I've read loads of topics, both here and on other forums, talking about the next Rocksteady Batman game. I've noted a lot of plot/villains ideas from many Caped Crusader fans, and I finally decided to make some of my own.
MAIN PLOT
I am pretty sure the next game will take place in the WHOLE lot of Gotham City (yes, Arkham, Asylum and City, included), and surely will be based on Azrael's prophecy. The question is: how? I opt for an interesting idea I found on the internet.
Part of Arkham City was in ruin because of some seismic movements. Now, recall Azrael's words: "THE GATES OF HELL WILL OPEN!!!!1!1!!1ONE!". Does that ring a bell? NO MAN'S LAND. AW YEAH. That would be SUPER COOL, and would build the basis for the other villains' plot. Also, remember Wonder City? How its inhabitants went crazy after being exposed fo a while to the Lazarus Pit influence? Now imagine an outbreak of madness-in-gas-form in the city streets, caused by the earthquake. Gotham itself would become a giant asylum, forcing US Government to cut off any communication between Gotham and the rest of the world. And the worst thing is: there's no villain behind this. No evil scheme to stop. The earthquake is natural, and Batman cannot do a damn thing about it.
...
That would be my (and others') ideas on the plot.
And now for the villains.
VILLAINS
I will express my opinion on those villains who are very popular, and that many fans would like to see in the next game. I'll start with the recurring villains:
-Scarecrow: Main story, granted. Many people have advanced the hypotesis of a Scarecrow-ruled Gotham. I must admit I do not cope with this. Scarecrow was amazing in B:AA, but taking his boss stages up to eleven and making it the main threat to the poor Gotham citizens would be a bit extreme, and could become boring after a while. I was thinking that the Scarecrow could be like the Poison Ivy story part in AA. Spreading his gas everywhere for a while and forcing Batman to intervene, distracting him from the main villain(s). Also, Scarebeast. Scarecrow WAS one of AA cinematic ending characters taking the Titan box, no?
-Hush: Main story, granted, possible main villain. Hush has left me with a lot of questions, mainly: "why the hell did you become Bruce Wayne's copycat?" Seeing Wayne Industries being controlled by him in the midst of a natural disaster is enough for me to think of Elliot as one of the main villains. Although I am frankly unable to figure out his grand scheme, which he obviously has.
-Harley Quinn: Main story, granted. Harley's Revenge DLC has disappointed me. It did not advance the plot, nor it explored the personalities of the many characters in it (apart from some BATMAN IS CHANGED phrases). One internet hypotesis was about Harley trying to resurrect the Joker (who is really dead), or even CLONING HIM (the latter seems a bit off to me). This would be a perfect way to explore Batman's thoughts on the Joker's death: what is he supposed to do? Stop Harley, or let her bring back the man whose death Batsy obviously feels guilty for?
-Two Face: granted, side mission probably. Following the events of AC, Two Face is now in charge of almost every criminal gang in Gotham. Of course, Batman HAS to bring him down. Either at some point in the main story, or in a side mission.
-Catwoman: probably a playable character. Selina has a lot of stuff to do now that she's out of Arkham City. And her storyline could focus on wether she will leave a crumbling Gotham, or help the Dark Knight in his quest to stop the rampaging madness in the city.
-Penguin: unlikely, and even if, probably side quest. Let's face it people: Penguin is done for. AC has already exploited the war between him, Harvey and the Joker, and now he has no minions to command. I sincerely doubt he will resurface again so soon.
-Riddler: granted, side mission/main story altogether. Riddle me this: when is an Arkham game not an Arkham game? When there are no Riddler Trophies to find! The master of conundrums will obviously reappear. I enjoyed Rocksteady trying to give him more than a "King of Collectibles" status with the whole hostage plot. However, things have to go further. If you listened to his conversations with Hugo Strange, poor Edward was saddened by the fact that the good doctor knew Batman's secret identity and he did not. So, I would love to see Edward figuring it out, investigating "Bruce Wayne", discovering that he is actually Hush, and subsequently telling Thomas who is he really portraying. Then, the side mission kicks in: collect trophies, find Riddler, and stop him from delivering a final riddle to Gotham, the answer of which will reveal the Caped Crusader's true persona. Add an IMPORTANT hostage to the mixture (I would go for Oracle or Alfred, but good old Robin the Hostage Boy could also fit the part) and you have the ultimate Riddler side storyline.
