The Official Truth: Is Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Still Canon To The Arkhamverse?

The question of whether Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (SS:KtJL) is canon to the beloved Batman: Arkham universe has been a source of intense debate and controversy among fans since the game's release. As of the latest updates in late 2024, the official answer from developer Rocksteady Games remains a definitive "Yes." The game is explicitly set within the existing continuity, taking place approximately five years after the shocking conclusion of Batman: Arkham Knight, directly continuing the story of characters like Harley Quinn and addressing the aftermath of Bruce Wayne's final act as Batman. This confirmation, however, comes with several major narrative twists and retcons that have complicated the established lore, turning the game's canonicity into a complex discussion about the nature of the DC Multiverse itself.

The core conflict of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League—the elimination of the world’s greatest heroes—necessitated a massive shift in the Arkhamverse's timeline. This article cuts through the confusion to detail the official connections, the controversial retcons, and the game's shocking Multiverse-driven ending that attempts to reconcile the seemingly irreversible damage done to the established continuity.

The Official Arkhamverse Timeline and Continuity Bridge

Rocksteady has consistently maintained that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a direct sequel to their Arkham trilogy, making it an official part of the Arkhamverse. This is not a standalone Elseworlds story; it is the next chapter in the universe established in Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight. The entire premise hinges on the fact that this is the same world where Batman carried out the Knightfall Protocol and vanished.

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The game’s setting is Metropolis, a stark contrast to the familiar Gotham City, but the connection is solidified through several key details:

• The Time Gap: The events of SS:KtJL occur five years after the fear-gas-induced "death" of Batman following the events of Batman: Arkham Knight.
• Returning Characters: The core members of Task Force X—Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Quinzel), Deadshot (Floyd Lawton), Captain Boomerang (Digger Harkness), and King Shark (Nanaue) — are all drawn from the Arkhamverse’s established roster of villains.
• Amanda Waller and ARGUS: The ruthless leader of the Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller, and her government organization, ARGUS, are the driving force behind the mission, operating in the wake of Batman’s disappearance. Waller’s audio logs and dialogue directly reference events and characters from the previous games.
• Batman's Fate: The most significant link is the return of Batman (Bruce Wayne), who has been mind-controlled by the alien villain Brainiac. His fate is a direct continuation of the *Arkham Knight* ending, confirming that he survived the Knightfall Protocol only to be corrupted by the new threat.

The game’s narrative focuses on the Brainiac invasion, which has led to the mind-controlled corruption of the Justice League: Superman (Clark Kent), Wonder Woman (Diana Prince), The Flash (Barry Allen), and Green Lantern (specifically John Stewart in the game, though the Lantern Corps is a broader entity). The entire mission is orchestrated by Waller to eliminate the compromised heroes and save Earth from Brainiac’s control.

The Controversial Retcons and The Deadshot Dilemma

While Rocksteady affirms the game’s canonicity, two major points of continuity have sparked significant fan backlash, leading many to question the claim. These issues involve the character of Deadshot and the nature of the Justice League members killed.

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The Deadshot Retcon Explained

In Batman: Arkham City, the character Deadshot was presented as a white man with a distinct look. In SS:KtJL, Floyd Lawton is a Black man, aligning with the more modern, cinematic portrayal (like the version played by Will Smith). This race-swap was perceived by many as a clear retcon that broke the continuity.

However, the game attempts to address this directly through collectible ARGUS Tapes. The in-universe explanation is that the Deadshot seen in *Arkham City* was an imposter. The true Floyd Lawton is the current member of the Suicide Squad, who, according to the lore, even killed the fake Deadshot from the previous games. This narrative device attempts to bridge the gap and maintain the Arkhamverse’s continuity, albeit through a retroactive change to established character history.

The Fate of the Justice League: Clones, Multiverse, and the Real Twist

The most shocking and continuity-breaking element is the successful mission to kill the mind-controlled Justice League. The deaths of iconic heroes like Superman and Batman seemed to irreversibly destroy the Arkhamverse's future, as the universe's greatest protector was definitively gone.

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The game's post-launch content and major story twist, however, reveal a complex Multiverse plot that softens the blow to the original continuity. The Brainiac defeated in the base game is revealed to be only one of many versions of the villain, and the Justice League members killed were actually alternate-universe versions of the heroes, or "clones" from other Earths, brought to Metropolis by Brainiac. This twist is primarily designed to facilitate the game's live-service model, allowing the Squad to pursue and kill 13 different versions of Brainiac across the Multiverse.

The critical exception is Wonder Woman (Diana Prince), who is immune to Brainiac’s control and is the only Justice League member from the Arkhamverse's main Earth to be killed in the core story. This twist allows Rocksteady to maintain the dramatic impact of the Justice League’s defeat while leaving the door open for the "real" main-universe versions of Batman, Superman, and Flash to potentially be rescued from Brainiac’s clutches in future seasons, as the villain's true plan involves kidnapping, not just killing, the heroes.

Topical Authority: Key Entities and The Future of the Arkhamverse

The canonical status of SS:KtJL is an undeniable fact from an official standpoint, but its reliance on Multiverse theory is a clear attempt to manage the narrative fallout of killing the established heroes. The game introduces several key entities that will define the future of the Arkhamverse:

• Brainiac's Legacy: The defeat of the first Brainiac leaves behind a wealth of technology and the threat of the remaining 12 Brainiacs from other Earths, setting up the game's seasonal content.
• Post-Launch Characters: The introduction of new playable characters like the Joker (an alternate-universe version) and Lex Luthor (a non-playable but key figure) further expands the Arkhamverse’s scope beyond Gotham and into the wider DC Universe.
• Poison Ivy’s Return: The character Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley) also returns, another direct link to the Arkham games, albeit in a radically different form.
• The Task Force X Dynamic: The squad—Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, and King Shark—remains under the control of Amanda Waller, now with the added burden of being the infamous "Justice League Killers."

In conclusion, the answer to "Is Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League canon?" is a resounding "Yes," but with a massive asterisk. It is the official continuation of the Arkhamverse's story five years after Arkham Knight, dealing with the new threat of Brainiac. However, the controversial retcons, particularly the Deadshot change, and the narrative twist that the killed Justice League members were largely Multiverse doubles, highlight the developers' struggle to reconcile a Justice League-killing premise with the established, beloved continuity. The game serves as a bridge, albeit a shaky one, between the end of the Batman saga and a new, Multiverse-spanning future for the Arkhamverse.