Like many superheroes, Batman has loads of video games based on his many adventures but none can compare to the Batman: Arkham series. With the first two games written by the legendary Paul Dini, the development team went above and beyond to bring Gotham to life. The games are packed full of references to the comics and lore about this universe's characters, whether major or minor, making the world feel lived in.
Even so, the games don't tell the complete story. Several tie-in comics reveal untold tales set before, during, and after Arkham City and Arkham Knight. Some stories provide crucial information left out in the games while others are neat little fun facts. These are the ten things about the Batman: Arkham series you only learn from the comics.
10 Joker's Last Laugh
Joker may be- oh who are we kidding, he is an insane psychopath but even when he's dead he still causes trouble. In Batman: Arkham City - Endgame, Joker leaves a video offering $100 million to anyone who can return his corpse to Harley, sending Gotham into a frenzy, and tries to trap Batman in Joker's old bomb-filled solitary cell. After that, in the Arkham Knight comics Commissioner Gordon is exposed to a lethal dose of Joker toxin and Batman has to fight Killer Croc who's guarding the cure. It shows just how devious a schemer Joker is and how his presence lingers in Gotham. Leave it to Joker to try and go out with a bang and a whimper, just not his own.
9 The Wonderland Gang
Many stories have taken liberties with Alice in Wonderland but none have taken it as far as DC did and the comics go out of their way to feature the Wonderland Gang. The Carpenter, a former associate of Hatter specializing in building villain lairs, got an issue where she tried to leave town to avoid being sentenced to Arkham City. The March Hare, the Unicorn, The Walrus, and the Lion protected Mad Hatter and his tea party composed of mind-controlled female inmates in Arkham: Unhinged. In the Batman: Arkham Knight comics, Tweedledee and Tweedledum joined the Penguin and were provided a new muscular member to their family: Tweedledie. It's a shame all these bizarre characters never made any in-game appearances. Though the Tweedles can be excused since the Arkham Knight put them down.
8 Two-Face's Assistants
Paying homage to Batman Forever, Two-Face's favorite girls Sugar and Spice were brought back in Batman: Arkham City Issue #1. Their cameos were brief but they comforted Two-Face as he recuperated from an assault by a pair of twins who got their hands on his stash of the Titan formula.
True to their roots, Sugar wears a more innocent, yet suggestive attire while Spice contrasts in some sort of dominatrix outfit. Apparently they don't work for him anymore and their replacements were seen in the Batman: Arkham Knight comics when Two-Face arrived to a meeting with his new girls Mary-Kate & Ashley. Still it's a nice callback to a campy Batman movie.
7 How Joker Brutally Tortured Jason And Hidden
During Arkham Knight players are shown brief visions of Joker torturing Jason Todd over several months. In Batman: Arkham Knight - Genesis, readers get a graphic look at what Jason experienced. In addition to what the games showed, Jason was waterboarded, beaten by members of Batman's rogue's gallery, forced to fight inmates that were dressed as Batman and shoot them. Instead of killing Jason and having him be saved by Superboy-Prime, Joker forced a doctor to save Jason so he could train him to resent Batman while Frank Boles, the corrupt guard from the first game, kept the rest of the staff from finding out. Not only did Jason develop resentment for Batman, but Harley was the first to call him Arkham's knight.
6 Azrael and Cash Protect the Cathedral
In Batman: Arkham City the cathedral was used as a sanctuary for victims like Vicki Vale, Aaron Cash, and Quincy Sharpe. Batman was sure that it would make a suitable stronghold but Arkham: Unhinged proved him wrong. Bane and the other inmates attacked the cathedral to get revenge on Sharpe.
Cash and his team of undercover cops had to fight back the inmates with the help of Azrael. The comics explored Cash's history with Azrael hinting at the Order of St. Dumas and Azrael's identity as Cash's old partner. This was eventually covered in Arkham Knight but these comics were the first to give insight into Azrael's backstory. It also showed an epic fight scene between Bane, Cash, and Azrael.
5 The Next Generation
It's often been argued whether or not Batman's presence caused the surge in super-villains. While it's unfair to say that Batman created all of his enemies, he is certainly responsible for two of them. One of Electrocutioner's underlings took up his boss's and attacked Batman as he left Arkham City. Then there was Kid Shark, the son of the late King Shark from the movie Batman: Assault On Arkham, who became a villain to avenge his villainous parent. Their presence was minor but nice continuity nods to the film and prequel game acknowledging their existence. Speaking of the Suicide Squad...
4 The Suicide Squad Is Still Active
While the Suicide Squad never appeared in any of the games, it was teased in Arkham Origins and given a movie, Assault on Arkham. The film ended implying that Deadshot killed Amanda Waller but the Arkham Knight tie-in comic claims that she survived and regained control of the Squad.
She sent Deadshot undercover to learn about Harley and Penguin only for Batman to intervene and arrest Deadshot. Waller personally went down to the precinct and retrieved Deadshot then disappeared without a trace. It's a shame that they didn't serve a larger role in Arkham Knight but at least she managed to squeeze in one more appearance.
3 Simon Stagg and Metamorpho
In Batman: Arkham Knight, Simon Stagg made a surprise appearance serving as Scarecrow's financier but his arch-enemy Metamorpho was nowhere to be seen. That's because he was taken care of in the Arkham Knight comics when Batman discovered Stagg was trying to weaponize a fragment of Clayface combining it with a radioactive shard to make Metamorpho. Metamorpho escaped and went on a rampage but Batman was able to stop the creature and cut business ties with Stagg as Bruce Wayne. It's unfortunate Metamorpho didn't appear in-game but at least the comics gave him a chance to shine.
2 Batman Created Knightfall Because of Calendar Man
Calendar Man had a minuscule role in the games but he played a big part leading up to Batman: Arkham Knight. Calendar Man trapped Batman and forced him to fight duplicates of Solomon Grundy for a week straight. After that, he gave a weary Batman a list of three hundred sixty-five people he had poisoned and challenged him to save them all or he would kill a baby he kidnapped. Thanks to the efforts of the Bat-Family, GCPD, and even Azrael, the victims were saved and Scarecrow talked Calendar Man into giving up the baby without a fight. It's astonishing to think that it took Calendar Man of all criminals to get Batman to set up Knightfall and came close to finally beating him.
1 The Unsolved Bookbinder Case
Arkham: Unhinged ended on an abrupt cliffhanger with its longest arc "Welcome to the Slough of Despond" by Karen Traviss. Set before Arkham City, Batman deals with a rise in street crime caused by Arkham City forcing out slum residents. At the same time, he hunts a new villain called the Bookbinder who tries to scare Gotham into being bettering itself by torturing people. It's a thought-provoking story that forces Batman to doubt if he is actually making a difference rooting out corruption in Gotham. It also depicts realistic, disturbingly prophetic scenes of armed forces abusively treating protesters of Arkham City. Sadly the story was left unfinished with the Bookbinder remaining at large.