Batman/Characters/Arkham Series

A character sheet for characters appearing within the Rocksteady Studios-produced Batman games; Batman Arkham Asylum and Batman Arkham City.

Batman/Bruce Wayne
"Voiced by: Kevin Conroy"



"Oracle: How did you keep this a secret?
 * Anti-Hero: Type II in the first game, Type III in Arkham City.
 * The Ace: His character bio even makes sure you know that he's in peak human physical and mental condition.
 * Broken Ace: Especially noticeable in Arkham City, when Batman wants to
 * And Your Reward Is Clothes: Arkham City has a number of DLC costumes, including 70s Neal Adams, The Dark Knight Returns, Animated, Batman Beyond, Batman Inc., and Sinestro Corps.
 * Badass
 * Badass Baritone
 * Badass in Distress:
 * Badass Normal
 * Badass Cape
 * Cape Wings
 * Blue Eyes
 * Midnight Blue Eyes
 * Bruce Wayne Held Hostage: How he ends up in Arkham City.
 * Building Swing: With his Grappling Hook Gun.
 * Charles Atlas Superpower
 * Combat Pragmatist: Batman only has one rule. Everything else is fair game.
 * The Cowl
 * Crazy Prepared: He secretly built a Batcave underneath Arkham Asylum just in case something were to happen there. Oracle is particularly surprised, resulting in the situation being Lampshaded;

Batman: ...It's me, remember?"

"Oracle: Are you okay? The tower blew up.
 * In Arkham City, Alfred comments on Batman's constant equipment drop requests, asking if he considered a larger utility belt. Batman says that he did, but that it was too large and slowed him down.
 * One of the most impressive feats of Crazy Preparedness in Arkham City comes in "Harley Quinn's Revenge", where, as in the comics,
 * Dating Catwoman: The first thing that he did as soon as he got his Batman gear back was to rescue Catwoman from Two-Face. He also has some of this with Talia.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Gains a more sardonic edge to his usual straight-laced demeanor in the second installment, likely due to stress.

Batman: I noticed."

"Oracle:
 * The Determinator: "I'll never let you win. Never."
 * The Dreaded
 * Genius Bruiser
 * Genre Savvy: It's Batman, what do you expect?
 * Good Is Not Nice: Listen to the things he says to the Riddler's informants (not to mention knocking them out anyways).
 * Let's not forget when he starts playing hardball with Mr. Freeze when he needs information on Freeze's gun. Though he doesn't kill Freeze, he certainly bluffed pretty hard with that life-support liquid.
 * Heroic BSOD: The Scarecrow battles are implied to be these. In addition, he is strongly affected by, to the point where after the ending of Batman Arkham City, he is still reeling from it.
 * Heroic Willpower:
 * He manages to fight off the effects of Scarecrow's fear toxin, from a dosage that would have been enough to drive ten men insane.
 * He manages to hold off the effects of the Titan formula, and stop himself from transforming for a prolonged period of time until he injects himself with the antidote, even with Joker trying to break his concentration, and convince him to give in, the entire time.

Batman:"

"Batman: (to Ra's al Ghul) I will never kill. Not even you."
 * He also fights off the Mad Hatter's mind control. It doesn't matter if it's in his head or his blood, Batman will fight it.
 * High Altitude Interrogation: Batman can question Riddler's henchmen in this manner, provided the player is close enough to interact with a nearby ledge. Also his preferred method of questioning in a cutscene.
 * Hurting Hero: He shows signs of this a third of the way into Arkham City, and he gets even worse in Harley Quinn's Revenge.
 * Hyperspace Arsenal: He can even keep inventions he jury-rigs himself on the fly (the REC) or gets from others (the Freeze Blasts and Freeze Clusters) on him, even though his utility belt isn't even built for that.
 * Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
 * Lantern Jaw of Justice
 * Mighty Glacier: He's not as fast as Catwoman, Robin, or Nightwing, but he's much stronger and has higher maximum upgraded body armor.
 * Neck Lift
 * Not So Above It All: Batman's pride is a serious issue; a large section of the problems he faces in City could have been avoided if he had simply gone with the flow. He stubbornly refuses help from anyone even when it would clearly help, like when . He refuses to take orders from anyone; the entire boss fight with Mr. Freeze could have been avoided if he had simply agreed to . Finally, he is so dead set on doing what he wants, he was willing to.
 * This happens after getting injected with Joker's blood. See Sanity Slippage.
 * Not quite. As shown in "Harley Quinn's Revenge", he remains about as brutal after that problem is solved.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: As Bruce Wayne.
 * Offhand Backhand: Can be pulled off. However, the version most fans are familiar with is saved for a cutscene near the end of the first game.
 * Parental Abandonment: HIS PARENTS ARE DEEAAAAAAAD!!!
 * Parental Substitute: To Robin. Which Strange analyzes in the Catwoman tapes.
 * Perpetual Frowner
 * Rich Idiot With No Day Job
 * Sanity Slippage: It's implied that being injected with Joker's blood is taking a toll on Batman's sanity. For starters, when he defeated Mr. Freeze, he hallucinates Joker's laughing head on Freeze's body.
 * Shut UP, Hannibal: Don't bother trying a Hannibal Lecture on him. Just don't. He's kind of sick of it by now. Bones will break.
 * Smoke Out
 * Technical Pacifist
 * Thou Shalt Not Kill: However rough he is on criminals, Batman would never intentionally kill one of them,
 * Technical Pacifist
 * Thou Shalt Not Kill: However rough he is on criminals, Batman would never intentionally kill one of them,

"Robin: Ever heard of "thank you"? ... I guess not."
 * Took a Level In Jerkass: Arkham City all the way. At times, even allies get shouted at or angrily dismissed. It's implied in-game that a large percentage of his increase of jerkishness was the result of being injected with Joker's blood, not to mention apprehension over it being sent to hospitals in Gotham.
 * Ungrateful Bastard: Sort of called out on this by Robin after the latter


 * Robin  again, and Batman still doesn't say thank you, or otherwise acknowledge his assistance. Really, it can only be explained by his rather severe depressive episode (brought about by the game's events, natch)
 * With My Hands Tied: At the beginning of Arkham City, as Bruce Wayne, not Batman.
 * Would Hit a Girl: Somewhat justified given that the girls in question are actively trying to kill him.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: In Arkham City, Batman will occasionally DDT his opponents when performing a noisy Takedown, and one of his double counters is a northern lights suplex.

The Joker
"Voiced by: Mark Hamill"



"Joker: You're making me late for my spa treatment! hottip:*:Note: . (laughs) Oh, I'm sorry. [[Too Soon?|undefined"
 * Actually Pretty Funny: Almost spoken word for word to Batman.
 * Arch Enemy
 * Are We There Yet?: Asks this in the prequel comic to the first game, while handcuffed in the Batmobile. Batman's response is simple but effective.
 * Yet again in the prequel comic to the second game, as he's being transferred down the hallway while strapped in a wheelchair. The guard takes it in stride.
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: Enforced at the end of the first game where he pulls a One-Winged Angel. Otherwise, he's more than capable to beat up a room of guards, including Cash and Gordon. Next to Batman, though, he's an Elite Mook with Contractual Boss Immunity, or at least
 * Ax Crazy
 * Backstab Backfire:
 * Bad Boss: Threatens his men with death if they don't succeed at following his orders... and then muses that killing them would probably be fun anyway. Lampshaded, since after these announcements, many of his men can be heard grumbling about how much it sucks working for the Joker.
 * Batman Gambit: The events of the first game could've been avoided entirely or drastically changed if someone had put proper handcuffs behind Joker's back, or simply left him in full restraints.
 * Another possibility would be when he yells "boo" at the medic, while 4 or 5 guards are pointing rifles. If just one of those guards had overreacted...
 * Big Bad: Of the first game.
 * Body Horror: Big time with this incarnation. In Arkham Asylum, he . And in Arkham City, he's extremely sick, and his face is one large, disgusting rash.
 * Card-Carrying Villain
 * The Chessmaster: Let's see: he organized the development of a secret Titan project, arranged for the supervillains he needed to be at Arkham during his plan, arranged for Blackgate to be burned down, and planned his own recapture and escape, doing most of this from his own jail cell. After his escape, he manipulated Batman into wandering around Arkham until he was ready for their final confrontation.
 * Combat Pragmatist
 * Create Your Own Villain: The only consistent thing in all his back stories is Batman.
 * Deal With the Devil: Joker's interview tapes with Hugo Strange reveal that he is willing to work with the guy in exchange for making his last days of his life "more comfortable."
 * Electric Joy Buzzer: One of his take downs.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Well, it's closer to "Even Insanity Has Standards", but shortly after he released the Arkham lunatics, he gives various (serious) messages to his inmates to put down the lunatics if they ever encounter them laced into his (otherwise) Trolling messages, and the exchange between Harley and Joker suggests that he only did so as a last resort to stop Batman and not as part of his original plans, which gives the heavy implication that even the Joker, someone who definitely isn't a shining example of sanity, was horrified with the nature of their insanity.
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
 * Evil Laugh: What'd you expect?
 * Faux Affably Evil: He's so damn entertaining, yet at the same time is completely monstrous.
 * Fighting Clown
 * Foreshadowing: He pretty much if you choose not to jump out of the church immediately when he activates the bombs.
 * For the Evulz
 * Groin Attack: Some of the Joker's finishers invoke this trope.
 * Gross Up Close Up: The first time Joker reveals his mangled face in Arkham City.
 * Happily Married: One of the Joker mooks will mention that he heard that Joker and Harley Quinn got married, whereas the other mentioned that he heard that he dumped her several months ago. Given the fact that she's present with the Joker,, it's implied that the former part was true, and more or less outright stated in '"Harley Quinn's Revenge" when Quinn calls herself.
 * Unholy Matrimony
 * The Hyena
 * I Surrender, Suckers: As stated in the Trojan Prisoner section, this is the reason he was able to take over Arkham Asylum in the first game. Also done in the second game, where Joker seemed to give up easily in three knockdowns and claim that Batman won, only for him to then realize that he meant that Batman should beat him and his goons (including Mr. Hammer and a titan-laced mook).
 * Joke Character: Not so much in the combat challenges, but in the predator ones, you're gonna have to bring your a-game between not using gargoyles and having to stand still while using the x-ray glasses.
 * Joker Immunity:.
 * Kick the Dog:
 * The Hyena
 * I Surrender, Suckers: As stated in the Trojan Prisoner section, this is the reason he was able to take over Arkham Asylum in the first game. Also done in the second game, where Joker seemed to give up easily in three knockdowns and claim that Batman won, only for him to then realize that he meant that Batman should beat him and his goons (including Mr. Hammer and a titan-laced mook).
 * Joke Character: Not so much in the combat challenges, but in the predator ones, you're gonna have to bring your a-game between not using gargoyles and having to stand still while using the x-ray glasses.
 * Joker Immunity:.
 * Kick the Dog:
 * Kick the Dog:


