Honestly, the way people talk about the roster in LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes usually misses the point. Everyone obsesses over the "massive" 150+ character counts in the newer games, but they forget that this was the title that actually figured out how to make those characters feel like individuals. It wasn't just about a skin swap.
When you look at all characters on lego batman 2, you aren't just looking at a list. You're looking at the first time Superman actually felt like Superman in a LEGO game. The first time the Flash felt fast.
Basically, the game features a core roster of 50 characters, but that number jumps to 60 if you’re counting the DLC packs that dropped back in the day. If you’re playing on a handheld like the 3DS or the Vita, or even the mobile version, that number gets even weirder because of platform-exclusive heroes like Green Arrow or Vixen.
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The Core Justice League Dynamics
Most of your time is going to be spent with the big hitters. You’ve got the obvious ones like Batman and Robin, who are basically the "Swiss Army Knives" of the game because of their suit-swapping mechanics.
But then there's Superman.
He’s arguably the most "broken" character in the best way possible. He combines the abilities of almost every Batman suit: heat vision for gold LEGO, freeze breath for water, and invulnerability. Plus, he flies. When "Superman" by John Williams kicks in while you're soaring over Gotham, it's peak gaming.
Breaking Down the Main Squad
- Green Lantern: He’s the only one who can interact with those glowing green LEGO bricks. His constructs are usually hammers or saws, but honestly, he's mostly there for the platforming.
- Cyborg: He’s essentially a walking Magnet Suit. He can pull blue magnetic objects and fire a laser. People forget he also has super strength, which makes him a great alternative to the Power Suit.
- The Flash: He’s the fastest builder. If you see a pile of hopping bricks that takes Batman five seconds to put together, Flash does it in half a second.
- Wonder Woman: She’s got the tiara for ranged attacks and the Lasso of Truth. She also flies, making her a solid Superman alternative if you prefer the Amazonian aesthetic.
- Aquaman: Often the butt of the joke, but he’s actually vital for 100% completion. He can spray water to clean up "toxic goop" and walk underwater without a diving suit.
Why the Villains Are Actually Better
If we’re being real, the villains in this game have way more personality. You don’t unlock them by just finishing levels; you have to find them at their specific boss icons in the Gotham City open world, beat them up, and then buy them with studs.
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The Joker is a prime example. He isn't just a clown with a gun. He has an electric buzzer that can charge up generators. This is huge because it means you don't have to keep backtracking to an Electricity Suit station.
Then there’s Lex Luthor. You basically need him for the endgame. He carries the Deconstructor, which is the only weapon that can break apart black "Deconstructor" LEGO pieces. Without Lex, you’re never hitting that 100% mark.
I’ve always had a soft spot for The Penguin. He deploys little robotic penguins that act as walking bombs. It’s chaotic. It’s fun. And it’s much faster than using Batman’s Power Suit to blow up silver objects.
The Heavy Hitters and the Weirdos
Killer Croc and Bane are your heavy lifters. They can pull those orange handles that require super strength. Interestingly, Man-Bat is one of the most underrated characters in the entire game. He has a sonic scream that shatters glass, a power he shares with Black Canary, but he can also fly.
The DLC and Handheld Exclusives
This is where things get a bit messy for collectors. The console version (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii) had two main DLC packs: the Heroes Pack and the Villain Pack.
The Heroes Pack gave us Nightwing, Shazam, Katana, Zatanna, and Damian Wayne. Nightwing is cool, but he’s mostly a Robin clone with different animations. Shazam, on the other hand, is a beast—he’s basically a magical Superman with electricity powers.
The Villain Pack added Bizarro, Captain Cold, Black Manta, Black Adam, and Gorilla Grodd.
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If you were playing the portable versions, you actually got characters that console players never saw. Green Arrow, Hawkgirl, and Huntress (though Huntress was DLC on consoles) were much more accessible or even exclusive to certain versions.
Unlocking the Final Secret
The "final" character for most players is Supergirl. You need a staggering 250 Gold Bricks to unlock her. She’s essentially a clone of Superman, but by the time you unlock her, you've basically conquered Gotham anyway.
Getting to that point requires a lot of "goon" hunting too. You can actually play as the generic LexBot, Clown Goon, or Mime Goon. They don't have many powers, but if you’re a completionist, you’ll find yourself stalking the streets of Gotham looking for a specific parking lot where a Mime Goon might spawn.
Actionable Next Steps for Completionists
If you're jumping back into Gotham to finish your roster, start by unlocking The Joker and Lex Luthor as soon as the open world becomes available.
Lex's ability to destroy black bricks and Joker's ability to power electrical sockets will save you hours of switching suits at Bat-terminals. Once you have them, hunt down The Flash and Aquaman. With that quartet, plus the default Batman and Robin, you can solve about 90% of the puzzles in the Gotham City hub without ever touching a suit signal.
Check the map for the red beams of light—those are the remote terminals. Activating them reveals the locations of nearby villains, making the "beat 'em and buy 'em" process a lot less of a headache.