Summary
With five mainline titles in theBatman: Arkhamtimeline, Batman wears suits unique to their respective game entry that have become famous among fans. However, as the games progressed, developers were kind enough to reward gamers with suits that replicated The Dark Knight’s various suits from comic book history.
Many of the comic book-inspired suits for Batman, as well as other characters, take different routes, some try to imitate the comics identically down to the art style, while others adapt the comic book design to fit the game’s visual style. They are a treat for not only gamers, but comic book readers who get a nice bit of nostalgia by seeing their favorite comics brought to life digitally.
101970s Batman Suit
Blue Has Always Worked On Batman
Fans of the classic gray and blue color scheme can enjoy this suit, which brings the Batman of the Bronze Era to life inBatman: Arkham City. The yellow insignia, vibrant blue cowl, and bright gray bodysuit are what make the respective suit of Batman during a time in the comics, when the stories returned to darker tones.
In the 70s, Batman was brought to life by creators such as Neal Adams, Dennis O’Neil, Len Wein, and Gardner Fox, creating a revamped version of Batman’s Golden Age design. It became the new standard for a long time, so much so that the suit was brought back inBatman: Arkham Knightto pay respect to a beloved era of Batman.
990s Catwoman Suit
Selina Kyle Starred And Slayed In The 90s
It is a shame that Catwoman and other characterscannot freely roam Gotham CityinBatman: Arkham Knightbecause they have well-made skins. Catwoman, for example, was gifted with a DLC suit from her solo comic run from 1993 to 2001 by Jo Duffy and Jim Balent, giving the character a then-modern design that harks back to her first appearance with the purple color scheme.
The skin inBatman: Arkham Knightcould have easily just pasted the skin onto Catwoman’s base design, but Rocksteady went even further by giving her a more comic accurate design with very long hair and wider, doll-like eyes.
8The Dark Knight Returns Suit
The Old Man Batman Who Beat Superman
The Dark Knight Returnswas a defining Batman graphic novel of the 1980s, with the idea of an older Batman coming out of retirement during a dystopian era. It influenced Batman heavily over the years in comics, animation,and even some live action movies, withBatman V Superman: Dawn Of Justicetook concepts and designs straight out of the comic.
Players can play as the stocky and older Batman in bothBatman: Arkham CityandArkham Knight. However, the Arkham Knight version keeps the same Bruce Wayne character model, which doesn’t fit the suit as well. However, Arkham City changes Batman to match how he looked in the graphic novel, with Bruce looking much more brutish with exaggerated body proportions.
7Flashpoint Batman Suit
Thomas Wayne Looks Even Scarier Than In The Comic
Batman: Arkham Knightstill has impressive visuals almost ten years later and Rocksteady used those visuals to create updated versions of famous suits that would not be ill-fitting for live-action movies. One of these cases is the Flashpoint Batman suit worn by Thomas Wayne inThe Flashpoint Paradoxstory, which showed an alternate timeline where Bruce Wayne was killed as a child.
Flashpoint Batman has always been more paramilitary in design and Rocksteady embraced that aspect, giving him plenty of armor, padding, and pouches to fit his gun-toting style. However, Rocksteady maintains the shoulder spikes and red eyes that he is known for asan evil version of Batman, resulting in a suit that is comic accurate while still updated to fit the realistic visuals.
6Batman Inc. Suit
When Bruce Wayne Came Back From The Dead
This short-lived suit from the comics is featured in bothArkham CityandArkham Knightand both games go a similar route, translating the suit to fit the highly detailed world that Rocksteady built. The Batman Inc. suit is when Bruceand some of his greatest alliesform an international team that protects more than just Gotham City.
Grant Morrison’sBatman Incorporateddesign mixes new and old together to create to fit a more superhero version of Batman that is more than a vigilante. He’s more armored, while still featuring a tried and true template for the character, and in both games, Batman can wear the suit throughout the story and challenge maps.
5Red Robin Suit
When Tim Drake Became A New But Familiar Hero
Tim Drake is known as the third Robin, but he is also known as Red Robin, which became his signature appearance after Batman died in the comics. For some, it helped turn Tim Drake into an iconic version of Robin, which made it an ideal inclusion when Robin became playable inBatman: Arkham City.
The cowled version of Robin allows Batman to show his respect towards his adoptive father, Bruce, while embracing a unique identity, similar to what Dick Grayson and Jason Todd did with Nightwing and Red Hood. Sadly, the Red Robin suit did not return inBatman: Arkham Knight, despite Tim Drake returning.
4Justice League 3000 Suit
The Cloned Dark Knight Of The Distant Future
Not everyBatman: Arkham Knightplayer was fortunate enough to get theJustice League 3000suit, as it was an exclusive for PlayStation owners. That didn’t stop Rocksteady from going all-out with the suit, with a design straight out of the comics in which DC’sgreatest heroes of the Justice Leagueare cloned as superbeings in the distant future.
Batman’s suit was drawn with a hexagonal mesh onto his fabric to help show that his suit was technologically advanced, and it was faithfully recreated inBatman: Arkham Knight. On top of that, Rocksteady even gave theJustice League 3000suit armor plates that move dynamically, showing how much they cared about the suits in the game.
3New 52 Batman Suit
The Batman That Helped Define The 2011 DC Reboot
Batman: Arkham Knightcame out toward the end of the New 52 era, when Batman was always designed to be covered in high-tech armor. So, it makes sense that of all the comic book suits to be added to the game, the New 52 design fits Rocksteady’s Batman.
It has all the plate lines that DC fans know and love about the New 52 Batman, which went up againstmany iconic and evil villains,including the Court Of Owls and Darkseid. The developers even managed to capture the bulky proportions seen in Greg Capullo’s artwork with bulbous shoulders and the logo that spans across the entire chest.
2Noël Batman Suit
The Perfect Suit For The Holiday Season
WithBatman: Arkham Originstaking place on Christmas Eve, no suit fits better than theBatman: Noëlskin, which is taken straight off the page of Lee Bermejo’s illustrations. It has the symbol connected to the cape, the more rugged Kevlar-esque material, and a militaristic utility belt.
Lee Bermejo’s Batman has become an iconic suit in the comics sinceBatman: Noëlcame out in 2011. Not only was itfeatured in the famous prequel game, but fans loved it so much that Rocksteady brought it back inBatman: Arkham Knight, where it looks even better with the enhanced fidelity.
1First Appearance Batman Suit
The Batman Suit That Started All Batman Suits
Batman and DC wouldn’t be what they are today withoutDetective Comics #27, and Rocksteady paid tribute to that by including the original Batman suit inBatman: Arkham Knight. The long slanted ears are present alongside the purple gloves, earless symbol, and shorter cape, a design that continues to influence modern Batman suits, includingBatman: Caped Crusader.
While the suit first appeared inBatman: Arkham Origins, theArkham Knightversion improved on it in nearly every way, down to the detail of the fabric of the suit looking like Batman is wearing a modified longsleeve shirt. The First Appearance suit may not fit the technologically advanced style ofArkham Knight, but it remains a historical suit to traverse Gotham City with.