 * Large Ham: A deliberate contrast to Batman.
 * Last Day to Live: Thanks to his Titan overdose in Arkham Asylum, by the time Arkham City starts, Joker has contracted a deadly disease, leaving him with only months to live.
 * Laughing Mad: It's The Joker. What did you expect?
 * Lean and Mean: A more typical example in the first game, but once he falls ill, his body absolutely withers away.
 * The Mad Hatter
 * Monster Clown: As well as his normal state, he becomes a literal one at the end of the first game, after shooting himself with the Titan formula. His appearance in the second game also seems to come close to a literal interpretation of the trope, given his disease-induced deformities.
 * Muscles Are Meaningless: He is fully capable of beating up (and killing) several guards and security officers at once, all of whom having heavier frames than him, as well as body armor.
 * Multiple Choice Past: Just like how he is depicted in the comics, the Joker is implied to have told multiple renditions of his childhood, one of which involved Retirony in regards to his father's cop status.
 * In Batman Arkham City, he even quotes the comics, saying someone once told him to go for the multiple choice option.
 * Not Me This Time: Batman accuses Joker of being involved in Protocol 10. Joker, upon hearing it, denies any knowledge of it.
 * Also, when Batman first finds, the player might naturally assume that Joker is back to . However, nearing the end of the game, it becomes especially apparent that this time, he wasn't responsible for
 * One-Winged Angel: At the end of Asylum.
 * Perpetual Smiler:
 * Playing Sick: Subverted: Batman initially guesses that The Joker was actually faking his illness after Joker ambushed him by seemingly using a Body Double to fake his death, only for the Joker to reveal that he is in fact really sick, even going so far as to reveal his disease-laced sores on his face.
 * Reality Ensues: Uses this against by simply shooting  In the Back instead of trying to fight someone he couldn't take in a fair fight. For added Irony,  tried to do something similar to him with  earlier, but
 * Joker also suffers Reality Ensues himself when
 * Taking You With Me: Part of a gambit in the second game
 * Too Soon: Invoked. See Kick the Dog.
 * Trojan Prisoner: Batman is convinced the Joker went down too easily, during his capture at the beginning of the first game. Of course, he's right.
 * Villainous Widows Peak: Goes beyond "Male-pattern baldness" and into "impossibly exaggerated" territory, especially in Arkham City.
 * Wild Card:
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair
 * You Gotta Have Green Hair

Catwoman\Selina Kyle
"Voiced by: Grey Delisle"




 * Absolute Cleavage
 * Vapor Wear: She is obviously not wearing a bra.
 * And Now for Someone Completely Different
 * And Your Reward Is Clothes: Her alternate costumes include Animated and The Long Halloween.
 * Anti-Hero: Type III or IV, at least after choosing to save Batman. At first she's an...
 * Anti-Villain: Type I.
 * Badass Normal
 * Bait the Dog: She strikes a deal with Ivy to retrieve her orchid in return to clearing a way to Strange's vault (where the orchid is),
 * Caltrops
 * Ceiling Cling
 * Classy Cat Burglar
 * Combat Stilettos
 * Dance Battler
 * Dark Action Girl: While she's still not evil, her actions show that her morals aren't that up to par yet. She even comments about when she started getting a conscience and actually hesitated whether to let Batman die or not.
 * Deadpan Snarker: You thought Alfred was bad? Her whole dialogue oozes sass as well as her thoughts.
 * The Dev Team Thinks of Everything: There are secret doors in Wayne Manor that Catwoman can't use.
 * Femme Fatale
 * Fragile Speedster
 * Freudian Excuse: In an interesting conversation found on the interview tapes, Hugo Strange comes to the conclusion that Selina might suffer from this more than even she is aware of. From his analysis, she despises men because her father abandoned her, and this is the reason that she can't come to trust Batman. Still, she loves him and seeks his approval, and the way she goes about this is to get his attention by stealing and dressing seductively.
 * Goggles Do Something Unusual
 * Green Eyes: The game made them particularly striking.
 * Moral Dilemma <--> Friend or Idol Decision. While Batman isn't exactly her friend, she does meet this trope twice. The first one, subtly, consisted of helping/saving him when he was confronting the Joker or getting into the vault. It wasn't difficult. The second one was much more grave, and she either had to save Batman from the verge of death or get out of Arkham City with the loot she recently gained. She placed more consideration for this decision.
 * Ms. Fanservice
 * Murderous Thighs
 * Parental Substitute: To Holly Robinson. In her interview tapes, Hugo Strange draws parallels between her relationship with Holly to Batman's relationship with Robin.
 * Pungeon Master
 * Sensual Spandex
 * She Fu
 * The Tease
 * Third Person Seductress
 * Victoria's Secret Compartment: She seems to hide the palm pilot, that she had stolen from Two-Face, from Batman this way.
 * Whip It Good
 * Wolverine Claws: Two-Face will no doubt vouch for that.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Most of her moves would fit right in Lucha Libra style matches like her frankensteiner take down.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Most of her moves would fit right in Lucha Libra style matches like her frankensteiner take down.

Robin/Tim Drake
"Voiced by: Troy Baker"



"Thug: "I'm sorry, I thought you were some kind of joke! Please don't hurt me!""
 * Action Genre Hero Guy
 * Adaptational Badass/Darker and Edgier: Whilst the comic book Drake is by no means un-badass, his Arkham City appearance definitely seems to be aiming for a grittier approach to the character, with a far more chiseled and muscled appearance, a shaved head, and the idea that he takes part in cage-fighting in his spare time.
 * And Your Reward Is Clothes: His DLC costumes include Animated and Red Robin.
 * Badass Cape: Though less badass and versatile of a cape than Batman's, his still is used in stun maneuvers and gliding.
 * Badass Normal
 * Big Damn Heroes: Saves Batman from Ra's Al Ghul's assassins. Also.
 * Brought To You By The Letter R: He also draws an R when spraying Explosive Gel.
 * Combat Pragmatist: Well, he has been trained by Batman. And he really likes whacking people with that staff of his.
 * Composite Character: He is Tim Drake, but his character design is a combination of his original costume and Damian's. He also has a shaved head like Adult!Damian. His coping with Batman's tendencies towards callousness echoes Dick Grayson's own issues prior to making the shift to Nightwing.
 * Domino Mask
 * Expecting Someone Taller: Inverted. One of the cops he rescues from Harley comments that he expected Robin to be shorter.
 * Fan Nickname: Robin Hood.1940.
 * Fingerless Gloves
 * Grappling Hook Gun: Unlike when Batman or Nightwing uses it on Mooks, he pulls himself toward them for a kick, not vice versa for a punch.
 * In the Hood: Like Damian Wayne in the comics, this version of Tim has a hood as part of his Robin costume.
 * Just a Kid: Despite being in his late teens at the youngest. Unlike Batman, Robin is seen as something of a Tagalong Kid by Gotham's criminals and isn't taken seriously until you start picking them off.


