Wrath

Batman had two different enemies named Wrath. The first, whose real name was never disclosed, had an anti-Batman origin very similar to Prometheus. One night, while sneaking out of their apartment to avoid paying rent, Wrath's parents were mistaken for burglars by the police and shot dead. Wrath became obsessed with taking revenge on police and other law-enforcers, which lead to a career as an assassin.

The second Wrath, Elliot Caldwell, was an orphan, one of five abducted by the original Wrath to become the equivalent of Robin, but Caldwell was the only one of the five to survive Wrath's training. Eventually, Caldwell took over as the new Wrath.

Pros: The purple costume is kind of cool, though it might not work in the Nolan-verse. Wrath's anti-Batman origin isn't as contrived as Prometheus'.

Cons: It's still a little contrived. And he's a total no-name villain.

How I'd do it: Show his parents' murder, then just cut straight to the pimpin' purple costume.

Casting Guesses: It could be anyone, so I'll say Clive Owen, cause I like him.

Verdict: Nah. If they announced Wrath, even most dedicated fanboys would be rushing to google to figure out who he is.

Prometheus

Haven't done a villain in a while, so it seemed like a good time for Prometheus. Yet another of those anti-Batmen, Prometheus' criminal parents were killed by a cop when he was young. He raided their supplies of cash after their death to fund his travels around the world, training to be the best criminal he could be. He invented a device that let him download fighting styles into his brain, allowing him to defeat almost anyone hand to hand.

Prometheus carefully planned an assault on the Justice League headquarters, defeating the Flash, Martian Manhunter, Batman, and others, but ended up being defeated because he was unprepared for Catwoman, who had broken into the Justice League hoping to steal some stuff. So despite his almost Batman-like penchant for preparation, an unexpected event can really throw the guy off.

Pros: Contrasting Batman with the villain he faces is kind of nice.

Cons: Prometheus' origin is too perfectly opposite Batman, it stretches disbelief that a person would mirror Bruce's life so completely. Also, his equipment is far too science fiction-y for what we've seen in Batman movies so far.

How I'd do it: A master criminal who's as obsessive and skilled as Batman. He doesn't need to be Batman's perfect polar opposite.

Casting Guesses: I can't even remember what the guy looks like with no mask on, so I guess it doesn't matter too much as far as looks go. Maybe Jeffrey Donovan, the guy from Burn Notice?

Verdict: Nah. The character's too new, too contrived to be Batman's opposite, and too attached to his advanced technology to work in a Batman 3.

Bat-Mite

Bat-Mite is Batman's biggest fan, who also happens to be from another dimension. He has seemingly magical powers, much like Superman's foe Mxyzptlk, but rather than using them to create havocc like Mxyzpltk, Bat-Mite just creates scenarios where he can observe Batman's heroism.

After DC Comics rebooted their universe in the 1980s, Bat-Mite mostly disappeared until recently. In the current continuity, Bat-Mite is an element of "The Batman of Zur En Arrh," a persona Batman implanted into his subconscious that takes over if Batman loses his mind. The whole Zur En Arrh thing seems kinda dumb to me, but it's nice to see Bat-Mite back.

Pros: A little dude in an ill-fitting Batman costume with magical powers playing games with Batman? There's something pretty awesome about that.

Cons:None of that belongs in the kind of world where The Dark Knight takes place.

How I'd do it: Gotham toy makers try capitalize on the news about Batman by selling Batman toys that look like Bat-Mite?

Casting Guesses: No one? If they really want to to Bat-Mite, it should be CGI.

Verdict: I sure hope not.

Aunt Harriet

Harriet Cooper is Dick Grayson's Aunt, who comes to live at Wayne Manor after the death of Alfred Pennyworth. She was a recurring character on the Adam West TV show, and though many believe she was created specifically for that series, she appeared in the comic books well before the television adaptation.

Fredric Wertham's 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent claimed that comic books were an evil influence on young children, and specifically pointed to Batman and Robin as promoting a homosexual lifestyle. In an effort to address those concerns, writers killed off Alfred so they could add a female presence at home for Bruce and Dick.

Eventually Alfred came back to life, and Aunt Harriet left without too much explanation, slowly fading from memory. When DC comics rebooted their continuity in the 1980s, Aunt Harriet was eliminated, since she didn't fit with the grim and gritty style of Batman established by Batman: Year One.

Pros: With Rachel gone, Batman really does need a female presence.

Cons: You can't have Aunt Harriet without Dick Grayson. Also, she's a pretty uninteresting character.

How I'd do it: I wouldn't.

