragtag bunch of bat-broken-bones-brothers kill security guards who are not only healthy, but also wearing better protection equipment ''and'' better weapons, I'm blaming the guards ineffectuality at defending themselves. If it's not the thugs Batman breaks who kill the guards, but Joker himself or Harley Quinn, well, he can hardly be blamed for not having Superman's hearing to know the guards are in danger or Flash's speed to get there in time to save them. He did all he could given the situation.

** Perhaps there was a rush of violent shoe-murders at Arkham in the past...

** Dangerous asylum inmates generally aren't allowed hard footwear, both to ensure they don't hurt anybody with them, and to make escape attempts more difficult. Presumably they decided to use the same standard on the Blackgate inmates while in Arkham.
** I was in a stage production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, which takes place at an asylum. Most inmates(and in that show, they're treated more like inmates then patients), at least the ones believed to be curable, wore soft footwear (slippers). One inmate, a lobotomized fellow, did in fact go barefoot. Considering [[BedlamHouse what Arkham Asylum is]], the lack of shoes (or inmates deciding to ditch the slippers) is not surprising.

** Right? See, the thing is, I could let it slide if there were, like, maybe three skeletons in there, on the basis that Croc killed some workers who went in there for some normal purpose, and everyone else was too scared to go in and clean it up (ignoring the question of when this happened, which is a can of worms). But the sheer mass of obvious bloody murders that took place in a closed cell within an active facility implies that people ''just kept going on in there'', or at least within reach. Ever see the "flash grenade" scene in Film/MomAndDadSaveTheWorld?
** Probably real skeletons, and the Arkham staff just didn't care enough to get rid of them. They're not exactly a paragon of human decency.
*** Could be he's been grave-robbing to decorate his lair, and to feed himself from any recent burials of deceased inmates. ''Somebody'' dug up Amadeus Arkham's coffin, after all.
** FWIW, I don't think the staff at Arkham had any plans to rehabilitate him. If they did, they wouldn't leave him sealed up inside the catacombs. Wandering unsupervised through the sewers and eating dead cows can't be any better for Croc's mental health than sleeping in a room full of skulls. Clearly they've given up all hope of curing him. Well, maybe Dr. Young had aspirations to cure him, but she was young and naive despite her (alleged) medical brilliance. If she'd been working there as long as some of the other staff, she'd know better.

*** Considering that Croc can be described as a 'special needs' inmate, perhaps keeping him in Medical was initially thought the logical thing to do rather than the cell block? And presumably there would have been guards in the medical facility as well. And perhaps when he first came to Arkham, he wasn't quite as monstrous as he is now. Of course, it's also possible that when we look at that cell we see the reason they don't keep him there anymore?
*** There could have been a time where they were more actively trying to reverse his condition, and so he was in Medical on extended stay for more extensive testing. But they eventually realized that he was going to keep transforming and gave up. But his medical health was more serious than the other patients' initially perhaps (none of the others were actively losing their human anatomy).

[[folder: Crocs's location During the Story]]
* Where were they taking Croc during the opening sequence? It seems trivial, since there are a number of reasons they might be moving an inmate around, but it leads to other questions... which are also trivial... but trivial in a more story-relevant way: what reason for moving Croc could ''possibly'' be ''so important'' on the evening shift that they would make this ultra-high-security transfer at the same time as another (if not ''the'') top-security threat was being brought down? Even with Arkham's... less than stellar management, it's ''very'' hard to believe that the staff down in Intensive Treatment weren't alerted that the Joker was headed down before they pressed the button to send Croc up in the same elevator.

[[folder: Why not use the batarang?]]

** Still. How much effort would it have taken to humour her and say, "Sure, Ivy. Tell me where those flowers are and I'll try to help them out. Or at least not step on them." It's not like he had to actually ''follow through''.[[note]]Although he [[TakeYourTime has time]] to [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer track down]] Riddler's non-lethal puzzles, so why the hell not save some plants while he's at it?[[/note]] Every ''other'' villain in this damn place is on the loose, you'd think that taking a very simple precaution against ''one'' of them hating his guts and being out for his blood once she inevitably escapes would at least be a consideration. Also, if he had been a little nicer, he may not have had to strangle one of her "babies" to get her to help him, thus ''royally'' pissing her off. Nice move, genius.

*** Just because she's mentally unbalanced doesn't mean she won't respond to intimidation and coercion. And Batman is all about intimidation and coercion. Also, if I may bring comics continuity into the discussion for a moment, it's been explained that Batman has much more to lose by acting "nice" to criminals than he has to gain. His #1 weapon is his ability to inspire fear. He can't inspire fear if it starts getting around how "nice" he is.

*** At that point, they clearly have mutual goals; Batman's realized that she was right about the Titan, Ivy's already out, has no reason to lie and makes no secret of the fact that she wants Joker stopped, it's only later when the Titan's affecting her that she changes her mind. Sending Batman on a fool's errand is just going to delay her goals, so she has no reason to. In any case, the whole point of lying to someone in order to manipulate them into a trap is to make them think they're going somewhere reasonably safe but where there is ''actually'' an unexpected danger so that they're unprepared, ''not'' to tell them up front that there's huge danger waiting for them if they go there (say, a huge, pissed-off crocodile man who's made no secret of his desire to eat them) but they have to go there anyway for realsies; that way, they're already prepared for danger. And by that point, Batman's hand is kind of forced; he still clearly ''doesn't'' trust Ivy as far as he can throw her (even if he now does believe she was telling the truth about the plants), but he's on a bit of a clock and doesn't have the time or resources to scour the entire island before he goes to where she's sent him just in case she's lying.
** Ivy in the game's continuity (as in other continuities) is a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative bitch]] who likes to play the DamselInDistress card to get men to do what she wants. Presumably Batman knows this, and he's rough with her because he knows that if he gives an inch, she'll take a foot, and from there every acre of Arkham Island. Also, Batman's not the type to lie about what he's going to do, and he may have wanted to leave his options open in case it became necessary to burn the whole greenhouse, or something.

** The problem here is that Ivy, like the majority of Batman's Rogues gallery isn't insane as in random. She's insane with her gimmick. It was unlikely that she was lying about her babies being in pain and while letting her out wasn't really an option being polite was. Even let out the larger reason not to let her out isn't that she's be a threat to Batman but that she might kill Joker.

