The Joker Just Became the New Lead of 2026’s Near-Perfect Batman Game

Published Aug 26, 2026, 10:17 AM EDT The Clown Prince of Crime takes the spotlight in Legacy of the Dark Knight's Mayhem Collection Image: Warner Bros. Games Sign in to your Polygon.com account Lego and Batman goes together like peanut butter in jelly in a way that shouldn't work as well as it does. 2017's Lego Batman Movie turned out to be one of the best films about the Caped Crusader ever made. The same is true for video games. Just look at this year's Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, which can hold its own against Rocksteady's acclaimed Arkham series. Now, Legacy of the Dark Knight is about to get even better thanks to Batman's arch-nemesis. Warner Bros. Games is set to release a Switch 2 version of the game on Sept. 18, coinciding with the launch of the Mayhem Collection DLC. A new trailer dropped during Gamescom shows off the DLC's headlining event: a story mission starring the Joker and Harley Quinn. It looks to be an origin story of the couple, with the two meeting in therapy sessions at Arkham and soon orchestrating a breakout. This will pit the two against Amanda Waller and a host of iconic Batman characters imprisoned in Arkham. The Joker will have a fast-paced, agile combat style, wielding his Paintball Pelter and Boxing Glove. Harley will use her trusty hammer and be able to summon the hyenas, Bud and Lou. What else is included in Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight's Mayhem Collection? The DLC will also introduce the new Mayhem Mode. This will be a vehicle-centric mode in which the Joker and Harley race through Gotham in time trials while Batman and the Suicide Squad hunt them down. There will, of course, be plenty of new outfits in Mayhem Collection. The Sinister Pack adds a number of new looks including the following: Batman – The Batman Who Laughs outfit (Dark Nights: Metal #2 | 2017) Robin – Robin King outfit (Dark Nights: DM – Legends of the Dark Knights #1 | 2020) Nightwing – Joker outfit (Nightwing #16 | 2011) Batgirl – Joker outfit (Jokerized DC Multiverse Action Figure) Jim Gordon – Joker outfit (The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #9 | 2022) Catwoman – Joker outfit (Catwoman #65 | 1993) Talia al Ghul – Joker (Earth-37) outfit (DC Elseworlds comic series | 1997) Vehicle – Jokermobile (Arkham Trilogy) Batcave Items – Helmet (The Merciless), Joker Fish Aquarium, Barbatos Statue, Snake Clowns, and Long Halloween Pumpkin The Mayhem Collection DLC will be available to all owners of the base game's Deluxe Edition at no extra cost when it is released on Sept. 18.