Villains we need to see in this Batman solo franchise

[J.Drangal]

Thoughts on Black Mask?

I'm not very familiar with the character, I must admit... Between the animated "Under the Red Hood" and the Harley Quinn movie, he seemed a bit pimpish to me (is that a word?), quite different from what I remembered when I discovered him in the Moench & Jones run in the 90s.

​

If he ends up being adapted, I would love to see something visually more in line with that. I feel like it's much more intimidating than the skull version...

 

[WatchProtect]

Black Mask is basically the simplest form of "Ganster" in Batmans Rogue gallery, obviously he's more out there than people like Maroni and Falcone but I find him to be less "exquisite" than Penguin, that being said I really like the character and he's essentially a blank slate that can be adapted many different ways.

I think it'd be cool to see him in Blackgate or Arkham in a later film and we find out Batman took him down during year 1. Maybe have him break out and go to war with Penguin, or we find out him and Selina have history together. Maybe he knew about her and Falcone and wanted to help her. You could make him an out of touch psycho, or a classic business man.

 

[shauner111]

OG Sionis is way better. The Black Skull is fine but so generic and less creepy compared to what he was like in the 80’s. I think whatever they do with Black Mask they can do with a grounded Clayface, and in some cases Penguin. Hell, even Two Face.

 

[cryptic name]

In lieu of a possible Zsaz, what about Cornelius Stirk?

 

[WatchProtect]

Zsasz and Stirk are kinda the same level of appeal for me in this universe, they're essentially just serial killers (and a cannibal) I don't think Batman would necessarily be needed to catch them.

I'm not opposed to them showing up as like criminals he's already caught in Arkham or whatever but I don't think they'd work as full film villains.

 

[cryptic name]

Zsasz and Stirk are kinda the same level of appeal for me in this universe, they're essentially just serial killers (and a cannibal) I don't think Batman would necessarily be needed to catch them.

I'm not opposed to them showing up as like criminals he's already caught in Arkham or whatever but I don't think they'd work as full film villains.

My thought is if the next flick has a kind of Escape From New York or Warriors vibe to go with the No Man’s Land situation they’ve potentially set up, they would be one of a few sort of smaller threats Batman could come across.

 

[WatchProtect]

My thought is if the next flick has a kind of Escape From New York or Warriors vibe to go with the No Man’s Land situation they’ve potentially set up, they would be one of a few sort of smaller threats Batman could come across.

That would be cool for sure, Idk I guess I'd want something similar just with different villains, like Blackfire, Firefly, Mad Monk

 

[shauner111]

That would be cool for sure, Idk I guess I'd want something similar just with different villains, like Blackfire, Firefly, Mad Monk

Same. Change some of the scenarios and swap a lot of the villains but keep the concept of NML. That would be extraordinary.

I always said that I never got around to reading NML because there’s just too much of it. It’s intimidating, especially if you can’t find the books anywhere or at a decent price. But recently, I finally found it online in full and i’m LOVING it. It would be a shame if Reeves didn’t use the storyline and vibe from the artwork when you have this perfect setup.

 

[DeadlyWest]

I wouldn't be opposed to NML outright but I feel like it'd get in the way of the development of the Bruce Wayne side of the character. To develop that, you kinda need Bruce to be put in that conventional business style setting which isn't something you can do by outright going full NML with the city being absolutely destroyed in totality.

But a very good compromise is also a very simple one. Gotham in The Batman 2 is like Gotham in Arkham City. But rather than a chunk of the city being decrepit and turned into Arkham City, that's No Man's Land. And the big crux of the Bruce Wayne side of the story is what to do with it, with Bruce trying to find a way to champion for Wayne Enterprises to fund for that chunk of the city to be rebuilt while his main competition doesn't want that because it'd eat into their own pockets. All while Batman is taking a far more direct approach to trying to save it. The story potential there is palpable.

 

[Boom]

I'm not very familiar with the character, I must admit... Between the animated "Under the Red Hood" and the Harley Quinn movie, he seemed a bit pimpish to me (is that a word?), quite different from what I remembered when I discovered him in the Moench & Jones run in the 90s.

​

If he ends up being adapted, I would love to see something visually more in line with that. I feel like it's much more intimidating than the skull version...

