10 Positives Of The Batman’s Arkham Spin-Off Moving To The DCU

It has been revealed that the Matt-Reeves-produced Arkham Asylum spin-off series will take place in the DCU, rather than the world of The Batman. Having directed such a successful Batman adaptation with the 2022 movie, excitement has been bubbling for future content set in Reeves’ moody Gotham, with Arkham Asylum being the primary entry to look forward to other than The Batman‘s direct sequel. However, recent news has saw the project become enveloped into the burgeoning DCU, becoming a recruit for the newest cinematic superhero universe.

At first glance, this news might be regarded wearily, with worry running rampant about the possible confusion for general audiences caused by having the director of one of the most critically-acclaimed Batman movies of the past decade attached to a Batman-adjacent project in a different universe. On a closer examination, there are some truly exciting aspects of the series’ incorporation into the DCU. Even if Paul Dano’s Riddler or Jeffery Wright’s Commissioner Gordon won’t be making a repeat appearance, getting a look at the DCU’s Arkham Asylum leaves plenty to anticipate.

10 More Supernatural Villains Fit Outside Reeves’ Universe

The DCU opens up more possibilities for Arkham Asylum

Matt Reeves’ The Batman was one of the most grounded and realistic Batman movies, having few elements that couldn’t bridge the gap into the realm of possibility in the real world. While this did contribute to a compelling, atmospheric Batman story, as far as Arkham is concerned, limiting the facility’s rogues gallery to the unpowered would leave a lot of storytelling possibilities on the table. By utilizing the DCU, Reeves will be able to incorporate more supernatural villains, like Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc and Poison Ivy, keeping the variety of Arkham’s inmates greater while opening up more options for the story.

9 Arkham Asylum Can Introduce A New Joker

The Clown Prince of Crime could receive a new iteration

There have been a great many movie adaptations of The Clown Prince of Crime over the years, including a version already existing in Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe via a deleted scene that sees Batman speaking with Joker. Now that Arkham Asylum has been confirmed to take place in the DCU instead, audiences could expect a brand-new version of the infamous villain. The episodic format will be a great way to develop a new Joker in the DCU, allowing him to be directly embedded into future films without the need for a lengthy origin sequence.

8 Batman Has Been Operating For Years

More villains will be incarcerated at Arkham

The Batman depicted a younger, more green Bruce Wayne that was still in the process of cutting his teeth on being a masked vigilante, only being two year in to his career as Batman. Conversely, the DCU’s Batman will likely skew older, considering the confirmed details for Batman: The Brave & The Bold imply an already-established Bat-Family. Having Arkham Asylum take place alongside a Batman further in his career means that more villains will have been incarcerated at Arkham already, opening up the cast size by a significant margin compared to Robert Pattinson’s greener Dark Knight.

7 The Return Of Harley Quinn Will Be An Easier Sell

Spending more time on Dr. Harleen Quinzel will help endear the character

Harley Quinn managed to make three standout appearances in the DCEU, becoming somewhat of a focal point within the franchise. Without Arkham Asylum, it might be hard for the DCU to one again sell audiences on the character’s inclusion, considering she already got so much time in the spotlight. The series provides an option to instead introduce Dr. Harleen Quinzel first, showing her slow transformation into Harley Quinn and the hands of the Joker and freshening up Harley’s story by setting it earlier in her biography.

6 Reeves Can Bring His Proven Talent To The DCU

The DCU needs creatives like Reeves in order to succeed

The Batman was a critical and box-office success, taking away the title of the seventh-highest grossing film of 2022 while maintaining a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating in the eighties for both audiences and critics. Suffice to say, Matt Reeves clearly understands how a Batman story should work, and DC fans should be excited that his talents will be lent to the nascent DCU. The new cinematic franchise will need a steady injection of proven creative talent, and Reeves’ track record for DC storytelling is a great sign for the health of the universe.

5 Arkham Could Introduce Amanda Waller To The DCU

The villain-collecting mastermind would have a great presence in Arkham

One of the few characters to survive the jump from the DCEU to the DCU, Viola Davis’ classic portrayal of Amanda Waller has been confirmed to return, poised to star in her own series, Waller. While it’s unclear at the time of writing whether Waller or Arkham Asylum will release first, there’s an obvious opportunity to further link the DCU together with the two shows. A hive of contained villainy such as Akrham Asylum is sure to draw in Waller, eager to scout new talent for her employ. Arkham Asylum in the DCU could provide Waller with a whole new roster of disposable villains to use later on.

4 Other Heroes’ Villains Could Be Introduced Through Arkham

Batman isn’t the only one whose villains have been interred at the facility

In the comics, Arkham Asylum has a long history of housing super-criminals from across the DC universe, not just Gotham. In the past, the institution has also seen the likes of Black Manta and Cheetah, Aquaman and Wonder Woman villains, respectively. In this way, Arkham Asylum could be a fantastic way to introduce not only Batman villains, but antagonists across the entire DCU, sowing the seeds for their later arrival in subsequent entries and setting up the introduction of familiar heroes into the series.

3 Arkham Could Give Other Bat-Family Members A Chance To Shine

The DCU’s Batman will already have a team together

Of the few details known about the DCU’s first Batman movie, Batman: Brave and the Bold, the most significant is James Gunn’s inclusion of Robin, and possibly even more members of Batman’s expanded roster of apprentice crimefighters. While it’s great that a live-action movie will feature the Bat-Family for the first time in decades, it’s unlikely that each member of Batman’s crew will have a chance to truly shine, or even an appearance, throughout the course of only a single feature-length film. The Arkham Asylum series could be a great way to isolate individual Bat-Family members and give them their own focused arcs.

2 Commissioner Gordon And The Gotham PD Will Get A Chance To Shine

The Police force’s own show has been rolled into Arkham

Originally, James Gunn had discussed the possibility of a Gotham PD show, chronicling the trials of Gotham’s overworked public servants. Recent updates have confirmed that Gotham PD has evolved into the Arkham Asylum series, merging the two narratives into a single cohesive saga. If Arkham Asylum had stayed in the Matt Reeves The Batman universe, this wouldn’t have been possible, leaving a lot of narrative possibilities for the often-overshadowed Gotham City police department on the table.

1 The Batman Doesn’t Need An Ever-Expanding Villain Roster

Arkham Asylum will serve the DCU much better as a series

The Batman was a moody, character-driven noir film that used Batman as a setting and a character, rather than a tentpole around which to organize a cinematic universe. As such, the world of the Matt Reeves’ standalone film doesn’t need the level of fleshing out an Arkham Asylum series would provide — If anything, over-explanation of Matt Reeves’ Gotham would only serve to de-mystify the story with needless worldbuilding. On the other hand, the DCU needs as much development as it can get, considering its status as a flagship franchise for Warner Bros, meaning Arkham Asylum will serve it much better than The Batman.