 * The Lancer: More personable and less gruff than Batman, though no less competent in combat.
 * Legacy Character: There's one mention of the existence of Jason Todd when Joker mentions in his Challenge that he thought that he already killed him, and his profile mentions that he's a successor of Dick Grayson in the role of Robin.
 * Lightning Bruiser: In spades. Playing him in the Challenge maps makes Batman feel like a sluggish tank and Catwoman underpowered.
 * Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: His staff has a built-in shield that can block bullets and steam, though the former is not indefinitely.
 * Shield-Bash: He can also hit enemies with it.
 * One Scene Boy Wonder: Appears in one single cutscene of the game's story, in which he takes down two of the League of Assassin's members confronting Batman, before being given a sample of Bruce's blood to analyze and being told he's needed in Gotham while Batman deals with Arkham City
 * Gets more screentime in the Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC.
 * Sidekick
 * Simple Staff: Noted because Tim Drake is often touted as the best staff user in DC. It shows in his combat.
 * Smoke Out
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: Seems to give off that vibe - he tries to act cool and bold around Batman, but every time he sounds very deflated when he doesn't thank him nor
 * You Fight Like a Cow: When fighting Harley in the comic.

Nightwing/Dick Grayson
"Voiced by: None"



"Thug #1: Who the hell is Nightwing? Does he work for Batman?
 * Badass Normal
 * Blue Eyes
 * Midnight Blue Eyes
 * Circus Brat: And his history as an acrobat shows in his combat. He generally whips around the battlefield like gravity is just a suggestion. Only Catwoman is more flexible, and he's just as fast.
 * Combat Pragmatist: But of course. And one of his moves is a boot to the face. He also has a tendency to smash enemies' faces into any nearby furniture or fixtures.
 * It also plays into just how fast he is. While his acrobatics and flashy maneuvers move him around the area quickly, he'll also be busy just jabbing his stun batons into anyone and anything that can get hurt. Stabbing, poking, slapping, whatever works. As such, he'll be whipping around those batons ridiculously fast.
 * Dance Battler: Not quite as much as Catwoman, but much more so than Batman or Robin.
 * Domino Mask: Though his is a bit bigger and more stylized than the usual kind.
 * Downloadable Content
 * Dual-Wielding: Escrima sticks.
 * Flash Step: An odd quirk in his attack animations coupled with the speed of his combos will have him, when fighting multiple enemies in Free-flow combat, occasionally hit an enemy, then take a single step that transports him across the room (sometimes up to 30 ft or so) to throw a jab at another enemy, and then take another step and zoom right back to hit a different enemy. (Batman or Catwoman would distinctly take flying leaps or bounds in the same situation.) With enough enemies spaced out, well...
 * Grappling Hook Gun
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * Offhand Backhand: One of his counters involves doing this to two thugs at once by jabbing them both in the gut with his escrima sticks.
 * Perpetual Smiler: As a counterpoint to Batman, Nightwing only looks grim in his 3D model.
 * Pretty Boy
 * She Fu: Played with; while his acrobatics show off his body only slightly less than Catwoman's, his fighting style is otherwise pretty methodical. He'll do flashy flips and flourishes a lot, but half the time during and every second in between is spent just laying into thugs in the fastest and most effective possible way. Occasionally taking breaks for his many wrestling maneuvers.
 * Shock and Awe: His escrima sticks are electrified in this game. And it is ever so satisfying to use them on the mooks.
 * Sidekick Graduations Stick: The first Robin, in case you don't remember.
 * Smug Smiler: He's kicking the crap out of a lot of bad people, and he's having fun.
 * Underestimating Badassery: It's implied by some of the comments that the thugs make that Nightwing is not yet well-known, and therefore they're not taking him seriously. This is a mistake.

Thug #2: [snorts] What's a 'Nightwing'?

[two minutes and five unconscious thugs later]

Thug #6: [absolutely terrified] Nightwing?! Are you there?! What are you?!"


 * The Voiceless: Though his body language and facial expressions show that he is pretty cocky and fun loving.
 * Wrestler in All of Us: Will occasionally do a head-scissors takedown if near the proper environment. Will perform a release German Suplex as a noisy take down in Predator gameplay.

Harley Quinn/Harleen Quinzel
"Voiced by: Arleen Sorkin (Arkham Asylum) / Tara Strong (Arkham City)"




 * Bad Bad Acting: In contrast with her original origin story, in which she did sound professional, her interview tapes have her speaking in the same tone of voice as her Harley Quinn persona, whilst trying to maintain her status as an Arkham psychiatrist.
 * Big Bad: Of Batman Arkham City's "Harley Quinn's Revenge" Downloadable Content.
 * Blondes Are Evil
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: In the DLC "Harley Quinn's Revenge," she actually becomes a lot more evil than before, and apparently she either let her natural brunette haircolor out, or she dyed it black.
 * Bound and Gagged:
 * Critical Psychoanalysis Failure
 * Curb Stomp Battle: Her attempt to fight Batman after all her Mooks were taken out in Arkham Asylum ended with one move on Batman's part, and her first appearance in Arkham City goes much the same way.
 * Cutscene Boss: Less so in "Harley Quinn's Revenge", though, where Robin at least has to take some effort in order to take her down, akin to Catwoman fighting Two-Face.
 * Dark Action Girl: In the comic, we see her take out Arkham guards with as much skill as the playable characters, and she's able to trade more blows with Robin than her goons could.
 * The Ditz: Lampshaded by Batman himself in both games: "She never was very bright." in the Arkham Asylum and repeated but with "smart" in Arkham City.
 * The Riddler also repeatedly calls her an idiot, as do her own Mooks.
 * Domino Mask: First game only.
 * The Dragon: To The Joker.
 * Dragon Ascendant: Although Joker is still the leader of the gang, she has to run the gang until he recovers. After, she becomes the full leader of the gang. It's also implied that the gang under her leadership had actually decreased its popularity, with a lot of them considering defection from the group.
 * Dumb Blonde
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Goth: Her new look in the "Harley Quinn's Revenge" DLC for the second game.
 * Hand Cannon: Sports an absolutely massive one in "Harley's Revenge" that seems to operate like a one-handed Grenade Launcher..
 * I'll Never Tell You What I'm Telling You: To the point of a Running Gag. She does this in both games.
 * Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: Usually the result, whether finding it out on her own or being told by a Mook.
 * Let's Get Dangerous: You thought she was bad in the second game? Wait until you see her in the upcoming DLC "Harley Quinn's Revenge," as she gets even worse.
 * Mad Love: She volunteered to interview The Joker because she was fascinated with him, and fell in love with him during their interviews.
 * If what one of the mooks in Batman Arkham City stated is true, apparently the Mad Love evolved into Happily Married.
 * Ms. Fanservice: Par for the course for Harley.
 * Multicolored Hair: The tips of her pigtails for her Arkham City design are colored black and red, whilst the rest is her traditional blonde.
 * Naughty Nurse Outfit: Her outfit in the first game.
 * Of Corsets Sexy: Both of her outfits in the series have one, and her character profile in the first game depicts her traditional jester look as having one too.
 * The Other Darrin: In the first game, she's voiced by her original voice actor, Arleen Sorkin, whereas in the second one, she's played by Tara Strong.
 * Perky Female Minion
 * Psycho Psychologist
 * Revenge: Her motivation towards Batman after.
 * Took a Level In Badass: Comes off as a lot more competent in the second game, since she's managing all of Joker's goons while he's inactive. She's also worlds ahead of her portrayal in the TV Series and comics, with the result that overheard conversations between mooks suggest she frightens them almost as much as the Joker: some claim that she's even crazier than he is, and suggest that one of her roles in both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City involves torturing and/or killing the Joker's less efficient minions.
 * Oh, and that's not even getting into her DLC in the second game, Harley Quinn's Revenge.
 * Unholy Matrimony
 * Victoria's Secret Compartment: Where she keeps Joker's "party list" in the first game, and in the "Harley Quinn's Revenge" DLC for the second game.
 * Violently Protective Girlfriend
 * Woman Scorned: She's back in "Harley's Revenge," and she's definitely not fooling around this time around.
 * Zero Percent Approval Rating: None of the Joker's Mooks are happy that she has taken over.
 * Took a Level In Badass: Comes off as a lot more competent in the second game, since she's managing all of Joker's goons while he's inactive. She's also worlds ahead of her portrayal in the TV Series and comics, with the result that overheard conversations between mooks suggest she frightens them almost as much as the Joker: some claim that she's even crazier than he is, and suggest that one of her roles in both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City involves torturing and/or killing the Joker's less efficient minions.
 * Oh, and that's not even getting into her DLC in the second game, Harley Quinn's Revenge.
 * Unholy Matrimony
 * Victoria's Secret Compartment: Where she keeps Joker's "party list" in the first game, and in the "Harley Quinn's Revenge" DLC for the second game.
 * Violently Protective Girlfriend
 * Woman Scorned: She's back in "Harley's Revenge," and she's definitely not fooling around this time around.
 * Zero Percent Approval Rating: None of the Joker's Mooks are happy that she has taken over.

