With New Orleans being announced as the shooting location for the next Batman film, and the movie gearing up to shoot in April, one has to wonder who will be the main villain?
Stephen Schleicher
Stephen Schleicher began his career writing for the Digital Media Online community of sites, including Digital Producer and Creative Mac covering all aspects of the digital content creation industry. He then moved on to consumer technology, and began the Coolness Roundup podcast. A writing fool, Stephen has freelanced for Sci-Fi Channel's Technology Blog, and Gizmodo. Still longing for the good ol' days, Stephen launched Major Spoilers in July 2006, because he is a glutton for punishment. You can follow him on Twitter @MajorSpoilers and tell him your darkest secrets...
27 Comments
Riddler all the way!
Yeah, bring back Jim Car…. wait, what?!
I was planning on writing how I hoped they didn’t include two villains, but I remembered that the last two each had two.
That said, Killer Croc and Solomon Grundy don’t seem to fit well with the more “realistic” world that the new movies are meant to show. Killer Croc could be worked in, but I just feel he would be like Bane in Batman and Robin.
The Penguin and Catwoman might work also, and they could fit within the realism. But I’m not craving either, and I don’t want the Batman/Catwoman romance subplot rehash even if Golden Age Bats married her.
Which leaves the Riddler. Which I’d like to see if they keep the riddles from just being a joke or cheesy part of the story.
But somehow I think we’ll see several villains in minor roles so that there can be the scene with the reporters and the mayor complaining that Batman is bringing in these crazies.
I chose Killer Croc for a few reasons.
1. Hasn’t been done before in a movie.
2. I would like to see him brought in closer to his roots as a wannabe crime kingpin. (man with leathery skin, not a real Croc) I doubt this will happen with Jim Lee in charge as he is and being the one who made him more bestial than ever.
3. 3 of the others were on TV and in Movies more than once. Keep up with trying something new instead of reimagining the others again and again and again.
If I could vote on any villain, I would choose Black Spider. Someone like Batman with his desire ina parralell path. A character who could help define how far Batman will go. I know it was brought up in Batman Begins, and Dark Knight helped show how he would deal with the worst in society but the Black Spider is a twisted version of him that could baffle the cops and with the outlaw status of Batman, it could help confuse Gordon as well.
For anybody interested track down his appearance in Shadow of the Bat #5. Nice Brian Stelfreeze Cover.
No black mask what happen ?
Someone set up us the bomb.
D’oh, crapcakes, should’ve been “Somebody” of course.
I voted based on the fact that Chris Nolan would be directing, which means I had to go for the Riddler. Nygma is the best fit for the Nolanverse, by far. Rather than a joke criminal with a gimmick, I expect Nolan’s Riddler to be a cunning mastermind, as Nolan is a very cerebral director.
It also provides a good opportunity to confront Batman with his own issues, as the riddles could make him second guess himself and bring him to self-reflection. Maybe zen koans from the Riddler, who knows ?
The only problem is how will the face to face go ? The Riddler cannot defend himself in a fight like the Joker or Ra’s Al Ghul, and just Batman vs. his goons would be kind of dull. So maybe a second villain as enforcer ?
Croc and Grundy just don’t fit with the realistic feel of Nolan’s Batman movies, they’re too strange, with a hint of supernatural. The Penguin feels a bit too grotesque : he was perfect for Tim Burton, not so much for Nolan.
As for Catwoman, I seriously doubt Nolan will use her. She’s a very sensual presence, and I don’t think Nolan has ever used sex and sensuality as overt themes in his movies.
I think the Penguin could work well if handled in a “realistic” manner. Someone who’s stepped into and capitalised on, the power vacuum the Joker left at the end of the last film. Could work… as for him fitting Burton’s world more than Nolan’s, the same could have been said of the Joker, or Two Face. Hmmm…
I voted for Croc, because I think what we haven’t seen yet is a villain who is more physically powerful than Batman, but still challenges him intellectually too. Bane was actually one of my first choices, but since you put Croc on the list, I picked him.
Croc, while a bit “supernatural” as others said, really goes well with the creep factor the other Nolan villains have had – the Scarecrow, Ledger’s Joker – they match up with Croc’s cannibalism. (Though is he technically a cannibal since he’s not human anymore?
Ivdar broke it down very well. Nygma just fits Noland’s style more than the others listed. Although, I would also be happy with Harley (although we get the sensual issue again) or Hatter.
Hatter always struck me as good Noland material. Mind control, personal identity issues, and a creepy hint of pedo-bear. Done right,Hatter could creep out an audience more than scarecrow. Might also serve as a way to further introduce Barbara Gordon.
