If you ’re a swashbuckler in the DC universe , then you have it away all about Arkham Asylum . seemingly a place to cure the world ’s worst and craziest supervillains , it ’s never successfully reach anything other than giving Batman more work to do — here are the reasons why .
1 ) First of all , it ’s terrible at its job .
No one has ever been heal in Arkham Asylum . Well , not permanently , anyhow . A few insane supervillains may have pretended to have gotten secure , but most of them were lying , and immediately resume their evil , murderous , insane ways the second they stepped off the Arkham ground . The few who really believed they were cured — much like Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight Returns — found themselves revert back to their sometime shenanigans before too long , and taking hostages , robbing banks , etc . My pet example is Cluemaster ; Arkham actually did manage to cure him … of his pathological need to exit clues everywhere , but not his desire to rob and kill masses . Great work there , cat . But the “ not curing anybody ” would n’t in reality be much of an take except …
2 ) It also never carry anybody .
Seriously , anyone can escape Arkham Asylum . Actually , everyone has break loose Arkham Asylum at one point or another — the Joker , the Scarecrow , the Riddler … hell , even the Calendar Man has escaped on a few function , and his superpower is knowing when holiday happen . Many prison term the Joker has let himself be caught , because he sleep together with inviolable certainty he can escape Arkham at his leisure time . pit , Batman has been forced to take to the woods from Arkham himself a few prison term when someone ’s conspired to get him committed . Also , the fact that Batman and Robin an break into Arkham any time they require is also indicative of Arkham ’s massive security measures problems .
3 ) Some of the inmates are n’t in reality mad .
Yes , the Joker is completely psychotic . Two - Face and Scarecrow are both pretty legitimately mad . And you could argue that the Riddler ’s mania for riddle is a major psychosis that want psychiatrical help . But Killer Croc is an Arkham “ patient ” and he ’s not brainsick — he ’s just a hoodlum with a terrible skin disease . similarly , Mr. Freeze is n’t wild , unless loving your constantly on - the - brink - of - death wife is crazy — but he ’s locked up with the yard bird of Arkham as well . If you somehow get tossed in Arkham Asylum and are n’t brainsick , there ’s a better than even gamble you ’ll go dotty before you inevitably escape . lawsuit in head : Warren “ The Great White Shark ” White . He was a Wall Street defalcator who plead insanity to stay out of real jail . He was tossed in Arkham and was not only driven harebrained , but was scarred by his fellow inpatient until he resembled a shark .
4 ) The employee , however , are crazy .
Jeremiah Arkham , the chief psychologist and chief administrator of the asylum , has gone completely bonkers on several occasions , even taking the identity of Black Mask during the pre - young 52 “ Battle for the Cowl ” upshot . He permit the serial killer Zsasz make some architectural change during a redevelopment , allowing him a occult series of tunnels through the edifice . The administrator after he was break for his crime was Dr. Alyce Sinner , who was Jeremiah / Black Mask ’s lover . Sometimes Dr. Jonathan Crane is portray as a former Arkham employee before turning into the Scarecrow . And everyone be intimate how the Joker turned Dr. Harleen Quinzel into his most devoted admirer and supervillain sidekick Harley Quinn , but he ’s also convinced many other doctors and staff member into doing everything from smuggle contraband for him to killing themselves . Which brings up another crucial point : The staff members who are n’t demented can almost always be buy .
5 ) In fact , the staff was always softheaded .
The original founding father of Arkham Asylum was Amadeus Arkham , whose female parent ’s suicide inspired him to devote his life to treat the insane . A dainty thought , but it sour out Amadeus was strangle the store of see to it a big - ass chiropteran - creature tormenting his mother and slashed her throat with a razor blade to stop her suffering . When his wife and girl are murdered by the serial grampus “ Mad Dog ” Hawkins , he puts on his mom ’s wedding dress and start trying to do conjuration to jail the bat - spirit . All he get by to do , however , is electrocute Hawkins under the guise of electrical shock therapy and then get himself committed in his own insane asylum . And before all that , the mental institution ’s original architect obliterate his employees with an axe , and also ended up a resident of his own construction . This was NOT an auspicious kickoff .
6 ) It ’s overcrowded and undermanned … and it ’s Batman ’s fault .
Besides the HQ , it can be reason that Batman is just as responsible for Arkham Asylum ’s problem as anybody . In recent Batman comics , we ’re introduced to an elderly con called the Anchoress , one of AA ’s earliest Edgar Albert Guest , who committed herself because she wanted an asylum to find in . And then Batman shows up and starts dumping crazy murderous assholes in the construction every other night , and the faculty is n’t even close to prepared to treat heaps and dozens of the world ’s most dangerous lunatics at the same clock time and the same place . No wonder they ’re not catch better ! No wonder they can escape so easy ! No wonderment the employee go crazy themselves ! In fact , in Grant Morrison ’s A Serious House on Serious Earth , Arkham decision maker Dr. Henry Cavendish is so convinced Batman is the problem that he allow all the lunatic out in hopes that one of them will down the Dark Knight .
7 ) Batman does not understand how genial recovery works .
Batman has his own HQ at Arkham Asylum . Now I have intercourse that does n’t seem that bad devote that Batman ask to stop by AA a few times a week , to investigate a break - out , quench a riot , or menace an incarcerated scoundrel for information because they still have unfettered approach to institutionalize crimes on the exterior . It just makes sense for him to store a mini - Batcave on the assumption . But even if you do n’t buy the theory that Batman create and/or enables his rogues gallery by his very existence , how much could it perhaps serve the patient role there to see their speculative foe stroll through the hall every Tuesday Nox ? I think that might make their recovery a soupcon problematic , do n’t you ? Even more terrifying : Once , Batman had to take a trip somewhere , and Ra ’ Al Ghul was in Ithiel Town and Batman want to get him out of the agency . So he plants a bunch of fake medical records , knocks Ra ’s unconscious and drops him off at Arkham telling the staff that he ’s a criminal with multiple personality disorderliness phone Terry Gene Kase , who happen to think he ’s Ra ’s Al Ghul at the second . Batman had Ra ’s invest just to keep him busy . That ’s so eff up .
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