The Batman Arkham series is renowned for the revolutions it made in the game industry. From the literal game-changing freeflow combat system to the widespread use of detective vision and finally making a great superhero game, it has plenty of achievements.
But some of its strongest come in its genuine knowledge of how well it understood its characters, casting them with the same voice actors as much as possible. This shows especially in game-over screens, where all these villains finally get their chance to gloat over Batman's death, and there sure is plenty of them.
10 Bane - Bat is Broken
Bane is a well-known Batman villain, one of the most iconic. Though parts of his portrayal and backstory are definitely a bit dated, he has an undeniable character that is firmly striking and fear-inducing, this hulking mass of unstoppable muscle.
One of his most famous renditions is when he snaps Batman in two, severing his spine and leaving him permanently paralyzed. Owing to how famous it is, when defeated by him in Asylum, he can very well perform the same act, claiming that he has finally broken the bat.
9 Penguin - Cut The Mask Off His Face
Penguin is an enticing villain across his many incarnations, but he always shares that same background of a stout but fearsome British gang leader. He's a man overcoming the shortcomings his height gives him to match the terror they should feel when they see him. He's brutal but takes it in his stride.
This is shown pretty well in his many game-over screens in City. Namely, when he asks for the mask to be cut off of Batman's face. In a moment like that, it would be the identity that would entice most others. But for Penguin, it's the brutality. "No need to be gentle," he says, grinning all the while.
8 Strange - The Great Batman Has Fallen
Dr. Hugo Strange gives off an interesting vibe. Rather than many of Batman's villains who are established criminals or straight-up supervillains, Strange is instead a doctor with devilish ambitions, one's he is certain he can achieve with ease. He's manipulative and methodical, knowing exactly where to push to get his results.
Everything is said with certainty. In one of his many game-over screens, he proclaims that "the great Batman has fallen. Good." There's a glee behind the calm and collected veneer. A deep voice of confidence belying the maliciousness. It's unsettling, seeing the mask slip when he shows his true horror beneath, the light around him highlighting his subtle changes of face.
7 Joker - Metal Gear
The Joker of course needs no introduction, the most famous and beloved of the entire Batman Rogue's Gallery. He's devious and unpredictable, maniacal and manipulative, but almost always in control. He's essential to the story of Batman, the surreal exterior hiding a carefully planned interior opposing Batman's inner insecurities he quite literally masks.
So of course, even after his own death, he still haunts Batman, taking center stage in many, many of his game-over screens in Knight. Though perhaps unexpectedly was that the Joker was a Metal Gear fan. In one of many screens, Joker may raise his finger to his ear to answer a call. "Bats?" he calls, to no answer. "Bats?! Baaaaats!" he screams, falling to his knees to mimic the famed game-over from Metal Gear. Odd, and of course befitting the Joker.
6 Harley Quinn - Tell Him I Sent You
Just like how Joker is inseparable from Batman, Harley Quinn is inseparable from Joker, though make no mistake in assuming Joker needs her. Harley has wholly been tricked into loving him, a poor remainder of her psychiatrist days being exploited by Joker even after death. It's what motivates her in a world without him.
A plan to kill Batman and avenge Joker is of course something she'd adore. And if she actually succeeds in killing Batman? She demands you tell Joker she sent you, a final message to prove she loves him. And one final message as she walks away: "And she says hi!"
5 Riddler - I Did It!
The Ridder has spent many years and many games trying to defeat Batman. It's less for him that Batman gets in the way of his plans, and much more that he directly challenges Batman. It's an ego-boost, a challenge to prove that he is the smartest of all. He refuses the idea that someone could outwit him, and he gets more demented and outlandish with each game.
So on the off-chance he does succeed, he can enter the scene with shock and glee. "I did it!" He is amazed that he actually won. There's a slip-up, an admittance that he truly felt that he was beaten. He quickly corrects himself, "I mean, of course I did", turning on a swift heel with a false composure and sauntering away.
4 Alfred - Rest In Peace
Being Batman, of course he runs into life-threatening danger on the daily. A requirement of the job, if you will. It's the price he pays to protect the well-to-do of Gotham like his parents from the disenfranchised thugs of the city. As someone with too much time and money on their hands tends to.
But for Alfred, he's just a friend of the family at this point, Bruce Wayne being the only one remaining. The child he's seen grow into a vigilante. There's a sense of sadness then, in him announcing Batman's death. "I had hoped it would never come to this. Rest in Peace". He says the words, but the meaning isn't there. Realistically, as sad as he may be, he likely accepted long ago that his death would come and steeled himself against it to avoid more heartbreak.
3 Arkham Knight - Look. At. Me.
The Arkham Knight is the new antagonist of Arkham Knight, maybe a bit obvious. And though his reveal is definitely one of controversy, he still holds a powerful presence, one that seethes an insatiable hatred for Batman.
Though he always comes off as too good for Batman to even stoop to his level, to dare insinuate he was even a challenge, there's still pride in his death, especially when he gets down on his knees and grabs Batman's head to face him, demanding he looks at him. It's a final threat, the satisfaction of winning, and the horror of who beat him.
2 Joker - Does That Mean I'm Dead?
Dead as he is, no one really dies in comic books, and the Joker is here in Batman's head to make sure you know. He's a constant presence in Knight, commenting on your every action with quips and info he couldn't possibly know in life, affirming he is just a very life-like figment.
But that doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy being a manifestation of Batman's trauma. In the event of Batman's death, he will joke, thinking it funny that you've finally died after all this time. Until it dawns on him that yes, this also means he is dead once again and begs Bruce to come back. Even in death, the two can't be kept apart.
1 Scarecrow - You Die Here
Though Scarecrow was present in Asylum, he went on something of a hiatus in City, formulating his great plan to ruin Gotham during its events judged by his secret boat hideout. He's always had a presence of horror, striking literal fear into your blood, and in Knight, his greatest plan is in action, and all but succeeds by the end.
His game-over screens focus on the death of Batman, and his associated failures. That his life, really, meant nothing and he should stop fearing it. But the most powerful is when he claims the legend is over. "You die here, and your legend dies with you". A proclamation that the Batman is over, and Gotham with it. It's chilling, his somber voice delivering a resounding truth that can't be stopped.