** As mentioned above; in a later cutscene, when Harley eventually does let Ivy out, what happens? Ivy slinks out as calm as you please, apparently without a care in the world, purrs that she's much better, blows Harley a kiss and struts away. While she probably does sense what the Titan is doing to the plants on some level and isn't happy about it, Ivy's "suffering" was just her playing possum to get someone to let her out. Had he tried to enlist her help, Ivy would almost certainly have tried to twist it to her advantage and lead Batman into a trap of some kind. Batman was right not to trust her.

** WordOfGod on the main page deals with your "maximum damage with every strike" theory: He's not. A guy studying a martial art for two months can potentially kill a man with one punch-Batman is pulling his punches by an insane degree because he has to focus on dealing with half a dozen guys (or two dozen...) at once. You'll notice that when only one remains, Batman can put them down very quickly.

** Who says Batman has same health? Mook goes down in 3 hit combo, rolls around and unless knocked out by Ground Takedown, he will get up after a while. Compare Batman, who can take numerous punches, knife hits, stun batons and bullets and still keep going before he finally falls down from exhaustion. Only reason why we don't see him getting up is that usually there are several thugs ready to beat him while he is down, AKA Batman gets mug version of Ground Takedown. In 1-on-1 fight, Batman wins without much of a fight, 3 punches and while the guy rolls around trying to get his bearings, Batman punches him into face hard enough to knock him out. It's just that usually there are at least 3 mooks who don't want you to finish with one guy.

* Specifically, the inability to cancel them or interrupt them in any way, shape or form. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but one of the {{Cosmetic Award}}s requires you to use a ground takedown in a combo, and enemies usually try to attack you just as you're in the middle of one. Couldn't Batman, say, backhand his attacker while squatting on the guy on the ground, preventing him from getting while preventing his enemy from doing damage?

** My interpretation was that, as pointed out above, Batman could easily kill any of the inmates with his strength alone, never mind any specific fighting techniques. To prevent that he'd have to calculate ''every single hit'' he makes in order to only hurt them a certain amount. My thinking was that when Batman is doing a ground takedown, he's focusing incredibly hard to hit them in a sweet spot where it'll knock them out for a few hours, but won't kill them, or cause a concussion, or anything similar. As such he cannot afford to be distracted by fighting other people at the same time, he needs to kneel down and do some serious mathematics to know how hard to hit the stunned guy, and the slightest mistake might cripple them for life or even outright kill them. Cancelling them halfway through or multi-tasking during them simply isn't an option.

*** There's still a time delay of anywhere from 10 seconds to 10 minutes on "live" broadcasts, so that the censors have time to insert a bleep if someone says one of the Seven Words You Can't Say On TV. While it doesn't answer the question (the correct answer is below this one), it does mean that (depending on the length of the broadcast and the length of the delay), that interception is still possible.
** In the sequel, he claims that he organized and led the counter efforts to the breakout and Batman was working with Sharp, following his instructions. [[spoiler:He was also being supported by the League of Shadows, to get Strange in place to launch Arkham City.]]

** No doubt someone like the Riddler, who places great premium on pure intellectual ability in unpacking complex puzzles, is going to view looking up answers on Google as 'cheating' somehow. It's also worth noting that accusations of using the Internet start coming less when the Riddler's in 'smug gloating' mode and more in 'getting pissed off now' mode; he's angry and hurling around accusations because it beats considering the alternative that Batman's just cleverer than him.
** As said elsewhere, Riddler is ''insane''. In Arkham City, he accuses Batman of cheating '''while cheating himself''' (the HaveANiceDeath hint even says Riddler is cheating if you fail the shell game).

*** And Crane, Zsasz, Bane and Ivy weren't invited (In fact Ivy was definitively mentioned as not being invited)?

*** Crane would fuck up the party with a fear based power play (so, yeah, spike the punch); Zsasz has no pizzazz, just pure homicidal mania and a fixation on self-mutilation (Joker is all for murder, but he distances himself from such lowbrow fare); he counted on Bane only being a speedbump to Batman; and Joker canonically hates Ivy, and vice versa, all because of Harley. Ivy is always trying to convince Harley to stop going back to Joker, and Joker mistreats Harley.

** Pained as I am to present a serious answer to the question after this wonderful little theory, it seems obvious - the frowny faces denote that the person in question is susceptible to the Titan formula. Think about it - Killer Croc and Clayface are the only two on that list with notably different biologies, due to being, respectively, reptilian and made of mud. Makes sense that they wouldn't be affected by the titan formula, or at least, not in the way the Joker wants. Presumably these are the people he's planning on turning into Bane 2.0. If nothing else, Luke Oliver's presence shows it's not big-name-exclusive. Those guys are probably the first names to come up. Plus, it would perfectly fit the Joker's warped sense of humour to have his army composed of his colleagues/allies/rivals/nemeses/whatever the Joker thinks of them this particular Tuesday.
*** There is no reason why it couldn't be both. Joker makes a list of potential guests to invite to his party. He puts smiles by those who are immune (Clayface, Croc), crosses out those who won't be there either for Titan immunity or just not being able to show (Catwoman, Penguin, Clayface, Croc), and then invites everyone whose name isn't struck through to to his "Dead Bat" party. Then, while everyone's guard is down, bam! Titan army!
** Well, Catwoman is pretty much a good guy, and Two-Face is out robbing banks, so obviously they wouldn't be able to attend (besides the fact that Selina is never in Arkham anyway...). Mad Hatter already has his own tea party (it is sort of his thing), so he wouldn't endorse the Joker's non-Wonderland themed party. Scarface is found in Arkham, so we can guess that Wesker is currently 'cured' of his condition. The Penguin, meanwhile, is presumably out being the Penguin somewhere in Gotham. Meanwhile, Killer Croc, Clayface and Luke Oliver (aka the [[TheAdjectivalSuperhero Tri-Limbed Menace]]) are in the Asylum, but Joker hasn't got around to inviting them yet: Killer Croc, because he's rampaging; Clayface, because he's disguised; and Luke, because no-one actually knows who he is.

* Why don't the indoor guard posts, along with a number of other areas, have doors? Why is Arkham just relying on an electric force field to keep their staff safe in the event of a riot? Breakouts at Arkham might be easier to prevent, or at least contain, if every area of the building had actual, physical ''doors''. Instead of, you know, a force field, because when that thing fails due to someone simply ''cutting the power'', you now have absolutely ''nothing'' between your guard post and all of the lunatics in the building. Sure, a lot of the doors lock electronically -- and therefore can conceivably be unlocked the same way -- but at least you can blockade a door. Considering people in this game aren't affected by the InsurmountableWaistHighFence clause, shoving a desk in an open doorway once your force field fails won't help much.
** Agreed. Most of the survivors from the night are ones that happened to be able to shut themselves behind a door or barricade of some sort, e.g. Doctors in the medical facility, Warden Sharp etc.

