Summary
Exclusive to the Meta Quest 3,Batman: Arkham Shadowis the newest entry in the ever-expanding DC Arkhamverse. Set betweenArkham OriginsandArkham Asylum, the VR game features a young Batman fighting for Gotham in one of the darkest chapters of his vigilante career.
Like most Arkhamverse titles,Arkham Shadowdoes not hold back when it comes to having a roster of villains for gamers to meet or even fight, from famous foes to obscure threats. However,Arkham Shadowfeatures several villains that might surprise even the most hardcore DC fans.
Updated on November 14th, 2024, by Melody MacReady:The release of Batman: Arkham Shadow has allowed gamers to experience a Batman adventure from a unique perspective, in more ways than one. Not only is it a virtual reality game, but a large portion of the game is spent with Batman undercover as the criminal Matches Malone inside Blackgate Prison. This not only provides a unique way of telling a story, but Batman also interacts with several villains as both a vigilante and a criminal. As a result, there are some surprising reveals as well as cameos of villains from past and future events within the Arkhamverse timeline.
19Bird
Bane’s Lieutenant Is Back And Just As Punchable
From one of the more forgettable side missions inBatman: Arkham Origins,Birdwas Bane’s most loyal follower and tried to keep Bane’s gang of mercenaries in Gotham to take on Batman. Not many would have expected the character to return, but alas, he plays a small part in theBatman: Arkham Shadowstory.
Undercover as Matches Malone, Batman is tasked with delivering a package to Bird, only to get into a fight with him. Bird is also one of the patients that Jonathan Crane experiments on for his Project Umbra, establishing the roots of Scarecrow and allowing an underutilized character to shine a little more.
18Howard Branden
From S.W.A.T. Captain To Doorman Of Blackgate Prison
AnotherArkham Originsalumni,Howard Branden, is now one of the top T.Y.G.E.R. guards running Blackgate Prison inBatman: Arkham Shadow. Before, Branden was one of the most corrupt members of the G.C.P.D., leading the S.W.A.T. task force going after Batman so that he could get paid $50,000,000 by Black Mask.
Chris Fries even reprises the role, despite Branden having very few opportunities in the entire game to shine. It is shown through details in his office that he is going through a divorce, following up on the details fromArkham Originsthat he was cheating on his wife, displaying how much Camouflaj cared about making a sequel toArkham Origins.
17Ferris Boyle
The Businessman With A Cold, Cold Heart
InBatman: Arkham Shadow, there are several characters that Batman helped put away, includingFerris Boylein a quick cameo. While he doesn’t have a fancy suit or powers, Ferris Boyle is a despicable human being to his core, as he is the one who attempted to kill a terminally ill woman for profit, thus transforming Victor Fries into Mr. Freeze in an expansion toBatman: Arkham Origins.
InArkham Shadow, Ferris Boyle is seen being harassed by members of the Rat cult, since he is the kind of rich and corrupt person they sought to destroy for the Rat King. It is not shown what happens to him, but fans of Mr. Freeze andBatman: The Animated Serieswill likely enjoy seeing this villain again and imagining the comeuppance he receives for his evil deeds.
16Frank Boles
The Officer That Eventually Joins The Joker
The Joker and Harley Quinn would never have achieved their takeover of Arkham Island inBatman: Arkham Asylumwithout the help of Officer Boles.Frank Bolesbetrayed his fellow security officers and Jim Gordon to help Joker conquer the island, only to be betrayed himself and killed.
Boles made his first return to the Arkhamverse timeline inArkham Shadow, showing his days as a T.Y.G.E.R. guard working for Lyle Bolton. It’s easy not to notice him, but he’s the guard who guides Batman as Matches Malone through Blackgate and into his cell, with his opaque eye being the main indicator behind his mask.
15Ricky “Loose-Lips” LeBlanc
Batman Perfected His Interrogation Skills On Him
Continuing the trend ofArkham Originscharacters,Ricky “Loose-Lips” LeBlancwas famously the criminal that Batman questioned and dropped into a giant Christmas tree. He also reappeared and became Batman’s victim again when the Caped Crusader needed anupgrade for his arsenal of gadgets.
Ricky LeBlanc returns inArkham Shadowas one of many prisoners in Blackgate Prison. He plays no real part in the story, but instead, he’s more of a reference for longtime Arkhamverse fans to get a smile at as he interacts with other prisoners. There is also a flashback to the night he met Batman if players look hard enough to find and collect it.
14Bronze Tiger
Return Of A Forgotten Arkhamverse Villain
While the nameBronze Tigeris never uttered, Ben Turner is one of the first Blackgate prisoners Batman meets inBatman: Arkham Shadow. However, this is not the first time Bronze Tiger appeared, as he was a minor villain working for The Penguin inBatman: Arkham Origins - Blackgate, an oft-forgotten Arkhamverse entry.
The player can interact with him for a few interesting conversations, but his most significant role is in audio recordings. Bronze Tiger is interviewed by both Jonathan Crane and Leslie Thompkins, further expanding on Turner’s personality and his motives as an assassin.
13Shrike
Starts Batman On His Journey To Blackgate
In the comics,Shrikeis known for being a Nightwing villain, but inArkham Shadow, the developers adapted the Carver Boone incarnation of the character as a Batman rogue. He has a short but significant role in the game, believing his life to be nothing, so he joins the Rats in their conquest to destroy Gotham City alongside his protégé Dick Grayson.
Shrike was so certain that his life was meaningless that his final act was to take his own life and frame Batman for murder. Shrike’s death is what sets Batman on a journey to try fighting crime undercover, but also ignites his struggle between vengeance and justice.
12Dick Grayson
How Batman Met The Future Boy Wonder
The Arkhamverse is known for putting a unique spin on the Batman mythology, andBatman: Arkham Shadowreveals a drastically different meeting between Batman andDick Grayson. After his parents' death, Dick Grayson is revealed to have been taken in by Shrike and indoctrinated into a life of crime as a Rat before Batman convinces him to give up Shrike.
In this version of the story, not only is Dick a criminal who fights Batman at first, he is much older than usually depicted. In the comics,Dick Grayson, the first Robin, was near the same age as Bruce was when he lost his parents, showing how similar they are, but inArkham Shadow, he is already a teenager, which further shows the truncated timeline of Robins in the Arkhamverse.
11The Ventriloquist
While the Scarface puppet has been featured in nearly everyBatman: Arkhamgame, fans have never seen the actualVentriloquistvillain untilBatman: Arkham Shadow. He is one of the unfortunate people who are abducted by Jonathan Crane throughout the story, much to the dismay of Harleen Quinzel.
The Ventriloquist’s role is small, but does feature a side story that is fun to see, where he becomes more and more possessive of his cellmate’s puppet, named Woody. It is the origin of what would eventually become the Scarface puppet, potentially setting up the villain for other games set before the events ofBatman: Arkham Asylum.
10Harley Quinn
The Future Queen Of Crime
Voiced again by Tara Strong,Dr. Harleen Quinzelis a more crucial character inBatman: Arkham Shadowthan she was inArkham Origins. She is a recurring character trying to help the more troubled inmates at Blackgate with the Arkham Ward, but she is struggling with getting her colleagues—Jonathan Kent, and Lyle Bolton—to treat her with respect.
WithArkham Shadowtaking place post-Arkham Origins, Harleen’s inclusion is meant to progress her transformationinto the villainous Harley Quinn. The more the story progresses, and she succumbs to her rage, the more Harleen sounds like Harley Quinn, even when she’s helping Batman to try to stop the Rats.
