Warner and HBO are looking to stack HBO Max with as much enticing content possible in this highly-competitive market. The platform has enjoyed a good year with there still being a whole slate of movies set to debut at least in part on Max. As far as DC goes, it's clear WB hopes DC will be its ace in the hole like Star Wars and the MCU are for Disney+.
Alongside a host of spinoffs to theatrical movies, reports suggest a revival of sorts for the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series is in development. The show played a crucial part in maintaining Batman as one of the most beloved superheroes and emphasizing his most fascinating, compelling characteristics and stories to fans. It also reinvented some Batman supervillains in addition to more versions of classics. When considering which rogues to feature in the revival, there are some examples worth resuscitating, as well as others who should remain dormant.
Underrated: Calendar Man
Calendar Man is perhaps one of the most famous examples of "underrated" Batman supervillains; he became a legitimate threat after being considered a joke prior. Instead of a campy person in a calendar-themed Halloween costume, the critically-acclaimed The Long Halloween and its strong sequel Dark Victory turned him into a genuinely chilling narcissistic serial killer.
His cameo in Rocksteady's Arkham City video game was also excellent, though it was a shame he didn't truly shine in the Arkhamverse. Julian Day deserves to be among the first supervillains to get a spotlight in a long-running Batman TV series, especially to incorporate some exciting mystery crime-thriller stories.
Classic: Mr. Freeze
Although Victor Fries is undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary from Batman: The Animated Series, Mr. Freeze was originally a joke character called "Mr. Zero;" he didn't have near the level of character depth and intimidation factor he did once the '90s cartoon rolled around.
He was established as a genuinely sympathetic villain to fans and Batman also; his entire motivation for saving his cryogenically-frozen and terminally-ill wife, earns him a place in the revival.
Underrated: Lady Shiva
Another overlooked supervillain in the vast Batman mythos is Lady Shiva, a grandmaster martial artist and assassin-for-hire. She's canonically one of the most lethal combatants in DC, so much so that she legitimately can and has put the Dark Knight himself through the wringer physically. In Rebirth-era comics, she took the once-thought conspiracy theory "League of Shadows" from Ra's' command and turned them into one of the most dangerous group of fanatics in the world.
Even Ra's al Ghul admits they're a global threat that needed to be swiftly dealt with, hence why he needed Batman and the Gotham Knights to help him. She's an under-the-radar force of terror who would make a great addition to a show.
Classic: Riddler
In a somewhat similar fashion to Calendar Man, Edward Nashton/Nygma complements the World's Greatest Detective rather well.
Should a BTAS revival launch and adopt a multi-season format, a raging narcissist with a glaring intellectual inferiority complex and an obsession with riddles would make a great foundation for mystery arcs. Plus, with Riddler being one of Batman's A-tier supervillains, he will attract fans and could even use Calendar Man as a supporting antagonistic force against Batman.
Underrated: Hugo Strange
While he's gotten more deserving spotlight since his role in Arkham City, Hugo Strange arguably still doesn't show up in Batman media as much as he should. Like the aforementioned Riddler and Scarecrow, Strange presents a mental threat more than a physical one. Specifically, though, he dives deep into the psychological more than Riddler.
But unlike Scarecrow--despite both dealing with the psyche--Hugo Strange is obsessed with Batman, the nocturnal terror of villains, and what the dark and tortured psychological machinations that drive him are. He aggressively pursues this because he wants to defeat and essentially be Batman, as he believes Bruce Wayne is incapable of wielding the mantle.
Classic: Scarecrow
Speaking of, Scarecrow is an excellent classic pick for an Animated Series revival as, aside from the status he has in the rogues gallery hierarchy, plays on one of the big themes covered in Batman stories: fear. Fear is a big factor in the titular character's development since bats were a childhood fear he turned into a symbol; doing so, Batman embraced and mastered his own fear.
Jonathan Crane is a crooked psychiatrist who turned his traumatic childhood into not only an obsession, but also a weapon. His intro episode in The Animated Series is another great reason to bring him back for a revival.
Underrated: Deacon Blackfire
Probably the most out-there pick is Deacon Blackfire. His most notable inclusion in the mainstream was as the subject of a side mission for Rocksteady's trilogy finale Arkham Knight. While Blackfire is suitably unstable, it didn't exactly do the character justice since it's one of the shortest missions in the game.
Aside that, his most notable entry was in his introduction in The Cult story arc where he brainwashes Gotham's disenfranchised into a murderous religious cult, with him as the deranged leader. BTAS was known for masterfully balancing nuanced, gritty crime-noir with uplifting childlike-whimsy and hopefulness, but if a revival chooses to go a bit further into the former, perhaps there's an appropriate way to work in Deacon Blackfire.
Classic: Poison Ivy
Another well-known Batman supervillain who deserves a return to the spotlight is Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy. She appears in the acclaimed Harley Quinn series, but she'd be great as an antagonist in the revival, as well.
The anthology-style nature of the original's episodic structure worked well, but should a show utilize longer-running arcs more, she'd have a great dynamic with newly-turned anti-hero Harley Quinn; maybe as a romantic interest, too. It'd be a compelling and emotionally-resonant character arc, plus a good excuse to incorporate the Gotham City Sirens, which also includes Catwoman.
Underrated: Black Mask
Ewan McGregor gave a scarily-fun performance as Roman Sionis in Birds of Prey, and it gives further credence to have him be given bigger roles in other projects. Another great portrayal of him was in the Under the Red Hood animated movie, which depicted his signature short temper well.
He represents a threatening step-up in terms of organized crime, as the Falconis, Maronis, et cetera aren't exactly supervillains, but mobsters like Penguin and Black Mask are higher-level supervillain versions of that. Arkham Origins almost gave him the full force of attention, but it eventually turned into Joker's show.
Classic: Ra's al Ghul
To go along with including Lady Shiva, Ra's al Ghul is another must. James Tynion IV's run of Detective Comics included that great arc with Lady Shiva going rogue on Ra's and his League of Assassins by taking his Shadows under her leadership; this would make a great premise for a TV arc.
Having Ra's force Batman to team up to bring her Shadows down is enticing enough, but he carries enough narrative weight on his own, too. Ra's al Ghul is one his Batman's oldest foes, and the two even have a degree of adversarial respect for each other; the result is enthralling clashes. Ra's sincerely uses "Detective" as an honorific in regards to Batman.