Summary
The following contains story and gameplay spoilers forSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
In theBatman: Arkhamgames of the past, Riddler has been widely recognized as one of the most disappointing characters — not because of his character, but because of his underutilization as a villain. He has essentially only ever served the purpose of filling the world with plenty of collectibles to find and riddles to solve, althoughBatman: Arkham Knight’s Riddlerprovided players with an opportunity to lock him away in GCPD. Unfortunately,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguebrings Riddler back for more of the same, continuing to place the beloved villain on the back burner.
InSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Riddler challenges players to complete a series of AR challenges, solve riddles around Metropolis, and find a healthy number of trophies scattered throughout the city. While this can serve as a decent break from the game’s regular gameplay loop, in the end, completing and collecting everything amounts to nothing but a bit of dialogue and a trophy/achievement. For that reason, asKill the Justice Leagueis a live-service game, surely there is still more it could do with Riddler.
Canonically, Riddler typically works alone, as he believes himself to be a superior being when it comes to intellect. This is what has led him to be known as a “rogue” villain, almost always refusing to partner with anyone else. Instead, he usually prefers remaining hidden, manipulating others from behind the scenes on his own. However, if there were ever a time for Riddler to ally with someone, it’s inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Task Force X faces an enormous threat inKill the Justice League’s primary antagonist, Brainiac— so much so that many characters who are commonly villains (like Penguin and Poison Ivy) have come together for the sole purpose of taking down the archvillain, regardless of how voluntary their participation is. This presents a strong case for Riddler to join forces with the Suicide Squad to eliminate the threat of Brainiac from the world and every universe he threatens if TFX was capable of planting a neural bomb in him.
It wouldn’t be the first time Riddler has partnered with the protagonists, as he has been known to do so in the comics, despite his eagerness to work alone. In one particular comic book run,Edward Nigma acted as a consultant for Batman, assisting him in solving mysteries. As such, it wouldn’t be entirely far-fetched to give him this sort of role inSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, especially with the threat of decapitation as an incentive.
Riddler Could Join Forces With Brainiac in Kill the Justice League
Another directionSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguecould go with Riddler is to ally him with Brainiac. At some point in the game, as playerssearch Metropolis for Riddler’s trophiesand riddles, Riddler calls Brainiac “a true rival.” While this implies Riddler sees Brainiac as an enemy, it could also play into a potential partnership between the two, both in terms of their shared intellect and relationship.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguehas already made humor a major aspect of its writing, likely in an attempt to lighten the tone of the game’s dark premise.
In light of that, there is potential for a humorous relationship between Riddler and Brainiac, perhaps in seeing the two of them bicker about who is more intelligent or occasionally competing with one another in their villainous approaches.
Whether Rocksteady chooses to do more withSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s Riddler remains to be seen. However, withthe lineup of villains that will be joining forces with the Suicide Squad in future content, the developer might be behooved to include Riddler in some way, as his self-acknowledged superior intellect could aid either the Suicide Squad or Brainiac in their fight.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
WHERE TO PLAY
Play as the Suicide Squad to take down the World’s Greatest DC Super Heroes, The Justice League. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, is a genre-defying, action-adventure third-person shooter from Rocksteady Studios, creators of the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham series.
