Batman: Assault on Arkham is a direct-to-video animated film from 2014, showcasing a roster of fan-favorite characters from the DC Universe. It’s a thrilling adventure that brings together the charm and wit of The Joker, the unbridled energy of Harley Quinn, and the sharpshooting skills of Deadshot. Now, it’s time to delve into Arkham, get ourselves locked in, and figure out who’s the best characters in the film. I present to you, the top 10 best characters in Batman: Assault on Arkham!
If you like this list, make sure to check out what other lists I’ve created!
10. Penguin
Voice By: Nolan North
It’s so wonderful how Nolan North makes his presence known, isn’t it? With an echoing voice that could tear through fabric, his line delivery as Gobblepot was absolutely excellent. It’s not his first time playing the character, so the quality of his work comes from years of playing our beloved fishy friend. While he’s barely in the film, only having a singular moment to his name, it’s enough to clinch the 10th spot on my list. It’s a small scene with great impact, with superb humor, at the right point in the film.
9. The Riddler
Voice By: Matthew Gray Gubler
Batman: Assault on Arkham starts with The Riddler asking Amanda Waller to answer some of his most unimaginative riddles. Sadly, that’s his best moment in the ENTIRE film. Why’s that? He’s only used to set up the story, as Deadshot and the others are there to find his cane, while Killer Frost has a directive to kill the The Riddler. In turn, he’s pretty much a crutch for others. I am not against it, as there were so many characters in Batman: Assault on Arkham. However, I wasn’t fond of the idea. I felt like even the moments he was in were mid at best.
The biggest knock on the Riddler is the same reason I wanted to watch the film: Matthew Gray Gubler. As a lifelong fan of Criminal Minds, I was just expecting more. What we ended up with was a mediocre voice performance, where the actor was just speaking in his regular voice. It’s ironic, as many of his fans, including myself, thought that he’d play an amazing Riddler. But, I think we were all thinking about a Live-Action version, as this voice performance was simply not good enough. In turn, I’m ranking The Riddler rather low on my list.
8. Amanda Waller
Voice By: CCH Pounder
This is the perfect example of a voice actor’s performance elevating the character, so thank you for that, CCH Pounder! However, there’s more to her than a commanding voice. In fact, she’s an incredibly well-balanced character, who’s only in your ear when you need her to be. Thus, she never takes up a lot of space, appearing to explain or discuss things, and that’s it. But the underlying sense of mystery in her missions makes her interesting, as I’m sure you’ll find yourself asking: “what’s she up to?” time and time again. In turn, I’ve got some respect for how Waller is written in Batman: Assault on Arkham.
7. Captain Boomerang
Voice By: Greg Ellis
He’s so wacky, isn’t he? It’s like they’ve taken a character from a twisted version of The Looney Tunes and thrown him into the DC Comics! Somehow, it actually works, doesn’t it? He’s so far out there, I can barely tell if he’s still here, there or somewhere in-between! Well, well… look at me speaking in riddles!? I’ll come around like a boomerang, don’t you worry! Oh dear, maybe I should just explain why he’s 7th? To be quick and precise, Cap’n does exactly what he always does; he cracks jokes, has a few good lines and a couple of nifty fights. Therefore, he’s a rather good character, who doesn’t do anything more than what we expected of him. With that said, he’s the 7th on my list of the top 10 characters in Batman: Assault on Arkham!
6. King Shark
Voice By: John DiMaggio
Visually, he’s scary. Physically, he’s intimidating. When it comes to his personality, he’s one of the funniest characters in Batman: Assault on Arkham. From his goofy nature to his imposing presence and blood-thirsty ways, King Shark is a very entertaining character. It’s a really good fit with this particularl Suicide Squad, as it helps him stand out as the muscle of the gang. But what makes him fun to watch is the balance between being an odd comedic relief character, as well as a terrifying badass. It’s a well-struck balance that made me wholeheartedly enjoy seeing King Shark in action!
The main reason he doesn’t rank higher is the lack of personal investment in the storyline. It’s just like he’s there to do a job, removed from his everyday life of killing people. In turn, it does not make me invest in him as a character, and when he does, it doesn’t move me emotionally. Therefore, I feel like the 5th spot is a good fit for our good ol’ sharky!
5. Batman
Voice By: Kevin Conroy
Batman at 5th can be considered blasphemous! I’m fully aware of that, but let me explain my madness, okay? I feel that Batman got completely overshadowed by the likes of Harley Quinn and Deadshot. It’s not for the lack of trying, as Batman takes up a good amount of screentime. But it’s about the lack of personality, which often plagues Batman. It’s not THAT bad, but in a film with colorful characters, with lots of flavor, our beloved Batman fades to the background.
