Batman has one of the greatest rogues galleries in comics. And a few of his greatest villains have been brought to life very convincingly on screen. With the hype building for Matt Reeves' upcoming The Batman starring Robert Pattinson, fans are buzzing with discussion about what they would like to see in the next incarnation of Batman on film.
It seems that Riddler, Catwoman and Penguin are confirmed, and it isn't certain yet whether other villains will be added to this movie's roster. Some bad guys, though, would fit better than others. And with that in mind, here are 10 villains that should sit The Batman out.
Mad Hatter
Well, he's historically used hats to control people's minds. That's the first thing to consider. Sure, Jervis Tetch is highly intelligent, quite creepy and also psychotic. But does he really have what it takes to carry a role in a Batman movie? Probably not. He's vastly overshadowed by Batman's A-list villains. He's less arch-villain, more irritation.
He's also a character who just seems to fit comic books more than live-action. His diminutive appearance and quirks work well on paper and even in animated versions of Batman. But this would be difficult to translate convincingly into a real-world-based environment.
Killer Croc
Croc is essentially hired muscle with a bad skin condition. He doesn't have the intelligence to menace Batman to the degree that other Batman villains do. He's got strength and stamina in droves. But Batman is physically matched by other villains too - like Bane, Deathstroke, Ra's al Ghul, Shiva, Hush - and the list goes on.
All the other names mentioned there have much more going for them than Croc does. They are able to counter Batman on so many different levels, while Croc really just has brute strength. As a bit player or henchman, he may work, but he'll probably have to wait his turn to get his 15 minutes on screen.
Mr. Freeze
There were many things wrong with Joel Schumacher's reviled Batman and Robin, not the least of which was Arnold Schwarzenegger's glittery, blue-skinned, pun-spinning, Mr. Freeze. And even though it's been almost 23 years since Batman and Robin defiled cinemas with its Bat-Credit Cards, Bat-Skates, nipples on Batsuits and bad (very, very bad) script, it's still too soon for Mister Freeze to make a big-screen comeback.
The Batman: The Animated Series movie, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero turned out to be far better than any live-action portrayal of Mr. Freeze is ever likely to be. It's probably a good idea that any plans to bring another live-action Mr. Freeze to theaters are put on ice for now.
Clayface
Live-action Batman movies seem to work largely because they are very much grounded in the real world. And with Batman being a non-superpowered hero, his greatest foes are generally non-superpowered too. Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, and even Ra's al Ghul - although he extends his life using Lazarus pits - work because they are mental or physical matches for the Dark Knight.
The current Clayface would have to be really convincingly written to fit into a live-action Gotham. Besides that, Clayface's shapeshifting abilities and "muddy" appearance would have to be achieved using heavy CG effects. That hasn't historically worked very well in other DC movies. Henry Cavill's painted on mustache and the computer-generated Steppenwolf in Justice League are cases in point.
Man-Bat
Much like Clayface, Kirk Langstrom's Man-Bat, who is essentially a werewolf with sonar and wings, maybe more at home in a horror movie than in a live-action Batman film. He is a physically imposing and frightening figure, but it's unlikely that his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-like backstory could carry a movie.
And again, like Clayface, Man-Bat lacks the grounding in reality that has made previous Batman movie villains -- like the Joker, Ra's al Ghul, and Catwoman -- work so well. Danny DeVito's Penguin in Batman Returns is about the closest we've seen on screen to a half-man, half-animal antagonist that works in a Batman movie. And it's probably best that things stay that way.
Scarecrow
Fear toxin worked really well as a plot device once. But it's likely to fall short if it's used again. Yes, Cillian Murphy's portrayal of Jonathan Crane in Batman Begins was very convincing. But having seen Scarecrow in that film, it may be a little too soon to revive him again.
There are so many other interesting villains that deserve a chance to be seen in a live-action Batman movie. And Scarecrow is nowhere near as much of a heavyweight as Joker, Two-Face, or even Penguin. If any villains from the Nolanverse are reincarnated into the Matt Reeves outing, how about the chilling Victor Zsasz?
Bane
He's had two big-screen incarnations in Batman movies so far. In Batman and Robin, though he was nothing more than mindless muscle, he did look quite close to the comic book version. Tom Hardy's version in The Dark Knight Rises was more cerebral, even though he was quite far removed in many ways from his comic book counterpart.
And it would be great to see a more faithful screen version of Bane in a future movie. But Bane is a villain worthy of lead bad guy status. "The man who broke the Bat" is both brains and brawn, and shouldn't be overshadowed by other villains. Matt Reeves has already worked in Catwoman, the Penguin, and the Riddler so far for The Batman. Bane could quite easily just get lost among those names. Probably best if he pops up in a less crowded sequel.
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn has gone from animated sidekick to one of the most-loved DC universe characters in both the comics and on-screen. Margot Robbie's portrayal in Suicide Squad was arguably the best thing about that movie.
But despite a garbled plot and questionable editing choices, the numbers were good enough to mean that a sequel is coming up in 2021, which will bring Harley back into theaters. Not to mention 2020's Birds of Prey, which looks like it'll be bringing plenty of screen time for the Clown Princess too. Harley's everywhere right now. Matt Reeves can do without her.
Ra's al Ghul
Despite Christopher Nolan's deviation from the original comic book mythology, Liam Neeson played a convincing Ra's in Batman Begins. And having seen the character woven into a Batman movie's plot as such an integral part of Batman's origin, do we really need to see him again so soon?
The other side of the coin is that, like Joker, Ra's is one of Batman's most formidable villains. If he is going to be included in The Batman's universe, perhaps it might be worth building up to him via a few lesser villains first.
Joker
Nicholson, Ledger, and Phoenix have all brought the Clown Prince of Crime to the big screen with great success (Leto, not so much). But you can get too much of a good thing. The current Joker, Joaquin Phoenix, and director Todd Phillips may be discussing a sequel, but Joker's appearance in a Batman movie now would water down the strong character that developed in the Joker movie.
If a sequel happens, there is still so much to be explored about how Joker becomes the maniacal arch-villain we all love to hate. Todd Phillips' Joker isn't ready for Batman yet.