** It's possible they do. Maybe there's some sort of failsafe that drops a three-inch metal door in place if the power cuts out. Of course the real answer is because it gave the devs a reason to include the frequency-matching mini game.
*** Totally agreed on the part about the dev team. In-game, however, it makes little sense. Wouldn't it be far more sensible (and, hell, ''cost efficient'') to simply have plain old doors? Because if there really is a failsafe, clearly the [[{{Irony}} safety part was a failure]]. Good old-fashioned doors still seems like the best option. I mean, make the doors as high tech as you want -- lock electronically, require [[WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens an assprint scan to open]], whatever. But at ''least'' have them be reinforced doors that open inward. All a person would have to do then is shove a desk or other heavy object(s) in front of the door. Presto! Instant barricade. I'm not saying it'd be a perfect defense, but it's gotta be better than nothing at all.

** The electronic doors have a number of advantages over real doors. They can be activated and deactivated remotely. A lot of people are mentioning the defensive capabilities of regular doors while forgetting that these things work in both directions. Electro doors prevent the inmates from barricading themselves in with the same efficiency. You can see through them so you can know for sure if it's safe to open the door or if they just got very quiet and hoped you went away. They are harder if not impossible to brute force open where as regular doors are great, until Croc and Bane decide they they want out bad enough to team up.
** It also works for showing how badly run Arkham is. It's like a modern day Titanic. They use top-of-the-line Wayne tech security gates on every single door, never even considering what would happen if there was a power outage because the electric gates are just so fancy and cool. Thus, when something goes wrong and the asylum hits it's metaphorical iceberg, they've no failsafe or back-up plan on what to do in an actual emergency situation. In short, it makes no sense, and that's the entire point.

* Why isn't The Joker's mental clarity and voice affected after he changes to a Titan? Everyone else that's injected ends up roaring, growling and charging at Batman, but the Joker is still able to taunt him and wave at news choppers. Granted the Joker is differently insane, but why doesn't his voice change?

** The Joker states outright that he is experimenting and asks nobody to even LOOK at him or they would ruin the surprise. He was actively testing on himself with what parts of the formula he DID know. He's also always been a master chemist, and his biology could very well be unique if he did take a dip in an acid bath. Also, the Joker is ALWAYS obeying whims, doing what he wants to. His voice never changed because he was always in line with the effects of the transformation. Also, it was THE PUNCHLINE. The Joker, Clown Prince of Crime, and the Bat dueling in front of all of Gotham as the monsters they really are... At least that was the plan. Bats turned him down, which made the entire point of the takeover lost. That's why the Joker loses interest in the fight, the party was ruined so he focused on the still fun future of tearing apart Gotham and having fun with that. It is a bit of a tragedy that Bats never changed, it would have been interesting to say the least. Lastly, his Titan at the end was definitely the good stuff, refined and tested thoroughly, he probably brought out the good China. Batman would have most likely maintained his sanity, or the lack of it, since the point was to have Bats experience what was already within him. In fact the controllable nature of that batch of Titan was probably why he could resist the effect. Batman was given a choice to accept his insanity and monstrous side with the extra incentive of being on equal footing with the Joker in that battle. It was a trap to fight Bats on even grounds, with Batsy and the Joker transformed into their inner beasts. The Joker would not have even cared if he LOST that battle, if it had happened the way it was meant to.

** I thought about this one too and came up with a different explanation: Joker had been working on the Titan formula directly, refining and perfecting it. The Joker's transformation at the end of the game is physically very different from the others: He's far more dangerous than any regular Titan Mook. It's most likely that the Joker formulated the drug specifically for himself. Drugs are complicated things: To make a transformation like that possible, you'd need to take into account all sorts of factors: Weight, physical condition, prior medical history...The darts that he used were likely made to be a perfect match for him alone, thus allowing him to keep his voice and mind, and change even more dramatically than the standard thugs. He'd probably make targeted batches for his mooks, too, but that would take more time than he has and besides, it's funnier to turn them into hulking, subhuman beasts.

*** Plus, people have tried to kill the Joker while he was in Arkham. They all failed, because he is never 'helpless' in the Asylum. As stated time and time again, the Asylum is his home, but he's only ever there so long as he wants to be there. He's no doubt prepared for anyone deciding to try and kill him.

** What makes you think that some 'random individual' is going to have any better luck dealing with the Joker than ''Batman'' of all people? Batman is a brilliant, brave and resourceful detective and vigilante with combat training, psychological insight, wealth and resources up the wazoo, and even ''he'' is frequently driven to the edge of his limits by the Joker. Is there really anything to plausibly suggest that some random schmuck with a gun is going to be better equipped to take care of him for good?
*** The problem is Batman is specifically not killing Joker, it's not a matter of being properly equipped it's a matter of having the will power. It's some kind of miracle that nobody has offed the Joker. Not someone like Redhood who has the appropriate training to encounter the Joker even at his peak and have a decent chance of coming out, not Lex or one of the other villains who've undoubtedly had a plan or two screwed up by Joker just being Joker. No nurse or doctor giving the Joker an overdose while he's already half dead from a Batman beat down, hell nobody seems to have just neglected to feed him which I hear is fatal even if takes a week. Depending on the continuity this is a guy who's filled entire graveyards.

*** Let's be clear here. Refusing to kill a clear and present threat to people's lives, someone who has repeatedly proven that he can easily break out of prison, because if you let yourself kill just one person you'll go on a murderous rampage of everyone who breaks the law, is not really the mindset of a sane man.
*** Of course he's not entirely sane, he's running around every night beating criminals to a pulp while dressed as a bat, for crying out loud! He's seen the worst of humanity on a daily basis and is basically walking on the knife edge of sanity, but he recognizes this, which is why he refuses to kill, for any reason. If he kills the Joker, he has no reason to stop at just the Joker, he could start killing other members of his Rogue's Gallery, and eventually any one who tries to stop him from killing, including the police, his allies, the Justice League (most versions of Batman have contingencies in place to take down the Justice League if necessary) and no one would be able to stop him.
** If you listen to the Spirit of Arkham messages: Someone ''did'' try it. Warden Sharp They failed - Joker was ready for them. He was ready for a someone able to order the guards and doctors away, and approach him in his cell, alone. What makes you think the Joker is defenseless?

