The Dark Knight Rises Ideas For Incorporating Characters Into the Nolanverse

[BioHazard]

Disregard.

 

[Matt Mortem]

I think before they should even start writing a sequal the world should get the taste of TDK out of they're minds. All the hype needs to go away so that we can re-enter the batworld with a cleansed pallet. I foresee the riddler, harley, and catwoman being very do-able. I'd like to see Harley doing copycat joker crimes to bring back batman into gothams good graces and then as a subplot perhaps have two-face trying to cause some damage due to him being furious over having been locked away in arkham and essentially left for dead in the real world (a little farfetched i know) OR you could just have the riddler as a cold calculating wackjob who is hired by an independent source (maroni?) to reveal batman. I dunno.....they're all possiblities.

 

[Malone]

These characters wouldn't necessarily be in the same movie, these are just different ideas:

Lady Shiva: A former member of the League of Shadows who is being paid very well by the main antagonist of the film to kill Bruce Wayne whom she knows is Batman.

Penguin: Now CEO of Wayne Enterprises replacing Lucius Fox. He would be a character like William Earl, only he would truly be corrupt.

The Riddler: In addition to his normal M.O., my version of the Riddler would be a master of disguise. He would appear multiple times during the movie, as different people, but you wouldn't know that it was him until the end.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

These characters wouldn't necessarily be in the same movie, these are just different ideas:

Lady Shiva: A former member of the League of Shadows who is being paid very well by the main antagonist of the film to kill Bruce Wayne whom she knows is Batman.

Penguin: Now CEO of Wayne Enterprises replacing Lucius Fox. He would be a character like William Earl, only he would truly be corrupt.

The Riddler: In addition to his normal M.O., my version of the Riddler would be a master of disguise. He would appear multiple times during the movie, as different people, but you wouldn't know that it was him until the end.

Interesting, yet, I feel this could be better served under another villain....like Black Mask, Roland Dagget or someone of that nature.

 

[Ethermatic]

I prefer Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin as a gentleman gangster with his umbrella. Why Bruce Wayne would even let Lucius Fox go, is beyond me. Why he would replace him with someone he'd probably already know is corrupt is also beyond me.

 

[KILLING JOKER]

Not to be a downer but I fear the studio shoving Catwoman, Riddler or Penguin down Nolans throat and he may just decide to bow out. If he can do the characters justice (All of them or one of them) than cool but I hope they don't do what happened to Raimi with Venom. I don't see Nolan making a film if he doesen't believe in it 100 percent.

I still think bringing back Two-face is the way to go.

 

[Ethermatic]

I still think Harvey Dent and Two-Face are deader than a doornail.

 

[KILLING JOKER]

I still think Harvey Dent and Two-Face are deader than a doornail.

Could very well be but I think it's the best way to go for a third film if he isn't. Perhaps throw in a secondary villian.

 

[CrAnE]

What about a corrupt GCPD Swat specialist named David Cain who goes rouge to try to bring The Batman to justice?

 

[returntovoid]

Why Bruce Wayne would even let Lucius Fox go, is beyond me.

In TDK Lucius tells Batman that this is the last time he will help him.

 

[Micah12345]

I think nolan meant to leave him dead and have joker in the third one....now I'm thinking if he comes back he might do it the other way around.

 

[touchmeimhappy]

I would love to see two face come back maybe as Hush, and maybe have clayface as a master of disguise type of character... have him pretending to be a hero like batman but actually just trying to take over the mobs power...

 

[BioHazard]

I would love to see two face come back maybe as Hush, and maybe have clayface as a master of disguise type of character... have him pretending to be a hero like batman but actually just trying to take over the mobs power...

Two-Face as Hush?

Lame, IMO.

Bring on The Phantasm.

 

[dark_knight08]

Black Mask

Well Roman Sionis can be described as an industrial heir who loses his company to Bruce Wayne, adopts the Black Mask persona for revenge, starts kidnapping the employee's of Wayne Enterprises, and the last victim to this can be Lucius Fox.
As well Catwoman can be introduce because Black Mask and her have some history together.

