Batman: Arkham Origins - 10 Coolest Easter Eggs, Secrets And References Explained

10. Year One, The Killing Joke, And Other Nods To The Comics

Perhaps even more-so than Asylum and City, Arkham Origins was heavily wedded to the Dark Knight's actual comics.

Whereas Rocksteady had elected to depict a Batman at the peak of his years, thus freeing them from having to do an origin story or to mirror certain comic book storylines (Asylum only has a passing resemblance to the Grant Morrison, Dave McKean comic), Montreal were slightly more constrained in what they could and couldn't ignore. It still had to feel like the Arkhamverse, but there was no ignoring the defining moments from the comics that made Batman who he is today.

So, in fleshing out the burgeoning years of the Arkhamverse, Montreal decided to put a twist on some of the character's key storylines. The events of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's Year One are recounted in the game's extortion tapes, with explicit reference made to Jim Gordon's affair with Sarah Essen, as well as Arnold Flass, a corrupt GCPD cop allied to Commissioner Loeb.

There are also some cursory nods made in the direction of The Long Halloween and The Killing Joke. The former features on a board in the GCPD spotlighting the Falcone crime family (with Selina Kyle also present on the list of connections), while Joker makes explicit reference to the theme park he would eventually use to torture Jim Gordon in the latter during the final stages of the game.

Add to that glances to Knightfall, Joker's origins as Red Hood and more, and you're left with a veritable who's who of nods towards the Caped Crusader's comics.