27 years later, the DCU must fix the scariest part of Batman lore

Arkham Asylum is a key location in Batman and DC lore. The setting has been featured in numerous pieces of Batman media for years, with Rocksteady's video game franchise really putting the focus on the psychiatric facility. Arkham Asylum is an institution in Gotham City where most of Batman's greatest villains end up after their defeat. With James Gunn and Peter Safran rebooting under the DC Universe (DCU), The brave and the bold will introduce a new Batman, different from the version Matt Reeves created with Robert Pattinson for the 2022 film.

Reeves was developing a series set in Arkham Asylum that would have taken place in the DCU. That series was ultimately shelved. While the Arkham Asylum series is in development, the Batman lore location will likely continue to play a pivotal role in the DCU. Arkham Asylum may have appeared in several forms of live-action content in recent years, but Batman and Robin It was the last time a faithful version of the comics was fully realized on the big screen. The DCU has the opportunity to do Arkham Asylum justice with its own version of Batman.

James Gunn compared the DCU to Westeros

• DC heroes mostly operate in fictional cities, unlike Marvel heroes, who live in real-world locations, such as New York City.
• Dennis O'Neil and Irv Novick created Arkham Asylum, which first appeared in Batman #258 in October 1977.

The similarities between DC and Marvel are endless, but there is one fundamental difference between the two that live-action has yet to accurately reflect. While Marvel characters like Spider-Man and Daredevil exist in New York City, DC characters like Batman and Superman operate in fictional cities like Gotham City and Metropolis. DC has recently taken a more grounded approach in their films, while their comics have always been the opposite.

“One of the things I love about DC and that excites me about DC is that, in a way, it's another alternate history. It's Gotham City and Metropolis, and Star City and Bloodhaven. All these different places in another reality. And it makes it a little bit like Westeros in some ways. I like that. I like that we can do real worldbuilding in DC. It's not just, 'We're throwing superheroes on Earth.' I think that's one of the key differences right now. [between DC and Marvel].” — James Gunn on Michael Rosenbaum
Inside you
podcast .

Gunn's DCU will try to change things as the DC Studios head has compared the DCU to game of ThronesWesteros because they are both fictional worlds. Based on the first wave of DC Studios projects, it's clear that worldbuilding will be a major focus, with Superman, The brave and the bold, AND Paradise Lost set key locations in the DCU from the start. Since the DCU will have to work a little harder to establish the alternate world than the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the location of Arkham Asylum will have to play a role from the start and be different than recent versions audiences have seen.

Many Batman projects have taken a more realistic approach

• In 1994, Batman Forever It was the first film to feature Arkham Asylum in live-action.
• The next movie, Joker: Madness for Two, will take place largely inside his version of the location, Arkham State Hospital.
• In Zack Snyder's Justice Leaguethe Asylum is called Arkham Home for the Emotionally Troubled, a nod to The Dark Knight Returns.

by Joel Schumacher Batman Forever AND Batman and Robin was inspired by the comic book nature of Arkham Asylum, its gothic architecture and role in those stories. Gotham It also had a pretty accurate portrayal, but that story was set before the time of Batman. Batman begins, Joker AND The Batman They represent a much more realistic version of Arkham Asylum and do not bear much resemblance to what appears in the comics, apart from the name. Joker AND The Batman they even changed the location to Arkham State Hospital to make it look more like a real place and less like a place from a comic book.

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has also had its own version of Arkham Asylum, but it hasn't been a standout since Ben Affleck's Batman never received a solo movie, which was rumored to take place within the institution's walls. Arkham Asylum should hark back to the more fantastical version of the DCU since recent iterations have aimed to keep it grounded. The DCU's Arkham Asylum has yet to feel like a living, breathing place, but it needs more character because it is a very iconic place in the comics and can add a lot to the shared universe.

Arkham Asylum ties together Batman's Rogues Gallery and teases its story

• While most of Batman's enemies end up in Arkham Asylum, others also end up in Blackgate Penitentiary.
• Arkham State Hospital will appear below The penguin series, a 2022 spin-off The Batman.

Arkham Asylum is so crucial to the Batman mythos because it's where all of his enemies lie. The DCU will likely start with a more experienced Batman than The brave and the bold will explore his relationship with Damian Wayne and the Bat-Family. In Batman: The Animated Seriesthere are several instances where all the Batman villains are seen locked up together in Arkham Asylum. It's a fantastic image and a piece of world-building never before seen in a Batman film and the DCU has a chance to bring it to life.

By introducing all of Batman’s Rogues Gallery, audiences can immediately know that the character has encountered them before and can open the door for future appearances. The Batman does something similar with the tease of the Joker and his interaction with the Riddler, but the DCU can take it a step further. Since the DCU will try to build out Gotham City and other key locations, including a comic book-accurate version of Arkham Asylum filled with major villains, it can say a lot about the new version of the Dark Knight and excite a lot of fans.

Great Batman Stories Set in Arkham Asylum Could Inspire the DCU

• Arkham Asylum: a serious house on a serious land It's one of the finest stories in the rich history of Batman comics.
• Many consider Rocksteady Batman: Arkham Asylum one of the greatest comic book video games of all time, revolutionizing the genre after its release in 2009.

Arkham Asylum is not only an iconic DC location for its look and concept, it has also hosted some of the greatest Batman stories. The first that comes to most people's minds is Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum: a serious house on a serious landpublished in 1989, and terrified readers with its unique art style by Dave McKean. The Arkham Asylum The graphic novel is a great example of how to tell a more horror-focused Batman story that hasn't been fully exploited in cinema, and a direction the DCU can take the franchise. Of course, there are also the groundbreaking Arkham video games, with the first one taking place entirely inside the Asylum and seeing Batman encounter many of his villains after the Joker takes control.

The concept of an Arkham Asylum-inspired movie would put Batman in a unique position never before seen in live-action and could feature all of his major villains in one installment. In addition to the backstory, Arkham Asylum also has a ton of lore that lends itself to some exciting possibilities. For example, Batman: Earth One added a new twist to the mythos by making Martha Wayne part of the Arkham family. The Batman borrowed this idea and made her mentally unstable. Given Arkham Asylum's place in Gotham City's history, the DCU can do even more to make the location have more significance to Batman.

The new version of Batman from the DCU that will appear in The brave and the bold and other projects need to stand out from all the other versions that audiences have seen. Making the DCU Batman more faithful to the comics than ever before would be easy, as recent iterations have favored a more realistic approach. Becoming more comic book-like also means that the world surrounding Batman should have a more fantastical element.

A series centered around Arkham Asylum had a lot of potential and could have done a lot to establish the Gotham City of the DCU. Even if there isn’t a series that explores the madness that goes on inside Arkham Asylum, it should still play a major role in the DCU going forward and can give audiences a fully fleshed out Gotham City filled with never-before-seen criminal inmates. Worldbuilding will be a key part of creating a successful DCU and getting one of Batman’s most iconic locations for the first time in years would help the reboot get off to a good start.