Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League features an attention-grabbing title, but in order to live up to it a member of Task Force X will have to kill a member of the team - possibly Superman. While recent trailers have indicated that Brainiac is the true villain of Suicide Squad, the game's title alludes to Task Force X's battle against the Justice League being the primary focus of the game. Many versions of Brainiac have shown the character having the ability to take control of the minds of other organic beings, which has likely happened to several members of the Justice League in Rocksteady's latest Batman: Arkham entry. This allows for members of the Justice League to appear as antagonists in the game but can be defeated without being killed by severing Brainiac's mind control.
There is a good chance that the game will utilize this in order to keep high-profile members of the Justice League in play, especially considering that Suicide Squad is connected to Batman: Arkham. If Rocksteady has any intentions of creating future games that star major members of the Justice League, it will likely want to ensure that they are still alive. While these heroes could always be brought back to life in an alternate universe, Rocksteady's decision to set Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League in the same universe as the Batman: Arkham games shows that the studio is dedicated to expanding its shared universe and telling more stories within it. In that way, it is understandable if Rocksteady is hesitant to kill off any major members of the Justice League, hoping to eventually expand upon these characters and their rich comics history.
While Rocksteady could choose to follow up Suicide Squad with a Peacemaker game or some other non-Justice League member, the enduring popularity of DC's biggest heroes is a hard opportunity to pass up. However, as tempting as it may be for the developers to want to save all of the Justice League members for later, in order for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League to truly live up to its bold and somewhat shocking title, the game needs to make the equally bold and shocking decision to actually kill off one of the major members of the Justice League. Rocksteady is no stranger to killing off beloved characters either. In Batman: Arkham City, the developer killed off the Joker, who is not only Batman's most popular villain, but one of DC's most prolific and beloved characters. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League needs to carry the same amount of consequence with its characters.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Can Kill Off Batman
While it is possible that Rocksteady may wish to return to Batman: Arkham after Suicide Squad, the Dark Knight himself is actually one of the best characters for the game to kill off. While Bruce Wayne appeared to have been killed in the explosion at Wayne Manor at the end of Batman: Arkham Knight, the secret ending seems to suggest that he may have survived the explosion, and has become an entirely different version of Batman. In addition, his supposed death was offscreen, leading to the possibility that he may return as the Caped Crusader in the Suicide Squad. If that ends up being the case, Batman would be a perfect candidate for Rocksteady to kill off in Suicide Squad. Not only has Batman already had significant development in Rocksteady's world (making his death more impactful), but his tumultuous relationship with playable character Harley Quinn could make a battle between them - and Batman's subsequent death - a lot more personal to Task Force X.
If Bruce Wayne is indeed dead already in Rocksteady's universe, or is no longer serving as Batman, Suicide Squad could also kill off his successor. It has been speculated that Suicide Squad's Batman could be Dick Grayson, as the Dark Knight's presence has loomed large in more recent trailers. It's still unclear whether or not Rocksteady will resolve the fate of Batman in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but given the presence of different Batman elements in the background, it's possible the Caped Crusader - or at least a version of the character - will feature in the story.
Suicide Squad Can Kill Wonder Woman Or The Flash
Another member of the Justice League that Rocksteady could kill off is Wonder Woman. Unlike the other heroes in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Wonder Woman doesn't appear to be suffering under the effects of Brainiac's mind-control. This could make her a valuable ally to the Suicide Squad, as well as create comedic situations, with Diana's more heroic personality contrasting nicely with the self-interested elements of Task Force X. However, even if Wonder Woman is a hero in Suicide Squad that doesn't mean that she may be able to evade Brainiac forever; there's a chance she could also be mind-controlled at some point in the story, in which case the Suicide Squad would have to take her down as well. There's also the possibility that Diana could die trying to rescue one of her teammates, which would subvert the expectation of the Squad itself killing other Justice League members.
Another potential candidate for Rocksteady to kill off is the Flash. Recent trailers have shown the Flash off quite a bit as an antagonist in the game, apparently under the control of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's villain Brainiac. There are a few reasons that the Flash may be one of the better characters for the game to kill off. The Flash is a notoriously difficult character to adapt into video games. The speed at which the Flash can actually travel is nearly impossible for video games to capture, and extreme slow motion is needed to even adapt a portion of what the speedster can do, making a Flash far less likely than a future Superman, Green Lantern, or Aquaman game. In addition, if Rocksteady did want to feature the Flash in a future game, Barry Allen's popular successor Wally West could take on the mantle.
Why Suicide Squad Needs To Kill One Of DC's Justice League
While there are many ways that Suicide Squad can succeed where Marvel's Avengers failed, one of those areas is in the story's stakes. Marvel's Avengers' story was applauded by many game critics, but in many ways, it lacked real threat. The game's story reverses its one big character death by revealing that Captain America was still alive later in the game, compromising much of the guilt that its characters felt throughout. Suicide Squad needs to kill off a member of the Justice League to give its story weight and consequence. Based on the trailers, the game looks to be matching the Suicide Squad films' dark humor and shocking moments. The game may kill off some side members of the Suicide Squad that aren't playable, but that is something that players will be expecting. Killing off a big-name member of the Justice League will show that anything can happen in Suicide Squad's story, and keep everyone guessing as to how things will turn out.
Because of Suicide Squad's recent delay, fans will have to wait until 2023 to find out what the game's story has in store for them. Hopefully, Rocksteady allows the game to live up to its name, and actually kills off a big-name Justice League character. Whoever dies, or doesn't die, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is sure to feature a story filled with shocking moments and surprising twists.