Ranking 20 Villains That Would Be Perfect For "The Batman 2"
The Batman gave fans a crime-solving Batman story, one unlike anything they had seen before on the big screen. "The Batman 2" is officially in development and will be on its way in 2024!
Warner Bros.
Here's my ranking of who I think would be the best villains to go head-to-head with the "World's Greatest Detective" in a The Batman sequel:
20.Man-Bat
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Man-Bat (Kirk Langstrom) is basically Mr. Hyde meets giant bat in the comics. Now, hear me out, because all of these potential villains would have to be re-imagined for this unique noir universe.
Let's say there is an unstable serial killer that thinks he is like Batman, but he is killing victims, even leaving bite marks on their necks. So, the public automatically blames Batman for these killings. Man-Bat can even wear a copycat outfit. It would tie into the "vengeance" theme of the first film of how Batman inspires, but that includes the wrong people.
19.Bane
Warner Bros. Animation
Bane is a calculated mastermind that is infamous for "breaking the bat."
I DO NOT want to see Bane in this universe because he doesn't fit the noir style. Love him to death, BUT can they alter the character enough to make it work? Maybe. What if he comes to Gotham trying to take over for Falcone or something? It would be hard to pull off, but director Matt Reeves showed his creativity with the character changes in the first film, so we'll see.
18.Firefly
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Firefly is a pyromaniac that uses flamethrowers, and sometimes, a jetpack.
I could see Fire Fly as a "cold opening" villain that Batman takes down, but nothing beyond that.
17.Holiday Killer
A serial killer that strikes on holidays.
I feel like this one is very unlikely, simply because it seems like these movies should take place over a short period of time, so they'd really need to spread this out over some holidays. The secret identity of the Holiday Killer could make an appearance and work with the story, but I doubt they would go with "The Long Halloween" story arc, since a lot inspired the first film.
16.Calendar Man
Calendar Man is basically the Holiday Killer. There you go.
It'd be weird. It'd be really weird, but I could see him as an inmate at Arkham. Maybe he can be an already captured, developed character for Batman to interrogate Silence of the Lambs-style.
15.Hush
We were already teased Hush in the first film as far as the murder of reporter Edward Elliot. Hush also has ties to the Riddler, so this character seems like the biggest possibility as the main baddie for the next movie.
The best part: Hush's identity doesn't have to be the same as the comic arc. Reeves can plot something original and even make the sequel campaign tagline be: "Who is Hush?"
BUT, I worry his style would be too much of a rehash of what we saw from the Riddler.
14.Arkham Knight
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
The title character for the third installment of the Arkham video games, Arkham Knight can be whatever the movie wants him to be.
His identity in the game doesn't need to be the same in the film. So imagine a character disguised as Batman causing havoc in Arkham Asylum. I think Hugo Strange would be a great reveal to this character, but again, it can be anyone.
13.Scarecrow
Warner Bros.
The Freddy Krueger of Gotham, Scarecrow relies on his fear gas to terrorize Gotham.
Scarecrow would be a great fit, but he has been done already in Batman Begins, so I don't see what new things they could do with him.
12.The Joker
Again?
The fact that I don't feel compelled to explain who the Joker is should tell you that he has been overused. The Joker should be like the Penguin in this series. Menacing, but not the main bad guy. If he is though, I hope they develop him in the second film, ultimately building him up to be the final boss and the main villain in the third installment...just to switch things up.
11.Dollmaker
The Dollmaker takes people's bodies apart and does all kinds of nightmarish things to them. Very graphic, but very in the realm of The Batman universe.
A newer(ish) character that the mainstream hasn't been exposed to yet, Dollmaker would be a great fit into this dark, crime drama style of Batman. Can he carry a whole film? I don't know.
10.Phantasm
Warner Bros. Animation
Without spoiling who Phantasm is, it would be a cool nod to this character that was in one of the most popular Batman animations, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.
No matter who the villain is, I would also like Batman to say "I am the night" in the second film, letting the audience know that at some point in the third film, he will finally utter the famous line, "I'm Batman," as a nod to the classic animated film.
9.Black Mask
Warner Bros. Animation
Black Mask (Roman Sionis) is a short-fused Gotham crime lord that wears, you guessed it, a black mask.
Sionis is a great counterbalance to the Penguin for a sequel. He is not subdued like Falcone, loves to torture people, and will flip out at the drop of a hat. He shouldn't be the main villain but should have a Falcone-like role in the sequel now that Falcone and Maroni are no longer in the picture.