 

[Arsh]

Black Mask

Well Roman Sionis can be described as an industrial heir who loses his company to Bruce Wayne, adopts the Black Mask persona for revenge, starts kidnapping the employee's of Wayne Enterprises, and the last victim to this can be Lucius Fox.
And The Riddler can leave riddles to the locations.

Good idea. Along with a lot of the ones posted here, this works well within Nolan's context of a realistic Gotham.

 

[Malone]

Interesting, yet, I feel this could be better served under another villain....like Black Mask, Roland Dagget or someone of that nature.

Definately. That role could be played by a few different characters; I just used the Penguin because he was the most well-known.

 

[TimidationGame]

Nolans are not going to just throw villians/antogonist in willy nilly, they have a formula and they are most likely (cannot know) going to stick to it since it works.

The villians have to be best fit for the selected theme of the movie, and so far fit in with the following:

Antagonist 1: (ScareCrow/Crane, Joker)
- Is the symbol of the main theme (Fear/Escalation)
- Is antagonist to Bruce Waynes love interest and Batman, but not Bruce
- Comes in to conflict with Batman, but goal is not to kill Batman
- Has dealings with antagonist 3, which brings #3 in to conflict with Batman

Antagonist 2: (Ducard/Ras, Dent/TwoFace)
- Is the main driver of the story not theme
- Gets lots of development not in antagonist role
- Is a character Bruce and the audience invests in
- Someone Bruce learns to give faith and trust to
- Has involvement with antagonist #1 which is never good for Gotham
- Antagonist 3's actions is what ultimately drives their involvement in Gotham
- Character turns from Bruce friend, to Batman enemy
- Ends up being the final showdown for Batman in movie

Antagonist 3: (Mob figureheads so far)
- Has dealings/altercations with antagonist #1, but #2 poses greatest threat
- Drives Bruce, but not a real threat to Batman or Wayne
- Is tormented by Batman
- Is seen by Waynes love interest as an antagonist

Antagonist 4:
- Threatens Wayne Enterprises/Lucious, not a critical role
- So far, no dealings with any other antagonist

 

[Malone]

Nolans are not going to just throw villians/antogonist in willy nilly, they have a formula and they are most likely (cannot know) going to stick to it since it works.

The villians have to be best fit for the selected theme of the movie, and so far fit in with the following:

Antagonist 1: (ScareCrow/Crane, Joker)
- Is the symbol of the main theme (Fear/Escalation)
- Is antagonist to Bruce Waynes love interest and Batman, but not Bruce
- Comes in to conflict with Batman, but goal is not to kill Batman
- Has dealings with antagonist 3, which brings #3 in to conflict with Batman

Antagonist 2: (Ducard/Ras, Dent/TwoFace)
- Is the main driver of the story not theme
- Gets lots of development not in antagonist role
- Is a character Bruce and the audience invests in
- Someone Bruce learns to give faith and trust to
- Has involvement with antagonist #1 which is never good for Gotham
- Antagonist 3's actions is what ultimately drives their involvement in Gotham
- Character turns from Bruce friend, to Batman enemy
- Ends up being the final showdown for Batman in movie

Antagonist 3: (Mob figureheads so far)
- Has dealings/altercations with antagonist #1, but #2 poses greatest threat
- Drives Bruce, but not a real threat to Batman or Wayne
- Is tormented by Batman
- Is seen by Waynes love interest as an antagonist

Antagonist 4:
- Threatens Wayne Enterprises/Lucious, not a critical role
- So far, no dealings with any other antagonist

Nice breakdown. But wasn't it the Joker's goal, and job, to kill Batman for the first half of "The Dark Knight"?

 

[TimidationGame]

Nice breakdown. But wasn't it the Joker's goal, and job, to kill Batman for the first half of "The Dark Knight"?

