Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Revives Fallen DC Heroes

This week marked the arrival of the final content drop for Rocksteady Studios’ “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,” and it casually reverses the high-stakes drama by bringing two more Justice Leaguers back to life. In the climatic Episode 8, Task Force X manages to take down the last Brainiac, but hold on to your capes—Superman and Batman make a surprise comeback, alive and unscathed.

Narrated by none other than Harley Quinn, the ending of “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” reveals that Superman and Batman have been quietly imprisoned in Brainiac’s lair all along. With Brainiac’s hold broken, the Justice League is free to make amends, liberating Metropolis from alien subjugation and venturing into alternate realities to fix the chaos left by other Brainiac versions.

Meanwhile, Task Force X has found a way to disable the bombs implanted in their heads and have jetted off to an alternate world, living out their dreams free from Amanda Waller’s grip.

Throughout the 2024 game, players were tasked with eliminating iconic DC superheroes, which left Batman devotees particularly upset. After all, this was Kevin Conroy’s swan song as Batman, only for the Dark Knight to be seemingly dispatched in an unspectacular manner. However, the concluding cutscene clarifies that Batman and Superman’s earlier “deaths” were just Brainiac-engineered clones. Now released from their crystalline captivity, the real duo is back to take their rightful place in the Rocksteady Arkhamverse canon.

Earlier episodes had already seen the revival of untainted versions of the Flash and Green Lantern, reversing their apparent demises. In stark contrast, Wonder Woman remains slain by a malevolent Superman clone in the storyline. Nevertheless, there’s a silver lining for Diana fans as she has her own upcoming game, though it’s not yet clear if it will intersect with Rocksteady’s universe.

Multiple post-launch expansions of “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” have gradually resurrected the Justice League, sans Wonder Woman, while also rolling out new playable characters. Among these new faces is a Joker from an alternate universe, standing in stark contrast to Mark Hamill’s portrayal in the Arkham games.

Considering the comic book origins of the Suicide Squad game, it’s hardly a shocker that the Justice League would eventually return to the land of the living. Anticipation for this outcome had been high, especially after numerous leaks hinted at their comeback, and Rocksteady even dropped a sly hint in the game, teasing Batman’s potential return despite his dramatic fall at Harley’s hands.

Yet, the way “Kill the Justice League” wraps up does feel a bit underwhelming. The finale unfolds with a sparse use of illustrations and a single character’s voiceover to tie up the once-intense storyline. It’s a fittingly modest end for Rocksteady’s often tumultuous Suicide Squad saga, marred by delays, tepid reception, frequent leaks, and technical hiccups. Fortunately, everyone—except, perhaps, Wonder Woman—gets to press on with fresh adventures.