Pre-Release Theories
The Justice League are Brainwashed and Crazy, with the Squad being drafted in a desperate attempt to stop them.
How else do you explain Superman frying a soldier in cold blood? Not to mention what appears to be Brainiac's ship at the beginning of the trailer, and the purple, pupil-less look of his eyes.- Confirmed.
Maybe Scarecrow's fear toxin has something to do with what's going on.
While it would be the ultimate cop-out, this game is set very explicitly in the Arkhamverse and it wouldn't be too far-fetched for some of Scarecrow's toxin to have made it out into the world. And if Waller managed to get her hands on some, she could be using it to trick the Squad into fighting and killing Superman and/or the Justice League as a whole.- Jossed, Scarecrow's gas does have a role in the story, but it's not the reason why the Squad has to kill the Justice League.
The backstory is based on the Injustice game series, but with major differences
Similar to the Injustice series, Joker succeeds at driving Superman insane, but instead of ensuring Superman's fall by sacrificing himself, he treats the near-destruction of Superman's mind as a 'proto-joke', and subsequently drives the rest of the Justice League insane as Superman over years, turning them into brutal anti-heroes but with their PR ratings still wavering within the black. The final straw that drives all of them into Injustice times Justice Lords' crazy is the Brainiac invasion, whose brainwashing techniques are much more effective on the morally compromised, mentally unstable Injustice Lords. In this game (and the Arkham series), Batman never became an active member of the Justice League
In this version, Batman was fixated on saving his city instead of joining a group of shiny capes. He might have invested in the Justice League but was never more than 50 miles away from Gotham. This explains how the Justice League could get this fucked up without Batman having a Crazy-Prepared contingency plan: he's retired and he never met the Justice League in person.- It would stand to reason, that a key flaw of Bruce's throughout the Arkham game is his inability to work with and rely on his proteges, so it'd make sense if he never trusted the League enough to join.
- Jossed, "The Batman Experience" confirms that he returned to the cape and cowl after faking his death, eventually joining the Justice League.
Someone in the Squad will get a case of We Hardly Knew Ye
Basically to show the consequences of defying Amanda Waller and to urge them to do their job, even if it means fighting the Justice League.- Jossed. All four of the main members survive.
Batman will be the key to stopping the League.
With confirmation by the developers that this game takes place in the Arkhamverse, a big plot twist could be something Batman-related, whether it's discovering his plans to non-lethally take down the Justice League, needing a Waynetech piece to break into a fortified Hall of Justice, or straight up discovering Batman is alive and in hiding and he's willing to help.- Confirmed, though he is only a necessity in the plan to kill Superman.
Primary Justice League members (Wonder Woman, Flash, etc.) will either be non-lethally subdued or have a Disney Death.
Primary Justice League members (Wonder Woman, Flash, etc.) will either be non-lethally subdued or only seemingly die, justifying future appearances. On the other hand, minor heroes or heroes with too complex powers might kick the bucket since either their not impressive enough for another game or would be way too difficult to implement as a playable character.- Jossed, as of the base story, every member of the League is dead.
Superman will survive in the end.
With some hints of a potential Superman game.- Jossed, he is the final superhero to be killed. On the other hand, the introduction of Elseworlds makes it possible for a Superman game to happen in another universe.
Brainiac, if he does turn out to be the one responsible for the League's rampage, will be in service to a Man Behind the Man.
Possible candidates who might fill this role:- Lex Luthor, who in a bid to rid himself of Superman once and for all, schemed with Brainiac to have the Man of Steel and his allies go rogue, leaving the government with no other choice but to send Task Force X after them and eliminate them.
- Bat-Mite, who after having learned of the events that unfolded in Arkham Knight, became obsessed with trying to do something, anything to prove that Batman is out there alive somewhere. At the height of his desperation, he devised a plan with Brainiac to brainwash the League into going on a worldwide path of destruction in the hopes that it would draw Bruce back from what Bat-Mite believes to be a self-imposed exile.
Why Things are Slightly Different
From the trailer, there are little things that don't seem to add up. King Shark is now a playable character, but he died in the 'Assault on Arkham'. Deadshot is now a black man, despite appearing as a white man multiple times in the canon. Harley seems pretty well adjusted, even though at the end of 'Knight', she seems to be emotionally broken and still obsessed with losing the Joker. Assuming this story takes place after 'Knight', this seems to be a lot of holes. But what if someone went back in time to alter the past, and sent a ripple through the timeline, resulting in all these changes? What if the Flash, upon learning that Bruce had been outed as Batman and faked his death, tried to stop Scarecrow so Bruce could remain Batman, but something went wrong? The twist may be this is all the Flash's fault.- It is possible that they changed Deadshot's race due to Suicide Squad (2016), where he is played by Will Smith, being most people's first exposure to the character.
- That’s the Doylist explanation for Deadshot’s Race Lift, but since the original poster was more talking about a Watsonian explanation, we’ll just chalk it up to Floyd having developed re-vitiligo until we know for sure whether Flash’s time-altering is at play.
- The most realistic, and most boring, explanation for Deadshot at least is that the one we see here is an entirely different person, making the Deadshot a Legacy character.