*** Because that would mean pissing off Harley and as 'Harley Quinn's Revenge' shows she is way more dangerous and brutal after Joker dies, (she's able to capture Batman and nearly kill him!) And even without her, Joker himself has a surprisingly loyal gang in this continuity who would likely try to avenge him which would convince any average person or cop who wants to kill the Joker that, they might not live very long afterwards if they succeeded.
*** Same poster as above: Having seen Assault on Arkham, I have another reason why people wouldn't kill the Joker besides being terrified of him: They probably think he can't be killed at all, He was trapped in a falling helicopter that exploded when it hit the ground and Batman didn't have time to save him and yet he came back perfectly fine. You can chalk that up to Joker Immunity, but that alone would probably convince people that any attempt they make to kill Joker would not only fail, it would turn them into his next target (would you really want to be Joker's target?).

** Plus, Cash is one pretty tough cookie; aside from Croc for obvious reasons he displays little fear of the inmates (he's even willing to talk back to Joker), he can handle himself pretty well compared to most of the other Arkham employees, he's obviously quite strong, he seems pretty intelligent, capable and savvy... in short, hook or not, he's the kind of guy you ''want'' in a place like Arkham Asylum. And let's be honest, if you had to knock some sense into a inmate who's giving you grief, a bloody sharp hook isn't the worst thing you could ask for.

* The third time you get all hopped up on Scarecrow toxin, Batman's hallucinations get a little... odd. The first two times, they centered around Batsy's immediate fear for Gordon's life, plus his lingering guilt issues and trauma over the Waynes' murder. Par for the course. The third time, however, all the hallucinations seem to imply that he's afraid he, himself, is insane. The Joker and Harley haul him into Arkham. We see numerous crazy Batmen. Scarface even calls him a "classic case of multiple personality". Now, I admit that I'm not ''especially'' well-versed in Batman canon, but this is the first time I've ever seen Bruce presented as even having his own disturbed nature give him a moment's pause - much less fear that he is or will turn into a crackpot. He always seems quite assured that what he is doing is perfectly rational, shrugging it off completely should anyone tell him otherwise, even disregarding it when people like Alfred and Leslie question whether dressing up like a cute fuzzy critter and punching people is healthy. So what's up with the seemingly sudden fears for his mental state?

** He might brush it aside, but it's kind of a running theme for others to question whether he's any more sane than the people he's after.

** A lot of the game is based on the comic "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth". In that comic the theme of Batman's sanity is definitely explored.

* Well, why are so many of Jokers thugs in Intensive treatment and not in the penitentiary where they belong? And wouldn't these lunatics that are released by Joker when you get the cryptographic sequencer fit better in Intensive Treatment? One could argue that you have to be crazy if you work for Joker, given the Warden's state of mind. And it's better to have "normal" enemies to teach you the basics of fighting instead of charging lunatics, but still..
** They're from Blackgate. Remember, it was burned down just before the start of the game, so they're holding the prisoners at Arkham until they can move them someplace more correct. You just saw some of them being escorted away from intensive treatment while you were escorting Joker in, so presumably that's where at least some are being held.

* Anyone else bugged by the way Batman just incapacitates thugs and leaves them on an unsecured island? I know he had no other choice, but throughout the game I felt, I'm knocking these guys out but with the island less and less in control, is that doing anything? In the one night idea of the games timespan that still means that Batman is probably going to be knocking the same guys out multiple times(unless he's hitting them hard enough to risk brain damage). It just didn't feel like he was achieving much. On the other hand it would be a FridgeBrilliance way to explain why Joker has such a vast number of disposable mooks. (Although he did have a prisons worth to start with)
** But what else, practically, is he really supposed to do? He kind of has a lot on his plate, it's pretty urgent that he stop whatever the Joker's planning and get ''him'' securely contained ASAP, and he doesn't really have time to find somewhere secure to hold all of these mooks he's kicking the crap of and transport them back and forth once he's done beating them up, or no doubt enough cuffs to restrain what is pretty much the entire population of a prison (and that's at least hundreds of guys to start with, and any number of their comrades could happen upon them) and even if he did under the circumstances any number of their comrades could happen upon them and release them, thus rendering it pointless from the start. If they're knocked out, they're at least not really going to be any good to anyone for a while, until they regain consciousness and come around from the concussion, so he can focus on getting what he needs done at that moment without having to worry about them.
*** Thing is, Bats is not simply knocking them down, he is effectively breaking their bones and twisting their joints, causing concussions and etc. Even if they wake up, they won't be able to fight again, at least not in the exact same night the game takes place in.
*** That doesn't really change the essential point that he doesn't really have much time to do anything else with them, though. On the contrary, it makes it more reasonable that he just leave them there -- after all, someone who's arm is broken is unlikely to be much of a threat for a while.

*** In addition to the above, note that Bane and Batman are not hostile when they first meet. Bane begs Batman to cut him down, and Batman asks in a genuinely horrified voice, "Who did this to you?" It's only when Bane gets shot up with Titan that he attacks Batman.
** Remember that Bane isn't Comics!Bane, he's Arkhamverse!Bane - he has elements of Comics!Bane, but they're distinct characters. The comics aren't necessarily a perfect guide to their relationship.
** Titan is not Venom. Batman remarks after the fight that Bane was more aggressive and less stable than usual. Part of that can be attributed to his treatment by Dr Young, but considering how everyone else who gets shot up with Titan turns into a snarling, feral beast, it's not surprising that Bane loses his usual rationality and relative composure.

* Why does Batman lack, of all things, a gas mask? Between Joker Venom and Fear Toxin there are a lot of enemies who use poison gas weapons. Shouldn't a CrazyPrepared SeenItAll genius have one of these on him? (Or at least in the Batmobile, Batcave, etc...)
** Considering how often Batman is attacked with various gases all the time in both this game and other media, why Batman doesn't have a Gas Mask on or at least carrying one at all times is a bigger question.
** Gas masks don't work like they're often portrayed in fiction. They have to have filters custom tailored to keep out specific pathogens, meaning he'd need a separate mask for each individual gas. Even if Batman did this, most of the filters for dangerous pathogens have a very finite time frame in which they work. There are several that aren't good for more than 10 or 15 minutes. Batman's current approach of analyzing the current toxins being used by his foes and synthesizing antidotes and vaccines for them is the most logical way to do it.

