The Batman universe is well-known for its iconic villains – something which can’t really be said for many other hero properties, Marvel or DC. Plenty of these have been seen on the silver screen – some multiple times – but there’s still a wealth of material yet to be accessed.
And accessed it will surely be – for as we discussed last week in ‘Choosing The New Bruce Wayne’, the Batman franchise will continue past THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Nolan or no Nolan…
Joker
Can anyone top Heath Ledger’s now legendary performance in THE DARK KNIGHT? Probably not, no. Will that mean we never see Joker again? Of course not! He’s Batman’s arch-nemesis and arguably his most iconic enemy, so it’s pretty much a given we’ll see him again in future. And what better story to tell than the last one left untold? Alan Moore’s 1988 one-off graphic novel ‘The Killing Joke’, detailing the infamous villain’s origins, could make for a surefire onscreen hit. With a bit of padding, of course… it is only 46 pages long.
Onscreen: Anyone but Johnny Depp. Right? So how about… Javier Bardem? Perhaps not everybody’s go-to guy for the clown prince of crime, but he seems pretty bloody menacing in that new 007 trailer.
Harley Quinn
The Joker’s squeeze has never been on the silver screen, and it’s about time someone fixed that. Besides, there aren’t enough female characters in the Batverse. Feminism rules! (Only kidding.) But we’ve had enough of the Joker being a lone wolf (see BATMAN [1989] and THE DARK KNIGHT [2008]), and Dr Harleen Quinzel could provide the perfect onscreen counterpart – particularly if the series were to head back to its comic book roots. But even a grounded Harley could work – just look at BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM.
Onscreen: Ah, if only Kaley Cuoco had a crazy side. Maybe she does? This could definitely show her range (again, if she has it) and give her the stepping stone from TV to film. Or, scrapping that idea, let’s just go with Chloe Moretz. She’ll be old enough by then… right?
Poison Ivy
Her one onscreen appearance, post-Adam West, was in Joel Schumacher’s final BATMAN film. Yes, that one. (Look out for it in our guilty pleasures series at the end of the month, but for now we shall not speak its name.) Right, anyway, Ivy’s only onscreen venture was undertaken by Uma Thurman in a bloody awful interpretation. So that wrong desperately needs righting, and in this world of global warming, recyclable energy and new-age hippies, she’s even topical too! What more could you ask for?
Onscreen: Christina Hendricks. No more need be said on the matter.
Clayface
Another one never seen onscreen, this is DC’s answer to Sandman – made of another material often used in construction (a tenuous link if ever there was one) and the ability to shape-shift. Actually a number of men all going by the same moniker in various story arcs, Clayface was once used as a metaphor for drug abuse and STDs. Another topical villain then. Oh, and IGN named this guy (or guys?) the 73rd greatest villain in comic book history, and there’s no higher acclaim than that. Well, apart from the other 72…
Onscreen: It’s likely whoever does portray him will either be doing mo-cap or in a suit (or a mix of the two, a la Rhys Ifans’ Lizard in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN), so at that point it doesn’t really matter who it is. For the man before the clay takes over, though, how about Sean Penn?
Mr. Freeze
Another one who needs a bit of an update along the lines of Poison Ivy, after starring in BATMAN AND ROBIN (oops, we mentioned it by name) as Arnold Schwarzenegger (and no, we didn’t get that the wrong way round). Ditch the ice puns and make him a suped-up, seriously mad (but still deadly serious) scientist (with a penchant for the cold, of course) and we might be onto a winner. It’s a tricky one to pull off, particularly if the script calls for grounded realism along the lines of Nolan’s Bat-verse. But it could be done, if the right actor came along…
Onscreen: After Arnie, anyone will do, but Patrick Stewart (despite already appearing in X-MEN) may be able to bring a refreshing level of sincerity and intensity to the role.
Black Mask
DC’s answer to Red Skull (in looks at least), Black Mask would make a great central villain – in the comics he lead dozens of criminals and thugs in the ‘False Face Society’ after killing his parents and ruining their business. And having a mask made from his father’s casket burned to his face in a fire he started. Yep, everything’s a little bit fubar for this guy. Still, he could prove a worthy adversary, with grand plans aplenty and an interesting backstory to boot. Plus, he’s never been seen on the silver screen before. Someone make it happen!
Onscreen: A personal preference would be Guy Pearce, but as he’s currently tied into the Marvel universe in next year’s IRON MAN 3, that seems unlikely – in which case, how about Joaquin Phoenix?
Hush
This could be a good avenue for combining multiple villains into one story – Hush is known to have teamed up with Riddler, Joker, Two-Face and others in his attempts to take down childhood friend Bruce Wayne. The two share similar backstories, but where Bruce loved his parents, Hush loathed them (and was actually the one to kill them). Forever jealous of Wayne, Hush could provide something not yet seen onscreen – a villain from Batman’s past, close to his heart (or was originally).
Onscreen: Paul Bettany, while being relatively unknown, could prove a good choice here. Like Pearce, he’s tied into IRON MAN 3, but in this case he’s only doing the voice for Tony Stark’s computerised assistant J.A.R.V.I.S. – so might not be too much of a stretch.
The Ventriloquist
A somewhat unknown Bat-villain, the Ventriloquist has been seen in two incarnations in the comics – so plenty of options for adapting to the silver screen. The first, Arnold Wesker, suffered from multiple personality disorder, and, under the influence of his dummy Scarface, went from mild-mannered man to dangerous crime-boss. A more interesting alternative is Peyton Riley (who also encountered Hush for a while), the second Ventriloquist, whose relationship with Scarface is akin to that of Joker and Harley Quinn.
Onscreen: Whether we see Wesker, Riley or both, whoever plays the Ventriloquist will essentially need to be able to pull off two different characters in one film. For Wesker, Steve Buscemi would be an interesting choice, and he’s certainly capable of it. With Riley, someone a tad more submissive might be needed – I’d suggest Amanda Seyfried, but I’d be terribly hesitant about it because she can’t bloody act. I guess Chloe Moretz would be interesting if she couldn’t play Harley Quinn, but otherwise I’m stumped. Suggestions welcome!
And that’s it for now. I’ve missed out a few we’ve seen before that aren’t in dire need of an upgrade (Two-Face, Scarecrow) and a few others that get tossed around far too often (Riddler, Penguin) in favour of a few more unknown villains, in the hope they get a bit more recognition. I know I’d love to see Black Mask and Hush in particular… but more suggestions are always welcome. Let us know in the comments section below!
And stay tuned next week for possible future Batman storylines…
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