Riddler: Edward Nashton suffered childhood abuse at the hands of his father and his classmates. He was a brilliant child, and enjoyed solving puzzles. One day, he plays a puzzle game against his father. He wins easily, but his father believes he cheated. His father punishes him harshly for this. His classmates mock and tease him constantly for his bookish nature. This trauma causes him to develop Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which manifests itself in the form of using riddles and puzzles to prove his intelligence. Years later, he works as a code-breaker for the National Security Agency. He breaks U.S. government codes in his spare time, purely for personal enjoyment. When this habit is discovered, he is fired. His firing causes him to go over the edge, and he begins to commit acts of terrorism. He sends riddles to the police, with the answers informing them of the targets of his bombings. After witnessing Batman preventing a bombing, he begins to dress in more eccentric fashion, wearing a pale green suit and carrying a green cane. He begins posting his riddles on the internet to challenge Batman specifically, in a quest to prove he is smarter. He also becomes obsessed with attempting to deduce Batman's identity. He eventually realizes Batman is Bruce Wayne, but promises not to reveal it, because everyone else must figure it out for themselves. Played by Edward Norton.
Alternatively: Edward Nashton was abused as a child, ect. He becomes a professor of mathematics at Gotham State University, but is fired for his abusive behavior toward faculty members and students who challenge his intelligence. He then begins targeting those who wronged him, sending riddles of their identities to police and sending them bombs through the mail. Inspired by Ted Kacynski, the Unambomber.
Catwoman: Selina Kyle is a cat-loving professional thief and confidence woman. She poses as a dominatrix as part of a con of a member of the Gotham mob, which is where she acquires her affinity for whips. Her suit is a skin-tight black suit with a black mask. She uses high tech gadgets to assist her in her thefts. Selina Kyle poses as a spoiled socialite to cover her crimes, claiming to have inherited money from her parents. She initially attempts to con Bruce Wayne, but ends up having feelings for him. Played by Angelina Jolie.
Poison Ivy: Pamela Isley, a brilliant botanist, is also a radical environmentalist who resorts to eco-terrorism to promote her agenda. She uses her knowledge of biochemistry to create organic poisons, and assassinates several prominent polluters. Bruce Wayne becomes a target, due to her dissatisfaction with Wayne Enterprise's environmental standards. She eventually develops a plot to purify the earth by eliminating almost all human life. She attempts to unleash a lethal organic virus she develops.
Mad Hatter: Jervis Tetch, a computer programmer, lives a lonely adult life after a childhood of abuse at the hands of his father. As a child, he preferred to read rather than spend time with other children. His favorite book was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. His father thought his son's obsession was pathetic, and beat him. As an adult, he finds love with his Secretary, Alice. When she rejects his advances, he snaps and kills her. Overcome by grief, he seeks to recapture his childhood by escaping into the reality of his favorite book. To this end, he begins kidnapping young girls named Alice and playing out his fantasies with them. Eventually, the girls upset him and he murders them. He may be a pedophile, this is never specifically addressed on screen (too dark for a movie to be seen by children). Batman is disturbed by his violation of innocent children, reflecting on his own childhood trauma. The Mad Hatter, as the press dubs him, eventually takes his game to a larger level, as he kidnaps several prominent members of Gotham to play a full version. He plans to broadcast the game over the internet, on an encrypted site (His computer expertise put to good use). Batman manages to intervene in time to stop the killings, and captures Tetch.
Firefly: An orphan whose parents died in a fire he accidentally set while playing with matches as a child. He becomes a pryo-maniac as an adult, and develops a flame-proof suit of armor. He walks around with a flame thrower connected to a tank of gasoline on his back. His body is covered in burns.
Mr. Freeze: Same origin as animated series. Initially commits crimes to raise money for research on his wife. Batman attempts to stop him, and traces him to his hideout. Batman confronts him, and offers to help him cure his wife. Doctor Fries refuses his help, and attacks him. An accident breaks his wife's tank, spilling the freezing liquid all over him. Batman leaves him for dead. Fries uses a gun which squirts liquid nitrogen, and wears the traditional metal suit to keep his body temperature low (less flashy than the B&R version, more like animated series. Played by Patrick Stewart.
Bane: Born and raised in a South American prison. Learns to fight to survive. Experimented on with a new steroid by the prison physician. The steroid makes him powerful and intelligent, but also emotionally unstable and easily provoked. Once he grows strong enough, he breaks out of the prison to Gotham City, to confront the Batman that he has been told of in prison. He does not pump Venom into his veins for in instant strength boost, but rather uses it as he would a real steroid. He never removes his mask. Played by a wrestler/bodybuilder, voiced by Benicio Del Toro.
