The Batman: Arkham series redefined what a superhero video game could be! The video game series has received praise worldwide for its incredible combat, stellar voice acting, and dark atmosphere.

Rocksteady Studios nailed the look of the most iconic DC characters throughout the series. However, a few design choices left fans scratching their heads. We have tried to nail down the five worst ones right here.

1. Gordon (Arkham Asylum & Arkham City)

Gordon has never looked this old before | Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

 Gordon’s voice acting was top-tier in both games, with Tom Kane (Asylum) and David Kaye (City) nailing their parts. The character’s physical design in the first two games felt incredibly out of place.

Gordon was supposed to be around 50 years old during the games, but looked like he was pushing 90! His small, strangely circular face looked out of place against the grittier aesthetic of the other characters in the game.

2. Titan Joker (Arkham Asylum)

The entire finale felt weird because of this design choice | Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

The Joker is famously known for being a scrawny, maniacal mastermind. This is exactly why his Titan transformation at the end of Arkham Asylum felt so wrong. It felt lazy and uninspired!

Let’s be real, that was just the Joker head (with a weird Mohawk) slapped onto a generic Titan monster that players had been battling throughout the game. The Joker’s Titan persona stripped away all of the villain’s psychological menace in favor of a poorly done brute aesthetic.

3. Scarecrow (Arkham Asylum)

One of the most confusing character designs ever | Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

While his nightmare sequences were legendary, Scarecrow’s actual physical outfit in Arkham Asylum was just mid. His entire getup was a bit silly!

He was running around shirtless for no practical reason with that unexplained hangman’s noose around his neck. The design felt more like a warped cartoon sketch rather than a terrifying threat. Rocksteady recognized this and course-corrected in Arkham Knight.

4. Killer Croc (Arkham Knight – Season of Infamy)

Killer Croc didn’t look as menacing as before | Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

In Arkham Asylum and Warner Bros. Games Montreal’s Arkham Origins, Killer Croc was a massive, muscular powerhouse. His design captured the essence of a true apex predator. All that changed in Arkham Knight’s DLC.

In the Season of Infamy DLC, Killer Croc’s physique was drastically altered. He was given a massive beer gut, a heavily hunched posture, and a mutated tail. Hence, instead of looking like a lethal animal, he looked severely out of shape and past his prime.

5. Bane (Arkham Asylum & Arkham City)

Bane was a shadow of himself in the early Arkham games | Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Bane is famous for being the rare villain who matches Batman in both physical strength and tactical genius. Unfortunately, Rocksteady skipped all of that in the first two games.

His design in Arkham Asylum completely ignored his intellect! They turned him into a brainless, hulking beefcake strapped with Venom tubes. He didn’t look the part of a master strategist in Asylum or during his brief appearance in City. Bane looked like a lumbering and generic henchman.

CharacterGame AppearanceMain Design ComplaintCommissioner GordonArkham Asylum / CityLooked far too old, lifeless, and jarringly cartoony.Titan JokerArkham AsylumGeneric monster body with a bizarre mohawk that ruined his persona.ScarecrowArkham AsylumUnexplained shirtless design with a silly noose, lacking true horror.Killer CrocArkham Knight (DLC)Lost his athletic, apex-predator physique in favor of a massive beer gut.BaneArkham Asylum / CityStripped of his tactical genius and reduced to a brainless, hulking stereotype.

Why did Killer Croc look so different in Arkham Knight?

By the time of the Season of Infamy DLC, extreme experimentation at Iron Heights prison had severely worsened Croc’s mutation, altering his posture and giving him a more reptilian, less humanoid appearance.

Did Bane’s design ever improve in the series?

Yes. In the prequel game Batman: Arkham Origins, developed by Warner Bros. Games Montreal, Bane was depicted accurately as a highly intelligent, tactical mercenary with a militaristic design

Was Titan Joker in the comics?

No, Titan Joker was an original creation for Arkham Asylum to serve as the final boss battle.

Which character design from the Batman Arkham series is your least favorite? Let us know in the comments.
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