One of the few shining elements ofSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewas its core cast of characters.Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and King Shark were all given great performances, and their characterization was fairly accurate to the source material. Gameplay-wise, each character also had a distinct and exciting method of traversal, and in general, each anti-hero was given a faithful visual design.
But those four characters were only the beginning. Being a live-service game,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueis adding a new playable character with each post-launch season, and the results so far have been pretty mixed. With the base game being a critical flop, there’s a lot of pressure for Rocksteady to really knock it out of the park with these post-launch characters, and unfortunately, fans are still waiting for that to happen. But if any post-launch villain can breathe new life intoSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,it’s the long-rumored Deathstroke, though Rocksteady would need to be doing a lot more than it has been so far.
SinceSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s launch back in February, Rocksteady has added two new playable characters to the live-service looter-shooter: The Joker and Mrs. Freeze. Grabbed from different universes, these Elseworlds versions of the iconic DC villains have been met with a very mixed reception from fans. As far as gameplay is concerned, both Joker and Mrs. Freeze bring something fun and new to the table, each boasting a unique traversal system that’s both flashy and satisfying to use. Unique character animations also help to make these villains stand out from the base game roster.
However,Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguedrops the ball when it comes to these post-launch characters' presentation. BothThe Joker and Mrs. Freeze’s visual designshave been a minor point of controversy among the fanbase, though they look a little better in action. But the real issue is the lack of story content associated with these new villains.
Both The Joker and Mrs. Freeze are introduced via a 1-minute-long motion comic that briefly explains their multiversal origin, and then they’re given a 3-minute-long cinematic that briefly shows them interacting with Amanda Waller and the rest ofTask Force X. Aside from a few lines of in-game dialogue, the motion comic and the one cutscene are the only pieces of story content that’s been created for these two post-launch characters.
It’s been heavily rumored for a while now that Deathstroke will appear as one ofSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s post-launch villains, likely in the game’s fourth season, which is set to release in January 2025.
Deathstroke is one of the most beloved Batman villains of all time, and his fairly lengthy history withtheBatman: Arkhamuniversemeans that fans already have quite a strong attachment to Rocksteady’s version of the character. That means Rocksteady can’t afford to drop the ball with Deathstroke. It’s not enough to just make his traversal feel fun; Rocksteady needs to ensure thatSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s version of Deathstroke has a distinct but faithful visual design and that he’s given much more story content than the game’s last two post-launch additions.