Killer Croc/Waylon Jones
"Voiced by: Steve Blum"




 * Absurdly Spacious Sewer: His "cell" in Arkham is one of these, located deep underneath the Asylum. Of course, given how big Croc is, it'd have to be.
 * Bizarre Human Biology: His backstories place him at suffering from a form of "regressive atavism", meaning he has inherited traits of pre-human species.
 * The Brute
 * Demoted to Extra: In Arkham City.
 * Easter Egg
 * Fangs Are Evil
 * I'm a Humanitarian: Croc is explicitly mentioned as having eaten people in the past, and during the game, tries to eat Scarecrow and Batman when they encounter one another in his lair. During his patient interview, Dr. Gretchen Whistler doesn't believe him about this particular aspect... he later proves her wrong when he bites off and swallows Cash's hand right in front of her.
 * Although numerous characters believe he doesn't qualify as human.
 * Jump Scare: When you try opening the door to his lair in the sewer tunnels. His brief appearance in Arkham City also involves one.
 * Lightning Bruiser: Despite his size, he can move frighteningly quickly.
 * Lizard Folk: Sort of.
 * Never Smile At a Crocodile
 * The Nose Knows: As part of his... "condition", he seems to have heightened senses. The most frequently mentioned being his sense of smell.
 * In Arkham City, he can actually tell that just from his scent.
 * Restraining Bolt: How he is kept under control during his treatment at the Asylum; he has an electric collar attached round his neck which can be remotely used to give him shocks in order to get him to cooperate. This actually becomes crucial to Batman surviving his encounter with Croc in his lair, as hitting the collar with Batarangs (giving Croc an automatic shock) is the only thing that will stop him from getting overpowered and eaten when Croc charges out of the water.
 * Scary Black Man: Well... formerly black (and from a certain point of view, formerly a man), but definitely scary.
 * Serial Killer: He is responsible for the "disappearance" of hundreds of Gotham vagrants.
 * Villains Out Shopping: He shows up in the VIP section of the Iceberg Lounge challenge map as a Funny Background Event, drinking a glass of brandy and smoking a cigar.

Victor Zsasz
"Voiced by: Danny Jacobs"




 * Ax Crazy
 * Bad Liar: Although he hypes himself up as a deliverer of lost souls, there are several times during his phone calls where he expresses regret at not being a better gambler or anger at the Penguin for cheating him out of his money. further proves this.
 * Bald of Evil
 * Covered With Scars: That he made himself.
 * Dirty Coward: His behavior during the story of the first game definitely has shades of this, as he absolutely refuses to confront Batman physically on his own, opting to take a hostage during both of their encounters. Given that he seems capable of killing guards with relative ease, though, it's more likely that he's aware of his limitations.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: He starts moaning in anticipation when
 * Evil Phone: His Sidequest involves a number of them, through which he delivers his sick Motive Rants.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: Just like his comics counterpart, he has a collection of tally scorings, that he carved into his own skin, that cover almost his entire body. His design in the game seems to be intended to show this off as much as possible.
 * Knife Nut
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Dr. Young's notes state that Zsasz has an I.Q. of 78, and it's implied that the Riddler is providing him technical assistance to carry out his phone murder scheme in Arkham City.
 * Serial Killer: Of the "Power/Control" type, according to Dr. Young's notes.
 * Shadow Archetype: He claims his life reached a turning point when his wealthy parents died, leaving him with lots of money but lost and alone in the world, and a desire to find some purpose to live for. Just like Bruce Wayne back then, except that Bruce didn't find his purpose in killing people.
 * Tattooed Crook: Slightly more noticeable in the concept art.
 * Walking Shirtless Scene

The Riddler/Edward Nigma
"Voiced by: Wally Wingert"




 * Abusive Parents
 * Attention Whore: His character bio mentions that he has a compulsive need for attention.
 * Bad Boss: In the second game, he replaces Joker as the commentator during the Predator and Combat side missions. He's just as abusive to the Mooks as Joker was in the first game.
 * Berserk Button: He does not appreciate Batman being called a hero, or anyone besting him intellectually. (Particularly Batman.)
 * Also does not like to be called insane, as it infers he has a mental illness or deficiency.
 * Break the Haughty
 * The Cracker: Playing the Alternate Reality Game reveals that he's the one who compromised Arkham's security, paving the way for Joker's takeover, and he hacks into Batman's headset in both games. He slides into Playful Hacker territory when he calls Hugo just to talk.
 * Death Trap: In Arkham City, he kidnaps people and puts them in these for Batman to attempt to rescue by solving riddles and puzzles.
 * Electronic Speech Impediment: In Arkham City, whenever talking to anyone remotely, his transmissions are constantly distorting and stuttering, in a distinctly SHODAN-like manner.
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: His reason for believing that Batman is just like any other criminal? "No one's that selfless". He even firmly believes the only way he could afford all of his gadgets is a theory that Batman robs the criminals he captures and pays off Gordon to look the other way.
 * Evil Genius
 * Fingerless Gloves: To go along with his rougher look in this incarnation.
 * Four Eyes Zero Soul
 * Hoist By His Own Petard:
 * Ignorant of Their Own Ignorance: Most people, in his humble opinion.
 * Insufferable Genius
 * It's All About Me
 * Mood Swinger: Dr. Young claims that his "tantrums" have compromised numerous therapy sessions, and based on what we can hear, she's right.
 * Narcissist
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: It's likely unintentional, but in Arkham City, he bears an uncanny resemblance to Stephen Merchant.
 * Passive-Aggressive Kombat: When not outright insulting others, he'll often engage in this as a form of criticism.
 * Psychopathic Manchild: He wants to turn Arkham City into his personal playground.
 * Social Darwinist: Or so he claims.
 * Smug Smiler
 * Smug Snake
 * Troll: Riddler loves to troll everybody, including other super villains.
 * Villainous Breakdown: In the first game he gets more and more unhinged as Batman slowly solves all of his riddles. In the second game it happens
 * Voice With an Internet Connection: For the first game; he makes a physical appearance in Arkham City.

The Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane
"Voiced by: Dino Andrade"




 * Deadly Doctor
 * Evil Gloating: Subjects Batman to constant mockery during the latter's fear gas hallucinations.
 * Evil Genius
 * Evil Laugh
 * Giggling Villain: He boasts a rather impressive chortle.
 * Hannibal Lecture: His patient interviews constitute a extended one on fear, and how it drives the human condition.
 * He's Just Hiding: In-universe, several of the inmates speculate that Scarecrow was killed by Killer Croc during the events of the first game, but there was evidence (such as The Stinger in the first game, as well as his gas mask being found near hay as part of a riddle by the Riddler in the second game) that he actually survived.
 * Know When to Fold Em: When Batman gets over a large dose of his Toxin, Crane wisely makes a break for it.
 * Lean and Mean
 * Level in Boss Clothing
 * Mad Scientist
 * Manipulative Bastard: In a rather impressive move, he managed to charm Dr. Young into thinking that he was both sane and innocent, and that he might qualify for a job as a researcher in the Titan Progam.
 * Mind Rape
 * Playing With Syringes
 * Psycho Psychologist
 * Scary Scarecrow
 * Sinister Scythe: Holds one in his profile. Artwork also shows he could have had one in game as well.
 * Sinister Scythe: Holds one in his profile. Artwork also shows he could have had one in game as well.

Bane
"Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore"




 * Badass Spaniard
 * Body Horror: When Batman and Gordon come across him in the first game, Dr. Young had the Venom compound completely drained from his blood, leaving him bone-thin and gasping for breath. Then Joker injects him with an experimental dose of the Titan formula, bulking him up to a far greater degree than his Venom usually allows.
 * Enemy Mine: He forms a temporary alliance with Batman to destroy the caches of Titan stashed all over Arkham City.
 * Gratuitous Spanish: Refers to Dr. Young as "the bruja" (meaning "witch"), but otherwise speaks (or rather shouts) English in the rest of his dialogue.
 * Subverted in the comic, where his only spoken line is in Spanish, but his thoughts are in English.
 * Mercy Kill: Bane ends up having to do this to a Joker henchman laced with the Titan formula who had Bane at his mercy, because the henchman in question was suffering from a cardiac arrest and experiencing a very painful death.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: If the digital graphic novel prequel to Arkham City are anything to go by, Bane might want to destroy the source of Titan by any means necessary.