That was a means to an end for Joker. The only way he could escalate his robbings of mob banks was to rob the mob of power. He used getting Batman as a ploy to give up half of their wealth, and while doing it, usurp them of power...it was a way inside. While doing so, he discovered Batman was the only one who could escalate with him.

So to answer your question directly, no, it was the mobs goal suggest by Joker. Technically, it was his job, but he never intended to have to do it because he was destroying the mob in the meantime.

 

[66 Face]

Ok I'm throwing out some ideas and a casting call.

The Riddler - a no name, I would want to see The Riddler as a character that is made by his games and not who he is. In other words, its what he does and how he does it that makes him a great villain. I also like the idea of him doing big things because he feels like a "small fry".

The Penguin - Ian McShane, Pretty much a threat to Batman and Bruce Wayne. I think that a good idea would be to make him like Marvels Kingpin. He comes into Gothem with money and tries to put the broken peices of the mob back together. Uniting them into one and making them stronger while being the toast of Gothem. He's not a freak and, when arrested, he not going to AA.

Mr. Freeze - David Bowie, More of a mad bomber using liquid nitrogen bombs. His self contained prison could be more of a mental thing than using the suit and could also reflect Bruce's own pain over his loss.

Clayface - Barry Pepper, A master of disguise that could put Batmans detective skills to work.

The Black Mask - Benicio Del Toro, I kind of like the idea of The Black Mask going to war with the Penguin over control of Gothems mob with Batman in the middle, kind of like Yojimbo.

Talia - Shannyn Sossamon, Stories from her father have made her fall in love with Bruce. She comes to help "save" Gothem... the League of Assassins way.

Catwoman - Rosario Dawson, Think more of a Robin Hood. She does bad things but in her mind its for the right reasons. Love interest put on hold for now but growing later.

Poison Ivy - Cate Blanchett, Poisons expert. Wining and dining with Gothems elite. Her targets could be anyone involved with the monorail system since parks were destroyed making it.

 

[Die Laughing]

Villians I would like to see in Batman 3:

Two Face-

I would like to see (if Harvey's image dies, and Two Face is alive...we'll just have to see) Two Face as the major storyline. The Dark Knight gave a really good introduction for Two Face, but that was just his scarring. I want to see Harvey to become an afterthought and the full mean, harsh, brutal mob boss Two Face to have full reign. I believe Aaron Eckhart really could go in deep with the Two Face character. Have a crazy scary battle between split personalities when Harvey is ever brought back to rememberance. It's not about Harvey and Two Face being mad at the world. It's about Harvey being mad at Two Face, and Two Face wanting to control the body and kill all the people that wronged him.

Keep the same actor. How could you otherwise?


Riddler-

As someone has mentioned already, it would be really wicked if the Riddler was not shown much in the movie, but his riddles and games where. Maybe a few glimspes of the Riddler and his personality to set up the story line, but I don't want to see a guy in a green suit covered in question marks. I'd like a serial pscyopathic riddler akin to the intensity the psycopath from 'Seven' and Jigsaw from 'Saw'.

As far as actors. I think Johnny Depth has the passion to deliver for the Nolan Universe. What he does need to do though, is create something that he has NOT done before. As far as A-list actors, I think Depp is one of the best. But he must overcome all his previous ticks and identifying acting smirks and behaviors and create something that he HAS NOT done before. Then he will be perfect. I hope Nolan goes with an unkown though.


Scare Crow-

Please bring him back in a bigger role. We saw him as a puppet in 'Batman Begins' and we see him as a small timing soloist in 'The Dark Knight'. I really want to see how deep and terrible this guy can go on his own. Hopefully Nolan will give him the chance.

Please keep the same actor, I love that guy. His creepiness is so entertaining.


Bane-

Bane would be very fun indeed. With the intellect and strength. Maybe during the movie he can free Arkham and set all the loons free like in the comics; then we can have our brief conversation between Batman and Gordon that Joker is free again (maybe near the end of the movie).

