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"Are you satisfied with your body? Do you crave the kind of powerful body only I can give you? A body literally throbbing with the power of a god? You do? Well, today's your lucky day. Just sign up for my Titan program and I, Joker, lord of Arkham Asylum, will deliver. Never again be embarrassed to fight an idiot vigilante. No longer have trouble opening cans. And you know what's best? Each trial pack of Titan comes with a personal guarantee that will enter you into a drawing to be the first to march on Gotham. C'mon boys! First one's free."
Joker[src]

The Titan Henchmen first appeared in Rocksteady Game's Batman: Arkham Asylum. Originally Blackgate convicts transferred to Arkham Asylum, they were injected with the Titan formula. This caused them to transform into Venom infused creatures, with incredible strength but lacking in intelligence. Batman encountered Titan Henchmen during the Arkham Riots and whilst in Arkham City.

Biography[]

Once at Arkham, these convicts were experimented on by Arkham doctor Penelope Young for her top-secret Titan Project. The Titan Project was supposedly to increase a patient's resilience to help them with some of the more strenuous treatments, but Young was secretly studying clandestine research on Bane. She had him shipped to Arkham, where she strapped him down inside the Experimental Chamber of the Medical Facility. After draining Bane of his steroid drug Venom, Young reverse-engineered it into TITAN, a much stronger version of Venom that did more than enhance strength. It turned people into hulking, raging beasts.

As a side effect, it also temporarily reduced the user's reasoning abilities to animal-like levels. When she heard that the medicine dosage for Blackgate convicts was permitted, she took one of the Joker's former henchmen to test her a more Venom-like version of her formula on. This prisoner mutated into a ravaging, berserk monster with enhanced strength and surprising speed. Dr. Young confined the goliath to a high-security treatment cell in the Extreme Isolation area of the Intensive Treatment Center while she developed a stronger version of her TITAN formula for her mysterious benefactor, Jack White.

She eventually realized that "Jack White" was in fact the Joker and he was trying to use her to create an army of mutated monsters to unleash on Gotham City. After a change of heart, Dr. Young tried to back out, attempting to give the Joker his money back. Meanwhile, the forgotten Titan Henchman, still powered by Dr. Young's incomplete version of her TITAN formula, remained locked up in a high-security, metal transfer box in Extreme Isolation. Six armed and armored security guards remained on duty to guard the area from Secure Treatment Transfer at all times.

Batman: Arkham Asylum[]

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Batman faces the Titan Henchman in Secure Treatment Transfer.

That prototype Titan Henchman is the first Boss opponent in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Since Batman cannot match the creature's strength, he must rely on his wit rather than his fists to take on the Titan Henchman. He must stun him before this mutated experiment will be vulnerable to his attacks. The Dark Knight can throw multiple batarangs at the beast and allow him to charge and crash into the wall, temporarily stunning him. He can then beat the Titan Henchman with his fists before the disoriented monster can react.

Upon losing Dr. Young's support on the TITAN Project, the Joker allowed himself to be captured and sent back to Arkham Asylum so he could start a riot, locate Dr. Young's notes, and complete the Titan formula himself. After being captured by Batman at City Hall, the Joker was driven back to Arkham, where a team of guards escorted him through the Intensive Care Facility. While being taken through the Holding Cells by an unidentified guard and doctor, the Joker broke free and killed them. Meanwhile, his accomplice-in-crime Harley Quinn, aided by a traitorous guard, took control of the island's security system and released all the prisoners in the Holding Cells. Batman attempted to pursue him and was attacked by the inmates.

As he fought them off, the Joker ran amok through the Processing Corridor. Once the cell doors were unlocked, the inmates killed many of the asylum guards and followed the Clown Prince of Crime as he carried out his plans. He pumped Joker Toxin gas into the Decontamination Chamber, murdering security personnel and inmates alike. Being Dr. Young's benefactor as "Jack White", the Joker was aware of the prototype Titan Henchman's location in the Intensive Treatment Center. With an army of his thugs, the Joker invaded the Transfer Loop, easily overwhelming the three guards who tried to stop them. The mob proceeded to Secure Treatment Transfer.

In the ensuing confrontation, most of the security guards were caught by surprise and overpowered. The brief confrontation left all the guards dead with the exception of one who managed to drag an injured colleague to safety inside a nearby guard booth and lock himself inside. The Joker dismissed his men and awaited Batman's arrival on top of the suspended transfer box which housed the Titan Henchman.

Batman found the dead bodies and vandalized asylum property in the Joker's wake and followed the green arrows the Joker had spray-painted onto the floor of the Transfer Loop, pointing toward the seemingly locked door that led to Secure Treatment Transfer. As Batman approached the door, it opened, revealing the Joker inside standing on the prisoner transfer box. As Joker invited Batman to throw a batarang and slit his throat, ending the threat of the Clown forever, the Dark Knight threw a batarang at the villain - which missed its target, as Batman restrained himself from killing at the last second.

