6 Villains We should See Instead Of The Joker In ‘The Batman’ Sequel

Feb 25

Joaquin Phoenix as The Joker — Image Source: BBC

It’s no great argument that the most iconic comic book villain of all time is Batman’s nemesis, The Joker. As comic book movies become more mainstream and acceptable, we have seen several different iterations of the character. It’s not hard to understand why he makes so many appearances. He’s a very fluid character to write. You can take him in almost any direction, and he’ll be a joy to watch on screen (Almost any direction. Sorry, Leto).

Heath Ledger’s The Joker has inarguably become one of the top five most iconic villain performances in the history of cinema. Joaquin Phoenix’s win made The Joker one of two characters to have Oscars awarded for multiple performances, alongside Vito Corleone from The Godfather films. Mark Hamil’s Joker is arguably the most iconic vocal performance of a comic book character ever.

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Long story short, there have been a few successes there, but like anything, too much of a good thing is bad.

In the latest Batman movie, the end credits scene teased us with a conversation between the Riddler and an unseen fellow prisoner who everyone knows will be The Joker. However, if we take out the fact that another Joker is a safe bet that will draw people to the theaters, why not do… you know… something else? Anyone else?

Batman has one of the most diverse rogues galleries in the comic book world, and there are certainly other people to adapt. Why not do so? Well, here are villains we should see in the next Batman movie that aren’t The Joker. Or Catwoman, Bane, Penguin, Riddler, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Ras al Ghul/Talia, or Mr. Freeze.

6. Condiment King

No explanation necessary. In fact, he should get his own origin movie like The Joker got. He shall be played by Will Farrell. The movie will win twelve Oscars.

5. Hush

One of the main influences on the latest Batman movie is undoubtedly the David Fincher classic Se7en. With its dark, gritty tone, focus on detective work, voiceover, and the fact that the Riddler is basically John Doe, it’s not hard to see the comparisons. Hush would be a perfect fit for that world.

Hush, real name Tommy Elliot, is a dark reflection of Bruce Wayne. The two were inseparable childhood friends, and both have lost parents. However, it’s revealed that Elliot deliberately tried to kill his for inheritance money, with one of them surviving thanks to Thomas Wayne’s surgical skills, which makes Elliot hate the Wayne family.

This leads to Hush using his surgical skills to create perfect masks of different people. Hush has a genius-level intellect that rivals even Batman’s. In fact, was the one who taught Bruce how to think like his opponents when they were younger. If The Joker is the reflection of Batman, then Hush is the reflection of Bruce Wayne. Maybe we could get a Se7en-style film where there are murders around Gotham, and Batman comes to find out that it’s his close childhood friend. Since Tommy taught Bruce several mental techniques, he would always be one step ahead of the Dark Knight.

4. Prometheus

Prometheus would be a good tandem for any movie involving Hush as the villain. Prometheus actually fits with the dark reflection of Batman better than The Joker. After seeing his parents killed by cops, he traveled the world to achieve mental and physical perfection and used those skills to destroy the law whenever he could.

A tag team of Hush and Prometheus would be a perfect challenge for the Dark Knight. Hush would attack his identity as Bruce Wayne, while Prometheus would attack his identity as Batman. In both cases, Batman would have to wonder which small changes would have led him down a similar path as these two.

3. Mad Hatter

Moving away from Se7en, we delve into the realm of trippy Batman stories that are far more psychologically horrifying than a terror more grounded in reality. The Lewis Carrol classic Alice in Wonderland is often used as a springboard for stories where the lines between reality and dangerous fantasy are blurred to a potentially dangerous degree. So far, we have not seen any of Batman’s more psychologically strange villains utilized to their full potential in the main movies.

Mad Hatter, aka. Jervis Tetch, uses hypnotism and mind control, usually in the form of microchips inside hats. We’ve seen from the Arkham games that a character with as silly of a gimmick as Tetch’s is pretty unsettling if done right. And if you got a director who knew how to take the character all the way (like David Lynch? Del Toro?) we could see the most unique Batman film to date.

2. Ratcatcher

Admittedly, Ratcatcher might work better as a secondary villain, and maybe even one that reluctantly does things that ultimately help Batman. Otis Flannegan or Ratcatcher has the unique ability to actually control rats. In the latest film version of Gotham, which is dark, moody, and frequently run-down, it's not any stretch to imagine that Gotham has more than its fair share of rodents. This would be a golden opportunity for Ratcatcher to cause some real damage. It would also be interesting to use Ratcatcher to explore a softer side of Batman. He would not be a total villain, but a traumatized man with a dark past who only finds solace in his rodent friends. With the help of Batman, he starts to recover from some of his past trauma, which will also help Bruce Wayne with his own.

Either way, it would be a movie every time you see a rat you’re not sure if it’s a coincidence or if Ratcatcher is nearby.

1. Hugo Strange.

We got a lot of Hugo Strange in Arkham City, but the main draw for Strange in a Batman movie would be Batman fighting a villain who knows his secret identity and has no problem holding it over his head. Bruce would be walking through where one wrong move would lead to Strange revealing his identity to the public. He’d have to exercise restraint in ways he never had to before to the point where he might even have to let other people do a lot of the heavy lifting. Arkham City showed us that Strange has little difficulty executing complex plans. Combined with his total disregard for human life, Strange could present the most difficult challenge Batman has ever faced.

Batman movies will never stop being made. They’re recognizable and profitable, and that means more and more will come out with various villains and various actors donning the iconic cape and cowl. However, that doesn’t mean that every other film needs to have Batman fighting The Joker. The Joker is fun. He’s amazing. He’s the most iconic comic book villain of all time. However, Batman has fought countless villains over the years. How about giving them some time to shine?

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