* If The Animated Series is to believed, Joker Venom really is that simple to make considering he made some in an escape during Joker's Wild. As for Scarecrow, considering two riddles involve finding a hideout with his stuff (which contain security photos from Batman entering at the start) and a couple fear gas cans stored behind a wall, it's probable Scarecrow was able to covertly get what he needed from inmates or the outside considering it's obvious he can get out of his cell without anyone knowing.

* Anyone notice that Joker would likely have been in better control inside the Batmobile at the beginning instead of inside a giant mental asylum/prison? For that matter why doesn't Batman build a special cell for Joker and other supervillains?(since it has been proven countless time that Arkham Asylum wasn't enough to hold those kinds of people.)
** Do you have any idea how many counter-measures and fail-safes that the Batmobile has? Neither does The Joker, but he would probably suspect that anything he does try would only serve to hurt him, or at least make things more difficult to carry out his plans. And besides, his scheme didn't involve taking the Batmobile for a Joy ride.

* Kind of a minor quibble but...did anyone else find themselves wondering what the hell happened to Ivy's pants? Obviously the skimpy attire fits her seduction M.O., but why does she seem to have been issued an Arkham Asylum shirt without pants to go with it? And if she just decided to strip down a few layers to seduce a few guards, why don't we see her pants lying around anywhere in her airtight cell? And, for that matter, why don't the guards seem to have any problem with an asylum inmate cavorting around bottomless 24/7?

** Surprised no one had mentioned this already. But especially considering how poorly run this place is, it seems perfectly believeable the guards have no problem with her lack of pants just because they like leering at her.
** Ivy is part plant. She probably need to expose her skin to light to stay healthy; Batman even remarks that she's been in the dark too long.

* My main question with this game was: if Batman suspected Joker gave up too easily and ''wanted'' to return to Arkham, why did he take him there in the first place? Obviously Arkham Asylum is equipped to deal with Joker; but with the recent influx of Blackgate prisoners, not to mention Harley in residence, wouldn't it be smarter to take him somewhere else? Belle Reve perhaps? (I'm aware that the game wouldn't exist if it weren't for Joker being in Arkham, but since Batman was completely aware that Joker was planning something it seems odd he would give him what he wants.)

** Not to mention, as someone else pointed out above, we're just demanding that Batman do ''everything'' aren't we? Not only is he supposed to catch all the criminals, not only do we frequently criticise him for not funding all of Gotham's educational and welfare programs to completely eradicate crime, now he's supposed to personally run the jails and asylums and monitor the criminals as well. Batman doesn't imprison the Joker because ''that's not his job''; to paraphrase Shawn Spencer from ''Series/{{Psych}}'', the actual authorities really do have to start chipping in at ''some'' point in this whole process.

** She just wasn't a priority at the moment and any energy used attempting to detain her would take away from getting the antidote for Titan. It's easy to forget since it's a video game but the clock was literally ticking at every point he met Ivy. The better question I've always had was why not be cordial? Ivy for all her crazy problems she's fairly consistent and a tiny act of kindness with Batman swearing he'll find out what Joker is doing to her baby's and stop him (which he was doing anyway) could quite possibly have made the difference between her attacking him later and making a b-line for Joker. Which I honestly don't understand why she didn't do anyway. Titan injected Ivy was by far the most powerful being on that island.
*** This is discussed in a different folder above: basically Batman's number 1 weapon is his ability to inspire fear and acting nicely to any of his major enemies would compromise that if they spread that info around. Plus Ivy is far from trustworthy and Batman was going to have to deal with her sooner or later, since one of her consistent goals is killing every human in the world and she was already loose. As for why Ivy didn't make a b-line for Joker, she probably didn't know where he was and after she was injected with Titan (or was it her plants that were injected with Titan, I can't remember) she was driven insane like everyone else who took Titan.

* Unless part of Arkham is utilized as a "Batman Museum" there really should be no reason as neither villains are insane and have nothing to do with Arkham. Catwoman being nothing more than a thief to the eyes of Gotham. And Penguin I can safely say is probably one of the (if not THE) sanest members of Batman's Rogue Gallery. (Depending on which version)
** Writers often forget that Arkham is in fact an asylum and not a penitentiary. So often Batman's entire rogues gallery ends up there. Though I think those items were just put in because of RuleOfCool and no other reason Bane in this reality is a resident of the Asylum and he's not insane at all. He reacts a little badly to Titan (really well by comparison to everybody not named Joker honestly) but that's it. So in the Arkhamverse perhaps Arkham is a super max similar to Belle Reve?

* Before I go any further, I want to reiterate that this is completely hypothetical, and just a stupid question of mine. Assume that Batman got was knocked down by her toxic spores back in the greenhouse during the game, and she used her vines to suffocate him underground. Afterwards, Ivy killed Joker, not having the same moral dilemma that Batman had, and basically took over the island. Say two months later, wouldn't she be suffering from Titan poisoning just as Joker was? Of course, Joker took so much that it basically entered his bloodstream, making it incurable, but with Ivy's internal system, I'd imagine it would be hard extracting the Titan strain out. I know this is a pretty pointless "What if" question, but I'd appreciate any replies, no matter how sarcastic. Thanks!
** The Arkham City Stories in the sequel confirm that Poison Ivy did have Titan poisoning and was dying, but the Sharp allowed a priest to come in and give her last rites. He had pollen from a rare plant on him, that fell onto her, and with her unique biology synthesized an antidote for herself. So if Batman and Joker were dead by that point, she would likely have found a cure for it and therefore have taken over all of Gotham and probably killed everyone on the planet or was stopped by Superman or some other superhero.

** Some Batman source books claim his cape has metal tips at the end to allow for stunning people with a cape swing, so it's possible Arkham Bats has them in order to stick to the magnet idea.

*** This the origin of the cape from ''Film/BatmanBegins''. It's presumably a bit of a ShoutOut / part of the Arkhamverse's nature as an AdaptationDistillation.

* When Cash was tied to a chair in the Arkham mansion earlier in the game, couldn't he have used his hook-hand to cut the ropes and free himself? By the looks of it, it'd seem like it would've done the trick.
** IIRC Cash was in a room with several armed mooks and he himself had no weapons to speak of (besides his hook). If he were to escape he probably would've gotten himself of the other hostage killed.

