1 Upcoming Batman Release Can Change A 35 Year Dark Knight Trend For The Better

The DCU’s upcoming Arkham Asylum show can change a long-term Batman villain trend for the better with its depiction of Gotham’s underworld. While Batman’s antagonists are arguably one of the best parts of his franchise, they’re also an aspect that have often been handled very consistently across the course of his live-action history, which has garnered some complaints over the years.

One of the most prominent of these is that, despite having a massive list of antagonists who have sought to thwart the Caped Crusader, the actual range of villains in the lion’s share of Batman releases can often be quite low. For example, there have been nine live-action Joker iterations thus far, and his own movie series to boot – and though the majority of these performances have been stellar, they miss out on the chance to bring new faces and novel antagonists to the forefront and give them depth and personality. However, the DCU release schedule looks set to address this via its upcoming Arkham Asylum show.

DCU’s Arkham Asylum Show Can Establish A Rogue’s Gallery Before Batman

The DCU Arkham Asylum show immediately sets the franchise up for a very different delivery of Batman’s iconic rogue’s gallery. Not only will a seemingly broad selection of villains be introduced before the Dark Knight himself, but their debut being alongside one another means the focus can be on a wider selection of figures, detailing their interactions with one another and Arkham staff at large.

With the on-screen franchise having largely focused more squarely on single villains for most of its history, this angle serves to provide a fresh take on Batman’s enemies that celebrates how many unique and unusual antagonists the hero has had over his 85-year-comic timeline. It also ensures that the specific dynamics between the Dark Knight and several villains can be touched on before they potentially become bigger storylines, as the reason many villains are in Arkham no doubt rests squarely on the Caped Crusader’s shoulders.

DCU’s Batman Show Setup Means A Range Of Villains Can Get Proper Depth

While not every Batman movie or show has focused on big-name, much-adapted figures like the Joker when it comes to antagonists, many of the Dark Knight’s villains have gotten little to no time in the spotlight. Even series like Gotham that did provide a closer look at these more untapped figures weren’t able to fully showcase how they’d operate as Batman villains, given Bruce Wayne is only shown as Batman towards the very tail end of the five seasons of the show – and similarly, other DC shows have often had members of Batman’s rogue’s gallery, but no Batman himself.

The premise of an Arkham Asylum show inherently allows for this to be the case for the DCU, however, due to it inherently working best with a wide range of figures, who would then all logically get some considerable time dedicated to their characters. It’s also worth keeping in mind that these villains being in confinement naturally makes their differing personalities and the quirks that come with them a focal feature, meaning it’s almost impossible to not finish the first Batman show without a wide-reaching and detailed rogue’s gallery.

Seeing how characters deal with these largely adverse environments can show a lot about their characterization and arc for even background figures, which is especially promising when DCU co-CEO James Gunn’s history with adapting a wide range of less well-known superhero characters is taken into account.

DCU’s Batman Approach Opens Up Countless Possibilities

The confirmed DCU character roster so far – and the cast list for 2025’s Superman movie – has already established that the franchise will be following on with Gunn’s trend of using underrated and underappreciated figures from DC’s comic book history. The Suicide Squad established the co-CEO may also have something of a soft spot for the weirder and wilder villains from the franchise’s history, with figures such as Arm-Fall-Off-Boy getting adaptations onto the big screen for the first ever time.

As such, opening Batman’s DCU tenure with a series that can be dedicated to showing as many villains in as much detail as is possible truly opens the floodgates for the most eccentric, unexpected, and exciting villain roster going forward. The Arkham Asylum show was one of the franchise’s more surprising announcements, but also one that feels perfect for the start of a new cinematic universe, as it’s a perfect chance to start off countless storylines in a way that ensures the DCU feels distinct all the while.