With the recent world premiere of The Batman, some fans are already yearning for the next installment of Robert Pattinson’s caped crusader (a.k.a. Battinson). Well, looks like said wishes will be granted!
Director Matt Reeves confirmed that a sequel is already in the works. During The Batman’s UK premiere, Reeves spoke with The Independent about his future plans with Gotham’s caped crusader. “We’re working on some other stuff too but we have started talking about another movie,” said Reeves.
While we may have to wait for the movie to be a box office hit to fully secure a ‘green light’ for its next installment, one can’t help but create a list of potential villains that could take on Batman!
But, to twist it, rather than bringing the frequent baddies of Batman’s Rogues Gallery (*cough* Joker), why not give it a shot with uncommon DC villains that deserve a chance to appear on the big screen?
Warning: There may be some spoilers for The Batman below.
Court of Owls/Talons
This first choice was actually teased by Robert Pattinson during an interview with Vanity Fair alongside his co-stars, Zoë Kravitz (Catwoman), and Paul Dano (The Riddler). The actor said that “Court of Owls is probably gonna be in the sequel,” to which Dano responded by saying that “Court of Owls would be dope.” So, who are these guys?
If we compare them with the classic villains, the Court of Owls is one of the most recent Batman antagonists. They’re an organized crime group and secret society comprised of Gotham’s wealthy citizens.
Their first comic book appearance was in 2011, created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Yet, what makes the Court of Owls an interesting crime team is that they’ve been around long before Bruce Wayne was even born— since Gotham City’s colonial times!
This secret society has been running Gotham for centuries while being in the shadows, meaning that the night vigilante isn’t the only one that lurks in the dark. But the elite members aren’t the ones that carry out their evil tasks.
Instead, they have the Talons, children that the Owls have kidnapped to train and transform them into their assassins. With the combination of the Court’s power along with their loyal Talons, it would totally be an interesting storyline to see Batman trying to take down the secret organization!
Hush
Another potential baddie that could appear is Hush, who was actually hinted at in a scene. Formerly known as Dr. Thomas “Tommy” Elliot, Hush has a link with Batman, for they used to be childhood friends.
However, despite being buddies, let’s just say that Thomas Elliot wasn’t a good son as Bruce Wayne was. Whereas Bruce loved his parents, Tommy tried to end his folks’ lives so he could inherit their fortune!
As seen in The Batman, some of the criminals’ reasons for turning to the dark side were, in a certain way, triggered by The Waynes. In Hush’s case, he inwardly blames Bruce for getting the life that Tommy wanted, like Bruce getting The Waynes’ money after his parent’s tragic death.
Perhaps Hush could break out The Riddler from Arkham to join forces, like in the comics, to turn Batman’s life into a living nightmare. Wouldn’t you want to see Batman having an inner conflict of facing a former friend, who’s also an obscure reflection of Bruce?
Mr. Freeze
Matt Reeve’s film managed to make justice to The Riddler. So why not give another Batman villain a redemption? Mr. Freeze is perhaps the most renowned criminal on this list. In fact, he has already appeared in a Batman movie— but not in a good way.
Yes, I’m talking about the infamous Batman and Robin, in which the first appearance of the accomplished cryogenicist (a scientist that studies low-temperature phenomena) was wasted by turning him into a one-dimensional blue-faced guy who wasn’t “cool” at all.
So, if The Batman managed to reimagine The Riddler’s persona of a funny baddie (*cough* Batman Forever) to a terrifying serial killer, there could be an alluring opportunity for Mr. Freeze’s comeback into Batman’s cinematic universe.
For instance, Gotham’s flooding could be the catalyst of the villain’s tragic backstory. Written by Paul Dini, Mr. Freeze’s experiment of trying to save his wife’s life goes terribly wrong after his lab explodes. The accident drastically lowered his body temperature, forcing him to wear a cryogenic suit to survive.
Even Matt Reeves expressed his interest in bringing this complex criminal to the big screen! “I think there’s actually a grounded version of that story, which could be really powerful and could be really great,” said Reeves.
Hugo Strange
Albeit not having been used yet for a Batman film, Professor Hugo Strange is actually one of the oldest and most dangerous foes of the caped crusader. Besides, he’s one of the first villains to discover the hero’s secret identity!
Hugo Strange would be a perfect fit for Battinson’s Rogues Gallery for being a villain that doesn’t rely on brute strength but rather on his genius-level, yet corrupted intelligence.
Being a mad scientist and unethical psychiatrist, this foe is known for his obsession with Batman, so much so that he yearns to take over the vigilante’s mantle to create “the perfect Batman.”
He’s an illustrious figure of psychology; perhaps Hugo Strange was the psychiatrist that treated Martha Wayne (Bruce’s mother), establishing a link with Batman, which, in a way, would give the scientist a dangerous advantage for being familiar with the Waynes case.
Perhaps he even had some therapy sessions with a little Bruce?
Jeremiah Arkham
Finally, we have Jeremiah Arkham. Arkham Asylum has always been a key element within the Batman mythos. And, in Reeves’s cinematic universe, the psychiatric hospital has a bigger role.
We now know that Bruce’s family tree is integrated with the Arkham since Martha Wayne’s family are the founders of this asylum (just like in Earth-1). Thus, this could give the possibility of bringing some of Bruce’s maternal relatives in the following film installments.
This is where Jeremiah Arkham comes in. This Batman foe used to be the director of Arkham Asylum after he inherited it from his late uncle, Amadeus. But, as he spent his time in the hospital (and prison) trying to cure the patients, Jeremiah eventually went mad, leading him to become the second Black Mask, a ruthless crime boss of Gotham City.
With this, the narrative could become a Shakespearean tragedy by reimagining a family feud between Bruce and Jeremiah. Maybe the latter could be Martha’s cousin or brother who’s “savior complex” was derived from attempting to mend her condition.
Quite a family mess that Batsy would have to fix, don’t you think?
Would you be interested in seeing the Dark Knight take on any of these foes? Which supervillain would you like to see in The Batman’s sequel?
