15 Essential Batman Villains Not Yet Used In The Movies

For all of the villainous performances we've seen in Batman films over the years, you could very easily accuse DC and Warner Bros of playing it all too safe. We've seen three Jokers, two Two-Faces, two Banes, two Catwomen... and while other more "famous" members of the rogues gallery - like The Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow and Poison Ivy - have appeared only once each, there really ought to be more variation in who Batman fights.

Since Suicide Squad reminded everyone that Batman's foes extend beyond the more established brands, and with rumours that Ben Affleck is making a film taking in not only Arkham Asylum but also "most of Batman's villains", it seems we might finally be getting to see some new and lesser heralded bad guys on screen.

But where can Affleck or future Batman film-makers turn for originality? Surely once you get beyond Mr Freeze, Killer Croc and Talia Al-Ghul there can't be many more avenues to explore? Wrong, Bat-fans, there's still a wealth of nefarious characters yet to throw fists with the Dark Knight.

Here are the 15 best Batman villains yet to appear in any live action film (and hopefully who offer Ben Affleck somewhere new to go with The Batman)...

Why He's Awesome

Putting aside the fact that he's definitely in the top five coolest looking Batman villains of all time, Black Mask is an exceptionally bad dude and not the simple gangster he's been suggested to be in adaptations so far.

He's a killer - with a Robin notch on his belt - a violent, vicious monster with a ruthless and devastating approach to crime, which saw him rise to the number one position in Gotham's dark underworld. And crucially, he has a reason to hate Batman, thanks to his parents' link to the Waynes and high society (which inspired his obsession with masks). For an added grim note, his first mask was made out of his mother's coffin, before he was permanently mutated by a fire.

How Likely Is He?

For his solo film, Batman needs a more personally linked, less spectacular world threat to deal with, and the rising control of an underworld villain with a personal vendetta against him would be a great foil. It's just a shame that nobody seems to appreciate him for the true great he is. 5/10