** "How do you beat the Dark Knight, the Bat Detective? You place a big clue, put it right under his nose, and wait!" It's from ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' but it's a telling sign that Batman tends to go for the more complicated theories rather than the obvious. It stems back to the 60's Batman where each clue or riddle was more convoluted. It stems from the animated series where he thinks the streets are not safe or someone is a crook and it turns out he's wrong, where he checks, double checks, triple checks Penguin until he sees Cobblepot genuinely wants to reform. And it stems from ''Film/BatmanForever'' where the Riddler leaves...what's the word, riddles that when figured out are obvious numbers to letters but initially he works from the idea of how clocks, matches, chess pawns and tennis fit.

** In game, it's less that he can't and more that he just doesn't. As far as he's concerned for most of the game, he has no reason to scan the Joker since it's probably just a mannequin. In any case, all that Detective Vision would tell him would be if it was a human, in which case he might just assume it's a dead body that the Joker's dolled up (no shortage of them that night). And besides which, he's usually got some other pressing matter to be taking care of at that point, like a hostage to rescue or something. The opportunities to the enter the Visitor's Centre before the end are usually when Batman's making his way from one part of the island to another to find a hostage who is in immediate peril or some potentially time-sensitive crisis, and even if he was to accost Joker at that point, Joker would just remind him that okay, he can waste time beating him up all he wants, but Commissioner Gordon is going to get iced or something. Outside of the game, the writers wanted to give the player at least ''one'' surprise twist that Detective Mode couldn't spoil.

* So near the Botanical Gardens, there's a graveyard with a huge coffin laying half-buried but still uncovered enough to see it clearly. What happened here, did inmates decide to dig up a grave and stop halfway through?

* The cutscene leading into the FinalBoss sees Batman taking a dart full of Titan for Gordan, but manages to avoid transforming into a [[HulkingOut massive monster]] thanks to his famous HeroicWillpower. But... That doesn't really make sense... It would make sense for Batman to resist the PsychoSerum part of the Titan chemical, just as he's able to resist Scarecrow's Fear Toxin. But no amount of willpower can resist, let alone prevent, your physical body from transforming. That's just not how things work; unless a given transformation is directly influenced by the mind, which can't be the case for Titan since it's a chemical formula created specifically to make people physically stronger, your body '''will''' be altered no matter what the mind says. The only thing that should stop Batman's body from growing huge to the point of the ''muscles and spine ripping through the skin and exposing themselves'' would be a chemical compound that counteracts Titan: something that Batman actually does create late in the story, but doesn't see fit to use it on himself when infected with Titan I know Ivy slapped the antidote out of his hand when he attempted to use it on her, but it wasn't made clear that it fell down a BottomlessPit and Batman ended up not needing to use it on her anyway, so he still should've had the antidote on his person. So, what? Does Batman have an impossible level of control over his entire physical self?

* At the game's midway point, Gordon gets on a boat to the mainland. At the end of the game, we (and Batman) find out that Joker has recaptured him, with the implication being that the cops on the boat were disguised Joker goons. The fact that Joker has recaptured Gordon comes as a surprise to us (and Batman), but ''why''? Shouldn't Oracle, who's on the mainland and keeping up with goings-on in Gotham, have been able to inform him that Gordon, her father, never arrived back on the mainland?

* There's something that appears to have been easily ignored or overlooked in all this. When Batman first encounters Ivy, she's howling and screaming about the plants suffering, yes. Same when Harley encounters her. But when Harley actually lets Ivy out, what does Ivy do? Stroll out of the cell as calmly as you please, purr "''Much'' better," blow Harley a kiss and stroll off without an apparent care in the world. Apparently her pain and suffering was instantly cured the second someone let her out of her cell. While she might not have been lying about being affected by what the Joker was doing to the plants in some way, it almost certainly ''wasn't'' affecting her as badly as she was claiming. She was playing [[WoundedGazelleGambit Wounded Gazelle]] to get someone to let her out. Batman was entirely right to regard her with distrust and ignore what she was saying.

* If the The Animated Series is to believed, Joker Venom really is that simple to make considering he made some in an escape during Joker's Wild. As for Scarecrow, considering two riddles involve finding a hideout with his stuff (which contain security photos from Batman entering at the start) and a couple fear gas cans stored behind a wall, it's probable Scarecrow was able to covertly get what he needed from inmates or the outside considering it's obvious he can get out of his cell without anyone knowing.

*** Actually, the reason is that Batman thinks that killing the Joker is "too damned easy" and if he killed him he might not be able to stop. Do remember that while ComicBook/TheJoker is the worst of these monsters, the majority of them are still bad enough in their own right and still murder plenty of random people themselves, so if he is willing to kill the Joker he doesn't really have much excuse to not kill, say, the Scarecrow, the Riddler, or Ras Al-Ghul (''especially'' Ra's Al-Ghul, even- that’s probably even easier to justify than killing the Joker). The above is somewhat true, but this is the deeper reason- his own deep-seated fear that he is NotSoDifferent from the lunatics he battles every night. And if Batman jumped off the slippery slope, nobody could stop him- after all, he's Batman.

** It's Arkham Asylum. Being a guard there is extremely dangerous, and the kind of people who go to work there are the people who can't get jobs elsewhere (the only reason Cash is in Arkham City in the sequel is because after he lost his job when the Asylum got shut down, he couldn't find work anywhere else). By the same token, Arkham needs people to work as guards, and can't afford to let people who are at least essentially capable and willing to do the job go because there just isn't a steady number of applicants lining up to replace them.

** It's Arkham Asylum. Being a guard there is extremely dangerous, and the kind of people who go to work there are the people who can't get jobs elsewhere (the only reason Cash is in Arkham City in the sequel is because after he lost his job when the Asylum got shut down, he couldn't find work anywhere else). By the same token, Arkham can't afford to let people who are at least essentially capable and willing to do the job go because there just isn't a steady number of applicants lining up to replace them.

* Wait, [[spoiler:how the hell did the Batmobile get through the locked doors to plow into Bane after his fight? And why are the doors still there after Bane's gone? Shouldn't they be open or blown away?]]

