It was recently revealed by Chris Nolan that the Riddler (contrary to popular rumor) will not be appearing in the third of his Batman trilogy. That raised the question of which villains might be in the movie. Most of Batman’s most popular villains like the Joker and Catwoman have made the journey to the big screen. However, there are still plenty of villains in the Rogues Gallery that have yet to make the journey. Here are six that I think would be the best.
Black Mask – A brutal crime-lord who wore a mask carved from his father’s coffin, for a long time Black Mask literally ruled Gotham City’s entire underworld. Founder and leader of the False Face Society, he made Batman’s life a nightmare, up to and including killing and torturing one of the Robins. That story — where Black Mask tortured Stephanie Brown to death as Robin — remains one of the character’s most debated arcs to this day. It made our list of 10 Most Disastrous and Controversial Batman Storylines, Ranked. I think Black Mask would be an excellent villain for Batman, especially since he requires very little in the way of special effects. He’s been widely rumored as a villain who might appear in the more realistic world of Nolan’s Batman series.
Clayface – Among Batman’s motley collection of villains, Clayface is one of the most powerful. There have actually been several villains calling themselves Clayface, but they all have the same thing in common – they can transform into anyone they choose. With CGI similar to the effects that created Two-Face in The Dark Knight, Clayface could be a really interesting character. Especially if they do the goopy version of Clayface.
Harley Quinn – One of the greatest creations in Batman’s mythology appeared in a minor role on the Batman Animated Series in the mid-nineties. Since then, her character exploded to become an integral part of the Joker’s pathos. That character is Harley Quinn. Part-lover, part-sidekick, Harley Quinn is almost as crazy as the Joker, delights in his mania, has wicked martial arts skills, and will do anything the Joker tells her to. I long for the day when the world at large knows the madness of Harley Quinn.
Killer Croc – Killer Croc is one of Batman’s deadliest enemies. An ex-circus freak born with a birth defect that gave him the features of a crocodile and superhuman strength, Croc has yet to appear on the big screen. To turn an actor into the mutant Croc would be very difficult and expensive in the past, but CGI makes that a breeze today. He’s very much about brawn instead of brains, so he wouldn’t be a criminal mastermind, but would make a good henchman.
Man-Bat – The Man-Bat is a scientist whose experiments in sonar caused him to ingest a serum that turned him into a bat-like monster. I personally think Man-Bat would be an incredible villain on the big screen. Visually, the image of an enormous humanoid bat would be awesome. Then there’s the dramatic twist of Batman facing a literal version of himself. I always found Man-Bat a great tragic villain – Batman is a bat because he chooses to be, and Man-Bat is a bat against his will.
Mad Hatter – A madman who styles himself after the character from Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter can take control of anyone with his mind-controlling hats. While it’s hard to take a hat obsession seriously, I think he could be deadly with the right handling. Recent characterization of him as a psychopathic pedophile are a step in the right direction.
Black Mask – A brutal crime-lord who wore a mask carved from his father’s coffin, for a long time Black Mask literally ruled Gotham City’s entire underworld. Founder and leader of the False Face Society, he made Batman’s life a nightmare, up to and including killing and torturing one of the Robins. That story — where Black Mask tortured Stephanie Brown to death as Robin — remains one of the character’s most debated arcs to this day. It made our list of 10 Most Disastrous and Controversial Batman Storylines, Ranked. I think Black Mask would be an excellent villain for Batman, especially since he requires very little in the way of special effects. He’s been widely rumored as a villain who might appear in the more realistic world of Nolan’s Batman series.
Clayface – Among Batman’s motley collection of villains, Clayface is one of the most powerful. There have actually been several villains calling themselves Clayface, but they all have the same thing in common – they can transform into anyone they choose. With CGI similar to the effects that created Two-Face in The Dark Knight, Clayface could be a really interesting character. Especially if they do the goopy version of Clayface.
Harley Quinn – One of the greatest creations in Batman’s mythology appeared in a minor role on the Batman Animated Series in the mid-nineties. Since then, her character exploded to become an integral part of the Joker’s pathos. That character is Harley Quinn. Part-lover, part-sidekick, Harley Quinn is almost as crazy as the Joker, delights in his mania, has wicked martial arts skills, and will do anything the Joker tells her to. I long for the day when the world at large knows the madness of Harley Quinn.
Killer Croc – Killer Croc is one of Batman’s deadliest enemies. An ex-circus freak born with a birth defect that gave him the features of a crocodile and superhuman strength, Croc has yet to appear on the big screen. To turn an actor into the mutant Croc would be very difficult and expensive in the past, but CGI makes that a breeze today. He’s very much about brawn instead of brains, so he wouldn’t be a criminal mastermind, but would make a good henchman.
Man-Bat – The Man-Bat is a scientist whose experiments in sonar caused him to ingest a serum that turned him into a bat-like monster. I personally think Man-Bat would be an incredible villain on the big screen. Visually, the image of an enormous humanoid bat would be awesome. Then there’s the dramatic twist of Batman facing a literal version of himself. I always found Man-Bat a great tragic villain – Batman is a bat because he chooses to be, and Man-Bat is a bat against his will.
Mad Hatter – A madman who styles himself after the character from Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter can take control of anyone with his mind-controlling hats. While it’s hard to take a hat obsession seriously, I think he could be deadly with the right handling. Recent characterization of him as a psychopathic pedophile are a step in the right direction. Discover more from The Geek Twins
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<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="42351 ">5 Comments
I would really love to see Harley. I think she would carry on the story perfectly. Since Brittany murphys passing, I'd love. To see scout Taylor Compton give it a shot 🙂
There's a lot of talk about Hush being a villain for the next Batman, or Talia al'Ghoul. I'd happily take either, although I too would have loved to see Harley Quinn. On a side note, I remember reading that prior to Heath Ledger's death, TDK was supposed to end with a scene of the Joker imprisoned, with his name being called out by a psychiatrist (Dr. Quinn). If that's true, I can't help but wonder what could have been…
I've heard the rumors of Hush as well. Also Catwoman
Most of the choices are good excepting for Paul Dini's pet character. I simply can't stand Harley, as she is a one note character who brings nothing to the table other than being "that crazy chick the Joker uses as a shield all the time", Let's face it, Queen is popular because she leeches on the Joker and on POison Ivy's fame.
You're right, Brittany Murphy would have made a great Harley