Whether you loved or loathed Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, you can't help but fall a little bit in love with Ben Affleck's portrayal of Batman. While his initial casting was met with uproarious backlash, he ha since proved himself as a worthy successor to the cowl and some fans already consider him to be the best live action Batman. Affleck is currently working on a solo outing for his Batman which is a really exciting concept, he's already done wonders with the character so it will be exciting to see how he handles other characters such as Batman's extensive rogues gallery. We've already caught a glimpse at some of Batman's foes, Jared Leto's Joker and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Will Smith's Deadshot and Adewale Akkinuoye-Agbaje's Killer Croc, not to mention the recent casting of Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke but this has merely scratched the surface. So here are just a few Batman foes that I hope will turn up at some stage in the DCEU.
The Penguin
The self proclaimed gentleman of crime, Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin is a crime lord and weapons dealer who resides in Gotham City. While he isn't the strongest of Batman's foes, or even the craziest, he is certainly formidable. He is cunning and relentless, using any means necessary to get his own way which makes him one of Gotham's most powerful criminals. Penguin hasn't been in a live action film since 1992 although Robin Lord Taylor has been giving a wonderful performance as a younger version of the character in the television series Gotham, so I think it's time he made his return to the big screen. Let's face it, he's one of Batman's greatest and most well known foes so excluding him from the DCEU would be a crime, a more grounded and serious version of the character would fit in nicely to Batfleck's world. I think Toby Jones could give a fantastic performance as Cobblepot too, maybe with a fake nose.
The Dollmaker
This version of The Dollmaker is a relatively new villain, making his debut with the introduction of the New 52 and quickly becoming a fan favourite. Barton Mathis aka The Dollmaker is a maniacal serial killer who creates 'dolls' by using the flesh and limbs of his victims, he holds a particular grudge against Commissioner Jim Gordon who killed his father. As he is a relatively new villain, Dollmaker hasn't really shown up at all outside the comics which leaves a lot of potential for the character. If Affleck was to go down the darker route with his film then the twisted Dollmaker could make for a great adversary, pitting the caped crusader against a deranged serial killer would really emphasise his detective skills. As he's such a horrific villain then I think it would be only right to have a horror icon don the Dollmaker's mask, Bill Moseley perhaps?
Mr. Freeze
Ok so the last time Mr. Freeze turned up in a live action Batman film things didn't go so well, let's just say about 90% of his dialogue was puns, but if done right I feel that Mr. Freeze could be an formidable and well-developed antagonist. When his wife Nora became fatally ill, Victor Fries attempts to freeze her until he finds the cure, however all of that meddling with cryogenics eventually leads to an accident that inhibits Victor from being exposed to any temperature above zero. This forces him to wear a mechanical suit and don the name Mr. Freeze. Freeze is a complex villain, he's the grey area in that he's only bad with the best intentions, committing crimes all in the hope of saving his wife. This makes him different from most villains and I think he could bring a real emotional depth to a Batman film, once Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't portraying him again. Bryan Cranston, now there's someone who'd do an ice job in his shoes.
Dr. Hugo Strange
Strange is one of Batman's earliest foes and is known for his obsession with creating an army of super monsters and discovering Batman's identity. Cruel, cunning and highly intelligent, Strange is by far one of Batman's most dangerous antagonists and has proven himself to be a worthy intellectual adversary. He's a different sort of villain, one who pulls the strings and orchestrates these crimes instead of carrying them out himself which I feel leaves a lot of room to fit his character in somewhere. Recently B.D. Wong has been doing a superb job at playing the character on Gotham, that's the type of Hugo Strange we want in a live action film. Including Strange would be a great opportunity to introduce the intellectual side of Batman, matching wits with the villainous professor instead of just beating lumps out of him. Wong's performance on Gotham is a hard one to top but I think Patrick Stewart could certainly bring his own flare to the character while channeling everything that makes Strange so menacing.
Poison Ivy
Another villain who fell victim to Batman & Robin's awful script, Poison Ivy deserves another chance. After being injected with experimental plant toxins, plant biologist Dr. Pamela Isley was transformed into the villainous and seductive Poison Ivy. Using her newfound powers, Ivy brought a new meaning to the term eco-terrorism and unleashed hell upon Gotham with her giant mutant plants. Ivy would be the perfect character to introduce to the DCEU, she is a strong, independant female antagonist and not just a mere love interest. Harley Quinn has already attracted an immense female fanbase since Suicide Squad and I feel someone like Ivy could do the same, her and Harley also have a strong bond in the comics which could be greatly expanded upon onscreen. Dutch actress Carice Van Houten has proven herself no stranger to playing a seductive redhead on Game of Thrones so I feel like she could bring her acting abilities to a character such as Poison Ivy as well.
