10 Unused Villains Who Should Be In The Next Batman Video Game
They're not the Joker but that's a good thing...
Since the underwhelming reception to Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Knight, the billionaire playboy has been hiding in his cave, licking his wounds until – hopefully – Warner Bros. Montreal are ready to bring him back, better than ever.
For the longest time any rumours surrounding the next Batman game have hinted at it being a continuation from Origins, named Arkham Insurgency, or a sequel after the events of Knight where son of Bruce, Damian Wayne, dons the famous tights and utility belt.
Regardless if it’s a sequel or prequel, what matters most is that the next inevitable Batman game has a variety of unfamiliar rogues who are not titan Joker, sick Joker, origins Joker or trapped-inside-Batman’s-head joker.
However, while it’s justifiably easy to criticise the recurrence of the Clown Prince of Crime, he’s not the only adversary the Arkhamverse has lazily relied on for way too long. Two-Face, the Penguin, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Killer Croc and the Riddler all need to go away so the forgotten, underrated and modern villains in DC Comics' library can have their time in the spotlight, contributing to an original follow-up every Bat-fan deserves.
10. The Spook
Despite being one of Batman’s most recurring leading villains in the 1970s, The Spook is a forgotten rogue who modern fans probaby don’t know at all.
Although he was re-imagined in 1997 as an unnamed Black Operative, who was betrayed on a mission in South America and returned to the living hellbent on getting revenge, the 'is he or isn’t he ghost?' that should be a new villain in the next Batman game is the classic Val Kaliban by Frank Robbins.
A master escape-artist who can break free of any confinement, The Spook uses tricks and illusions to help convicts vanish from their cells. The unseen execution of his ‘escape insurance policy’, along with the unusual circumstances surrounding his reported capital punishment, would add more character and history to the GCPD, as well as provide players with a great mystery that would test their abilities as the world’s greatest detective.
As a side character, a compelling foil and a neat callback to one of the 70’s most prominent baddies, The Spook’s rise from irrelevance would not only be unexpected, it would also encourage fans of Batman to research more neglected antagonists left behind by DC Comics.