9. Black Mask
That's right, rumours abounded that Black Mask would be one of the central antagonists in The Dark Knight Rises and for a while it was easy to believe, Nolan's first two entries in the series featured a powerful mob boss, Carmine Falcone and Sal Maroni, who were ultimately no match for Batman. Black Mask however could have been different, a much stronger force to be reckoned with than previous mob bosses, controlling Gotham's underworld and making himself a very useful ally for Bane to align himself with. Knowing how effectively Christopher Nolan explores his character's backstories, Roman Sionis could have been an exciting character, with his background being not too dissimilar from Bruce Wayne, as they actually grew up together. Ramon's multi-millionaire parents also died, in his case during a suspicious fire, but unlike Bruce, Sionis managed to bankrupt the company that was left to him, which was saved by a buyout from Bruce himself, inadvertently putting himself in the firing line of Black Mask who was driven insane by the loss of his legacy. The carving of his mask from his father's coffin could have been a dark, scary moment in a film that would have surely gripped audiences.