The Batman solo movie (as well as future installments) will undoubtedly need its fair share of villains, meaning the DCEU will need to start casting Batman's rogues gallery sometime soon. The iconic set of DC supervillains are a force to be reckoned with and are arguably second to none. While characters such as the Joker (Jared Leto), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), and Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello) have already been cast, there are plenty of other bad guys on the list that require attention as well.

At the moment, it's unclear who will be appearing in the unofficially titled DC Extended Universe and when they will make their debut, especially since the studio seems to be prioritizing the characters they already have in the shared universe (e.g. Harley Quinn), but that doesn't mean they can't start looking into casting these roles. Casting takes time, and after all, some DCEU actors joined the shared universe years ago and have yet to appear on screen, such as Dwayne Johnson (Black Adam). Note that the following actors and actresses were chosen based on their plausibility of being cast in their respective roles. Warner Bros. simply can't get superstars for every part; otherwise, production budgets for these movies would balloon to absurd amounts.

  • This Page: Penguin and Two-Face

Josh Gad as Penguin

Josh Gad has been subtly campaigning for the role of Penguin in the DCEU over the past year, and admittedly, he'd be rather great in the role. Aside from possessing the appropriate physical attributes (and we're not talking about the Tim Burton version of Penguin), Gad also has an extensive range as an actor. Unfortunately, he's just not always given to opportunity to express that range.

Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, is certainly a weird character. Looking beyond what makes him the Penguin, Oswald boils down to being a traditional mobster but one with an impressive track record of getting people to do what he wants. Penguin is cunning and calculating in a way that's unlike the rest of Batman's rogues gallery, and that's partly what makes him interesting. Gad was able to give a performance similar to that, though not quite exactly to that extent, in Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express remake.

Jon Hamm as Two-Face

Tommy Lee Jones and Aaron Eckhart both left their marks on Two-Face on the big screen, so the DCEU version would to differentiate from those roles - one of which was comical and gimmicky and the other was more realistic. Given Bruce Wayne's line from Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice about how many good guys being left in Gotham, it's presumable that he was at least talking about Harvey Dent.

It would be great if Two-Face was already established in the DCEU, with someone like Jon Hamm playing him. Remember, Hamm has been up for a number of superhero roles in the past, so facing off against Ben Affleck's Batman wouldn't be a hard sell. Furthermore, Hamm did a fantastic job playing both the good guy (someone who wants to be on the main character's side) and the bad guy (the person who wants to take down said main character) in Edgar Wright's Baby Driver. Hamm's previous roles all prove that he has what it takes to deliver an exceptional version of Two-Face.

Edward Norton as Riddler

Several people have expressed interest in playing the DCEU's Riddler, including Winter Soldier actor Sebastian Stan, but the right person for the job needs to be able to emulate the manic personality that the Riddler is known for having. While it seems unreasonable for Stan to make the jump from Marvel to DC at this stage, that doesn't mean another (former) Marvel actor can't do just that; perhaps someone like Edward Norton?

Norton expressed interest in playing a villain in one of Christopher Nolan's films, particularly the Riddler, but that never came to be. And although it's been quite some time since that news first broke, it's possible that Norton would be interested in playing the Riddler in Matt Reeves' Batman film (or trilogy). Norton is an exceptional actor and he certainly has the acting chops to play a villain, even one as calculating and cold as Edward Nygma.

Ghassan Massoud as Ra's Al Ghul

Ra's al Ghul, aka The Demon's Head, is an iconic character in the Batman mythos, and anyone who portrays him will need to be able to command the screen over Batman. Considering the character's history as well as his age (or lack thereof?), arguably the best person for the role is Ghassan Massoud. As a native-born Syrian, Massoud can deliver a more comic accurate portrayal of Ra's al Ghul that was missing from Christopher Nolan's more realistic take with Liam Neeson.

Although Massoud doesn't appear in many movies, the parts he has taken - such as Saladdin in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven - have shown that he has a certain presence on screen that's difficult for others to attain. And his filmography shows that he's at least willing to take both major and non-major roles in blockbuster films, even though most of those tend to be in Ridley Scott films.

Teresa Palmer as Talia Al Ghul

The role of Talia al Ghul will be a big one should Warner Bros. ever cast the part in the DCEU. Marion Cotillard played Talia in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, but her portrayal was chastised by many comic book fans. The studio will need to get the character right this time around by not only being careful with casting the part but also with the story surrounding the character.

