Arkham Trilogy – Every Boss Ranked

After playing the Rocksteady Arkham trilogy (not Origins … sorry!), I was taken aback by the (mostly) excellent boss fights. I knew these games were famed for their combat encounters, but I wasn’t expecting them to be so good!

I’ll rank every main boss fight in the trilogy – so smaller bosses like the Titans don’t count. Let’s get to it!

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Bad

24 – Deadshot (City)

The only outright bad boss in the Arkham games, Deadshot’s battle in Arkham City is an insult to both the character’s and player’s abilities.

Considering how much Rocksteady went out of their way to build up Deadshot’s formidable skillset, it’s such a shame that a simple 10-second sequence is enough to knock him out.

Meh

23 – Bane (Asylum)

Bane acts as a tutorial boss in the first Arkham game. At least, it feels like a tutorial boss with how early on it comes and how simple it is.

The problem with Bane, however, is that we’ve already fought a Titan by this point so his fight mechanics feel re-used and redundant.

22 – Deathstroke (Knight)

I’m told that Deathstroke was one of Origins’ best boss fights, so I was expecting great things from the deadly mercenary in Arkham Knight.

It’s so disappointing, therefore, when he ends up being a generic Batmobile battle that can be finished in under a minute.

21 – Arkham Knight’s Chopper (Knight)

Fighting the Arkham Knight in his chopper at Ace Chemicals is one of the first Batmobile fights in the whole game. As a result, the developers didn’t go too crazy with it.

It can be a little hard to hit the chopper mid-air, but otherwise this fight is a cakewalk.

OK

20 – Two-Face (City)

I wasn’t sure whether to include Two-Face’s fight in Arkham City as a boss at all, but the added challenge of playing in stealth as Catwoman makes it fairly interesting.

Him having two health bars is a fun detail, and the Predator gameplay can be quite hard to manoeuvre.

19 – Albert King (Knight)

Batman and Robin beat the stuffing out of a slightly stronger enemy than usual. Nothing to write home about.

18 – Firefly (Knight)

I didn’t mind the fast-paced chases through Gotham to apprehend Firefly, but it felt like wasted potential.

It would’ve been so cool to actually fight an arsonist maniac on foot – something I believe you actually do in Origins. Maybe I should play that game after all …

17 – Titan Joker (Asylum)

The final boss of Asylum has been criticised to death over the years, but I didn’t think it was that bad.

It’s disappointing that it ends up being a generic goon beat-em-up and QTE button mash, but Joker’s dialogue and gloating to the news reporters was a funny gag.

16 – Cloudburst (Knight)

The single most overly-hated boss in the trilogy. The Cloudburst fight isn’t perfect, but I had a decent time with it.

The hit-and-run style Batmobile gameplay was really fun when compared to the other tank fights … but at the end of the day, Cloudburst was just another Batmobile encounter.

Good

15 – Mad Hatter (City)

The Mad Hatter fight comes at a weird point in City’s story – in fact, it’s an offshoot from one of the final act missions – but I liked it.

It’s the atmosphere that makes this fight stand out, as otherwise it’s just a goon beat-down.

14 – Man-Bat (Knight)

Man-Bat isn’t your typical boss fight, but that’s why I liked it more than I thought I would.

That initial jumpscare is legendary, and the parts where you have to glide and land on his back in the city are a decent challenge.

13 – Poison Ivy (Asylum)

Poison Ivy was so close to being an amazing boss fight, but the developers fumbled it at the final hurdle.

The arena, the boss design and the fight mechanics are all incredible … so it’s a shame her health is so big, and that you have to effectively do an identical fight back-to-back for the second phase.

12 – Joker’s Funhouse (City)

What could’ve been a generic goon beat-em-up ended up being a highlight of Arkham City’s story.

Confronting Joker’s goons in the Funhouse is a great challenge, and the frantic atmosphere and rapid rollercoaster obstacles made the whole thing a blast.

11 – Excavator (Knight)

Everyone immediately wrote off the Batmobile and all of its accompanying fight encounters, so as a result the Excavator boss in Arkham Knight might just be the most underrated battle in the series.

Navigating through the underground mines adds some Killer Croc-level tension if you’re not paying attention, and the rapid-fire chases down explosive tunnels was an amazing spectacle.

Great

10 – Riddler (Knight)

Teaming up with Catwoman to take down an army of Riddler robots was decent fun, but it was the euphoria that bumps this fight into the “Great” tier.

After spending hours upon hours collecting every single damn Riddler trophy, it was the most cathartic feeling in the world to lay the beat-down on this sadistic enigma.

9 – Johnny Charisma (Knight)

Not really a boss “fight”, but Johnny Charisma’s encounter in Arkham Knight was too good to ignore.

Mark Hamill is having the time of his life singing a song as Joker, and diffusing the bombs as Robin is a decent challenge.

8 – Professor Pyg (Knight)

The Professor Pyg mission in Arkham Knight is probably my favourite side mission in the trilogy, and the boss fight didn’t disappoint.

It’s been a while since a character genuinely creeped me out, but Professor Pyg and his army of punch-proof patients really got under my skin.

7 – Killer Croc (Asylum)

I’ll never forget the opening few minutes of Arkham Asylum where you come across Killer Croc while transporting Joker, and I was already dreading an encounter with the hulking monstrosity.

His den didn’t disappoint, and the slow walking / sudden Croc attacks made for the scariest encounter in the trilogy. It did go on for a little too long, though …

6 – Red Hood (Knight)

Red Hood’s fight in Arkham Knight was exactly what Deadshot’s encounter should’ve been in City.

The stealth challenges are some of the most fun in the entire trilogy, and this ends up being the most emotional boss fight in the game.

Amazing

5 – Clayface (City)

If you’ve been keeping count of which bosses I haven’t mentioned yet, you’ll notice that four Arkham City bosses made my top five. That’s astounding – and undeniable proof that City has the best set of bosses in the series.

The Clayface fight right at the end of Arkham City felt a little derivative of other Arkham boss fights at times, but the general spectacle and multiple layers of challenge they throw your way made it an experience to remember.

4 – Solomon Grundy (City)

Solomon Grundy’s fight is the most contrived of the bunch – you’re thrown down a pit, and this behemoth just happens to be down there. Luckily, I can look past the contrivance when the battle itself is so good.

Grundy is like a hundred-times-better version of the Bane fight in Asylum – he’s a hulking figure that you have to avoid at all costs, and using the quick gadgets to deal damage was so much fun.

3 – Ra’s al Ghul (City)

In terms of sheer spectacle, Ra’s al Ghul has all of the Arkham bosses beat and then some.

The warm-up where you have to glide through targets lets the overall experience down, but the battle itself in the desert was one for the ages.

All-Time Great

2 – Scarecrow (Asylum)

While not exactly boss “fights”, Scarecrow’s multiple encounters in Asylum have gone down in gaming legend.

The tense atmosphere is palpable at every moment, and I didn’t expect the horror / disjointed imagery to work so well for stealth and platforming puzzles.

1 – Mr. Freeze (City)

Game designers take note – this is how you give your players a boss fight that they’ll never forget.

Mr Freeze constantly adapts to your moves, so you have to switch it up each time – on higher difficulties, you have to use every gadget and skill in Batman’s arsenal to take him down. I know it’s cliché to say this fight made me “feel like Batman”, but it genuinely provided the whole experience.

Aaaand that’s my list. You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: