Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League aims to tell an alternative superhero story – one of deadly villains, brainwashed heroes, and a squad of no-hopers looking to (unwilling) save the world. Amidst a wave of superhero video game adventures, it stands out as an intriguing and surprisingly bloody experiment. With rival comics company Marvel currently dominating the video game box office, it also has the potential to elevate the status of DC, leading a new charge of colourful blockbusters into the future.
Here’s everything we know about the game, including how it ties into the Batman Arkham universe.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Release Date
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is set to launch on 2 February 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC.
There are no plans to release the game on last generation consoles, or
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – Plot Summary
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a third person action-adventure game where up to four players can run through a wide, open world as Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark or Captain Boomerang as they attempt to save the world from a Justice League that’s been brainwashed by iconic DC villain, Brainiac.
With no heroes left, it comes down to the so-called Suicide Squad to defeat parasitic aliens, put down the ‘evil’ Justice League, and save the world from descending into total chaos. As with most other depictions of the Suicide Squad, the team will be working with Amanda Waller’s A.R.G.U.S. crew, against their will.
As revealed by Rocksteady Studios, the game is set five years after the events of Arkham Knight.
The game can be played solo, or in co-op multiplayer mode with other characters controlled by AI.
Who is the Suicide Squad?
This is the third iteration of the Suicide Squad we’ve seen outside the comics so far, with 2016’s Suicide Squad and 2021’s The Suicide Squad both presenting new team lineups. The version in the game consists of Harley Quinn, King Shark, Deadshot, and Captain Boomerang.
Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel) is the most-known character of the four. She began as a romantic partner for the Joker, and has since evolved to become a loud-mouthed, shit-talking heavy-hitter with wild acrobatic skills and weapons prowess. While she has no superpowers to speak of, she’s extremely wily and quick on her feet. She’s voiced by Tara Strong.
- Harley’s primary weapons in the game are twin guns, and a giant cannon. She also can use her acrobatic abilities to swing and leap across a massive city.
Deadshot (Floyd Lawton) is a marksman with such accurate precision he’s known as the deadliest assassin in the DC Universe. He features in the Suicide Squad often, as he’s expressed a frequent desire to die in spectacular fashion. Given the earth-shattering events of the game, he may just get his wish.
- Deadshot has access to a rocket-powered jetpack in the game, and can initiate sniper-like attacks from the air.
King Shark (Nanaue) is a humanoid shark who’s believed to be the son of a Shark God. With superhuman strength and invulnerability, all the powers of a giant shark, a healing factor and enhanced senses, he’s a force to be reckoned with. While he doesn’t boast a high level of intelligence, his status as an absolute wrecking ball makes up for it. He’s voiced by AEW/ROH wrestler Samoa Joe.
- King Shark has a giant gun, but is also a tank / melee specialist in the game. He can ‘float’ through the air, and use height to initiate a major ground-pound.
Captain Boomerang (George ‘Digger’ Harkness) is an Australian mercenary who grew up poor in Victoria’s Korumburra. So his backstory goes, he made a living selling boomerangs during this time, eventually becoming so good at them, he utilised the weapon to kick off a criminal career. As with many comic creations of the 1960s, his character was informed by stereotypes, and a lack of cultural understanding.
- Captain Boomerang utilises guns and ricochet-like bouncing abilities to take down enemies in the game.
What members of the Justice League are in the game?
Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (John Stewart) and Superman have all been confirmed to appear in the game, with all but Wonder Woman depicted as falling to Brainiac’s control. Notably, Batman will be voiced by iconic actor Kevin Conroy in his last, posthumous performance as Bruce Wayne.
So far, it’s unknown whether any additional heroes will appear, but as with most comic video games, you can expect some cameos and surprises along the way.
What other DC characters appear in Suicide Squad?
As revealed by Rocksteady, the Suicide Squad will be aided by a number of other villains and anti-heroes in their quest to save the world. They include:
- Amanda Waller, the taskmaster of the Suicide Squad, and the brains behind the operation.
- Toyman, who will provide the Suicide Squad with new gear.
- The Penguin, who makes guns for the Suicide Squad.
- Gizmo, who creates new vehicles that ‘blow shit up’.
- Hack, a ‘digital ghost’ who will provide hints and tips to the Suicide Squad along the way.
Is Suicide Squad set in the Arkhamverse?
Strangely enough, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is set in the same universe as the Batman Arkham games, meaning the Harley Quinn you see here is the same Harley from Arkham Asylum, City, Origins and Knight. That said, several changes to the cast mean that Kill the Justice League is quite inconsistent with the rest of the Arkhamverse.
Deadshot, who stars as one of the primary characters, is depicted as a Black man in the game. In the Arkham series and its tie-in film, Assault on Arkham, he’s caucasian. This was seemingly explained in a brief tweet from Rocksteady implying the original Deadshot was a fake – but it doesn’t explain why they both seemingly have the same name and abilities. Essentially, it’s a retcon to better align Deadshot with his more popular depiction (in Suicide Squad, the film).
In addition, King Shark is wildly different to his Assault on Arkham counterpart. In the tie-in film, which is supposedly ‘canon’ to the original Arkham games, he appears to be a cyborg metahuman with sharp, mechanical teeth and a long, fin-like mohawk. The King Shark in Suicide Squad better resembles an actual shark, and is not human at all.
Whether these inconsistencies will be explained or ignored remains to be seen, but either way it’s very odd that the game is technically part of the Arkhamverse when there’s so many significant character changes.
Does Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League have microtransactions?
A leaked image from a test build of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League confirmed in early January that the game will have a Battle Pass for keen players, allowing them to unlock new cosmetic items and other unknown benefits.
In a subsequent PlayStation State of Play, Rocksteady confirmed the Battle Pass would be for cosmetic items only. It’s strictly optional, but will allow players to access a range of great costumes – including a Superman outfit for King Shark, and a Wonder Woman outfit for Harley Quinn.
Read: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League leak reveals Battle Pass
Does Suicide Squad connect with Gotham Knights?
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is not connected to fellow DC video game Gotham Knights, which launched in 2022. Knights is not set in the Arkhamverse and represents a different continuity, meaning it’s unlikely either title will clash or crossover.
Read: Gotham Knights Review – The Bat is dead, long live the Batfamily
Both games tell self-contained stories that don’t tie into a wider, shared universe, or into the film and TV DC Extended Universe (DCEU).
Is Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League part of the DCU?
In early 2023, Co-CEO of DC Studios James Gunn revealed plans for upcoming DC video games to be connected to the wider ‘DCU’ – a new cinematic universe. Gunn expressed a desire for actors to retain their roles across all DCU media, with any creation that didn’t adhere to this being labelled an ‘Elseworlds’ adventure.
Given development on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League pre-dates Gunn’s ‘connected universe’ edict, it’s fair to assume it is not part of the DCU. This will be an ‘Elseworlds’ game, although the label will likely been applied retroactively.
In the years ahead, there’ll be plenty of comic book video games to look forward to, from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League to titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Marvel’s Wolverine, and The Wolf Among Us. Stay tuned for the latest developments on these titles.
