7 Great Batman Villains (Still Yet To Appear In A Film)

Since the first superheroes were inked onto the page, the distinctive duality between their civilian identity and their crimefighting identity has always been clear. The golden rule is that the former can never be publicly revealed, lest villains use the knowledge to hurt the hero’s loved ones or use them as bargaining chips against them. Countless plots have revolved around individuals good and bad uncovering such identities and the impacts of this, mind.

A character whose appearances have been geared around such deduction is Hugo Strange, Batman’s second oldest recurring villain, who pre-dates the first appearance of the Joker by a couple of months. Strange was once the embodiment of the ‘mad scientist’ character archetype but has evolved into more of a calculated genius able to divine that Batman is Bruce Wayne.

Depending on the story, he either keeps the knowledge to himself to try and manipulate Bruce to his own ends (such as in Arkham City, where he is ultimately a pawn of Ra’s Al Ghul) or attempts to auction it off to the highest bidder (such as in the Animated Series).

Either circumstance could be a solid backbone to base a film on, creating a situation where Batman is forced to do Strange’s bidding (or break his ‘no killing’ rule to stop him) or a manhunt story where a price is put on Bruce Wayne’s head and everybody seeks to cash in, precariously dragging his allies and acquaintances into proceedings.