A lot of actresses are vying for the role, including Warm Bodies' Teresa Palmer. Palmer told Screen Rant in 2016 that she wants to play Talia al Ghul in the DCEU. Although she may not seem like the first choice for the role, she's arguably the right fit for it. She has plenty of acting experience playing various types of roles (not to mention she headlined David F. Sandberg's first feature film, Lights Out). Plus, she's already proficient in martial arts and stunt training thanks to her role as Six in the I Am Number Four adaptation from 2011.

Adrien Brody as Scarecrow

Cillian Murphy gave a great portrayal as Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins (and subsequent films), but Nolan's version was a more realistic take on the character and one that was hardly used. The DCEU version should instead emulate the iteration seen in the comics or even Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham video games. Sure, Jonathan Crane is intelligent, but he's also a deranged ex-professor.

That's the version that needs to come out in a future Batman movie, one that should star Adrien Brody as the villain. There's no denying that Brody is an exceptional actor, even if he has remained out of the spotlight in recent years. And he's proven time after time that he can dive into virtually any kind of character and make the role his own. He just needs a little bit of what he did in 2005's The Jacket to make it all work.

Javier Bardem as Bane

Just like with Scarecrow, Tom Hardy's Bane in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises was a more realistic take on the character, but one that was very much as harsh as the one from the source material. While the DCEU version should adhere more to the comics, the new iteration shouldn't go as far as to be gimmicky like Robert Swenson's appearance in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin.

It would be great if Warner Bros. got an actor like Javier Bardem, but that may not be feasible depending on production budgets. Still, if they were to splurge on a casting choice, it should be for Bardem. He's tailor-made for the role; he's got the looks, the personality, and the acting down. All anyone needs to do is watch him in Skyfall and No Country for Old Men to get an idea of what he can accomplish as Bane. There's no one better who could deliver lines such as, "Admit the truth, you sad little freak. Admit that you fear me."

Ralph Fiennes as Mr. Freeze

To general audiences, Victor Fries, aka Mr. Freeze, may be a joke, but he's arguably one of the best Batman villains ever created. Sure, Arnold Schwarzenegger's version of Mr. Freeze was... memorable, to say the least, but that's not the type of depiction the DCEU should be going for. All the DCEU needs to do is adapt Batman: The Animated Series' "Heart of Ice" episode on the big screen and they'll have a winner on their hands.

In order to do that, Warner Bros. needs the right person to bring out all the emotion required for such a feat - love, anger, vengeance - and Ralph Fiennes is that person. Fiennes has the looks and he certainly has the acting chops. He's a two-time Oscar-nominated actor, after all. And he's more than proven himself worthy of playing a villain thanks to his role as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series.

James Badge Dale as Victor Zsasz

Victor Zsasz is a fairly unknown character to general audiences, but he's become more and more popular in recent years thanks to Anthony Carrigan's portrayal in FOX's Gotham TV series. Although he has no superpowers, he's skilled in the art of, well, killing; he makes a tally mark on his skin everytime he kills someone. That's in part what makes him an intriguing foe for Batman, especially since he can actually go toe-to-toe with the Caped Crusader.

Just like Deathstroke, whoever is cast as Victor Zsasz will need to be believable enough to take on the DCEU's Batman. Our suggestion is James Badge Dale, who audiences may know from projects such as 13 Hours or The Pacific. Dale is an entirely underrated actor, and his role in Iron Man 3 doesn't do him justice, but he can change all that by appearing in the DCEU as Victor Zsasz if given the opportunity. And since Dale has already appeared in one major comic book movie and is in talks to star in another, then perhaps he'd be open to appearing in a more expanded capacity in the DCEU.

Eva Green as Catwoman

Playing Catwoman in the DCEU would be a major get. It's a role that plays directly off of Batman and is arguably just as iconic as any other supporting character from the Caped Crusader's comics. But there are quite a few prerequisites for being cast as Catwoman, for she's not just any other character or woman in Bruce Wayne's life; Selina Kyle is to Batman essentially what Irene Adler is to Sherlock Holmes. We recently argued that Eva Green would be the perfect Catwoman, and that notion still holds true.

Green not only looks the part but she can also embody all the characteristics that make Catwoman unique, much of which she already utilized by playing Vesper Lynd in Martin Campbell's Casino Royale. Moreover, given all the other characters she's played over the years (including in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For), it's clear that she would have no trouble whatsoever holding her own against Affleck's Batman... or anyone else in the DCEU.

More: Casting The DCEU's Bat Family

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