The Joker is an incredible villain. Hes the antithesis to Batman, hes instantly recognizable, and his inclusion has resulted in incredible performances from Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson. With Suicide Squad, we will be getting another new iteration of the Joker, which would seem to make him a strong candidate to appear in the upcoming solo Batman film as well. Despite what rumours may suggest, he should not be the villain of the film, and someone else should fulfill that role. The new Batman film will absolutely need a strong villain, but Batman has a litany of great ones outside of the Joker. In fact, his rogues gallery might be the absolute best in all of comics, so rehashing the same villains over and over, specifically the Joker, seems like a waste of resources. Without knowing the specific story they intend to tell, its hard to speculate on which foe might work best. Regardless, Batmans villains cover a wide range, from physical to mental threats, and as physical representations of his own internal struggles. Most importantly, for the sake of originality, the new film shouldnt just avoid the Joker, but all of the villains that have been adapted before. Even if Mr. Freeze and Riddler deserve some redemption, theres too many good characters that have never been seen on screen before and deserve a chance. Assuming the rumours are true and that he directs, Ben Affleck has a lot of options for how to tell the story, and just like we dont need another origin story, we dont need a familiar villain either, especially the Joker.
Connor loves movies, comics, and TV, and is trying to write for people who feel the same way. When he's not sitting on the couch with his laptop, you might find him lying in his bed with his laptop.
