10 Hidden Secrets in the Batman Arkham Games

“Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015)

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The “Arkham” games are full of references to popular DC characters, some of which don’t actually appear in-game. In “Arkham Knight,” you get to visit Bruce Wayne’s office at a certain point in the story. Not only can you spot a dog bowl referencing Batman’s canine sidekick, Ace the Bat Hound, but you can also listen to several messages left by well-known characters. Reporter Vicki Vale and villain Lex Luthor leave messages for the billionaire. But the most interesting is Kate Kane, AKA Batwoman. She mentions her engagement to officer Maggie Sawyer and questions Bruce’s lack of public appearances. Afterwards, you can also listen to some twisted yet funny Joker messages where he pretends to be Bruce’s parents.

“Batman: Arkham Origins” (2013)

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Although it wasn’t developed by Rocksteady, “Arkham Origins” still has the same love put into it when it comes to Easter Eggs. After beating the story, Gordon will task Batman with collecting 20 escaped Blackgate convicts. When you capture one of them, he’ll begin to sing “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,” a reference to Joker’s rendition in a Christmas episode of “Batman: The Animated Series,” where he was of course voiced by Mark Hammill. Joker can also be heard taunting Batman with it earlier in the game inside Blackgate prison. Although Hamill didn’t return from the main game series to voice Joker in “Origins,” it was still cool to see it referenced here.

“Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015)

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In “Arkham Knight,” we see Barbara Gordon operating under her Oracle persona and helping Batman out behind the scenes. But he’s not the only one she’s assisting in a quest to help Gotham. Inside her clock tower headquarters, you can find a computer with a Birds of Prey logo set as the background. Instead of just a callout, however, you can see a chat between her and Huntress, another member of the team. Oracle tells her to find Black Canary and patrol the evacuee camps on the mainland. While it would’ve been cool to see these heroes in action, it’s also cool knowing they’re helping keep the peace while Batman deals with the larger threat.

“Batman: Arkham City” (2011)

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In between offering fantastic encounters in “Asylum” and being the driving force behind “Knight,” Scarecrow wasn’t seen in “Arkham City.” However, an Easter Egg pointed to his plans in the sequel. Within the Industrial District by the Falcone Shipping Yard, Batman can find a small boat whose entrance is hidden behind a tough cryptographic sequence that will read “City of Terror.” Inside, you’ll find creepy containers full of insects and a Joker henchman that has clearly been experimented on. You can also find a shipping invoice from Falcone claiming the insects were for Scarecrow’s research purposes. It wasn’t the first or last time Rocksteady included hints about future installments, but more on that later.

“Batman: Arkham Knight” (2015)

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Most superhero adaptations, whether they be games, movies, or TV shows, will hide a reference to that hero’s first appearance somewhere for eagle-eyed fans to discover. Batman’s came in “Arkham Knight.” During the Panessa Studios section, Batman will have to recapture the Gotham citizens infected with Joker’s blood. At a certain point, he’ll need to look at footage of Johnny Charisma entering a door code to make it to the next area. The door code is 0539, which is a reference to “Detective Comics #27,” Batman’s debut, which was released in May of 1939. It’s pretty clever to include it through gameplay rather than have it posted somewhere.

“Batman: Arkham Asylum” (2009)

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Like “Arkham City,” “Asylum” included a great Easter Egg that hinted towards the next game in the series. Inside Warden Sharp’s office, one wall can be blown up to reveal a hidden room. Inside, you’ll find some blueprints for Gotham, clearly showing the walled off portion that would become Arkham City. This Easter Egg was actually revealed by Rocksteady itself after players seemingly failed to find it. But it’s incredibly well-hidden: it isn’t on the map, detective vision doesn’t reveal a weak wall, and it takes three applications of Batman’s explosive gel to work. It’s one of the franchise’s coolest Easter Eggs, though, showcasing the developer’s immense love for the world.

Killer Croc is one of the big bads Batman must go up against in “Arkham Asylum.” It seemed like he wasn’t included in the follow-up, but in reality he was just hard to find. After the fight with Ra’s Al Ghul, you’ll find an exit that leads back out the game’s main area. However, if you choose to backtrack through the sewers, you’ll find this Easter Egg. By throwing a remote-controlled Batarang at a switch behind a certain gate, you’ll trigger a cutscene with Croc. He can actually smell the poison in Batman’s veins, choosing to wait until he’s dead so he can feast on his corpse. It’s the only way to see him in “City” and was likely missed by the majority of players.

“Arkham Knight” has Batman hunt down several foes through the Gotham’s Most Wanted side quests. One of them is Kirk Langstrom, AKA the Man-Bat. After completing the mission, Langstrom can be found locked up in the GCPD, now back in his human form. However, if you play on Halloween, or change your system’s date, he won’t stay there. After exploring the city for a bit, you’ll encounter him once again. And by visiting the GCPD, you’ll find that he’s escaped. You can also revisit his lab, where you’ll find his presumed dead wife is also missing. A bloody message on a mirror reads ‘Forever My Love,’ implying she may have changed too.

We all love the “Arkham” storylines, but the series also includes great challenge maps to hone your Batman techniques. For “Arkham Knight’s” DLC, Rocksteady remade some from “City” and included an awesome Easter Egg in the Wayne Manor map. If you interacted with the piano, you’d reveal a secret white board with notes about one of Batman’s cases. The board read things like “Find the Witness” and “He knew his Killer?” as well as references to the Penguin and a picture of a door with 4-25 above it. While it seemed confusing at first, players eventually found out that the notes were referring to the plot of “Batman: Arkham VR,” which was released around 9 months after the DLC.

You can find the second rate villain Calendar Man fairly early on in “Arkham City.” But despite his status, he leads to one of, if not the coolest Easter Egg in the entire series. Visiting his cell on 12 holidays, either by waiting or changing your system’s date, will unlock hidden monologues about crimes he commited related to each holiday. However, if you set your system to December 13th, 2004, Rocksteady’s founding date, you’ll hear something different. He’ll mention that he was there at your beginning and he’ll be there at your end. Rocksteady followed up on this Easter Egg in “Arkham Knight.” If you got 100% completion, Calendar Man could be very briefly seen in the final scene when Bruce Wayne’s manor exploded, being there at his end.