Poison Ivy/Pamela Isley
"Voiced by: Tasia Valenza"




 * Disproportionate Retribution: She tries to kill Catwoman for forgetting to water some plants she was looking after.
 * Though this is Ivy we're talking about here. To her, all plants' lives are as precious, if not more than, a person's. From her perspective, Catwoman allowed some of her children to starve to death. It's natural she'd be a wee bit peeved.
 * If you visit her as Catwoman after completing the game, Catwoman blames Strange for the death of the last plant (which she actually killed out of spite). Ivy swears vengeance on all of humanity.
 * Does Not Like Shoes
 * Even Evil Has Standards: She didn't support Joker's rebellion, and also requested for Batman to stop Joker and his plans because of the negative affects on her plants.
 * Evil Redhead
 * Gaias Vengeance
 * Green Eyed Red Head: Her eyes even seem to glow green for this incarnation..
 * Green Thumb
 * Heel Face Turn: Attempted one by opening up a flower shop. However, as she continued to see humanity destroying the environment, she couldn't take it anymore and killed a customer who came into her shop to buy flowers for his wife after having cheated on her.
 * Mama Bear: She does not appreciate her plants being harmed.
 * Misanthrope Supreme: Identifying with plants more than animals, she despises humans.
 * Stripperiffic: Her "patient uniform" consists of nothing but a single red shirt, held together at cleavage level by only two buttons, and panties made of leaves.
 * The Vamp
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Unfortunately, her intentions in stopping the Joker's plans failed when she realised her plants were growing stronger as a result of the Titan formula.

Scarface
"Voiced by: Mark Hamill"


 * The Cameo: In both games.
 * Demonic Dummy
 * Talking to Himself: Both Scarface and the Joker share the same voice actor. There's a good reason for that, as

Clayface/Basil Karlo
"Voiced by: Rick D. Wasserman (as Clayface), Tom Kane (as Commissioner Gordon and Quincy Sharp), Duane R. Shepard Sr. (as Aaron Cash),"


 * Ascended Extra: Goes from a cameo in the first game where he doesn't actually have his own model, to
 * Doing It for The Art:
 * Awesome, Dear Boy
 * Elemental Shapeshifter
 * For the Lulz: Given that he didn't seem too disappointed at Batman recognising him in the first game, coupled with the burst of laughter, it's likely that he was playing for cheap laughs.
 * Patient notes on Clayface reveal that he has a habit of transforming into Dr. Young during her attempts to interview him, apparently just for the sake of annoying her.
 * Graceful Loser: If Clayface is found out while he's still disguised as Warden Sharp or Aaron Cash, he politely congratuates Batman. As Commissioner Gordon, he only laughs tauntingly.
 * Green Lantern Ring: With shapeshifting, it's a given.
 * Humanoid Abomination
 * Nigh Invulnerable:
 * Sealed Evil in A Can: And he stays that way throughout the first game.
 * Shapeshifter Guilt Trip: He attempts to impersonate Gordon and Cash in the hopes that Batman will let him out of his cell. It doesn't work.
 * Sizeshifter
 * Spot the Thread: Scanning him with Detective Vision reveals he has no bones, no matter what form he's taken. Also,
 * Up to Eleven:
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting
 * Nigh Invulnerable:
 * Sealed Evil in A Can: And he stays that way throughout the first game.
 * Shapeshifter Guilt Trip: He attempts to impersonate Gordon and Cash in the hopes that Batman will let him out of his cell. It doesn't work.
 * Sizeshifter
 * Spot the Thread: Scanning him with Detective Vision reveals he has no bones, no matter what form he's taken. Also,
 * Up to Eleven:
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting
 * Shapeshifter Guilt Trip: He attempts to impersonate Gordon and Cash in the hopes that Batman will let him out of his cell. It doesn't work.
 * Sizeshifter
 * Spot the Thread: Scanning him with Detective Vision reveals he has no bones, no matter what form he's taken. Also,
 * Up to Eleven:
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting
 * Spot the Thread: Scanning him with Detective Vision reveals he has no bones, no matter what form he's taken. Also,
 * Up to Eleven:
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting
 * Up to Eleven:
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting

Two-Face/Harvey Dent
"Voiced by: Troy Baker"

"Two-Face: OBJECTION! (shoots Batman) Overruled."
 * Advertised Extra: He shows up in the first mission and as the True Final Boss of Catwoman's story. And that's it, so basically he's there only for the very beginning and very end of the plot, mostly because all the other villains are more pressing worries. Mitigated somewhat by the fact that his gang controls larger and larger territory as the game progresses.
 * Big Bad: Of Catwoman's story, anyway.
 * Big Bad Wannabe: He is the first villain Batman "fights" (not counting Bruce Wayne's brief run-in with the Penguin) and his gang spends the aftermath on the backfoot against Penguin and Joker's goons. They only rise to prominence because Batman is forced to prioritize the other two villains first, so while Two-Face, it's only because he wasn't that big a threat in the first place. He's also the least challenging to fight, albeit partly because the other two have Mr. Hammer and Sickle as lieutenants , plus some Titan canisters. He's one of the last prisoners to be incarcerated, so all the best territory, Mooks, and resources have already been taken. Of the three gang leaders, he's the least imaginative and ambitious, so even when he gets a huge amount of power in Arkham City, he doesn't do much to form any area in his own image or clean out Joker and Penguin's remaining forces.
 * Benevolent Boss: It's hinted that he legitimately cares for his troops, as he intended to bolster the morale of his troops after becoming leader.
 * Likewise, when listening to the recruiters at the beginning. Two-Face's way of testing the recruits is simply having them fight each other until only some are left standing. Those who stand are in, those who aren't can come back later and try again. Penguin, meanwhile, threatens his own men harshly over the radio, and Joker has new recruits killed on random days just because.
 * Not only that, but even his henchmen seem to have much better attitudes with him as their boss. At the very beginning of the game if you listen to the mooks messing with Jack Ryder, they'll mention how lucky he is he ran into them, since Penguin or Joker's thugs would have probably tortured him to death, or worse, brought him before their boss. They just want to break in the new fish, which as far as normal prison behavior goes, and compared to the sadistic behavior of the criminals under the other two super villains employ, isn't all that bad.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Two-Face (or rather, the good half of him) is reluctant to kill Catwoman immediately, as they are in a courtroom, which is a place of justice. He also appears to be the nicest of the three super-criminal gang bosses.
 * Guttural Growler: His evil half has a distinctive growling voice.
 * Joker Jury: He subjects Catwoman to one at the start of the second game... With her tied up and hanging over a tank of acid. Ironically, he chose this because the good side of the coin went up.
 * Numerological Motif: As one would expect, he's obsessed with the concept of duality and the number two.
 * Redemption Rejection: Hugo Strange, of all people, offers to do whatever he can to cure Two-Face if he simply refuses to catch his coin when Strange flips it into the air, or tell him where Catwoman is and what she is doing if he does catch it. Two-Face sounds torn over what to do, but ultimately catches the coin. Strange is rather disappointed by the choice.
 * Shut Up, Kirk:


 * Split Personality
 * This Is for Emphasis, Bitch: "Two guns, bitch!"
 * Really, 50% of his dialogue towards Catwoman invokes this.
 * The Man in The Mirror Talks Back: As noted above, his good and evil halves debate whether they should execute Catwoman immediately or hold a trial for her (the evil and good halves supporting the respective actions.)
 * Two Faced
 * Two Faced

Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot
"Voiced by Nolan North"




