Ever read the graphic novel “Joker” by Brian Azzarello?

The plot of that is a low-life thug called Johnny Frost becomes part of the Jokers’ gang, find the Joker treating him like his right-hand man, and thinks this is cool and that he’s hit the big time, only to gradually realise he’s hanging out with a deranged psychopath who proceeds to ruin his life just to kill time between fighting Batman.

The comic has its problems, but I’d borrow the premise. My idea was that you would end up working for the Penguin and he’d be guy who other villains get their mooks from, that he’d own the muscle racket in Gotham, so through him you’d get in touch with and work for other supervillains, who’d all have their own mission themes. So, Riddler would send you out on high-tech heists for instance, while Two-Face would split it between non-criminal activities on the one hand (like, say, making deliveries to old ladies across town, like he was a neighbourhood-friendly gangster), and utterly monstrous atrocities (like ordering a hospital massacre to get to one guy) on the other. I’d actually try and minimise the Joker just to keep him from overshadowing the other villains, and to give him more of a “special kind of Evil” sort of presence, the type you rarely see but you know is always THERE. Also wouldn’t mind seeing Lex Luthor as the big, ultimate diabolical mastermind who serves as the de facto Big Bad of the game, though you don’t actually kill or defeat any of these villains so much as you learn the hard way that you’re in over your head and everyone is treating you like the disposable pawn that you are.

I also wouldn’t mind if when you were caught, you were actually sent to jail or prison (or if you’re really bad, Arkham Asylum) and you have to work for prison gangs and interact with other super villains who were already caught; and true to form in Gotham City, you can and will bribe or barter your way out of jail, or pull off your own escapes, with each prison progressively tougher to get out of. Gives you a greater sense of consequence, but also lets you explore other aspects of this world and talk with other characters.

As for Batman, I was thinking he’d be someone you would periodically run into during missions or just at random intervals, and he’d be like a Terminator or Nemesis-type character who you can’t actually kill but who can easily take you out, and your best and only hope is just to somehow get away from him. Sort of like the Predator missions in the Arkham series, except from the POV of the unfortunate underling. He might also show up if you get a high enough Wanted rating (wouldn’t mind if Superman did that either once or twice; you blast him with everything and he Just. Keeps. Coming!), and maybe he’ll find you every now and then when you least suspect it and force you to do missions for him. You won’t be his Robin, you’ll be his informant- and God help you if you are caught.

And of course, if you’re going to set a GTA game in Gotham city, the big perk is going to be all those wonderful toys you get. Mr Freezes’ Freeze gun, Scarecrows’ Fear Gas (and if you get exposed to it, you enter a drug-fueled horror mode; GTA: The Zombie Apocalypse etc.), Jokers’ laughing gas; Fireflies flamethrower-and-flying-suit; Bane’s Venom; Green Arrows’ arrows (get nods or cameos from other heroes); Penguins’ umbrellas; Bat and Cat-themed shuriken; laser guns…Hell, maybe even throw in a lab accident or mad experiments and you can get yourself superpowers.

And I’m just scratching the surface. A game like this has SO MUCH POTENTIAL!