I mean maybe he'll be in it in some capacity like a flashback or something? As long as they don't crowbar him in just because they "need" the Joker.

How about "Yes, but I wish no" I don't know, I hope not, he's a big player in the world of Batman and the main games of this series, so ending the trilogy without him does feel a touch weird. But please, no, just no, leave him be dead so that scene can have any sort of emotional impact.
Make whatever new baddy they are cooking up be so smart/strong/such a threat that it feels okay that the Joker isn't there.
I like that in the DLC for City they showcased that Batman was in a bit of a pissy mood after what happened, don't make that character moment for naught.

There is a comic following the end of Arkham City. He's dead. He gets cremated. 2 coroners died doing his autopsy. He's dead.

Maybe he will appear in a brief flashback, or in some scarecrow hallucination, but he is gone. That's all.

Sounds very much like a "Will Splinter Cell: Conviction have night vision goggles?" type question. It is very possible but please no!

In the comics, The Joker shows up like once every few years. They learned decades ago that the more sparingly he used to more impact his appearances have.

Yes of course. They can't resist that temptation.

God I hope he doesn't show up.

Yeah, with Mark Hamill gone it's time to move on. I bet Rocksteady feels the same

Same. He had his turn, now it's time for other dudes to show up. He was bad in past games anyways.

I wish "Yes, but god I hope he isn't" was an option. The constant focus and overuse of the Joker in comics, movies and games is the worst and I'm really sick of seeing it in the Arkham games. Not to take anything away from Rocksteady's Joker or what they do but I think it would be way more interesting to let other characters share the spotlight.

In the trailers you clearly see goons with joker affiliation so unless they're just gonna have Harley running the gang I think theres a good chance he will show up. It might be a minor cameo like how Bane is technically in Arkham City but you know.. he's not really a serious character.

@humanity said:

I could see there being a weird gang like The Apostles of Joker or something.

I hope this game actually focuses more on Scarecrow than anybody else. He's been consistently the best part of these games IMO.

I hope not, he's such a crutch for that franchise.

@claybrez: Stylistically I thought they were amazing but they were also the worst boss fights.

it'd be weird without him, but on the other hand what is Batman without Joker? Maybe that's an idea worth exploring in game.

I just hope it isn't more Ra's Al Ghul stuff. Not a fan at all how the Lazarus Pit/League of Assassins stuff tend to overtake the more nitty gritty Batman of the Street stuff.

I want him to be in the game, but I dont feel they can/should bring him back. Hes the best Batman villain by far even if he is over used. But hes dead. I dont want some stupid bullshit where he comes back. Id rather he stay dead since they already fucked the story up with it. I dont know how or why they thought killing the Joker was a good idea. They didnt even center the story on him for that game. It was all over the fucking map. Really not the send off he deserved.

besides mr. freeze, I don't think these games have done any boss particularly well.

The most recent trailer has conspiracy theorists going already. The sign that says "Johnny Charisma Live" contains "Jocha is alive"

It pains me to think about, but I am about 80% certain the Arkham Knight will end up being Joker in some form or another.

You forgot this option: "No and I don't want him to be."

I love the Joker, but enough. We get it, arch-nemesis bla bla bla.

I think the Joker is the best of the Batman villains, if not the best villain of all. That having been said, I don't know that I want him in the game anymore. It'll be interesting to see what they do. I kind of wish that they used another villain in Arkham City, and saved the Joker for this one... but that's not having played the game (and purposefully staying in the dark). Seeing as he had his face removed in the New 52 series, and came back, anything is possible.

Dibs on the arkham Knight actually being the joker

I hope not. Not every Batman story has to feature the Joker.

@conker said:

I feel like this is at least the third thread on this very topic. And this is exactly what I think is going to happen.

Will he show up? Absolutely, I would bet via hallucination cause by Scarecrow. Joker is totally dead though and that is a good thing. Batman has plenty of other great villains and they should be given more room to shine in Arkham Knight. Joker is a great villain and a crucial part of Batman as a character but he should be used sparingly.

As for Joker being the Arkham Knight, there are far better candidates for who is in that suit. The obvious one for anyone who is familiar with the comics is former Robin Jason Todd. The Robin in the Arkham universe is Tim Drake and Dick Grayson is Nightwing so it seems like the story with Todd has happened. I also wouldn't be surprised if Hush is the Arkham Knight, as it could fit into his thing of copying Bruce Wayne.

@zella: death in comics is totally inane. Jason Todd was killed by the Joker. I mean they killed Batwoman in Batman and Robin #8 (2010) but was revived one issue later.

I love the Joker, but at this point I don't think he should appear. His story was told already, and his death will probably push batman to his limits both mentally and physically, since he'll probably still blame himself. Point is, Jokers death meant something, so reviving him yet again would only demean all the things done in City, most notably Batman's character development. Plus, there already were three games dedicated to the Joker if we include Origins, so enough is enough.

That said, he could appear in one of scarecrows hallucinates as a constant reminder to Batman, as it would further deepen Batman's "wounds", but aside from that, he should stay dead.

Just read the tie-in comics, he is dead.

Thats the most plausible. Considering Tim, Dick, and Jason are all 'playable' in the game. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the AK actually turns out to be a good guy after its all said and done and you actually finish the game with him. Think the end of Red Dead Redemption.

As an avid Batman fan, who has over analyzed every part of the game. There is nothing that would really surprise me with AK or Joker in this game. I've come up with about 20 possible,probable theories. If Rocksteady is smart, which I have full confidence in them, they wont use the Joker as a crutch. As most people suggest, a flashback with the Joker is entire probable.