The fact of the matter is that Batman does enough to rank 5th, but doesn’t actually do enough to challenge for the 4th spot. What does that mean? On one hand, Bats has many great action scenes, like the one in Arkham Asylum where he takes on everybody in the Suicide Squad. On the other hand, he lacks any personal scenes where we see his side of the story, making him feel a bit disconnected from what’s going on in the film. It’s like he’s there because he has to, not because he wants to, with the focus being on the Suicide Squad. In turn, he doesn’t get a proper storyline, as everyting revolves around other, more interesting characters in the film.
Batman Is Good, But Not Good Enough.
Don’t get it twisted, okay? Batman is one of my favorite superheroes, but in this film, they just put the spotlight on the likes of Harley, Deadshot and a few others. However, Bats still kicked butt in great ways, being involved in some of the best moments in the film. In addition, his lil’ dialogue with Amanda Waller was absolute perfection. It was straight to the point, and ended up being one of the best moments of the film, as the dialogue is sublime. In turn, not much is needed to make for eye-catching moments with someone as iconic as the Batman. Sadly, in this film, others were just more interesting than him.
4. The Joker
Voice By: Troy Baker
Not a single person in Gotham is safe from The Joker’s wild and wacky thinking. He just does things, which makes him unpredictable and scary. It’s also why he comes across so unhinged, yet calculated, as if everything is a part of a big scheme. It’s all a part of the plan, eh? But this quality is what makes The Jokes such a fun character to follow, and all of it is on full display in Batman: Assault on Arkham!
While the Clown Prince of Crime is merely a side character at first, he’s well implemented into the storyline, and he slowly grows into the main villain of the tale. It’s something I appreciate, as it’s not an easy thing to accomplish in a story with over 10 memorable, colorful, characters. In turn, The Joker’s story just kind of “happens”, as he’s not the focal point. He just happened to get out of his cell, and as per usual, started wreaking havoc! In this crazy, maniacal journey, he manages to kill many, hurt Harley’s feelings, and face off with The Bats again! Talk about a plan coming together from the writer’s perspective?
🥉 Killer Frost
Voice By: Jennifer Hale
I loved almost everything about Killer Frost in Batman: Assault on Arkham. From her design to her memorable behavior, topped with a great personality, and a distinct attitude, she was an entertaining individual. Her alluring nature, and manipulation of others made her interesting. It’s almost as if I couldn’t get enough of Killer Frost. However, that was the whole point, wasn’t it? Considering that Killer Frost is actually undercover with another mission, it makes sense that even us, the viewers, would look at her favorably, not knowing the truth. Thinking about it now, she was a bit too likable, wasn’t she? Well, that was all to avert our expectations of her being one of the “good” guys. If there even is such a thing in the Suicide Squad?!
🥈 Deadshot
Voice By: Neal McDonough
In many ways, Batman: Assault on Arkham is the story of Deadshot. His “redemption”, and his journey to a personal peace of mind, and possible freedom. To illustrate this, we see Deadshot fighting an inner battle, questioning what’s wrong and what’s right. It’s not necessarily about getting his way, but doing what’s right by his own moral code. But in the midst of these crazy villains, he never felt vulnerable or weak. In fact, I’d say that Deadshot’s wish to see and spend time with his daughter gave him proper motivation. It gave him strength and made him a true force to be reckoned with. Nobody wanted to get on the bad side of Deadshot for a reason.
Batman: Assault on Arkham showcases Deadshot in the best light, showing his conviction and cunning, while highlighting his redeemable qualities as a caring father, warrior and comrade. I think that it goes without saying, but Deadshot is one of the best characters in the movie. With an irresistable charm, unrivaled skill, and jaw-dropping abilities, he steals the show more than a handful of times in Batman: Assault on Arkham. Therefore, he’s the 2nd best character on my list of the top 10 characters in Batman: Assault on Arkham!
🥇 Harley Quinn
Voice By: Hynden Walch
Ohhhh, Harley Quinn! Where do I even begin with your spicy self? Maybe I should start off by saying that your and sense of humor is what made Batman: Assault on Arkham fun to watch? Perhaps I need to say that your lustful chase for Deadshot, conflict with The Joker, and funny action scenes were the best parts of the entire movie? All of those things are 100% true, and I just absolutely loved every single part of Harley Quinn in Batman: Assault on Arkham.
This lil’ Princess of Crime adds so much sugar, spice, and everything nice, which elevates the experience to a whole other level. She simply has the capacity to make everything feel sooo much bigger! As if every moment with her in it is all about her, her, and HER! While that might seem like a bad thing, it works as the balance of screentime is well distributed between the characters. It’s what makes her small dialogue lines and silly antics that much better, as they don’t happen all the time. It’s essentially what makes her personal story with The Joker sooo interesting, as her actions against him as silly, but so damn understandable! While she’s over-the-top, there’s humanity to her that makes her great. I mean, the entire situation with Deadshot was excellent. It just shows how well you can utilize a crazy character so it still makes sense.
In my opinion, it was a close call between the top 4 characters, but I feltHarley did the most, and had the most story-altering moments. In turn, I think that Harley Quinn stole the show! Now, it’s time to crown Harley Quinn as the queen of the characters in this Batman movie!