The Dark Knight Rises Hugo Strange

[The Guard]

Yes.

 

[The Demon's Head]

How so?

 

[Keyser Soze]

Here's a question for you guys: Could Hugo Strange threaten the city in a way that either forces Batman into action, or forces Gotham's citizens to accept Batman?

Tricky question. He's certainly been a city-level threat to Gotham in the comics, but that was with plots like the Monster Men, a fear-inducing compound (Pre-Crisis, it was speculated that Scarecrow's Fear Gas was in fact a refined version of Strange's invention) and other Silver Agey evil schemes that wouldn't really fit in a Nolan movie. But take those elements away, and could he still threaten the city?

Perhaps not in a "the city is going to be destroyed unless Batman saves the day" fashion, but maybe something more along the lines of spiritual, emotional damage on the city that The Joker was aiming for. If they go the route of Hugo Strange trying to replace Batman, the real Batman reclaiming his mantle could tie into the citizens accepting Batman once more.

 

[The Demon's Head]

See, I think Hugo Strange can play the role I had in mind for The Riddler: The Mastermind behind the Rise of the Freaks. Replacing Crane as the head of Arkham Asylum, he manipulates the inmates against Batman and arranges for their "Early release." He uses them against Batman before taking him on by himself.

 

[Oscorp]

^I like the sound of that idea

 

[Keyser Soze]

See, I think Hugo Strange can play the role I had in mind for The Riddler: The Mastermind behind the Rise of the Freaks. Replacing Crane as the head of Arkham Asylum, he manipulates the inmates against Batman and arranges for their "Early release." He uses them against Batman before taking him on by himself.

He's taking on the "head of Arkham" role in the upcoming Batman: Arkham City video game, so that could be a good bit of inter-medium continuity.

 

[Mister H.]

If Nolan truly wanted to end his story, Strange being mortally wounded in his Batman costume during some climactic battle might work. Batman would be allowed to retire if said battle culminated in a sweeping victory over freaks, mobsters, and vigilantes, with Strange losing his life along the way, and taking the fall for all of Dent's crimes. I highly doubt anything like that will happen, as I don't think Nolan will end his trilogy with Batman regarded as a mass murderer-- check that, I know that won't happen. Oh well, seemed like a cool idea before I started typing.

 

[The Guard]

How so?

This

The Mastermind behind the Rise of the Freaks

His "Monster Men".

 

[returntovoid]

Here's a question for you guys: Could Hugo Strange threaten the city in a way that either forces Batman into action, or forces Gotham's citizens to accept Batman?

I doubt since his Monster Men would be the only way but it wont work in Nolan's grounded world, Strange would work better as a side-villain.

Tim Burton could have pulled of Strange as a main villain with the Monster Men.

 

[The Joker]

I don't see the Monster Men making it into Nolan's Batman. Way too horror/sci fi.

 

[returntovoid]

I don't see the Monster Men making it into Nolan's Batman. Way too horror/sci fi.

Agreed, only Burton could have pulled it off.

 

[The Joker]

I'd hardly say only Burton could pull it off.

 

[returntovoid]

I'd hardly say only Burton could pull it off.

Other directors could but no way in hell could Joel Schumacher pull it off.

 

[The Demon's Head]

They wouldn't be literal Monster men like in the comics, though. Strange would manipulate the inmates of Arkham Asylum, turning them into the Freaks we know and love. Hence "Monster Men."

This is the one villain that has the most potential to screw with Batman's head, and these are the type of villains Nolan likes.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

They wouldn't be literal Monster men like in the comics, though. Strange would manipulate the inmates of Arkham Asylum, turning them into the Freaks we know and love. Hence "Monster Men."

This is the one villain that has the most potential to screw with Batman's head, and these are the type of villains Nolan likes.

Exactly, Steange has manipulated and created supervillains in the past that weren't monster men. I'd say the concept of him completing the riseo f the nutjobs through his psychological knowledge and position makes a lot of sense and poses a great threat to Batman since he would be more in the shadows than the Joker, planning his maniacal ascension to be the true Batman.

 

[returntovoid]

If this Strange is in, I'd love to see more of the Narrows and Arkham in The Dark Knight Rises but also otherwise.

 

[Nepenthes]

I don't see the Monster Men making it into Nolan's Batman. Way too horror/sci fi.

I've seen people on crystal meth make an absolute joke out of police squads and psych orderlies...i.e. people trained to bring maniacs down. These are basically the fxckers from 28 Days Later. Add some growth hormone and adrenalin boosters and you're pretty close to real life Monster Men.

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

I've seen people on crystal meth make an absolute joke out of police squads and psych orderlies...i.e. people trained to bring maniacs down. These are basically the fxckers from 28 Days Later. Add some growth hormone and adrenalin boosters and you're pretty close to real life Monster Men.

Yep, in fact I don't even find it that far removed from the fear gas-affected "zombies" attacking Batman in Begins, or even some of the more savage Arkham inmates (remember the big guy that was like, chompin' down on someone's head?)

 

[papie]

I've seen people on crystal meth make an absolute joke out of police squads and psych orderlies...i.e. people trained to bring maniacs down. These are basically the fxckers from 28 Days Later. Add some growth hormone and adrenalin boosters and you're pretty close to real life Monster Men.

I was just browsing in the Tom Hardy thread evaluating Hugo Strange as a valid character, and my head came to the exact same conclusion.
You don't need "Monster Men", but the devoted and deprived that is a serious drug junkie is definitely way more terrifying.

I could see it work very well if the head of Arkham is H. Strange administering drugs to his patients and in that way raising the freak army of Gotham.

 

[maenalus]

See, I think Hugo Strange can play the role I had in mind for The Riddler: The Mastermind behind the Rise of the Freaks. Replacing Crane as the head of Arkham Asylum, he manipulates the inmates against Batman and arranges for their "Early release." He uses them against Batman before taking him on by himself.

That sounds like a great plot.

 

[tekken]

i don't think hugo strange should have any threats against the city - i mean he could, but we've already seen batman protecting the city, and the bad guy trying to stop him from doing so for one reason or another.

i think this next time around, it should be a personal grudge against batman - a classic hero vs. villain type of deal. and i think it would work fine because hugo's obsessed with batman.

i think batman regaining support from the city will be a separate problem, making the fight with hugo independent of the city's approval of batman. but we'll see - this is just one of my crazy theories. we don't even know if hugo's the bad guy.

 

[The Guard]

Hugo Strange affecting the crazies, and manipulating them into freaks would be threatening the city anyway.

 

[baleheadbrasil]

I´m almost convincing that Tom Hardy will play Strange.
But I can be wrong.

 

[Boom]

Strange experimenting on Arkham inmates is too similar to Scarecrow from Batman Begins, in my opinion.

 

[The Guard]

He wouldn't be scaring them, and he wouldn't neccessarily be experimenting on them physically.