- Jossed. The changes are due to continuity retcons and not the Flash tampering with the timeline. The original Deadshot is confirmed to be an Alternate Self, while King Shark's appearance in Assault is ignored. Harley, however, has said that she "compartmentalized" the trauma from Joker's death.
There will be more members of Suicide Squad joining the initial four as playable characters
This game is said to be Warner Bros/DC games’ answer to Marvel's Avengers and we will likely see more members of Suicide Squad joining Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and King Shark as playable characters and helping them to kill the Justice League.- Confirmed, more squad members will be added for free over time, the first being an Elseworlds Joker.
The game renders Batman: Assault on Arkham Canon Discontinuity.
The massively different depiction of King Shark, as well as the fact that he, Boomerang, and Waller are all still alive, seems to suggest that Rocksteady will ignore the film to do their own thing with the Squad.- To be fair, Batman: Arkham Underworld's later DLC revealed Batman stopped Lawton from killing Waller.
- Confirmed.
This game will be the start of a Rocksteady "Justice League Trilogy"
It has been heavily rumored that Rocksteady pitched a Superman game to Warner Bros., but it got turned down. So, Rocksteady did the next best thing by using Suicide Squad to introduce the Justice League and Metropolis. Assuming they don't get turned down again, this will allow them to transition into a Superman game, which uses the already-built Metropolis as a rough base, and then a full-fledged Justice League game using this game's co-op and teamwork mechanics. Someone (my money's on Harley) will have a Leaning on the Fourth Wall moment regarding the premise
Specifically, they'll say something along the lines of "Wow, an evil Superman. That's original." (Probably won't happen, but we can dream) Possible Squad members who will be playable alongside the four that we already know about
- El Diablo
- Enchantress
- Killer Croc
- Katana
- Slipknot
- Bronze Tiger
- Plastique
- Black Spider
- Deathstroke
- Azrael
- Penguin
- Technically confirmed, but he's a "Support Squad" member and not a playable character.
- Solomon Grundy
- Catwoman (wants to save Batman)
- Red Hood (wants to save Batman)
The game will have an M rating.
Between Superman disintegrating people and the Squad swearing left and right, it's not hard to imagine.- Confirmed.
"Fool had it coming. There's only one Deadshot."
Following this quote from the official Twitter
, a lot of speculation about what it could potentially mean has cropped up. Was this the real Deadshot all along, and did he kill the man that stole his title? Did he adopt the mantle of Deadshot and the name "Floyd Lawton" after murdering the original? Is this another world's Lawton, who replaced his white counterpart? Or is this indeed just a race-lifted Floyd talking about a different pretender?- The story confirms that the new Deadshot is the real character, and the one from the previous games is an alternate version from Earth-2.
- Judging from the glowing purple eyes on the Flash and Batman in later trailers, it seems safe to guess the entire League is under Brainiac's control.
- Confirmed.
The Squad will try to kill the League but will be so ineffective they'll wind up saving them from Brainiac instead.
It would both be hilarious and allow the heroes to survive the game.- Jossed. The Squad successfully murders the whole League. They do get defeated by Batman at first, but even he dies at their hands eventually.
There will be references to the previous game.
Via Easter Eggs or character dialogue, we'll at least have some mentions of Arkham Knight, maybe even some exposition of what happened to the other villains.- Confirmed.
Something will reset the ending of Batman: Arkham Knight.
Batman: Arkham Knight ended with Batman's Secret Identity being revealed to the world, and Batman possibly dying (or rather Faking the Dead, since this is a sequel to that game) in a form of Heroic Sacrifice to prevent retaliation from Gotham's criminals. Brainiac is mind-controlling the Justice League. He may control the entire world population at some point. When the control is broken, Harley will use the opportunity to make the world forget that ending, destroying all records as well so no one knows the truth. It will be her way of honoring Joker and moving on since his death in Batman: Arkham City. Bonus, it gives DC an excuse to reset the status quo should they continue the Arkham series.- Jossed, Batman's true identity remains common knowledge in this universe. He even joined the Justice League after being exposed.
The Joker will make an appearance in some form or fashion
I mean it’s an Arkham game after all. Even if it’s as simple as a flashback to Harley’s time with Joker Rocksteady won’t be able to resist. Plus Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are almost always a package deal. Furthermore, this would probably be our last chance to hear Hamill’s Joker given Hamill said he has no further interest in the role following Conroy’s death.- Confirmed, sort of. Joker is the first post launch character, though he's from a parallel universe and is thus not voiced by Hamill.
Deadshot and King Shark are both Legacy Characters
Obviously it seems pretty weird that Deadshot is black when he was white in Arkham City and that King Shark is alive when his head exploded in the Assault on Arkham movie. But why is this? Simple answer: this Deadshot and King Shark are not the same ones we met and are new characters who have taken up the mantle of their predecessors.- Jossed, King Shark's history is retconned, while Deadshot is confirmed to be the "real" Floyd Lawton while the other version was a successor (later revealed to be the Deadshot of Earth-2.
