Warning! SPOILERS for The Batman.

Matt Reeves' The Batman is a refreshing take on a familiar hero and a few infamous villains - here's all seven villains The Batman sets up for a future showdown. The Batman is the latest of many big-screen adaptations of the Caped Crusader, but unlike its predecessors, it explores Bruce Wayne's early days as a vigilante before he solidifies himself as Gotham's guardian. Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz are perfectly cast as Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, who are reluctantly working together to uncover a conspiracy in the city that goes all the way up to the mayor. The Batman is gearing up to kickstart its own franchise, with a sequel promised within the next five years.

In The Batman, Bruce Wayne goes out at night as a masked vigilante and faces some of Batman's most iconic villains, such as Penguin and the Riddler. However, the corruption in the city of Gotham, led by mob boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), is just as much of a villainous antagonist for the Bat. Selina Kyle, who becomes Catwoman, crosses his path when her friend Anika goes missing at the hands of Falcone, serving more as an ally and love interest than a villain-- as is sometimes her role. Calling himself "Vengeance," Bruce tries to stop Riddler as he murders corrupt city officials, but as their crimes are revealed to the world, he realizes that most of Gotham's high-ranking officials are involved in shady dealings with Falcone.

Related: Who Killed Bruce Wayne's Parents In The Batman? The Mystery Explained Fully

Bruce's family history with Gotham, as well as his actions in The Batman could mean that certain villains are about to make their way into the Batverse. Some upcoming villains - such as the unnamed Arkham prisoner played by Barry Keoghan - are relatively easy to figure out. The groundwork has been laid, however, for The Batman's sequels to potentially bring in several of Batman's rogues. Which villains seem likely to appear in upcoming Batverse movies based on evidence in The Batman?

Joker

Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and Joaquin Phoenix as Joker

The Joker is Batman's arch-nemesis and, as such, has had the most on-screen adaptations. It's only fitting that Matt Reeves's Batman would have his own Joker. At the end of The Batman, Paul Dano as Riddler is locked away in Arkham Asylum, anguished over Batman thwarting his plans to purge Gotham by killing everyone in a flood. Barry Keoghan plays a mysterious prisoner in the cell next to his, who cheers the Riddler up, using his catchphrase "Riddle me this." Though the character is never named, it's pretty clear that Keoghan is playing the Joker. The character's laugh is eerily similar to the laughter that is typical of the Joker. He also tells Riddler that there's no shame in being a clown. All of these signs seem to point to Keoghan's character being the Clown Prince of Crime.

Hush

In this adaptation, Riddler seems to borrow a lot from Hush. Growing up in an orphanage run by the Waynes, Riddler saw how Bruce was treated with care and sympathy after his parents died and was jealous that he and the other orphans were treated as disposable. Still, the emphasis on Bruce's family's involvement with children as well as Riddler's desire to take down Bruce Wayne the way he took down the other major players in Gotham could mean Hush is on the way. In the comics, Hush is Bruce's childhood friend Thomas Elliot, who tries to murder his own parents for the inheritance. In The Batman, it is revealed that a reporter with the same last name was going to reveal Wayne family secrets before Thomas Wayne had Falcone silence him. There's also a hint in The Batman in the end-credits stinger, which shares the link to rataalada.com. After answering a series of riddles, a video is unlocked that actually shows the word "Hush!" over videos of Thomas Wayne's campaign.

Two-Face

Gotham in The Batman is a city full of corruption. During The Riddler's killing spree, he publicly kills several of Gotham's police and government officials who were involved in organized crime, using the city's Renewal fund to line their own pockets. One of the officials being paid off is the District Attorney, who was given money not to prosecute certain cases. Because the Riddler kills the DA, Gotham will be in need of someone new to take the office, opening the door for Harvey Dent to make a future appearance. While there's no direct confirmation of Harvey Dent, the setup is there. Gotham will have a lot of rebuilding to do, and Dent's desire to be a force for good would make sense in a Gotham that was just shaken by a corruption scandal and a huge disaster that destroyed much of the city.

Related: Who Selina Kyle's Father Is In Batman Comics

Bane

Bane fights Batman in The Dark Knight Rises

In the climax of The Batman, Batman injects himself with a green serum that seems similar to the drug Miraclo from the comics. A precursor to Bane's venom, Miraclo was originally developed by Hourman to give him increased energy and enhanced strength. In this adaptation, when Batman injects himself with this serum, he goes from barely being able to stay conscious to having incredible strength in seconds, allowing him to fight the Riddler henchman who was about to kill Selina. The color of the serum and its effects definitely suggest that, if this is a version of Miraclo, Bane could be on his way. Bane was played by Tom Hardy in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, in what has come to be the definitive version of the character. Dave Bautista has also expressed interest in playing Bane.

Red Hood

Red Hood swinging into battle

Red Hood is one of the most personal villains for Batman, and this universe seems prime for this storyline to happen. Red Hood is the identity that former Robin Jason Todd takes on after his death in Death In The Family. Robin hasn't been explicitly depicted on the big screen since Chris O'Donnell played Dick Grayson in Batman & Robin (a version of Robin played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Dark Knight Rises never truly takes on the mantle). Pattinson's Batman is just getting started, and he could easily be a character who takes in kids and trains them to become vigilantes. While there was no direct reference to Jason Todd in The Batman, Bruce does meet a young gangster at the subway who doesn't participate as his gang fights with "Vengeance." He spares the young man, who seems to leave with an admiration of the vigilante. This kid isn't named, but considering Jason's background as a street kid, this could be him. Jason becomes Red Hood after dying at the hands of the Joker, who is teased at the end of the film. Ironically, the actor also plays the Tim Drake version of Robin on HBO Max's Titans.

Court of Owls

Court Owls Gotham Knights

The Court of Owls were heavily rumored to be the villains behind everything in The Batman. While that didn't end up being true, the groundwork for such a group was laid. Falcone's involvement in the city's government, working with the mayor, the DA, the police commissioner, and other important Gothamites to control the city functions a bit like the Court of Owls. Bruce's two family lines, the Waynes and the Arkhams, are old money and were instrumental in Gotham's founding. The Court of Owls, in the comics, are a group of Gotham's oldest, wealthiest families who have used money and violence to influence the politics of the city for centuries. The Riddler's video exposes how Bruce's family lines have used their money and influence to keep some of their darkest secrets hidden. This could also be a hint at a larger group of wealthy Gothamites using money and force to control the city behind the scenes. Such a conspiracy could be revealed in The Batman 2, especially in the aftermath of The Riddler.

Penguin

The Penguin standing in the rain in The Batman

In The Batman, Penguin, played by an unrecognizable Colin Farrell, appears as more of a red herring than a true villain. He owns a nightclub that is a hub for the mob and works under Carmine Falcone. When Riddler sends the "ratta alada" clue to Bruce, he assumes that Penguin is the "rat with wings" in question and pursues him under the assumption that Penguin has been working with the corrupt police to deal a drug called "drops." In reality, Falcone was the one involved with the corrupt police, and when the Riddler kills Falcone, the top spot in the mafia is left open. Penguin, as the next biggest boss under Falcone, seems primed to take that spot. The Batman sets the mobster up to become a major villain in the future.

More: Jeffrey Wright Is Both Right & Wrong About The Batman's Sequel Villains

 

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