The Dark Knight Rises: 6 Batman Villains We Could Have Seen

2. Black Mask

Why: Roman Sionis is like the anti-Bruce Wayne. He grew up being ignored by his parents. There is a great shame within him. He is a terrible business man, and after running his families company into the ground, gets bought out by Wayne. Suffering a life altering accident, he dons a black mask made from a coffin and later becomes a crime lord with mafia connections. He provides a great catalyst to bring Batman out of exile - a personal connection of Wayne€™s becoming a rival to the Bat. It would make a nice bookend to challenge someone with childhood ties to Wayne and we all know Nolan is comfortable rubbing the mafia underbelly of Gotham. How: Black Mask€™s origin fits perfectly into the pre-established story arc of the trilogy. In exile,Wayne could be functioning as a businessman and comes to what he thinks is the rescue of a kindred spirit. When Black Mask is born and starts to cause havoc in the criminal fraternity, it would be more than enough noise to warrant the return of Batman. Black Mask also has connections to Riddler, so that would make a nice double team for the Dark Knight to tackle. Who: Michael Shannon. He has the look and the talent to pull of a potentially hammy character such as Black Mask. Shannon is a terrific actor who brings tension and presence to any role. His ability to turn on a sixpence would give Black Mask a really uneasy aura, and is the perfect mirror for Christian Bale.