One of the things I truly love about Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is that about 80% of it is realistic and believable. Aside from a few little details – the damage to Harvey Dent’s face, the WayneTech microwave emitter, Batman being able to land from great heights – the events of the movies could happen. All the technology exists, more or less, and aside from the odd reference to the supernatural, the Dark Knight Trilogy has its feet firmly in the “real world”.
Using the same ‘real-ish world’ criteria, I’d like to ponder what might have been and ask the question: who else from Batman’s extensive rogues gallery could have made the cut?
Let me just point out, these are MY opinions and suggestions. Feel free to disagree. This is based on what I’VE seen of the series, and trying to gauge actors Nolan MAY have cast… now that’s out of the way, and In no particular order…
The Penguin
Re-imagined as an embittered, veteran mobster, rising to power in Gotham’s underworld as one of the few mob bosses left, and picking up the pieces of a broken criminal empire. He’s lived a life of violence; a broken hip gives him a waddling limp and arthritis has crippled his fingers. Despite his increasing infirmities, he’s still a force to be reckoned with.
I’m thinking Bob Hoskins.
Poison Ivy
An eco-amazon in tune with nature, Poison Ivy’s last big-screen outing was in the form of Uma Thurman… yeah.
A seductress with a poison kiss and immunity to natural toxins, Ivy could exist in Nolan’s Gotham as one of its leading hit-women – killing them softly with a slow-acting natural venom, and using the proceeds to fund various naturalist causes.
Generally depicted as a drop-dead gorgeous redhead, Christina Hendricks should fill that role quite, uh… amply.
Mr Freeze
Whether a small-time thief or a leading scientist, Victor Frieze met his end in a cryogenics accident. Not that that actually killed the dude.
Much like Man-Bat, Freeze is a tricky one to pull off without jumping into full-blown sci-fi, but stick him in modified WayneTech body armour with a cooling system and away we go.
My nominee: Christopher Eccleston. He can bring a charm and wit to Victor Frieze, but a cold ruthlessness to Mr Freeze.
Ragdoll
A lesser-known villain in Gotham, a ‘triple-jointed’ burglar and occasional sparring partner for Catwoman. Not big-league enough to be a major player, maybe a first-act intro working for a bigger, badder fish in Gotham.
And I figure, if you’re going to have a contortionist character, cast a contortionist. And Daniel Browning Smith is amongst the best in the world.
Hush
Now this guy has potential. So much, I’m honestly surprised Nolan didn’t use him. (Unless he has, and kept ridiculously quiet about it…)
In any case, Hush is in effect the anti-Bruce Wayne. Originally a childhood friend of Bruce’s, little Tommy Elliot attempted to kill his parents to escape their oppressive influence, only for Dr Thomas Wayne to save his mother. Blaming the good doctor for ruining his life, he became Hush and set out to ruin Bruce’s life on every level. A brilliant surgeon, athlete, marksman and tactician, he’s up there with Bane himself as one of Batman’s most threatening foes.
In terms of casting, I’d plump for Dwayne Johnson.
Dr Kirk Langstrom/ Man-Bat
A researcher for Wayne Industries, Langstrom secretly idolises the Batman. Ridiculed and bullied his entire life, he turns to genetic enhancements to redress the balance, giving himself super-strength, sonar-vision and the power of flight.
While a seven-foot-tall mutant bat-monster wouldn’t exactly fit in with the ‘reality’ of the Nolan-verse, Langstrom could still have made an appearance in some background capacity, perhaps as one of Lucius Fox’s boffins.
In any case, I’d go with Peter MacNichol. Party cos he’s a master at playing understated genius (NUMB3RS) and simmering menace [he still scares the heck out of me in GHOSTBUSTERS 2], but also because he voiced the character so well in THE BATMAN cartoon series.
Killer Croc
Arguably a poor man’s Bane, I can’t imagine Croc being much more than a second-tier villain or heavy, perhaps the Penguin’s right-flipper man.
In any case, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson sounds good to me.
Riddler
Rather a mixed bag, this fellow; occasionally he helps Batman, but more often he hinders the Dark Knight with fiendish mental puzzles, wordplay, and the occasional deathtrap.
Casting this one’s tricky. My gut says David Tennant, but part of me wants Robert Englund (who nailed the character in THE BATMAN). But how about someone a little more avant-garde. How about Stephen Fry?
THE DARK KNIGHT is in UK cinemas now.