8.Hugo Strange
FOX
Hugo Strange is a mad doctor obsessed with Batman's true identity.
Strange is a legitimately fantastic option for the sequel because it will be a chance to introduce more Arkham villains. Imagine Shutter Island meets the video game Arkham Asylum in a murder mystery that leads to the break out of Arkham patients and the setup to the ultimate third movie matchup between Batman and the newly freed Joker.
There's a lot of potential here...but him as the main villain? I'm not sure.
7.Two-Face
Warner Bros.
Heads or Harvey Dent tales? No? Okay. Two-Face (Harvey Dent) is one of the elite baddies in Batman for his obsession with duality and his infamous coin flip to decide if his victims live or die.
Two-Face CANNOT be the main baddie in this type of movie, but it would be nice to see Harvey Dent introduced. It might be too similar to The Dark Knight, but the way they can make it different is to have this new, young DA have the mentality of "If I can't stop crime, I'll control it" and have him take on the Penguin for control of Gotham's underworld. Make him a baddie before he is even scarred.
He's been so overdone on the big screen, it would be hard to devote too much time to his story. Maybe give him the Penguin treatment, and keep him lower on the cast list.
6.Talons and the Court of Owls
FOX
The Court of Owls is an underground society that is pulling the strings in Gotham. They also have undead assassins called Talons.
I'm not a fan of the idea of the Court of Owls in this universe. They could easily make it more grounded, but I believe it is a little too big for this world and could take away from other characters (even potential side villains), really lessening the impact of Falcone running the whole city in the first film.
5.Red Hood
Warner Bros. Animation
Red Hood has had many iterations, playing an important part in multiple story arcs.
The Red Hood could be anyone, and if the sequel goes less serial killer focused and more gang focused, then this masked vigilante is a great counterbalance to Batman. They could even reveal him to be the Joker as a nod to the comics.
Like a few on this list, Red Hood's secret identity is a huge plot point, and Reeves could make it a shocking reveal.
4.Joe Chill
Warner Bros.
Spoiler, Joe Chill murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne.
I'm torn on this concept. I love the idea that Bruce and Alfred have no clue who killed his parents and that he could still be out there, so maybe it should stay that way. If they wanted to go this route, they'd really have to do it justice and build a whole story on Bruce's obsession with finding this man and bringing him to justice.
If we do ever meet Chill, I hope they stick with the theme of him killing Bruce's parents for money and no further agenda. It would play into the "broke" and "broken" city themes of this Gotham.
3.Mr. Freeze
Warner Bros.
Mr. Freeze is the most sympathetic villain in Batman history, who is only trying to find a way to help save his wife's life.
I honestly don't even have a concept for this one. It will be a hard character to pull off, but I think that's what makes it so intriguing. I demand to see it grounded because that's what made the first film great (I'm done with Batman fighting aliens).
Can you imagine all the blue colors and aesthetics Reeves could incorporate?
Also, the top three on this list are miles ahead of everything else for me.
2.Clayface
Warner Bros. Animation
I think of Stephen King's The Outsider when I think of Clayface in this universe. Imagine a serial killer that is framing people by using prosthetics to match the person they are framing. It would be a great crime drama storyline, plus, how about the killer framing a major character like Jim Gordon or even Bruce Wayne himself.
There is a ton of potential with this one while also keeping the character grounded. Plus, imagine the horrifying reveal when we see the true face of Clayface. Imagine how dark and twisted they could make it look.
1.Poison Ivy
Warner Bros. Animation
The plant-lover herself would be a great adversary to this detective-style Batman, but how can they pull it off?
Hear me out: Dr. Pamela Isley, played by, let's say, Kristen Stewart, is an unstable, pro-planet activist that has some kind of poisonous plot to wipe out Gotham on a massive scale unless her demands are met. Batman must find a way to stop her toxin from going airborne (and figure out where it is located) all while she has agreed to stop the "toxic bomb" if Batman is dead by the end of the week, leading to characters like Penguin, Joker, and others targeting Batman.
It can be done, probably a LOT better and less corny...but it can be done.
Think about this: A woman has never been the main villain of a Batman film. This would be the ninth Batman film in modern-day cinema, so I think having Poison Ivy lead would be the most original route they could go with the film.