 * Bad Boss: He lets some of his goons know that Batman is coming for them... and laughs about it. Shortly after, he has all the bridges detonated to slow Batman down, and doesn't give a crap that this puts several of his men at the mercy of the Joker's crew. In addition, one of the mooks says in the Penguin's debut trailer "You think the Joker's bad? Wait until Penguin deals with him! Penguin's an animal", which carries the implication that he's even worse of a boss than even The Joker, the latter of whom is definitely no saint in terms of being a boss.
 * Cobblepot's such a bad boss, that one of his thugs had the nerve to say "You bastard" to him.
 * Bald of Evil
 * Break the Haughty
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: Penguin freezes a cop's hand and smashed it with a hammer while using a P.A. system to let Batman hear the whole thing. It's heavily implied that he does this with the captive Precinct 13 policemen frequently, as well.
 * Collector of the Strange
 * The Dev Team Thinks of Everything: Suppose the player decides to not knock out Penguin and leave him at the gate. The game has Penguin shout about how he always knew that Bruce was a coward just for that occasion.
 * Evil Brit: Played with. His bio says he grew up in London, but wasn't necessarily born there.
 * Eye Scream: That monocle is not a monocle. It's the bottom half of a beer bottle shoved into his eye. According to Penguin, he got it in a bar fight, and aside from him liking it (giving him a "unique look"), he also implies that the doctors told him it was impossible to remove, even if he did try to pay for it.
 * Fat Bastard: He claims to have laughed about the death of Bruce's parents for weeks, saying that it couldn't have happened to nicer people.
 * Feuding Families: The Cobblepots and the Waynes apparently did not get along very well, and he also seems to blame the Waynes for his family being financially ruined.
 * Groin Attack / Funny Background Event: If you look closely when Penguin says to the psychopathic inmates "Come on out, lads! It's initiation time!", you'll notice that while gesturing, he whacks one of his mooks in the family jewels with his umbrella.
 * High Class Glass: Subverted. See Eye Scream.
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: "Enjoy the copsicle!" (referring to one of the cops frozen by the Ice Gun that Penguin stole from Mr. Freeze).
 * Jabba Table Manners: In the prequel comic.
 * Kick the Dog: Also, it is heavily implied in both a story and an interview tape that
 * Known Only By Their Nickname: Inverted: Aside from bios and a few mooks, he's referred to by his real name more often than to his nickname.
 * Laser-Guided Karma:
 * London Gangster: This Penguin is closer to a Ray Winstone-style thug with delusions of grandeur, complete with East-End accent, than his usual depiction.
 * Mister Big
 * Mugging the Monster: This is the reason why Penguin's left hand was in a cast as well as broken: Penguin, when meeting up with Bruce Wayne, tells him that Bruce's family destroyed his, and puts on brass knuckles, referring to them as "Good, old fashioned revenge" before trying to punch Bruce... only for Bruce to suddenly grab his hand and twist it behind Penguin's back.
 * The Napoleon: Strange even asks him if he's familiar with the term "Napoleon Complex".
 * Never My Fault: His interview tapes with Strange reveal that Penguin constantly blames the Waynes and Batman for the failures caused by the poor decisions of his ancestors and himself.
 * Took a Level In Badass: For many Batman fans, this was the game that finally made them take Oswald seriously.
 * Playing Against Type: Can you actually believe that's Nolan North?
 * Wicked Cultured: Subverted, but he'd tell you otherwise.

Solomon Grundy
"Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore"


 * Body Horror
 * The Dragon: To the Penguin.
 * Frankenstein's Monster: Appears to have traits of this.
 * Hulk Speak
 * Our Zombies Are Different
 * Reviving Enemy: Twice even. Justified, as he's a zombie.
 * There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Grundy's body is eventually set on fire and burned by the electric currents powering him during the course of his boss fight. Then, Batman finishes Grundy by punching his heart out.

Talia al Ghul
"Voiced by: Stana Katic"




 * Bare Your Midriff: Hoo boy.
 * Combat Pragmatist: Tries this against
 * Daddy's Little Villain
 * Dating Catwoman:
 * Faux Action Girl: In her description, it says she's headstrong and well-trained in swordfighting. However, we rarely get to see that, and she even ends up being a damsel in distress to her father
 * To be fair, she because she hardly expected . In the case of, that was  and one cannot blame her for.
 * Also, like Ra's, although she can fight, she often is more manipulative like her father. It shows in her trying to seduce Batman into breaking his one rule during Arkham City.
 * Hell-Bent for Leather
 * Hot Chick With a Sword
 * Ink Suit Actor: She bears a great physical resemblance to her voice actress, Stana Katic, only having darker skin.
 * Male Gaze: While she and Batman walk down the Chamber of the Demon, the camera has a pretty good view of her butt while walking down.
 * Misanthrope Supreme
 * Noodle Incident: She mentions a "night in Metropolis" between herself and Batman, and teases him that after that, he "could have just called."
 * Reality Ensues:
 * Slap Slap Kiss: Textbook example. First thing she does upon seeing Batman? Slap him. Second thing? Flirt and try and kiss him.
 * Spanner in The Works:
 * We Can Rule Together: She adamantly wants Bruce Wayne by her side, but only if he joins the League's crusade against humanity.
 * Woman Scorned: She takes Bruce's refusals to join the League personally, as if he does not love her at all.
 * Though this might have more to do with the fact that he lied to her face. She initially doubts his committment to going evil and seems a little taken back by the idea of Bruce actually killing someone. When you realise she was operating from the idea that he was fully invested in turning assassin, her anger makes sense, as does her return when he needs help.
 * We Can Rule Together: She adamantly wants Bruce Wayne by her side, but only if he joins the League's crusade against humanity.
 * Woman Scorned: She takes Bruce's refusals to join the League personally, as if he does not love her at all.
 * Though this might have more to do with the fact that he lied to her face. She initially doubts his committment to going evil and seems a little taken back by the idea of Bruce actually killing someone. When you realise she was operating from the idea that he was fully invested in turning assassin, her anger makes sense, as does her return when he needs help.

Calendar Man/Julian Gregory Day
"Voiced by: Maurice La Marche"


 * Bald of Evil
 * Bad Boss: One of his henchmen ratted him out to Batman, but he wasn't sure which. So on St. Patrick’s Day, he poisoned them all with green snake venom in their green beer.
 * Easter Egg: If you visit Day's cell in Arkham City in certain holidays (or mess with the system clock), he will tell you a story about a crime he committed on that particular day.
 * Fat Bastard: Subverted: Although he's killed people (including his own parents), he's overall somewhat of a nice guy, as he doesn't antagonize anyone, much less Batman.
 * Until you find out why he's actually in that cell in the first place -- Before Two Face took over the courthouse, he was deliberately luring people into there on specific holidays and murdering them. The only reason he's remotely civil to Batman is likely because he can't get out.
 * Faux Affably Evil: He's very calm and polite when you speak to him. However, hearing about some of his crimes makes you wish you could break his other leg.
 * Room Full of Crazy: His cell at Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.
 * Self Made Orphan: It's implied that he killed his parents on their respective holidays.
 * Stalker With a Crush: Some of his crimes have this angle.
 * Thou Shalt Not Kill: Inverted, especially in comparison to his comics counterpart: All of his crimes were categorized under murder, murder, and murder alone.

Mr. Freeze/Victor Fries
"Voiced by: Maurice La Marche"



""I learn from my mistakes, Batman.""
 * An Ice Person
 * Anti-Villain: He just wants to be reunited with his wife, Nora, like the comics and cartoon. However, also like the comics, this does not stop him from trying to put Batman on ice.
 * Judging by Arkham City alone, he barely qualifies as a villain. Unlike others who go on the rampage, he was Boss battle aside, which was only instigated because Poor Communication Kills, he never went against Batman in this game.
 * Beehive Barrier
 * Berserk Button: If you smash one of the sculptures of Nora that are in the room during the boss fight with him, he loses the Creepy Monotone and threatens Batman in an ironically almost Hot Blooded way.
 * Body Horror: He can only survive in subzero temperatures, but at the same time it looks like the cold is taking its toll on his body.
 * For example, his fingers and toes are pitch black from frostbite.
 * Creepy Monotone: When angry, Freeze's voice becomes this.
 * Freak Lab Accident
 * Final Exam Boss: You have to know how to use Batman's gadgets and fighting techniques well as after you hit him with one; it won't work a second time.
 * Freeze Ray
 * Genre Savvy: He is reluctant to tell Batman how to deactivate his gun, for obvious reasons. During his boss fight, he also adapts to Batman's fighting style, freezing things over after Batman uses them to damage him. He'll even reprogram his gun so the trick he told Batman won't work a second time on him.
 * It Only Works Once: He can adapt to any takedown move that Batman uses on him once.


