The final look at potential future Batman villains. You can read PART ONE HERE which generated a good amount of discussion. Please try and keep the comments in regards to this article and these sets of villains rather than those talked previous or not yet, as there is or will be soon a thread for them.
I should have also probably mentioned that people are quite happy to shout out spoilers for the
The Dark Knight in the comments section, so watch out for that.
POISON IVY
Poison Ivy, the women with the deadly touch. In this environment conscious world we live in she could make a good villain in principal, targeting Wayne Enterprises because of their industry waste and effect on the environment. Again with film noir appearing to be a theme of the new Batman movies, she is the ultimate seductress and femme fatale.
IN NOLAN'S WORLD: Again, it would have to be different to the
Uma Thurman portrayal but a botanist/nature obsessive who has come up with a poison that kills the bureaucrats of Gotham could be interesting, especially if she kills villains and not completely innocent people. And how about she gets Gordon on her side by seducing him away from his wife? I'm sure some of you will have read Batman: Year One where Gordon becomes an adulterer... it would certainly be interesting to see a man of principle who isn't tempted by the seedy side of the law actually succumb to a beautiful women.
CASTING: Rebecca Hall. I've always thought Hall was a little tomboy ish, she carries that with her as well as being able to play sexy and I'm certain manipulative. Nolan has already worked with her on
The Prestige and she has the slim figure for it and sexy British accent. And she's a really good actress too.
MAD HATTER
Well we know this new Batman series is going to be darker so an obsessive-compulsive, highly delusional, psychotic manic pedophile who dresses up like a character out of
Alice in Wonderland may not be too far fetched. In Hatter's favour is the fact that the character has never been used before on screen so like the Scarecrow and Ra's Al Ghul - he will be fresh to everyone. Though as a physical presence, he would hardly be intimidating.
IN NOLAN'S WORLD: If Nolan did ever use him I would predict a terrorist or a bad bomber would be his persona because there ain't no way in hell that WB would allow for a child snatching villain ala
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Yes somehow
Tim Burton got away with something similar for The Penguin in
Batman Returns but look what the uproar from that caused. Frikkin' neon light Batman!
CASTING:Martin Short. Ok so it's a completely obvious choice but the child friendly actor who goes bad... and bad in a "I play with children" way is just dynamite. And hell, there's something creepy about
Martin Short anyway.
THE PENGUIN
Memorably played by Danny Devito in
Batman Returns, The Penguin is not such a monster in the physical sense in the comic medium, instead he is a short creep who believes himself to be a fine gentlemen with his tuxedo's, top hats and upper class demeanour. For a change, this is a villain only in it for the money. His only hindrance is greed, very little psychotic problems or motivations here which make him a very deadly and powerful villain who could easily be molded into the Nolan universe. He is the owner of the Iceberg Lounge in Gotham City and if they built him up like Bill in the
Kill Bill movies, where they build up his name as being powerful and pulling the strings to much of what is going on then he could be really effective. The Penguin is such a famous villain and he is so easy adaptable to transform into a "real life situation" it makes him a big candidate for future movies.
IN NOLAN'S WORLD: Was rumored for a long time as being in
The Dark Knight - starting a thread as Gotham's top mobster or notorious arms dealer which could carry on for a few movies and when names like
Bob Hoskins and
Phillip Seymour Hoffman were rumored, you can get an idea of how Oswald Cobblepott will be portrayed. A fat greasy slob who may look tiny but he has the power of the whole of Gotham Underworld on his side... he will be snivelling, sweaty, horrid little man. Basically just like nearly every character Hoffman plays. CASTING:
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - see above!
BANE
In the comics, the man who broke Batman's back and crippled him for over a year. Bane spent his childhood on an offshore and dirty prison where through a forced experiment on him... he gained superhuman strength (which can only be kept up via large doses of venom, which he regularly must intake) but he ain't just some big wrestler. He is one of the smartest Batman villains, which makes him a deadly foe indeed. He isn't just a big muscle guy like he was portrayed as Poison Ivy's sidekick in
Batman & Robin - he is much smarter than that, often being able to second guess Batman's next movie. Still can't see him being used in any form, can you?
IN NOLAN'S WORLD: A big muscle criminal? Not going to work as anything other than a side attraction.
CASTING: Not a chance of being used.
DR. HUGO STRANGE
Dr. Hugo Strange is a mad scientist and was one of the first recurring Batman villains that was introduced into the DC canon and actually came some months before Catwoman and The Joker. He works in the Arkham Asylum and it's a popular trait that he knows the true identity of Batman and in a more interesting and ironic twist the doctor hates the genetic science he studies because nature has made him balding, short and a loner. He keeps his body to the peak of physical perfection but he does not know what to do with it, he is a much darker image of Batman.
IN NOLAN'S WORLD: A guy who lets the inmates out of the Asylum perhaps? Someone who spends so long with the criminals of Gotham that he himself turns crazy? What about a storyline where he actually believes he is Batman, I'm sure I remember reading that story somewhere.
CASTING: Ben Kingsley. Someone older, shorter but has kept himself in fine condition. He has to be at the peak of physical perfection for his age and needs to be an actor of dramatic weight so he can get internally inside this character's insane mind. Kingsley may be slightly too old but I think he could work.
Let us know what you think below!Remember, Batman Begins is released on Blu-Ray on July 14th 2008 and is available to pre-order from Amazon right now priced at £15.98