Visually this is far, far more interesting.

 

[Invader Joker]

My thought is if the next flick has a kind of Escape From New York or Warriors vibe to go with the No Man’s Land situation they’ve potentially set up, they would be one of a few sort of smaller threats Batman could come across.

I doubt it will. I think all that No Man's Land stuff will be reserved for the Penguin show.

 

[Boom]

Leaning more and more towards Mr. Freeze lately. Been reading up on cryogenics research and it's extremely creepy. The freezing process itself is actually quite real. There are at least 250 corpses in the USA alone that have been cryogenically preserved as of today. It's the reviving process that's still in pseudoscience territory.

Unlike his comic book counterpart, Freeze does not need to be kept at subzero temperatures. Rather, his suit protects him from the subzero elements that he works in. Freeze suffered severe frostbite from an exposure accident in his lab that left him physically disfigured (amputated nose and ears, facial scarring). He wears a cryo suit, red goggles and a liquid helium gun.

 

[TheGDBatman]

I am very onboard with Freeze as a villain. I think the horror potential could be enormous.

 

[BobJM]

Unlike his comic book counterpart, Freeze does not need to be kept at subzero temperatures. Rather, his suit protects him from the subzero elements that he works in. Freeze suffered severe frostbite from an exposure accident in his lab that left him physically disfigured (amputated nose and ears, facial scarring). He wears a cryo suit, red goggles and a liquid helium gun.

Sounds cool enough; I could be up for Freeze as a main villain in the sequel.

 

[BobJM]

I've been leaning towards Deacon Blackfire and Jean-Paul Valley for The Batman II lately and base the plot off of "The Cult" with elements of "Knightfall" (specifically, Knightquest and Knightsend w/ Azrael's rise and fall), "Venom," and "Curse of the White Knight."

After the events of The Batman, many have been forced from their homes amidst the flooding and have taken refuge deep within the sewers where they fall prey to the fanatical sermons of Deacon Blackfire, a power-hungry zealot who seeks to control Gotham City. Meanwhile, in order to keep up with his heroic activities, Batman becomes overly-reliant on the steroid 'venom." His dependency to the drug opens him up to defeat, and he soon finds himself bested by Blackfire's latest champion, Jean-Paul Valley--a radicalized military vet who seeks to replace him on the surface as Azrael.

While the newly-promoted Commissioner Gordon deals with the arrival of Azrael, who lacks Batman's zero tolerance policy on killing, the Caped Crusader must must fight through the depths of hell itself, unable to call upon his allies, to overcome his own demons to save Gotham City.

With this storyline, Azrael would probably be targeting Penguin’s operations, or another mobster. And probably want to throw in a character from the Rogues Gallery for him to brutally murder, so to highlight his descent towards madness.

or just go with a Predator lol

 

[shauner111]

Reeves already kinda laughed at the adrenaline shot being future venom speculation.

 

[Boom]

I've been leaning towards Deacon Blackfire and Jean-Paul Valley for The Batman II lately and base the plot off of "The Cult" with elements of "Knightfall" (specifically, Knightquest and Knightsend w/ Azrael's rise and fall), "Venom," and "Curse of the White Knight."

After the events of The Batman, many have been forced from their homes amidst the flooding and have taken refuge deep within the sewers where they fall prey to the fanatical sermons of Deacon Blackfire, a power-hungry zealot who seeks to control Gotham City. Meanwhile, in order to keep up with his heroic activities, Batman becomes overly-reliant on the steroid 'venom." His dependency to the drug opens him up to defeat, and he soon finds himself bested by Blackfire's latest champion, Jean-Paul Valley--a radicalized military vet who seeks to replace him on the surface as Azrael.

While the newly-promoted Commissioner Gordon deals with the arrival of Azrael, who lacks Batman's zero tolerance policy on killing, the Caped Crusader must must fight through the depths of hell itself, unable to call upon his allies, to overcome his own demons to save Gotham City.

With this storyline, Azrael would probably be targeting Penguin’s operations, or another mobster. And probably want to throw in a character from the Rogues Gallery for him to brutally murder, so to highlight his descent towards madness.

or just go with a Predator lol

Not sure I'm keen on the venom angle, but Blackfire+Azrael would be ****ing dope.