If the Squad succeeds in killing the League then post launch content will consist of other League members coming after them
There are more Justice League members than we have seen and they will be the focus of post launch content
We've only seen five members of the League showcased so far and the team is usually larger than that, even if it's by a few members. Possible Justice League members who could appear
- Aquaman
- Martian Manhunter
- Hawkman or Hawkgirl
- Green Arrow
- Black Canary
- Shazam
- Vixen
- Zatanna
Batman's presence will be a major plot point
As he's supposed to be assumed dead.- Confirmed, though his "death" at the end of Knight is only given a Hand Wave.
There will be other Justice League members in the game, just not with prominent roles
The game seems to be an answer to Marvel's Avengers, with only a 5 members having significant roles in the main story. Though unlike in Avengers, instead of other members/heroes being added post launch, they will appear on sidequests or as easter eggs, as there's way too small group of JL heroes. Post-Release Theories
Lex Luthor is the entire reason the game happens.
- Brainiac literally cries out "You?!" when he sees Lex, heavily implying that Luthor helped Brainiac the entire time only backstab him.(Was the betrayer Brainiac or Luthor? Yes.)
The final Elseworld will be the true Arkham-verse.
- This game takes place in a world that was largely similar to the Arkham-verse until it split because of Brainiac's invasion. The final mission will have the Squad visit that world and team-up with the Justice League to stop Brainiac 13. This culminates in a mirror match where Brainiac controls the local version of the Squad because of how effective Task Force X has been.
The reason the Green Lantern Ring worked for King Shark is became he was its next choice.
- The reason it stops working and falls into the water is because it ran out of charge.
The Bat Family aren't dead.
- The squad find Robin's bloody mask, but not his corpse, it is possible that he was injured in the fight but escaped, after all if anyone is capable of fighting the Bat, it's Robin. Even if Robin was killed, the only reference to Dick, Jason and Barbra are Bruce's hologram instructing Tim to reach out to them, meaning it is possible that he didn't have the chance to do so, or that they were still outside of Metropolis while ARGUS was sending the Squad in.
The League members we fight and kill in the main story are Elseworld varients rather than the Arkham-verse league.
- This would explain the differences we see in the game between the league. King Shark was able to use the Green Lantern Ring because it wasn't connected to this Oa and Superman was able to resist the effects of kryptonite becouse it wasn't from his Krypton.
If the Atom shows up in the expansions, he'll kill someone Thanus-style.
It would fit in with the established style of humor. And his death will be that he gets stepped on, because of course it will. Instead of a Back from the Dead, a new League will appear in future updates
- It will be made of either members not shown or legacy characters, who will either help the Squad in an Enemy Mine situation to avenge their comrades or will be trying to kill them for killing the originals.
Some potential members
- Aquaman (who Brainiac avoided because he thought he was useless)
- Martian Manhunter
- Dick Grayson Batman/Nightwing
- Cyborg
- Hal Jordan
- Guy Gardner
- Jessica Cruz
- Green Arrow
- Black Canary
- Doctor Fate
- Supergirl
- Wally West as the Flash
- The Atom
- Shazam
- Hawkman
- Hawkgirl
- Firestorm
- Blue Beetle
- Booster Gold
- Plastic Man
- Elongated Man
- Red Tornado
- Fire & Ice
- Black Lightning
- Metamorpho
- The Question
- Huntress
- Steel
- John Constantine
- Swamp Thing
- Zatanna
The Justice League that we saw get killed were clones, and the real League is still out there somewhere.
- They make a big deal about Boomerang cutting off Flash's thumb, but the next time we see him after he's brainwashed, it's magically grown back. Either the devs really were that lazy and thought no one would notice, or it's a subtle hint that this isn't the same Flash we saw before.
- Many players were upset not only about how King Shark could somehow use the Green Lantern ring, but also about how it unceremoniously drops into the ocean instead of returning to Oa. A knockoff ring made by Brainiac, however, may note be bound by those rules.
- Superman shrugs off getting stabbed in the chest with a shard of kryptonite. That alone should raise a ton of suspicion.
- Wonder Woman may be the one exception to this, as we see Superman kill her as her normal, un-brainwashed self. Although, considering that immunity to mind control is one of her powers, it's possible that even her clone was immune to Brainiac's influence.
The Suicide Squad will rescue the real Justice League and team up with them.
- Continuing from the above theory, TFX will end up finding each member of the League as take on the Elseworlds. They will then free each Leaguer on Waller’s orders and fight alongside them to defeat the different variants of Brainiac. Brainiac 13 would ultimately be stopped by both the Squad and the League together.
Possible Members of the Suicide Squad that could playable in the future.
- Deathstroke
- Bloodsport
- Peacemaker
- Black Manta
- Polka-Dot Man as a LethalJokeCharacter
- Reverse Flash
- Live Wire
- Doctor Light
- Ambush Bug
- Red Hood
- Bane
- Kite Man, Hell Ya!
- Blight
- Bronze Tiger
- Chemo
- El Diablo
- Firefly
- Fisherman
- Gentleman Ghost
- Katana
- Killer Moth
- Lobo
- Mirror Master