-Poison Ivy: unlikely, and even if, probably side quest. Pamela has already given it all to us. The plant invasion, the giant Flower Boss... So I don't see the point in using her again.
-Mister Freeze: likely, either main story (again) or Catwoman story. I never get bored of Victor. His boss fight was sheer awesomeness, and I'd like to see him again. I thought he could be helping Hush/Bruce Wayne as the latter promised him a cure for Nora. Or, taking inspiration from the Heart of Hush comics, he could be on the hunt for Catwoman (always working for Hush).
-Bane: unlikely, maybe side quest. Bane has also been exploited, and got demoted to side mission in the second game. And It is not possible to turn him into the master strategist that he used to be in the comics, for two reasons: 1. His personality and traits have already been determined in the Arkhamverse, and they cannot be changed like this, in a moment. 2. Nolan film. That would be copying, and copying is bad.
-Ra's Al Ghul: unlikely. I'm not really sure about him. He was the SPOILEEEEEEERZmainvillaininAC, so I doubt he will resurface again. But Talia could, of course. A big race between Harley's gang and Talia's assassins to determine who will be resurrected from the Lazarus Pit could pop in.
-Mad Hatter: IDK, but IF, surely side mission. A nice "Alice in Wonderland" stage would be amazing.
-Killer Croc: unlikely. Demoted to extra in the second game. I really don't want another Killer Croc boss fight, the last one has almost had me recovered for heart attack. Yes, he could be the ruler of Gotham's Sewers, but frankly, I'd prefer the Ratcatcher on that role.
-Clayface: unlikely, but IF, MAIN VILLAIN. I'm not joking. What if falling in the Lazarus Pit has made him one-with-the-earth, and he's now making earthquakes in a mindless rampage? ...Crazy, I know. In fact, I prefer the natural hypotesis, for the reasons I've written above.
-Zsasz: maybe. He already got a major spotlight in AC, but his M.O. somehow manages to remain fresh despite his recurring appearances in both the games.
-Black Mask: maybe, although I don't really see how they would use him. As the War Games stuff had already been seen in AC, the only way for him to shine would be to kill some major character (Yes, Commissioner Gordon, I'm looking at you), and in that case, he would be too important to let him out of the main storyline.
-And FINALLY...THE JOKER: maybe. I would like to see Harley successful in bringing him back. As I learned from almost anything with Batman in it, there's no Bat without Joker. That's why I frankly hope he will return at the end of the next game. However, I'm not gonna like him, if he just comes out from the Lazarus Pit and immediately steals away the role of main villain, as I would like someone different from him, or Ra's, on that part.
And now for some new entries I'd like:
-Man Bat: as a side quest. Not much to say about this one actually, but I hope he is included for side mission boss fight epicness.
-Scarface: as a side quest, again. Just forget about Quakemaster, that would be absurd.
-Lady Shiva: maybe main story? As the new leader of the League of Assassins, and the one trying to revive Talia
-Fiefly: as a side quest. However, since I prefer Man Bat for an eventual Aerial Battle, I'd like more of his pyromaniac side.
-Ratcatcher: a very underestimated character. I'd like to see him putting his hands on some Titan samples and using Titan rats to rule the sewers.
-Maxie Zeus: big coliseum made of assorted ruins? Aw yeah.
Finally, I'd exclude Prometheus and Jason Todd. Prometheus, because we already have the "reversed-Batman-origins guy", Hush. Jason, because such an epic entry should have had a bit of anticipation in the previous games, like some easter eggs.
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These are my ideas. What do you think about the sequel? Do you agree with me? Or did you imagine something totally different?
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