Who’s Next: What Villains Wait After Dark Knight?
Written by Adam A. Donaldson
Monday, 08 December 2008 15:21
And Mr. Nolan, if you should happen to pass by this page and see something you like, then please, feel free to give me a story credit. Thank you.
| The Villain: Catwoman Comic Origins: Selina Kyle was trained by some of the best thieves in Gotham. After spending much of her life in foster care, she became a prominent thief posing as a prostitute and dominatrix in order to roll rich men of their valuables. After seeing the Batman in action, she decides to don a costume identity of her own. Possible Nolan Angle: Obviously, Lucius Fox’s crack in The Dark Knight about the new Bat-suit being “cat-proof” is too good to ignore. Catwoman’s comic biography should be able to translate to Nolan’s Bat-universe easily enough, although the character is more of an antagonist than an outright threat. Who it Should Be: Angelina Jolie’s was apparently talking about the part earlier this summer, but that seems more like stunt casting than anything. My choice is French actress Eva Green; she’s smart, sexy and just a little bit dangerous. Sounds like Catwoman to me. |  |
 | The Villain: The Riddler Comic Origins: As a young man, Edward Nigma showed an affinity for riddles and puzzles and demonstrated that he was highly intelligent and excelled in school. As an adult, he ran crooked carnival games until an encounter with Batman made him wonder if he could best the Caped Crusader in a game of wits. Possible Nolan Angle: A fan-made poster for “The Dark Knight Returns” was posted online last summer depicting the Riddler as a Zodiac-like serial stalker. Despite the fake out, the idea got a lot people excited, included me. It’s a great idea that would make the character fit the dark reality of Nolan’s world. Who it Should Be: Like Jolie as Catwoman, hiring Johnny Depp would be a smart business move, but is Depp now too big to fill Riddler’s green, Question-mark leotard believably. Adrian Brody can do creepy and distant well, and he’s a toothpick that could be wailed on by Batman, while still looking like he’s the smartest guy in the room. |
| The Villain: The Penguin Comic Origins: Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot was born into privilege, but an over-protective mother, his short stature and a glandular problem (read: fat) made him the object of ridicule. Shunned from “polite society,” Cobblepot takes the name Penguin and turns to a life of big crime in high society. Possible Nolan Angle: Recruiting a small army of the best of the baddest of Gotham’s underbelly, the as yet unseen criminal mastermind called “The Penguin” is consolidating power amongst the city’s fractured mob families. Batman must fight his way to the top. Who it Should Be: They’ve name dropped Philip Seymour Hoffman, but he’s been known for mostly playing shlubs; Penguin, to the contrary is all class. So maybe someone British, someone like Brendan Gleeson. |  |
 | The Villain: Poison Ivy Comic Origins: The shy and reserved university student Pamela Isley is seduced by her professor, who experiments on Pamela by her with injecting plant poisons and toxins. After nearly dying from the experiment, she moves to Gotham where she threatens the city with toxic plant spores, only to be stopped by Batman. Possible Nolan Angle: The key to Nolan’s Bat-verse seems to be an emphasis on making things as real as possible, which means one thing: no super-powers. Following the Ra’s al Ghul route in Batman Begins, let’s recast Ivy as an eco-terrorist and assassin, targeting environmentally unfriendly Gotham corporations. Her secret weapon: a kiss-delivered poison of her own devise that only she’s immune to. Who it Should Be: Let’s see, we need a woman with flaming red hair and who’s just a little bit fanatical… Really, there’s only one person for the part and if you’ve seen Wedding Crasher, you already know who it should be: the one and only Isla Fisher. |
| The Villain: The Ventriloquist Comic Origins: Arnold Wesker suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, or multiple personalities, a condition stemming from the fact that he was a relatively meek kid born into a powerful mob family. Wesker creates the dummy Scarface as an outlet for his aggressive side. Dressed as a 1920s, Chicago gangster, Scarface acts when Wesker’s unable to. Possible Nolan Angle: In a Seven-ish game of cat-and-mouse, Arnold Wesker promises to lead Batman and Commissioner Gordon to the remnants of Gotham’s mob, only later do they find out that the new boss, “Scarface”, is leading the heroes on a quest to wipe out the competition. Who it Should Be: As proven in the recent Frost/Nixon film, Frank Langella can be both squirrelly and calculating. And for the voice of Scarface? Al Pacino, naturally. |  |
 | The Villain: Killer Croc Comic Origins: Waylon Jones had the extreme misfortune of being born with a disease which progressively turned him into a reptilian/human hybrid with greater crocodile characteristics. He has super-strength, speed, stamina and is a powerful fighter, but at the same time, he’s not exactly a dumb brute either. Possible Nolan Angle: Instead of a hulking dinosaur looking thing, this Killer Croc is afflicted with Ichthyosis, a condition rendering the sufferer with scale-like skin disease. This Croc is a cannibalistic serial killer that hides in the sewers; think Aliens meets Silence of the Lambs. Who it Should Be: In Brian Azzarello’s quasi-sequel to The Dark Knight, Joker, Killer Croc bears a striking resemblance to Michael Clarke Duncan. But in case he passes, a good back-up choice is Glen Jacobs, the WWE’s Kane. The man does stand 6’10” after all, and I know I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark sewer. |
| The Villain: Deadshot Comic Origins: An assassin for hire named Floyd Lawton, who regularly comes to Gotham “on business,” and is regularly thwarted by the Batman. Possible Nolan Angle: The recent animated film Gotham Knight featured a take on Deadshot that made him more of an anti-Batman, with a socialite secret identity when not a gun for hire. It’s a good place to build a story from, as the family of Harvey Dent employ Deadshot to find and kill the Batman for revenge over Harvey’s death. Who it Should Be: Recent Bond villain Mathieu Amalric would make an interesting world-weary assassin. Plus, fighting 007 is good practice for taking on the Dark Knight. |  |
 | The Villain: Talia al Ghul Comic Origins: Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter is introduced to the Batman and it’s love at first fight. There’s a mutual attraction and though Ra’s encourages a relationship, Batman refuses due to the al Ghul family’s insistence on doing evil. As a result Talia’s always caught between her love for Batman and her devotion to her father. Possible Nolan Angle: Having inherited control of the League of Shadows after her father’s death, Talia al Ghul comes to Gotham to find the man that beat her father. But instead of revenge, she tries to convince the Batman to join the League and turn his back on the city that’s pursuing him for the false belief that he killed Harvey Dent. Who it Should Be: We need a babe with butt-kicking experience, but more than that, she has to be as shrewd and cold, while still being just slightly romantic. Throw in a black, leather cat suit and an English accent and that sounds like Kate Beckinsale to me. |
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