 * Love Makes You Crazy: His love for Nora is what drives everything he does.
 * Mighty Glacier: No pun intended. He's slow, but attacking him head-on is suicide.
 * Never My Fault: Strange points out in the Hannibal Lecture that while Mr. Freeze has good intentions, his unwillingness to admit his own flaws has made his life more difficult than it should have been.
 * During the boss fight with him, he might accidentally destroy the statues of Nora while shooting at Batman. If this happens, he says that Batman made him do it.
 * Poor Communication Kills: He has a history of this. He didn't tell his employer about Nora's disease, instead diverting company resources to finding a cure; when his work was discovered, he was accused of industrial espionage, Nora was taken from him, and the Freak Lab Accident occurred. Later, poor communication is what, though that was not entirely his fault.
 * Powered Armor
 * Red Eyes Take Warning: His goggles go red when he's going to freeze things (or people).
 * Stealth Based Mission: Oracle tells Batman when the fight begins not to take Freeze head-on, since Freeze can easily overpower him. The achievement for defeating him is even called "Hide and Seek".
 * Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: His obsession with ice and preservation led him to freeze several of his neighbors' pets, an act that landed him in reform school.
 * Although he did plan to revive them later.
 * Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds

Deadshot/Floyd Lawton
"Voiced by: Chris Cox"


 * Chekhov's Gunman: When playing as Bruce Wayne at the start of the game, Deadshot is seen in the line ahead of you as you enter Arkham City. He even says to Bruce "You're on my list" and mock shoots him with his finger. Unless the player is familiar with Deadshot or has already played the game, through, the player is unlikely to notice that this is Deadshot.
 * Improbable Aiming Skills: A staple for the character.
 * Mysterious Mercenary Pursuer: After Batman starts investigating his killings, Deadshot starts coming after him instead.
 * Though he was hired to kill Batman. Going by his schedule, he was going to do it right after he killed Bruce Wayne.
 * One-Hit Kill: Unlike other gun-toting enemies, he can kill Batman with one attack (if you listen when he fires, it sounds like 3 or 4 shots very rapidly).
 * Porn Stache
 * Professional Killer: He doesn't call himself "the world's best assassin" for nothing.
 * Trojan Prisoner: Got into Arkham City disguised as a regular inmate, had his weapons smuggled in separately, and then got to work. See Chekhov's Gunman.
 * Trojan Prisoner: Got into Arkham City disguised as a regular inmate, had his weapons smuggled in separately, and then got to work. See Chekhov's Gunman.

Black Mask/Roman Sionis
"Voiced by: Nolan North"


 * Asshole Victim: He gets assaulted by a couple of TYGER mercs. Your heart bleeds for him.
 * The Cameo: The only time you see him in-game is in the processing center at the beginning, as he attacks a couple of TYGER guards with a folding chair before getting Tasered and beaten down.
 * Chairman of the Brawl: "Put the chair down."
 * Contractual Boss Immunity: When you fight him in the Robin DLC, he's immune to all forms of instant knock outs, much like the Joker's boss fight.
 * Great Escape: According to the game's backstory, he's the first and only inmate to ever escape from Arkham City . He stole some explosives from Penguin, waited for a guard shift change, then blew a hole in the perimeter wall and ran off. He was recaptured soon after. Incidentally, his escape is what led to the installation of auto-turrets along the perimeter.
 * The Worf Effect: His profile tells of how he's a feared gang leader. TYGER makes swift work of him.

Ra's Al Ghul
"Voiced by: Dee Bradley Baker"




 * Affectionate Nickname: Always refers to Batman as "Detective" as a sign of respect.
 * Back From the Dead: Between Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, and at least once beforehand, judging from Batman's comments.
 * Death Is Cheap: In Arkham Asylum, Ra's was a corpse, but was quite alive (if in poor condition, at first) in Arkham City. Earlier, Batman stated to Talia that if Ra's was "dead again", he needed her to "wake him up", indicating that this is not Ra's' first time rising from the dead in this continuity.
 * Disney Villain Death/Taking You With Me:
 * Early Bird Cameo. In Asylum, you can find his corpse. If you go check again after beating the game, it's gone.
 * Engagement Challenge: He actively wants Bruce with his daughter if it would mean he joins the League of Assassins.
 * Glowing Eyes of Doom: Though only after
 * Green Eyes
 * He Who Fights Monsters
 * Hoist By His Own Petard:
 * Heir Club for Men
 * Knight Templar
 * Last Day to Live: Due to his usage of the Lazarus Pits for centuries, he is now withering away.
 * Sanity Slippage: It's also implied that he has also near-completely lost his sanity as a result.
 * Misanthrope Supreme
 * Power Tattoo
 * Power Glows
 * Really 700 Years Old
 * Sinister Scimitar
 * Skunk Stripe
 * Really 700 Years Old
 * Sinister Scimitar
 * Skunk Stripe

"Voiced by: Kevin Conroy"



Mad Hatter/Jervis Tetch
"Voiced by: Peter MacNicol"




 * Everyone Loves Blondes: His targeted Alices are, according to him, all blonde.
 * The Evil Genius: He provided the mind control tech that allowed Strange to come to power.
 * Evil Redhead: Hard to tell due to the condition of his entire body, but his hair is red. Whether or not he can be considered legitimately evil, however...
 * Friendless Background: If you return to his hideout after beating him, he wonders why you resisted, since had only wanted a friend.
 * Mad Scientist
 * Mind Control Device: How he controls his minions, and
 * Nice Hat: To the point he suffers a mental breakdown after Batman steps on it.
 * Obliviously Evil: Doesn't remember the Alices he goes through, and doesn't seem to understand how what he does is wrong, just as upset at what he is being "accused" of by Hugo Strange.
 * One-Scene Wonder: Well, two scenes, but.
 * Serial Killer: All of the Alices he's gone through.
 * Spot of Tea: It's his "special-tea".

The Abramovici Twins
"Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore (Hammer) and Steve Blum (Sickle)"


 * The Brutes
 * Canon Foreigner: Like Quincy Sharp.
 * Cain and Abel: A unique case, as both are criminials, but under different kinds of bosses.
 * Conjoined Twins: They used to be, but had themselves separated over political differences. The Communist brother went to work for Joker, the Capitalist brother joined up with Penguin.
 * Drop the Hammer / Sinister Sickle: The Joker Brother ("Mister Hammer") uses the hammer and the Penguin Brother ("Sickle") uses the sickle.
 * Elite Mooks / Mook Lieutenants
 * Evil Laugh
 * Handicapped Badasses
 * Husky Russkies
 * Tattooed Crooks

Quincy Sharp/
"Voiced by: Tom Kane"




 * Canon Foreigner: Only shows up in the Arkhamverse.
 * Doing in The Wizard: In the first game
 * Fake Ultimate Hero: He took credit for stopping Joker's plot in the first game, as well as securing the Asylum, and uses that to become the Mayor of Gotham and build Arkham City.
 * Knight Templar
 * Military Brat
 * Should you find all the spirit of Amadeus Arkham tokens, you'll find that
 * Sanity Slippage
 * Sleazy Politician
 * Unwitting Pawn: Of Hugo Strange.
 * Villain With Good Publicity
 * Sanity Slippage
 * Sleazy Politician
 * Unwitting Pawn: Of Hugo Strange.
 * Villain With Good Publicity
 * Unwitting Pawn: Of Hugo Strange.
 * Villain With Good Publicity
 * Villain With Good Publicity

Professor Hugo Strange
"Voiced by: Corey Burton"



"Batman: Look at what you've done!
 * A God Am I: The comic makes it clear that he has a God Complex. At one point in the game, he goes on to rant about how he'll rain fire and brimstone upon all criminals.
 * Badass Baritone: It is a Christopher Lee impression.
 * Badass Longcoat: Wears a black leather longcoat in the comic when revealed as Sharp's collaborator in creating Arkham City and tells Bruce Wayne how he cannot stop Arkham City from being opened.
 * Bad Boss: Sends a Tyger squad up against Batman, knowing full well that they would lose, badly. And interrogates the captain of said squad about the events, using drugs, until the captain eventually expires from said drugs. And it was all just to test Batman's capabilities.
 * Bald of Evil
 * Beard of Evil
 * Big Bad: Of the second game.
 * Break the Haughty:
 * The Chessmaster
 * Clasp Your Hands If You Deceive
 * Evil Genius
 * Evil Gloating: Seems to enjoy doing this.
 * Evil Sounds Deep
 * Four Eyes Zero Soul
 * Hannibal Lecture: "Have you ever considered that all of this is your fault? Your presence creates these animals..."
 * "How does it feel, Wayne? To stand on the very stones that ran with your parents' blood? Do you feel sad? Full of rage? Or does that outfit help bury your feelings, hiding your true self?"
 * Hypocrite: He sure seems to turn a blind eye toward his own less-than-legal operations while scolding Arkham's inmates for theirs.
 * I Just Want To Be Batman: According to The Riddler, he has a Batman outfit hidden in his office, which he sometimes wears and cries in.
 * Informed Ability: "Trained to physical perfection", Batman takes him down with unsettling ease.
 * Insistent Terminology: In his audio tapes with The Joker, he does not take kindly to being called "Doctor" rather than "Professor". Maybe he doesn't want to get sued by Marvel Comics.
 * Kick the Dog: Apparently, he tracked down the alley Bruce's parents were gunned down in, re-drew their chalk outlines, and left a single red rose and a bouquet of white ones to emulate what they had that night, and left a tape to taunt Batman as he mourned over the spot.
 * Also, it is heavily implied that
 * Knight Templar: He seriously believes that is a completely justified act. This is best illustrated when Batman finally confronts him:
 * Informed Ability: "Trained to physical perfection", Batman takes him down with unsettling ease.
 * Insistent Terminology: In his audio tapes with The Joker, he does not take kindly to being called "Doctor" rather than "Professor". Maybe he doesn't want to get sued by Marvel Comics.
 * Kick the Dog: Apparently, he tracked down the alley Bruce's parents were gunned down in, re-drew their chalk outlines, and left a single red rose and a bouquet of white ones to emulate what they had that night, and left a tape to taunt Batman as he mourned over the spot.
 * Also, it is heavily implied that
 * Knight Templar: He seriously believes that is a completely justified act. This is best illustrated when Batman finally confronts him:
 * Knight Templar: He seriously believes that is a completely justified act. This is best illustrated when Batman finally confronts him:

Hugo Strange: It's glorious, isn't it?"

