Summary
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguehas arguably made some questionable decisions with the various characters it has included from DC’s roster, and the newest addition of The Joker raises some serious questions. The Joker was the first big post-launch update afterSuicide Squad’s launch, but when it comes to the character’s mode of traversal across the game’s map, developer Rocksteady has made an interesting choice.
It’s not exactly been smooth sailing for Rocksteady’sSuicide Squadgame since launch. The game failed to meet the sales expectations of Warner Bros. and evenled PlayStation to offer refundsto some players who were unhappy with the game’s performance. After the success of Rocksteady’sArkhamseries,Suicide Squad’s focus on live service gameplay just didn’t land as well as the studio’s previous projects. While the launch of Season 1 ofSuicide Squadwas a chance to bounce back with the inclusion of The Joker, one major aspect of the character’s kit is a head scratcher: his rocket umbrella.
The Joker’s Umbrella Is a Staple Weapon For Another DC Villain
In order to get acrossSuicide Squad’s map, The Joker uses a rocket-powered umbrella. The mode of transportation is indeed a fun way to get around Metropolis, but the rocket umbrella isn’t a Joker staple at all, as instead, fancy umbrellas are the signature weapon of the Penguin. While Penguin’s umbrellas usually offer built-in weapons like blades and guns, the site of another DC villain using an over-the-top umbrella is startling nonetheless. Certaincharacter changes inSuicide Squadhave been divisive for some players, and The Joker seemingly having Penguin’s umbrella, or one similar to it, doesn’t make much sense for the villain.
The Origins of The Joker’s Rocket Umbrella
The Joker’s use of this high-tech umbrella might make one wonder whether the item is actually Penguin’s or not. AlthoughPenguin is inSuicide Squad, the game’s version of The Joker is an Elseworld variant, so perhaps he could have gotten the umbrella from another variant of Penguin. This could be an explanation that might make its way intoSuicide Squad’s story later on, but it’s interesting that it’s never addressed outright, since Penguin’s umbrella weapons are one of the most iconic parts of the character.
Elseworld stories are alternate reality narratives that don’t take place inside the established canon of DC Comics.
This isn’t the only strange direction thatSuicide Squadhas taken with The Joker. FromThe Joker not interacting with other charactersto the absence of any meaningful story around the iconic villain, the choice to give him Penguin’s well-established weapon of choice is another odd choice. For this to be such a well known character trait for Penguin, it will be interesting to see ifSuicide Squadever acknowledges this. Since this is obviously a younger version of The Joker, he could still be finding his way as a villain, leading him to potentially steal the idea from Penguin simply because he thought it was cool. However, without a substantial story revolving around the character, these questions remain unanswered.
Although the handling of The Joker inSuicide Squadis different from what was expected, there is still a chance that the game dives deeper into the character in the future. This is just an introduction, after all, so more backstory behind this version of The Joker would be great to see. Thanks to leaks, there is already news ofSuicide Squad’s future content, as the game is supposedly planning to introduce Deathstroke to the mix. With more villains on the way, deeper stories revolving around Task Force X will hopefully follow.
SinceSuicide Squadis a live service title, regular updates will play a major role in the game’s longevity, and it would be a letdown if The Joker was purely added as a way to get players excited about Season 1’s gameplay with no plans to showcase more of the character’s story.DC games have experienced a rough patch, but hopefully The Joker and his random use of a rocket-powered umbrella will eventually be explained.
