5. Hush
Why: Thomas Elliot is wealthy, he is a successful surgeon and he was childhood friends with Bruce Wayne. Unlike Wayne, Elliot was happy when
his parents died, as it was him who killed them. Nolan has shown Batman fighting the external battle of crime to overcome the internal battle of grief, with Bruce Wayne as an escape for it all. But what happens when that is all turned upside down? Elliot would have access to Waynes life as a pier, and even better,
had access to Wayne as a child. This connection would bring the whole trilogy full circle. Elliots dark turn as Hush is humanistic and plausible. Hush is manipulative and likes to play games with people. He is prime Nolan material and brings together all the best bits of previous villains in Nolans universe.
How: Now living purely as Bruce Wayne, the ex-caped crusader could bump into old childhood friend Thomas Elliot at a dinner gala. The two could re-enter each others lives and things could start to be looking up. Meanwhile, working under the pseudonym of Hush, Elliot could be planning the downfall of Wayne by luring Batman out of retirement and then stealing his identity by surgically cloning him. Whilst he does this, Elliot could be working onWaynes mindset by flooding back memories of his parents murder. If Batman Begins was about using a disguise to create fear, then TDKR could be about what happens when that mask is removed.
Who: Michael Sheen. He can go from smooth operator to out and out baddie at the drop of a hat. Charming and deceivingly nerdy, Sheen has the ability to stand in a room and either command its attention or melt into the background. As stereotypes go, he also kind of looks like a plastic surgeon as well. Then there is the fact that his is one of the best character actors working in Hollywood at this time.