 

[BobJM]

Fair; I definitely don’t want Bane anytime soon. So if that wasn’t venom, then fine by me.

 

[BobJM]

But what about the Predator angle?!

 

[BobJM]

Not sure I'm keen on the venom angle, but Blackfire+Azrael would be ****ing dope.

It has echoes of The Dark Knight Rises rumor mill, for sure, but I do think as a comic storyline amalgamation, smashing “Knightquest/Knightsend” with “The Cult,”—especially considering the dilapidated flooded state Gotham City is currently in after The Batman, providing Gothamites the impetus to seek salvation in the sewers— it has legs.

 

[Boom]

It has echoes of The Dark Knight Rises rumor mill, for sure, but I do think as a comic storyline amalgamation, smashing “Knightquest/Knightsend” with “The Cult,”—especially considering the dilapidated flooded state Gotham City is currently in after The Batman, providing Gothamites the impetus to seek salvation in the sewers— it has legs.

Honestly I've been chomping at the bit for someone to tackle a religious cult in a Batman film, so conceptually this checks a lot of boxes for me.

 

[shauner111]

There was a hint of The Cult in Rises with the sewers, what happens to Bruce once he’s captured. But that’s about it. You wouldn’t need to do any of that. You can just take the idea of a cult leader (which could be Blackfire for sure) and drop him in the middle of Reeves’ Gotham. Build something new around him. Use a church instead of the sewers. I wouldn’t bring in the military villain because it would all feel too close to Bane and his mercenaries and how the third act developed in TDKR.

I like Escape From New York meets Warriors meets No Man’s Land, absolutely. But I’m not sure if I’d use Blackfire in anything more than a supporting character. Only because you have these mob guys dying out, freaky costumed killers are starting to poke their head out. It would feel like we’re missing out on a city wide gang war if you just stick them in the background and decide to push a religious cult leader type at the forefront.

At this point I don’t want to see one major villain unless it’s Mr Freeze, because you can still tie him to the Penguin and what’s going on with Wayne Enterprises and Riddler’s flooding of the city. Otherwise give me a few or even a handful of criminals controlling parts of the city. Equal screentime and importance. I don’t think we need a physical villain in the sequel unless it’s a henchman for one of these crazy villains. Nothing military.

 

[Boom]

Zahn for Blackfire.

 

[C Prometheus]

Leaning more and more towards Mr. Freeze lately. Been reading up on cryogenics research and it's extremely creepy. The freezing process itself is actually quite real. There are at least 250 corpses in the USA alone that have been cryogenically preserved as of today. It's the reviving process that's still in pseudoscience territory.

Unlike his comic book counterpart, Freeze does not need to be kept at subzero temperatures. Rather, his suit protects him from the subzero elements that he works in. Freeze suffered severe frostbite from an exposure accident in his lab that left him physically disfigured (amputated nose and ears, facial scarring). He wears a cryo suit, red goggles and a liquid helium gun.

Ohhh, I am all about this.

Especially if Reeves and Co. were to stick with the approach from the first film where the cast's designs had echoes of the 1920's/30's German Expressionist and Horror Movie characters. If Reeves were to lean towards body horror with Freeze like in the way you're suggesting, the obvious candidate would be Lan Chaney Sr.'s Phantom of the Opera.

Heck, that could even stand in as a strong substitute for Victor's resentment of having to survive inside a bulking cooling suit, with the idea being that Victor's efforts to save and cure Nora left him horrifically scarred and now he uses the suit to hide his appearance.

 

[AndyTrevino]

Leaning more and more towards Mr. Freeze lately. Been reading up on cryogenics research and it's extremely creepy. The freezing process itself is actually quite real. There are at least 250 corpses in the USA alone that have been cryogenically preserved as of today. It's the reviving process that's still in pseudoscience territory.

Unlike his comic book counterpart, Freeze does not need to be kept at subzero temperatures. Rather, his suit protects him from the subzero elements that he works in. Freeze suffered severe frostbite from an exposure accident in his lab that left him physically disfigured (amputated nose and ears, facial scarring). He wears a cryo suit, red goggles and a liquid helium gun.

BigBatTheory made some artwork a couple years ago that fits EXACTLY what you're describing