Did anyone ever expect a series about Arkham Asylum to go into development? I never did, but I gotta tell you, I’ll take it. When we think about prisons in the superhero world, the first one that tends to come to our minds isn’t even a prison. This lunatic asylum is meant to rehabilitate the criminally insane of Gotham City. But of course, we all know better. In Gotham City, it’s probably better to be guilty than to be insane. Much to the chagrin of Batman, most of the criminals he puts away aren’t exactly rehabilitated when they’re sent to this madhouse. He would rather have them be punished in Blackgate Penitentiary, especially the Joker, but they just keep going back to Arkham Asylum. As we Batman fans all know, they all break out, then Batman catches them, sends them back, and they break out again.
It’s all a never-ending cycle, but that’s the adventures of the Batman. Let’s be honest, that’s what we all love about watching his adventures, but I’m sure he got used to it very quickly. That will probably never change as long as Batman’s story goes on and we’re okay with that. And whenever we think about the infamous Arkham Asylum, we think about its inmates. From the most famous Batman villains, like the Joker and Two-Face, to the more lesser-known ones, such as Calendar Man and the Great White Shark, Arkham Asylum houses the most dangerous criminals Gotham City has ever produced.
That’s probably why Matt Reeves has confirmed that a spin-off series centering around Arkham Asylum is in the works. At least that is what he told Toronto Sun, but if there is any truth to it, then I’m all in. That is the third spin-off series reportedly in the works for this new Batman Universe he has established. It’ll start with a spin-off series for the Penguin, which I’m very excited for after seeing Colin Farrell‘s stellar performance in The Batman. The other spin-off series will center around the Gotham City Police Department. Not too many details have been given about that series, but I have to assume it will be about James Gordon trying to tackle the corruption that has plagued Gotham City. His real challenge will be dealing with the deep corruption of the GCPD itself.
That should be interesting, but what which series will really dive deep into the criminal element of Gotham City? I believe both shows can do that, but this Arkham Asylum series can really show us the ugliest side of Gotham that only Batman can fight. Before Batman, there were the “regular” criminals, the lowlifes that randomly target law-abiding Gotham citizens, and then the mobsters, such as the Maroni and Falcone crime families. These are the types of scum Batman would fight in the beginning of his vigilante days, but we all know the caliber of criminals he would eventually face later on. For Matt Reeves’ Batman universe, I think this Arkham Asylum series will set the beginning stages of these more deranged criminals. The question is, which criminally insane villains will it introduce?
After watching The Batman, we now know the kinds of criminals it will be housing. The Riddler is one, along with a particular villain Batman can never avoid. That was a fun little tease, but we can expect more villains to show up. Let’s talk about the potential madmen Arkham Asylum will be keeping under its roof. It’s possible this Arkham Asylum series will serve as an anthology series for the insane criminals to come. Every episode could center around a different inmate and show us how and why they were sent to the madhouse. Depending on how long this series is, it could very well cover several of Gotham’s most deranged criminals.
Can you imagine just how many villains this Arkham Asylum series can cover? Personally, I would prefer if it covers the villains we have yet to have seen in a live-action series or movie. That would mean showing us some of the more lesser-known Batman villains. If you want to learn more, just go back and play the Batman: Arkham Asylum game from 2009 and that will be a good beginner’s lesson for this madhouse. Part of the fun of playing that game was going around and discovering the many easter eggs and references to many Batman villains you’ve probably never heard of.
For instance, at one point, you can come across the cell of Calendar Man. Sounds like a lame villain on paper, but go read the classic Batman comic, The Long Halloween. You’ll learn that Calendar Man really isn’t as lame as you might think. Another example is the reference to Tweedledee and Tweedledum, two villains the average comic book reader won’t know about. Well, if Matt Reeves wants to explore the least popular Batman villains and get weird, he can show us those guys. That’s only the beginning.
Now if this Arkham Asylum series wants to make it less of an anthology series, then there’s only one other route. That would be showing us what the madhouse is truly like through the eyes of Doctor Hugo Strange. This is still early in Batman’s crimefighting career, so you can imagine it’s the beginning of Hugo Strange’s career as a criminal psychiatrist. Or maybe he can be a more experienced psychiatrist and this could be his introduction to Arkham Asylum? A wild madhouse like Arkham needs a psychiatrist with the thickest of skin to maintain order and Hugo Strange is that man. Just go play Arkham City and you’ll see how he can pick the brains of Gotham’s worst criminals.
Maybe this Hugo Strange can be different in the sense that he’s more intimidated by the inmates and he eventually loses his own mind working there. The emergence of the Batman and his growing popularity will only fuel Strange’s obsession and steer him in in the wrong path. That will set up a lot of things for the future of Batman in this universe. It’s one of the many routes this Arkham Asylum series can explore and that’s how it will be interesting. What are your thoughts, Batman fans? Do you think this Arkham Asylum series will work? Let’s just wait until we hear more details about the series and who knows? Maybe we’ll get more spin-off shows that will expand this Batman universe even further. I trust Matt Reeves and I want to see more of Robert Pattinson as Batman. I say bring them on.
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