I vote Solomon Grundy BECAUSE he doesn’t fit the realistic world of the current Batman, I would love to see how this “real life” Gotham-verse would react to the inclusion of magic to the mix.
Realistically speaking thou it’s gonna be one of the following: Riddler, Penguin, Hugo Strange, Victor Zsasz or Deadshot.
My secret hope is the Music Meister ;-)
Oups, I checked the wiki and Zsasz is already in continuity as of Batman Begins and still at large by Dark Knight. He might be a small/secondary villain but he can’t be the main bad guy.
Though Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin sounds good, it just doesn’t do it for me, neither does the brutes Solomon Grundy or Killer Croc. Catwoman is a crook and not a real villain, so that leaves the Riddler played by Guy Pierce. Leaving quandries all over Gotham.
You know, The Penguin is loosing because of the lousy picture used in the pole. ;p
I both believe that Riddler will be Nolan’s chosen villain and personally want him to be in the picture. To those that feel that Riddler can’t fight Bats, I feel the need to remind everyone that this isn’t DC continuity (Not yet anyway). We could be looking at a version of Riddler that can match Bats at combat as well.
That or he gets paired up with Bane.
My vote went for The Riddler. Personally, he’s one of my favorite Batman villains, and I definitely think Nolan could do some awesome mindf*ck stuff involving the character! That said, considering other Batman films have had two villains, I think it would be really cool to have Killer Croc as a secondary villain…perhaps as The Riddler’s chief “enforcer” or something along those lines. They’d definitely have to treat the character as a guy with a skin condition instead of the crazy mutant crocodile…something along he lines of Croc in Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo’s “Joker” graphic novel would probably work. It would be a cool pairing, not to mention giving Batman a big guy for some hand to hand combat…haven’t seen too much of that besides him beating up on thugs.
I am disappointed that Bat-Mite didn’t make the list.
I went with Croc, as he hasn’t been done. Realism be dashed, I would like to see a movie that has a bit of fantasy in it. My problem with The riddler is look at the way the Joker was done. He was very smart and crazy. What performance would the Riddler do that would separate him from the Joker? Other than leaving Riddles?
http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/detective-comics/523-1.jpg
My first own comic. Awesome to the max. Besides if you wanna go all out skip KC and go SG all the way, golden age, over the top monster action. Wouldn’t mind Deadshot, Nightkiller & Nocturna, Firefly, Scarecrow or Hugo Strange either.
I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be Two-Face, though. Just don’t let it be Szasz or Abbatoir.
Catwoman AND Riddler. (though I voted for Catwoman).
The real beauty of Catwoman is that her allegiance has only ever been to herself. Whether it’s Riddler or anyone else, you know Batman will win. Throw Catwoman into the mix and you’ve immediately got some grey area and an uncertain outcome, which already makes for interesting viewing.
I think Croc and Grundy are far too outrageous for a Nolan piece; especially one without Scarecrow’s fear toxin.
Penguin, whilst not played amazingly, was at least played memorably by De Vito in Returns… I think that ship has sailed.
The lack of Bane means I will not be voting this time around. I have heard to much about The Riddler from people, and yes he is a good character. But is he the right one to end the franchise?
I say someone like Bane, Talia or hell Lex Luthor might be the way to go.
I picked Catwoman, because she is one of the few that I feel would fit in with the tone of Nolan’s movie, but I would rather see a truly intelligent and scheming Bane who has a psychotic need to pit himself against this Bat-Legend and prove his superiority by wearing down and breaking the bat. I think this would be the most interesting movie to fit into Nolan’s Bat universe, and would provide an opportunity for Bane to use other smaller villains, like Szasz and Abbatoir to his advantage.
I remember reading a long time ago that Nolan doesn’t like “super powered” people for the Batman movies. So we can eliminate Killer Croc and Grundy (besides, isn’t he more of a GL villain?) I would love to see the Riddler. I think with how sharp the writing is for Nolan and his team, the Riddler would be the best Hollywood will ever offer us. Aside from that, I think Hush, Catwoman, or Talia would be great too.
I remember hearing a rumor for the Dark Knight that Phillip Seymour Hoffman was hired to play a russian arms dealer nicknamed the Penguin. I wish that happened.
If you have to have 2 villains, Catwoman and Riddler all the way.
Oh … and I wouldn’t mind seeing Mad Hatter either.
I would want Ventriliquist….that said I think Talia would connect to Batman Begins very nicely.
Is it just me or does the Penguin’s picture look like an angry “Monopoly Man”
I think the Riddler would work excellently for a Nolan Bat film. He finds a way to screw with Batman’s world. Just imagine if they made this movie like a superhero version of “The Game” (with Michael Douglas and Sean Penn). It would be awesome.