8. Lex Luthor Rebuilds Gotham
What, wait... Lex Luthor? Superman's arch nemesis in a Batman movie? Okay, here me out... Lex Luthor has appeared as a bad guy in several Batman stories over the years, noticeably in the "No Man's Land" story arch when Luthor was a major force in rebuilding Gotham after a disastrous event. Sound familiar? With Batman declared dead at the end of The Dark Knight Rises, the Mayor killed in the blast at the Stadium and the Dent Act outed as being one big fat lie, the residents of Gotham are in need of a new hero for the rebuilding process. The President of the United States is unlikely to be that figure after turning his back on the city and so many of the wealthy in Gotham lost their wealth and had been left in financial ruin by Bane's actions. The sequel could have Luthor attempting to buy Wayne Enterprises in the wake of Bruce Wayne's "death" and perhaps becoming a strong political figure as Gotham attempts to rebuild itself. There is also an arc from "No Man's Land" where Lucius Fox thwarts Luthor's land ownership scheme which has been his ruse for rebuilding Gotham all along. It would only be a supporting role in The Dark Knight Rises but the seeds could certainly begin to be planed towards Warner Bros' ultimate goal... to have Batman and Superman on screen together as part of the Justice League. This is how a crossover with Man of Steel and The Dark Knight franchise can begin.