"Mr. Freeze: Do you know what it is to love someone? To really love them?
 * Lack of Empathy: Despite his occupation being a psychologist, the audiotapes with his patients show that he clearly cares more about studying them to satisfy his curiosity than actually curing them. Best summed up in the following exchange:
 * Lack of Empathy: Despite his occupation being a psychologist, the audiotapes with his patients show that he clearly cares more about studying them to satisfy his curiosity than actually curing them. Best summed up in the following exchange:

Hugo Strange: No."


 * Mad Doctor
 * Man Behind the Man: Implied to have helped Quincy Sharp gain power in order to further his own goals.
 * The Man Behind the Monsters: Remember those lunatics Joker released in the first game? The ones that could only utter depraved yells and act animal-like? Well, those guys were the result of Dr. Strange's mind control experiments when he was still working at Arkham Asylum before the events of the first game.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Christopher Lee was probably meant to play him, but they got Corey Burton instead.
 * Not So Stoic: You wouldn't know it just from listening to him, but if you.
 * Psycho Psychologist
 * Scary Shiny Glasses
 * Slasher Smile: "I will enjoy dissecting your brain, Miss Kyle."
 * The Shrink
 * Villain With Good Publicity
 * Villain With Good Publicity

Aaron Cash
"Voiced by: Duane R. Shepard Sr."


 * An Arm and A Leg: Of the Type-3 variety. His left hand was bitten off and eaten by Killer Croc.
 * Badass in Distress: He gets captured by Joker's men twice during the first game. Both times, however, he openly threatens his captors with what will happen once he gets free, and resists any torment he is put through.
 * Happens again in the second game: First time by the Joker's gang under Harley's command, and the second time by the Riddler (where he is forced to walk around the main hideout). The latter incident has him threatening the Riddler about what will happen if he gets out.
 * Handicapped Badass
 * Hook Hand
 * Informed Trait: The game seems to build him up as a Badass sometimes. This is despite the fact that every other time you meet him, he's been kidnapped.
 * Shut UP, Hannibal: Cash does not take kindly to intimidation.
 * Token Good Teammate: Of the prominent Arkham Staff in the games, Cash is pretty much the only one that isn't corrupt in one way or the other.

Dr. Penelope Young
"Voiced by: Cree Summer"


 * Arbitrary Skepticism: Her notes on the Ratcatcher show that she doesn't believe that Otis Flannegan can control rats -- even given her study of patients like Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, and Clayface. Hilariously, she sticks to this belief this even while Flannegan's cell is swarming with rats in spite of all her efforts to get rid of them.
 * The Atoner
 * Hot Scientist: Or at least referred to as such in-universe.
 * Human Shield: Zsasz attempts to use her as one when Batman ends up coming for them, threatening to cut her throat if he sees Batman coming in close. A well placed Batarang to Zsasz's cranium puts a stop to that.
 * Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Not only is she a psychiatrist, apparently she's also a highly qualified biochemist capable of reverse engineering Bane's Venom and then refining it to create TITAN.
 * The Shrink: Dr Young wavers on the line between Type 1 and Type 2; though her experiments might classify her as a harmful shrink, she's predominantly well-intentioned in other instances. Judging by her patient notes, she's also remarkably ineffectual at treating the inmates, and even worse at performing basic diagnoses: the most Egregious example of this can be found in Scarecrow, who successfully convinced her that he was harmless -- to the point that Young even considered giving him a job on the Titan Project. Not as a test subject -- as a researcher.
 * For that matter, she thought Batman's "multiple disorders" were driven by, as detailed from bonus material in the collector's edition of the first game, genetic predisposition and substance abuse. It doesn't help she's getting her info from the inmates themselves.
 * Small Name, Big Ego: She thinks very highly of herself as a psychiatrist, and thinks only she is capable of curing most of the big- name patients at Arkham. For good measure, her notes reveal that she's more than happy to ignore Batman's reports.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Joker tricked her into starting work on the Titan formula for him. As soon as she finds out, she stops the project immediately, resulting in Joker taking over the Asylum and finishing the formula himself.
 * Small Name, Big Ego: She thinks very highly of herself as a psychiatrist, and thinks only she is capable of curing most of the big- name patients at Arkham. For good measure, her notes reveal that she's more than happy to ignore Batman's reports.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Joker tricked her into starting work on the Titan formula for him. As soon as she finds out, she stops the project immediately, resulting in Joker taking over the Asylum and finishing the formula himself.

Frank Boles
"Voiced by: Danny Jacobs"

"The Joker: The night is still young, Bats. I still have a trick or two up my sleeve. I mean, don't you think its a little bit funny how a fire at Blackgate caused hundreds of my crew to be moved here?
 * The Alcoholic
 * Drinking On Duty: He was suspended twice for doing this.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars
 * Playing With Fire: It is heavily implied in viral marketing for Arkham Asylum as well as Boles and Joker's exchange relating to the Blackgate fire that he was the one directly responsible for Blackgate being set on fire.
 * Playing With Fire: It is heavily implied in viral marketing for Arkham Asylum as well as Boles and Joker's exchange relating to the Blackgate fire that he was the one directly responsible for Blackgate being set on fire.

Frank Boles: I thought I told you to stay quiet!

The Joker: Oh, Frankie! You really should learn to keep that fat mouth of yours shut! It'll get you into trouble!"


 * Small Name, Big Ego
 * Too Dumb to Live: Whatever made Boles think he could mouth off at The Joker without consequences?
 * Too Dumb to Live: Whatever made Boles think he could mouth off at The Joker without consequences?

Commissioner James Gordon
"Voiced by: Tom Kane (Arkham Asylum) / David Kaye (Arkham City)"


 * The Commissioner Gordon: Obviously.
 * Demoted to Extra: In the second game. Though considering he was basically a hostage for the entirety of the first game, he probably isn't complaining.
 * He gets slightly more involvement in "Harley Quinn's Revenge", though. Just a few lines in a conversation with Batman, some other chatter on the radio and off, and a conversation at the end, but more than in the game proper.
 * Distressed Dude: He gets kidnapped by Harley, then later the Joker to "referee" the Final Boss Boss Battle of the first game.
 * Badass in Distress
 * The Other Darrin: Despite Tom Kane returning for Sharp in Arkham City, Gordon was voiced by David Kaye.

Oracle/Barbara Gordon
"Voiced by: Kimberly Brooks"


 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Green-Eyed Monster: Dripping from her tone pretty much anytime Batman brings up Talia.
 * Though she clearly has a point when she says that Talia has a tendency to affect Bruce's judgement.
 * Red Headed Heroine: Formerly, before becoming handicapped.
 * The Voice
 * Voice With an Internet Connection

Alfred Pennyworth
"Voiced by: Martin Jarvis"


 * Deadpan Snarker
 * The Jeeves
 * Morality Chain:
 * Secret Keeper
 * Servile Snarker
 * The Voice
 * Voice With an Internet Connection: Takes over this role for the first half of the second game, though he does show up occasionally after Oracle shows up again.

Jack Ryder
"Voiced by: James Horan"


 * Kent Brockman News: Undergoes a very public feud of opinions regarding the construction of Arkham City with Vicki Vale in the prequel comic. However, he's just playing it up for kicks.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: He looks a lot like Stephen Colbert.
 * Red Shirt Reporter: How he becomes involved in the events of the second game.
 * The Voice: In the first game.

Vicki Vale
"Voiced by: Kari Wahlgren"


 * Adaptation Dye Job: The comic-book Vale is traditionally a redhead. This version of her is blond, somewhat like Kim Basinger.
 * Distressed Damsel: In one of the side missions, Batman has to rescue her.
 * Hot Scoop
 * Intrepid Reporter
 * Kent Brockman News

"Voiced by: Khary Payton"


 * Chekhov's Gunman:
 * Composite Character: Is identified as, but has characteristics familiar with both.
 * Mysterious Watcher
 * Smoke Out: Pulls these off with frequency using
 * Vagueness Is Coming: Delivers a warning to Batman
 * Smoke Out: Pulls these off with frequency using
 * Vagueness Is Coming: Delivers a warning to Batman