As far as actors. Get some intellectual strong guy. I know the physique is an important factor as far as appearance, but no more WWF idiots.

- Ahahahahaha!

 

[TimidationGame]

Nice breakdown. But wasn't it the Joker's goal, and job, to kill Batman for the first half of "The Dark Knight"?

I thought about it some more and perhaps this better explains how the Nolan brothers are structuring the Villians:



Antagonist 1: (ScareCrow/Crane, Joker)
- Is the symbol of the main theme (Fear/Escalation)
- Is main antagonist and mortal threat to Bruce Waynes love interest
- Provides conflict with Batman until #2 puts on villian clothes
- Villain part of character is stronger symbolically, than by motivations

Antagonist 2: (Ducard/Ras, Dent/TwoFace)
- Is the main driver of the story not theme
- Is main antagonist and mortal threat for Batman
- Gives Bruce character depth, when not Batman
- Is a character Bruce and the audience invests in
- Villian has a non-villain side to them and is stronger through motivations
- Someone Bruce learns to give faith and trust to
- Any involvement with antagonist #1 is never good for Gotham
- Antagonist 3's actions is what ultimately drives their involvement in Gotham
- Character turns from Bruce friend, to Batman enemy
- Final showdown for Batman, after #1 is dealt with

Antagonist 3: (Mob figureheads so far)
- Is main antagonist to Gotham, keeps everyone busy and distracted
- Gotham gives them money/power, they don't want to destroy that
- Actions cause Bruce and #2 to act on them and Gotham
- Has dealings/altercations with antagonist #1
- Gives Waynes love interest something to do until #1 acts on her

Antagonist 4:
- Is main antagonist to Wayne Enterprise, and threatens Lucious
- So far, no dealings with any other antagonist

 

[GL1]

Tertiary Antagonists: These are guys who can serve as great conflict and action, without much more plot development or screen time than, say, Gamble, Maroni and the other mobster in TDK.

The Ventriloquist
Arnold Wesker is a mafia hitman, a cold and sterile efficient one. One who says absolutely nothing. One would think him a mute except for the Al-Capone dummy that accompanies him, initially speaking from his suitcase. The Dummy does all the talking. Wesker does all the killing.

Bane
"Bane" is an international mercenary. Fresh from a slew of killings in Iraq, he has acquired a special adrenaline cocktail which he uses in his climactic fight. As is, he's a very good killer, though cruelly brutal and very proud of his work. His mask is initially stealth gear, his goggles are intially thermal vision lenses. He uses guns, but specializes in up close and personal interactions, such as retrieving targets alive, or extracting information.

Lady Shiva
An assassain with supreme martial skill and incredible disguise and infiltration ability - and knowledge of the League of Shadows. Pops up on multiple occassions, a server, a bystander, a strange package to wreak havok across Batman's skull... or Bruce Wayne's to make it more interesting.

Deadshot
How simple can it be? Floyd Lawton is a hired gun, who happens to have a infrared eye thing. Having his face burned or scarred by Batman in his first outing could lead him to bandage up the rest of his face. Ownage.


Poison Ivy as a Primary Antagonist

The thing with Ivy is, her schtick is so limited: wah-wah, plants are dying. Sticking tightly to this, as opposed to integrating it, debilitates her from taking on any epic themes. This is why TDK's Joker didn't really play up the clown aspects much, or the comedy much, honestly... it was just his schtick. If we venture away from the cartoons, we can learn enough about the character to carry a movie with some real meaning. Not every Batman villain can do this... Ivy surely can.

With Ivy what you have is control. Ivy wants control of her life, and she wants control of Gotham, by extension. Even her preoccupation with plants and their spores is really just the fact that she's even more adept at manipulating plant life than she is at manipulating people. When you combine her femininity and subtle manipulations for control against Batman's masculinity and overt inspirational style, you have an epic battle of the sexes. You have an Pamela Isley that can hobknob with Gotham's elite and a Poison Ivy that can threaten all of Gotham simultaneously, something even Joker can't do... without, y'know... a really big bomb. The battle for the soul of Gotham has been fought... now its a battle for the mind.

