A new age of Batman movies is just getting started, and it's time his best villains got adapted to film. When it comes to rogues' galleries, Batman has one of the most diverse and infamous collections in all of comics. Despite this, relatively few of his enemies have found their way into the many feature films based on The Dark Knight Detective.Even now, with a new Batman movie in the works along with an origin movie for The Joker, it seems the screenwriters and directors are still inclined to stick to the classic villains - rather than taking a chance on something new.RELATED: The New Batman Movie Won't Being Filming Until 2019That isn't just a wasteful attitude, but one ignoring the creative spirit that went into the original Batman comics. As much as fans would like to see a Gotham City Sirens movie that does Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy justice as well as their comic counterparts, it would be far better for the filmmakers to take some chances with those Bat-villains who could make the A-list... with the right story.To that end, here are some of the Best Batman Villains Never Used In A Movie.

Lady Shiva

Lady Shiva

Though her exact origins have changed several times over the years, the woman known as Lady Shiva has remained one of the deadliest assassins in the DC Comics Universe. She is considered to be one the best pure martial artists in the world, if not the best overall fighter, period. She's also one of the few villains shown to be capable of consistently beating Batman in a one-on-one fight.

Given the increasing demand for women of color to be represented in superhero movies, plus Shiva's status as a serious threat, it only makes sense that she be given a starring role in a film opposite Batman. Indeed, given her status as the deadliest member of The League of Assassins in the comics, it seems strange that Shiva hasn't been brought into the Batman movies already (even if only as an agent of Ra's Al Ghul).

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It's not hard to imagine how Shiva could cross paths with Batman, perhaps contracted to kill Bruce Wayne by one of his enemies, villainous or corporate. That twist would present Batman with a unique challenge: he would not only have to protect himself, but do so while working to keep his identity as Batman a secret.

The Mad Hatter

The Mad Hatter as he appears in Rocksteady's Arkham games.

Jervis Tetch is another villain whose precise origins have varied from telling to telling. The end result is the same, however, with the brilliant neuroscientist developing an obsession with the writings of Lewis Carroll... and technology that allows him to control other people's minds. The second obviously becoming his trademark.

As The Mad Hatter, Tetch is a versatile character who can be both a figure of fun and a malevolent monster, depending on the story's requirements. While he's often depicted as a comedic character who only speaks in nursery rhymes, Tetch can also be truly menacing, and is able to do considerable damage with his technological arsenal.

It's hard to imagine any Mad Hatter story that would make a better feature-length film adaptation than "Mad As A Hatter" - his origin in Batman: The Animated Series. Here, Tetch starts as a sympathetic figure, using his technology to craft the perfect evening out as he woos Alice - a co-worker who is the only person who has ever been nice to him - after she suffers a bad break-up. When she reconciles with the boyfriend who dumped her, "nice guy" Tetch goes over the edge - and his obsession wins the attention of Batman. Talk about a timely tale.

Anarky wearing his costume in the comics.

Anarky

Like most teenagers, Lonnie Machin thinks he's smarter than the adults who run things. Unlike most teenagers, Lonnie may actually be right. A child prodigy with a gift for technology and a fondness for rhetoric, Lonnie established himself as the vigilante 'Anarky' after coming to the conclusion that modern society was inherently corrupt, and that the best way to help was to attack the systems that put profits over people.

While Anarky has appeared in live-action, animation, and video games before, it has always been as an unthinking terrorist with none of the idealism or intelligence of the character from the comics. That's likely because it's difficult to build an action-packed adventure around an anti-hero whose schemes usually involve hacking billionaire's bank accounts, or building hidden homes for the poorest citizens among the infrastructure of Gotham City.

From that angle, Anarky would prove an ideal antagonist for a Batman movie centered around the hero's status as a figure of privilege. Teenagers taking an active role fighting a system that doesn't value them except as a marketing demographic? That's something of a hot topic in our own world, and a great chance for social commentary would present itself as Anarky capitalized on legitimate protests to promote his more extreme agenda.

Clayface

Clayface Batman Greatest Comic Villains

Many men have taken up the name of 'Clayface.' Some of them had unique powers, but most of them shared the ability to simply change their shape. Usually this took the form of remodeling their bodies to grow larger or changing their limbs into weapons, but a few were capable of true shape-shifting - able to impersonate others to the point of becoming a perfect genetic duplicate!

The biggest problem in bringing Clayface to the silver screen has been the digital effects limitations, only recently becoming advanced enough to realistically depict the monstrous mud-man. Another problem? The question of which version of Clayface to use.

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For our money, any cinematic adaptation of Clayface should fit the mold of the Batman: The Animated Series two-parter "Feat of Clay." This story saw aging action hero Matt Hagen forced into crime after he became addicted to an experimental makeup that allowed him to remold his features. Doubtlessly there's many aging actors who could sympathize with Hagen's plight, who would work some true pathos into their performance as Hagen becomes more and more monstrous in his quest for revenge.

The Cavalier

Batman The Cavalier Tim Sale Blades

Hudson Pyle was a stuntman by trade, who grew tired of risking his life only for other actors to get the glory. He established himself as a vigilante called The Cavalier early in Batman's career, planning to use the publicity inspired by his more overt style of heroics as a springboard to stardom. Shockingly, Pyle found he enjoyed being a hero and the sense of well-being that came from helping others more than the prospect of fame and fortune. Even more surprisingly, he also won Batman's approval.

Sadly, Pyle's fortunes turned foul after he saved a woman from jumping to her death. His efforts to free her from the blackmailer who drove her to suicide led to his downfall, and a climactic sword-fight with Batman across the rooftops of Gotham.

The three-part story in which Cavalier first appeared - James Robinson's and Tim Sale's Blades - could be easily adapted into one heck of a Batman movie. It would present a view of Batman unseen in the movies, where audiences get to see how the people and police of Gotham City react to a vigilante who is more aesthetically agreeable than the dour Dark Knight. In costume, anyway.

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Is there a Batman villain you'd like to see on the big screen who hasn't made it there yet? Sound off in the comments!

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