* Here is a good one: [[spoiler:the whole Project Titan. It begins with Doctor Young trying to make weak inmates stronger so that they can endure the "treatments" administered to them. This already raise some ''questions'' as to what kind of ''psychological'' treatment would require such measures. Then, Young experiments on Bane, of all people. The dude who was part of a SuperSoldier project, because his Venom formula is exactly what she needs. That's right, to survive treatments in Arkham, you need to be an ultra muscular 15 foot tall behemoth...and it only get worse from here.]]
** [[spoiler: Ah, but this is actually a FridgeBrilliance moment. Listen to the Spirit of Arkham tapes again and you'll notice how the spirit mentions he's found a young doctor who's akin to him... i.e., a certain Dr Young. From that to conclude that she's a sadistic monster, despite her change of heart, well... and she isn't experimenting on Bane, she's extracting the Venom from his body so that she can create Titan.]]
*** [[spoiler:Considering the BreatherBoss died because he used an early version of Titan, it would make sense she'd want to refine it. However it becomes clear that she wants no part of it, once she realizes the danger of the drug.]]
** The real question is [[spoiler:what is the logic behind Dr. Young's development of the Titan formula? When Batman analyzes it, he discovers that it revolves around making the venom chemical so potent that it can cause a Bane-like transformation without a huge tank. When you consider what Titan's purpose is supposed to be (i.e. making patients stronger so that they can handle more strenuous treatments), wouldn't it make more sense to create a watered-down version of venom that would make weak inmates just a little stronger, as opposed to a tiny amount turning them into hulking monsters? I'm not entirely sure of what the thought process is behind this medicine.]]
*** [[spoiler:It isn't meant to be that strong a formula. The first test subject you fight is one of the Joker's first test runs with his adapted version of the formula. If you listen to the audio tapes, she's stopped working on Titan before the games even begins.]]
*** [[spoiler: The Joker's an accomplished chemist, so, chances are, after he'd gotten the "base" formula from Young, he fiddled with it himself to increase its potency.]]

* Here's a big one: [[spoiler:How the hell did Riddler hide all those trophies? Seriously, they're hidden behind walls, metal grates, on miniature islands outside the batcave, and generally placed in spots that require Batman to use the full extent of his multi-thousand dollar costume and gadgets, but a spindly little prick like Riddler was able to hide them with what he could get from Arkham?]]
** Remember how in the Riddler's first interview [[spoiler: he was revealed to have been beaten by his father for allegedly cheating? This happened in the comics too, but it was more regular than implied in the interview and more because Edward's father was jealous of his son's genius intellect. This caused him to compulsively reveal any deceit he makes, it just so happens that riddles also tied into his childhood and he can get around his impulse to tell the truth by leaving a riddle because if solved it does expose the truth.]]
** One of his [[AllThereInTheManual interview-tapes]] suggests that [[spoiler:Joker'd let Riddler in on his plot. It's possible that Riddler's part in events was to [[JustifiedTrope slow Batman down through]] [[PlotCoupon making puzzles for him]] in order to give Joker extra time to set everything up.]]

** Moreover, [[spoiler: why the hell would Riddler hide maps that show the locations of his riddles? Theoretically, one could argue that it's because he wants to prove that you can't solve the riddles without hints, but even if you do collect them, he still goes into a berserk rage and accuses Batman of cheating when the police arrive to haul his ass away.]]
*** The answer is [[spoiler: because he has to. Seriously. It's part of his obsessive-compulsive disorder. He literally ''has to'' leave the clues to his riddles where someone can find them. In fact there's an old Batman comic where the Riddler tries to commit crimes without leaving clues and riddles for Batman to find, and he discovers he ''just can't do it''. It would be like Adrian Monk trying to ''not'' wipe his hands after he shakes hands with someone or trying to ''not'' touch every parking meter as he walks down the street. He can't. He's compelled to. Almost ''obsessively'' compelled, you might say...]]
*** Alternatively; [[spoiler: the maps aren't for Batman's benefit, they're for the Riddler's. It's quite clear that, for all the Riddler's taunts and boasting , he's not nearly as smart as he likes to think he is, and not nearly as smart as Batman. He creates and hides the maps to remind him where he's previously put a riddle / trophy or where he's found a secret message so he doesn't accidentally double-up.]]
** Because he's insane? Part of that insanity is that his compulsive need to create riddles and clues because he believes he's so smart that even with said clues, no one can figure it out. That's precisely why [[spoiler: his ending is the way it is. He simply cannot believe that someone -could- figure out his supposedly enigmas. It also ties into his backstory via the interviews - he won a school trivia contest or some other contest involving high intelligence... by -cheating-. If he - the Riddler - had to cheat for stuff he himself thinks are enigmas, things he believes to be enigmas to others then -must- also be solved by cheating. A bunch of Insane Troll Logic sure but again... he's insane.]]

** The explosive gel is used to blast objects on the side opposite its own. This is why an Explosive Gel takedown requires a wall between it and the mooks. So when Batman [[spoiler:gelled up his hand and punched Titan Joker with it, wouldn't ''Batman'' take the worst of the attack, not Joker?]]
*** [[spoiler: In a way, he did. After the scene, you'll notice that Batman's arm is hanging limp at his side, which almost certainly means he broke it. I.e., Joker received a punch, to the face, with enough power to break bones. Good thing he was in super mode, else he'd be dead!]]

* Am I the only one who was disappointed at seeing Ivy in the boss fight? Given that she was [[spoiler:injected with Titan, I was actually expecting her to look like the Hulked-out superheroines in the current World War Hulks storyline (i.e. tall, thick, and with even more exaggerated curves than what was already there). And yes, I know that it "affected her differently", but still, I'm rather disappointed by that.]]

** Also, a minor quibble with the first reply to this question. The Titan formula wasn't designed to boost superpowers, it was implied to have been designed [[spoiler: to help patients withstand "therapy" by exposing them to a modified strain of Bane's Venom to enhance their physical capabilities. "Therapy" such as electroshock therapy or even worse therapy that would kill normal people.]] See [[http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Penelope_Young this link]] and scroll down to the Trivia section to see why [[spoiler: Dr. Young]] believed this would work. [[spoiler: Basically, she thought the patients' genetics had to be stronger to deal with her "treatment". Dr. Young has issues.]]

*** Not to mention the fact that the general public doesn't know about the marzipan and kittens. The cops would still have to deal with the mass hysteria in Gotham. Batman said as much to Gordon after beating Bane. Which makes [[spoiler: Two-Face's bank robbery at the end much easier to accomplish.]]

** Nah. [[spoiler: You see Clayface in his cell after Gordon goes back to Gotham.]]

** Maybe Joker wanted to dose both Batman and himself the whole time? It'd explain why he just stops chasing Bats and sicks henchmen on you; [[spoiler:he got bored, sent them in to wear you down, and decided to take you down himself once you shocked him with the generators.]]