Batman vowed to find the Joker, who calmly replied, "Oh, I'm counting on it. But not just yet!" With that, the evil clown pulled a lever which unlocked the door to the prisoner transport cell, releasing the enraged Titan Henchman. Furious at his long hours of captivity and with his sanity now truly lost to the incomplete TITAN formula, the Titan Henchman leaped onto the floor of Secure Treatment Transfer, ready to tear apart the only living thing in the beast's view: Batman. The hulking monster blinked in the new-found light, but then quickly recovered and lunged for Batman. The Joker had arranged for Batman to follow him to Secure Treatment Transfer so that he could test his newest recruit on him.

Fortunately for Batman, he was able to outwit the beast. The Titan Henchman constantly charged the Caped Crusader in an attempt to bowl him over. Batman dodged these charges, allowing the Venom Henchman to crash into the wall and disorient himself. Even more angry, the Titan Henchman stormed toward Batman after clearing his head, resorting to picking up a deceased security guard's corpse and hurling the body at the Dark Knight, who escaped most of its attacks. In his fury, the Titan Henchman punched the floor with his massive fist when Batman attempted to draw closer.

As the fight climaxed, the Titan Henchman grasped at its chest. Staggering between the guard stations, the monster fell backwards and crashed to the floor, dead. After using his Detective Mode Vision, Batman realized that the Titan Henchman had in fact died from a fatal heart attack, most probably brought on by the prototype Titan formula. An interrupted passage of blood to his heart had doomed him during the battle with Batman.

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Batman stands the victor over the unfortunate Titan Henchman.

The Joker was mildly annoyed by this failure, remarking, "Note to self: Need stronger test subjects." He then activated the transport cell which had previously housed the Titan Henchman to take him into Extreme Isolation.

After the Joker's escape, Batman tried to follow him to Extreme Isolation, only to have the computerized transport systems be jammed by the Joker. Finding that the Joker had used a corrupt security guard named Frank Boles to kidnap police commissioner Gordon (who was on the island to supervise the Joker's return to his cell), kidnapped, Batman left Secure Treatment Transfer to rescue Gordon. The Joker went on to perfect his Titan formula and create an army of his own superpowered henchmen to battle Batman after discovering the secret Titan Production Facility in the Botanical Gardens, and started experimenting on his henchmen.

As Batman notices, one henchman falls into the sewers, with horribly mutated arms. Then Batman hacks a security hack proof and enters the facility. The Joker proclaims "Well, look who discovered our secret lab. Since you've made it this far, let me show you what I've cooked up." and infects two henchmen with Titan dart and escapes with an elevator. However, the monsters were no match for Batman, and he ultimately defeats them. After shutting down the pump rooms pushing Titan byproduct into the Arkham sewers, Batman is sent to deal with another Titan henchman assisted by some of Joker's goons.

Later, the Joker unleashes two Titan infected Arkham Security guards to fight Batman. And from then, only a few of the formula survives, after the Titan infected Joker's defeat. Note 1: The second Titan combat is the perfect way to unlock the "Mano-a-mano" achievement. Just stand in front of the first monster, while the other is preparing to charge. Note 2: To unlock the achievement, you must not use any batarangs. Note 3: After you defeat the monsters, the "Double Trouble" achievement will be automatically unlocked.

Batman: Arkham City[]

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Penguin's Titan

After the events of Arkham Asylum, the Titan Formula still exists and the henchmen are encountered a total of three times, created three separate times by Penguin, Joker and Harley Quinn.

The first of the three is Penguin's. The Titan henchmen that Penguin created are held in large cages in the "Gladiator Pit" in the Cyrus Pinkney Institute of Natural History where one is released to fight Batman the first time he entered the museum.

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Joker's Titan

The second Titan henchman is encountered in the Steel Mill during the Joker boss fight alongside Mr. Hammer and an army of Joker thugs.

The third and final Titan henchman is encountered in the Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC. Robin encounters the henchman outside of Joker's shrine where Batman is being held.

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Harley Titan thug

Note: New mechanics are introduced such as the "Titan Charge" and "Titan Shock Wave". There is a "Special Titan Beatdown", which Batman is able to do even when the monster is charging. The "Special Titan Beatdown" is similar to the "Cape Stun". The batarang stun doesn't work in the second game, as the moment you throw they will instinctively cover their head with their arm. This also makes it much easier to fight the Titan Henchmen without breaking one's combo chain.

Notes/Trivia[]

  • The Titan Henchman bears a striking resemblance to both Amygdala‎ and Charlie "Big Time" Bigelow from Batman Beyond
  • A similar henchman also appeared in the prequel comics to Batman: Arkham City, having been injected with Titan that was isolated from Joker's blood by the Joker himself. The henchman in question then fought against Bane and brought the latter to his mercy. Similar to the Titan henchman in the first game, he ends up suffering from a heart attack, resulting in Bane mercy-killing the henchman.
  • In the early development, the Titan Henchman's transforming structure was with bursting metal from its skin. Later it was replaced with bone structure in the final rendering.
  • In the early development, as the environment artist John Gravato explains, were developed Titan "Lunatics" instead of Titan Henchmen. Later the idea was scrapped out of production.
  • Although Batman had destroyed all of the Titan containers during the Bane side mission, Titan is still at large as Harley Quinn seems to possess it after the events of Arkham City.
  • Additionally in Batman: Arkham Knight one vial of Joker's Titan formula can be found in evidence room of GCPD in a case containing evidence pertaining to the Joker.

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