Clayface
There have been many Clayfaces in the Batman mythos and all of them are superhumans with the ability to change shape. A few years ago the idea of including Clayface in a Batman film was almost laughable, Nolan's Dark Knight films were heavily grounded in reality and the idea of superhumans just didn't exist there. However, the DCEU has already given us a variety of superpowered metahumans with extraordinary abilities, maybe Clayface could be next. It would be a risky move bringing in Clayface, excessive CGI could make the character look way too cheesy and not intimidating in the slightest, remember Sandman in Spiderman 3? But Clayface could very well be done right, a mixture of practical effects and CGI or perhaps limiting his powers in some way so that he's not a mere blob of CGI but an actual, physical character. There's some real potential here for a tragic villain who feels burdened by their abilities, Killer Croc was done very well in Suicide Squad so I believe there is a chance for Clayface. Ron Pearlman has voiced the character before, I don't see why he shouldn't return for a live action version as well.
Riddler
Edward Nygma aka The Riddler is another one of Batman's more intellectually powerful villains, known for his obsession with puzzles and conundrum's, The Riddler incorporates them into his crimes making them a lot more complex for the caped crusader. The Riddler is a major Batman villain but his last big screen appearance didn't do him much justice thanks to Jim Carrey. Since then however, Corey Michael Smith has been fantastic as the character on Gotham, redeeming him after Batman Forever. Again, like Hugo Strange, Riddler could really highlight Batman's crime solving abilities as opposes to his crime fighting abilities, we've seen Batfleck do a lot of detective work in Batman v Superman so introducing a character like The Riddler could help display more of that side of him. My only choice for the character would be Matthew Gray Gubler who lended his voice to the character for the animated movie Assault on Arkham, he has the appearance and the ability to portray the character so I think he would be an excellent casting choice.
Mad Hatter
Expert hypnotist Jervis Tech has a profound obsession with two things, the works of Lewis Carroll and hats. Naturally this leads him to become the deranged criminal known as the Mad Hatter who uses his mind controlling devices to manipulate whoever he pleases. Sounds like a bit of a silly concept but the Arkham games have proven that the Mad Hatter can be quite a formidable, almost frightening villain very much in the same way as villains like Scarecrow. Utilising a variety of devices for hypnosis and mind control, Tech is able to manipulate the minds of his victims, leading them to carry out bizarre feats or experience strange hallucinations. It's about time the Hatter showed the world that he's not just some goofball in a hat, but has the potential to be a really dark and disturbing bad guy. And who better to bring to life this maniacal hatter than Game of Thrones star Ewan Rheon, just imagine him channeling his inner Ramsay Bolton while spouting out some bizarre Lewis Carrol quotes, I like the sound of that.
Catwoman
Right, Catwoman is an integral character in the Batman mythos and I feel after Anne Hathaway's awful performance in The Dark Knight Rises somebody has to do the character justice. The street savy cat burglar has been a longtime foe/friend of the Bat, helping him on some occasions while turning on him on others, she's clever, skilled and highly unpredictable. Although she does often get romantically involved with the Bat, Catwoman is very much her own character and is more than just a love interest. Her playful, on/off relationship with the Batman is always a pleasure to watch and the two could have some real chemistry together if she were to enter the DCEU. She could also continue the trend of strong female characters in the DCEU such as Harley and Wonder Woman, hell she could even have her own solo movie once Halle Berry wasn't involved. Which brings us to the casting, I think that Rosario Dawson has the charm, charisma and general badassery to take on a role like Catwoman, I can't imagine anyone else who could carry out the role like her.
Red Hood
Without going into too much detail, Red Hood is a resurrected version of the second Robin, Jason Todd, after he perished at the hands of the Joker. After his resurrection via Lazarus Pit, Todd became violent and unhinged, taking on the persona of the Red Hood and killing anybody who stood in his way. We already know that a Robin has been killed by The Joker, from the battered costume in the batcave to Amanda Waller's case files in Suicide Squad, a Robin has been killed by the Joker in the DCEU. Since The Joker was responsible for Jason Todd's death in the comics, it's only right to assume that he is the dead Robin and that he will eventually return as the Red Hood. I would absolutely love to see Red Hood in the solo Batman film, not only is his big screen debut long overdue but including him in the film could also explore his relationship with Batman and add layers of depth to both characters. I'm tempted to say Matt Damon should be Red Hood, given his offscreen friendship with Ben Affleck. As the character will be presumably much younger than Batman however, perhaps a younger actor such as Richard Madden could don the hood in a future film.
So those are my thoughts, what about yours? Who do you think should appear in the solo Batman film and who do you think should play them? Let me know in the comments if you have any thoughts! Also I'll be making an announcement about a future post soon so stay tuned for that, until next time.
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