* Why doesn't Batman [[JustShootHim Just Batarang Joker]] in a few cutscenes? I know the justification for the elevator scene (it might have sent Joker falling to his death...not that Batman couldn't CATCH him, but that's beside the point), but Batman's face-to-face with Joker in several other scenes. The one that really got me was the cutscene preceding the time you fight a [[spoiler: real Titan mook. Or rather a pair of them.]]. Joker is RIGHT THERE, with only two, easily-dispatchable [[spoiler: untransformed]] mooks between you and him. Batarang or Batclaw Joker right then and there, and boom, game over.

* Why didn't Batman try to turn Ivy *against* the Joker when he first encounters her? She BEGS for his help because her 'babies' are in pain (presumably from being experimented on by the Joker), and, instead of taking this golden opportunity to pit a villain with actual superpowers (who he can, nonetheless, easily take down later) against the Joker, Batman is just a dick to her, and it ends up biting him in the ass later when she [[spoiler:gets Titan'd]]. It really shows an uncharacteristic lack of planning on Batman's part.

** Still. How much effort would it have taken to humour her and say, "Sure, Ivy. Tell me where those flowers are and I'll try to help them out. Or at least not step on them." It's not like he had to actually ''follow through''.[[note]]Although he [[TakeYourTime has time]] to [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer track down]] Riddler's non-lethal puzzles, so why the hell not save some plants while he's at it?[[/note]] Every ''other'' villain in this damn place is on the loose, you'd think that taking a very simple precaution against ''one'' of them hating his guts and being out for his blood once she inevitably escapes would at least be a consideration. Also, if he had been a little nicer, [[spoiler:he may not have had to strangle one of her "babies" to get her to help him]], thus ''royally'' pissing her off. Nice move, genius.

** If you listen to the Spirit of Arkham messages: Someone ''did'' try it. [[spoiler: Warden Sharp]] They failed - Joker was ready for them. He was ready for a someone able to [[spoiler:order the guards and doctors away, and approach him in his cell, alone.]] What makes you think the Joker is defenseless?

*** Because that would mean pissing off Harley [[spoiler: and as 'Harley Quinn's Revenge' shows she is way more dangerous and brutal after Joker dies, (she's able to capture Batman and nearly kill him!)]] And even without her, Joker himself has a surprisingly loyal gang in this continuity who would likely try to avenge him which would convince any average person or cop who wants to kill the Joker that, they might not live very long afterwards if they succeeded.
*** Same poster as above: Having seen Assault on Arkham, I have another reason why people wouldn't kill the Joker besides being terrified of him: They probably think he can't be killed at all, [[spoiler: He was trapped in a falling helicopter that exploded when it hit the ground and Batman didn't have time to save him and yet he came back perfectly fine.]] You can chalk that up to Joker Immunity, but that alone would probably convince people that any attempt they make to kill Joker would not only fail, it would turn them into his next target (would you really want to be Joker's target?).

* The third time you get [[spoiler:all hopped up on Scarecrow toxin, Batman's hallucinations get a little... odd.]] The first two times, they centered around [[spoiler:Batsy's immediate fear for Gordon's life, plus his lingering guilt issues and trauma over the Waynes' murder.]] Par for the course. The third time, however, [[spoiler:all the hallucinations seem to imply that he's afraid he, himself, is insane.]] The Joker and Harley [[spoiler:haul him into Arkham. We see numerous crazy Batmen. Scarface even calls him a "classic case of multiple personality".]] Now, I admit that I'm not ''especially'' well-versed in Batman canon, but this is the first time I've ever seen Bruce presented as [[spoiler:even having his own disturbed nature give him a moment's pause - much less fear that he is or will turn into a crackpot.]] He always seems quite assured that [[spoiler:what he is doing is perfectly rational,]] shrugging it off completely should anyone tell him otherwise, even disregarding it when people like Alfred and Leslie question whether dressing up like a cute fuzzy critter and punching people is healthy. So what's up with the seemingly sudden [[spoiler:fears for his mental state?]]

** Plus it turns out at the end that the point of the whole game has been about Batman and that. If he gives in the Joker wins. [[spoiler: which fits in nicely with the first scare, where he fails and lets Gordon die. This time he fails and lets the Joker show how the supergood vigilante is no different from an insane criminal]]
** A lot of the game is based on the comic "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth". In that comic [[spoiler: the theme of Batman's sanity]] is definitely explored.

** The grave belongs to Amadeus Arkham, there's a [[spoiler:riddle to be solved by scanning the grave]]. Considering the [[spoiler:revelation that Quincy Sharpe carries the spirit of Amadeus Arkham within himself, it's possible that part of this process involved him, in a fit of madness, digging up the grave to see the body, or something similar]]

* The cutscene leading into the FinalBoss sees Batman taking a dart full of Titan for Gordan, but manages to avoid transforming into a [[HulkingOut massive monster]] thanks to his famous HeroicWillpower. But... That doesn't really make sense... It would make sense for Batman to resist the PsychoSerum part of the Titan chemical, just as he's able to resist Scarecrow's Fear Toxin. But no amount of willpower can resist, let alone prevent, your physical body from transforming. That's just not how things work; unless a given transformation is directly influenced by the mind, which can't be the case for Titan since it's a chemical formula created specifically to make people physically stronger, your body '''will''' be altered no matter what the mind says. The only thing that should stop Batman's body from growing huge to the point of the ''muscles and spine ripping through the skin and exposing themselves'' would be a chemical compound that counteracts Titan: something that Batman actually does create late in the story, but doesn't see fit to use it on himself when infected with Titan [[spoiler: I know Ivy slapped the antidote out of his hand when he attempted to use it on her, but it wasn't made clear that it fell down a BottomlessPit and Batman ended up not needing to use it on her anyway, so he still should've had the antidote on his person]]. So, what? Does Batman have an impossible level of control over his entire physical self?

** Not to mention, as someone else pointed out above, we're just demanding that Batman do ''everything'' aren't we? Not only is he supposed to catch all the criminals, not only do we frequently criticise him for not funding all of Gotham's educational and welfare programs to completely eradicate crime, now he's supposed to personally run the jails and asylums and monitor the criminals as well. Batman doesn't imprison the Joker because ''that's not his job''; to paraphrase Shawn Spencer from ''Series/{{Psych}}'', the actual authorities really do have to start chipping in at ''some'' point.

** In game, it's less that he can't and more that he just doesn't. As far as he's concerned for most of the game, he has no reason to scan the Joker -- either it's a mannequin, or the Joker's put a TV on his head for some reason. Either way, he's got bigger fish to try at that point. Out of the game, the writers wanted to give the player at least ''one'' surprise twist that Detective Mode couldn't spoil.