That's my justification. My take: world class plant geneticist pamela isley is in town. She partners with Wayne Enterprises in something that sounds humanitarian, she actually manages to get Bruce's personal attention [this is sexual tension, not a romantic subplot, but merely a dynamic context for their conflict] meanwhile, mercs start coming into town, attempting to kill Batman, they, of course, are just distractions... and cameos of lesser Batman villains. Pamela criss crosses the power-players of Gotham as Batman, introducing real CSI-work into the mix, begins to track down some radical disease-killings, each linked to the power players of Gotham's underworld. This is her three pronged attack for control of her hometown. Get the leaders, get the crime bosses, get the Batman.

The actual confrontations between Batman and Ivy would be more along the lines of the Joker interrogation... once Bruce finally figures out who's behind these killings, he confronts her in her apartment. While Pamela would wear the latest greatest fashions in her hobknobbing, her visuals would be very Tim Sale inspired... basically pale, naked with strategically covering plants and plants woven into her hair, in the first case, the excuse would be that she's just getting out of the shower and her penthouse is more like a greenhouse. During the climax, the more traditional green one-piece, made of "eco-friendly materials" could be used.

A physical confrontation would ensure at the end with a poisoned/drugged Batman, tired from taking out the series of mercenaries versus a royally peeved Pamela Isley. The goal, throughout the movie would be to construct Ivy as a master manipulator, not unlike the Joker, but more malicious and bitter, more sophisticated, and more all-encompasing, with a specific status quo in mind, as opposed to just a point to prove.

The themes? Beyond an epic battle of the sexes you have a question about how much control is too much, and the illusion of freedom in our own society. You have Bruce Wayne fighting for control of the Batman persona... or giving it up. You have a lot of interesting dynamics here, and can delve into them even better than, say, The Matrix. Easy introduction of CSI work, too.

 

[Laderlappen]

Main Villian: Two-face
Secondary Villian: Black Mask
Third Villian/Mob Boss: Alberto Falcone

+

some new villains or A-holes created for the movie like Gambol, Lau, or Earl.

+

Selina Kyle/Catwoman.

Seems like too many characters, but it is the exact same amount of main characters as The Dark Knight.

 

[I am vengence]

Just throwing this out there:

Movie Title: Gotham City (BB3)

- Gordon has Dent undergo plastic surgery and rehabilitation from Arkham. It's all top secret. Sometime in the movie Dent goes public that he's still alive. You have to remember Gotham assumed he died in the hospital in TDK. This explains the "no coffin" scene during the funeral. Dent, per request of Jim Gordon, informs the public that he was under witness protection from Batman.

- Batman is still waging war against the mafia. It's harder now that the police are hunting him down left and right.

- The mafia has turned to "The Penguin", an English arms dealer to boost their firepower. The Penguin plays a minor role in the story.

- Tony Zucco is sent by the mafia to put pressure on the Grayson family. The mafia wants the circus to export illegal drugs for them. The Graysons refuse. Richard ("Dick") is orphaned and Bruce adopts him. Robin is never introduced in the movie, nor does Dick discover Batman = Bruce Wayne. Instead, Dick plays a supporting character and helps Bruce come to terms with his own inner-demons that evolved from his childhood. Bruce captures Zucco, but turns him in without telling Richard.

- Ed Nashton is a private investigator hired by the police to discover Batman's identity. Nashton is a genius and has obsessive-compulsive disorder. Once he discovers his business is in trouble financially he starts breaking the rules to cash in on the Batman identity.

- We see the Riddler set up various death traps and obstacles to put pressure on Batman to reveal his identity. Random murders start up shortly after the Riddler's intro. All signs and clues point to the Riddler.

- In the end Nashton is caught by Batman. We discover the rehabilitated Dent is responsible for the Riddler killings. Batman's name is cleared and Gotham's trust in him is renewed.