Casting Guesses: I dunno, Carol Burnett? She vaguely reminds me of the TV Aunt Harriet while still being great. But she would stick out like a sore thumb in a Christopher Nolan Batman movie.

Verdict: Nope.

Cornelius Stirk

Cornelius Stirk likes to eat people's hearts. But he finds that they're tastiest when flavored with "fight or flight" hormones like norepinephrine, so he likes to scare the bejeezus out of them before they die. He has a "hypnotic aura" that lets him make people see him as anyone he wants, which helps him gain people's trust and get close to him (in a few stories, he has used the image of Abe Lincoln), and it also helps with the scaring part (though his natural face is already pretty frightening).

During Knightfall, Stirk teams up with the Joker and they kidnap Commissioner Gordon. Stirk uses his abilities to appear to be Batman and mercilessly tortures the Commissioner. Batman, of course, saves the day, eventually, but Stirk's treatment left Gordon awfully shaken up.

Pros: Abe Lincoln is always funny. And he's a nice contrast to Batman, who is out to do good but projects a terrifying image, while Stirk is out to kill but projects an image to put his victims at ease before he strikes.

Cons: He's a little bit too much like Scarecrow with the whole fear thing, except with supernatural powers that would be hard to believe. And killing people and eating their hearts is a little much for a PG-13 movie, I think.

How I'd do it: His original introduction was when someone was found murdered, and had been seen earlier that night at a bar, talking to a guy who looked like Lincoln. I liked that. I guess I'd rather have him be a master of disguise, disfigured under his masks/makeup, who puts on trustworthy faces to get close to his victims. And I guess keep the heart eating thing, but figure out how to do it with heavy implications but not actually showing it.

Casting Guesses: An unknown. Usually movies where a famous actor is a "master of disguise", we're so familiar with their voice and face that even in an elaborate latex mask, they just seem like the movie star we know in a latex mask. An unknown would be a blank slate, and could actually fool us.

Verdict: I can't see it happening, it's mostly the Scarecrow thing, but he's also not a high profile villain at all, and he'd take some reworking to deal with his supernatural powers.

Ten-Eyed Man

Philip Reardon had his face blown up twice (once in Vietnam, once in Gotham City) leaving him blind. An experimental surgery attached his optic nerves to his fingers, and he was somehow given the ability to see through his fingertips.

This, in addition to his combat training in Vietnam, somehow was supposed to have made him a very powerful foe, but no one seems to be clear on what was so dangerous about someone who could see through his fingertips.

Pros: Ten-Eyed Man has a cult following, not unlike Killer Moth. Seanbaby.com is a fan (sort of).

Cons: His ability isn't that powerful for fighting purposes (though I bet it could be handy for a spy), and the fingertip eyeball thing isn't at all believable.

How I'd do it: I guess make it Iraq or Afghanistan instead of Vietnam. That's about all I can think of.

Casting Guesses: He sometimes has the crazy look on his face like Mel Gibson in his mug shot, so I'd go with him.

Verdict: Nope.

Great White Shark

Warren White was a corrupt businessman who tries to avoid conviction for embezzlement by getting his case transferred to Gotham City. He thinks he's pulling a fast one by faking an insanity plea, but when he ends up in Arkham Asylum, he realizes he's made a huge mistake.

Passed around from villain to villain, he's tortured by Killer Croc who cuts gills into White's throat, basically Two-Face's bitch (or "coin boy") for a while, and he's locked in a refrigerated cell designed for Mr. Freeze. The frostbite gives White what would become his trademark appearance: white skin stretched to expose his teeth, a stump of a nose, and hairless head. Although he was only pretending to be crazy to go into Arkham, his time there ended up driving him mad.

Though he remains incarcerated, the Great White Shark uses his connections in both the professional and criminal worlds as well as his business acumen to run a criminal enterprice from his cell. His business's hitman, The Tally Man, notably killed a number of Batman's villains at White's order.

Pros: He's a striking looking villain.

Cons: His origin relies on being put into Arkham with a bunch of familliar crazy bad guys. Since, as far as we know, the Joker is the only villain to survive in these Batman movies and Heath Ledger's death would make Joker's return the longest of long shots, having a whole Great White Shark origin would require several other origins, and then half your movie is gone before you even have Batman appear.

How I'd do it: If the script called for a crooked rich guy from out of town, I'd name him Warren White as an easter egg for fans. That's about as far as I'd go for White.

Casting Guesses: I forget what White looked like before his ordeal in Arkham, but it seems like a role I'd want Steve Buscemi for. Sort of a supervillainous Mr. Pink.

Verdict: Almost certainly not. He's a very new and very unknown villain. The only chance is for dropping his name as an easter egg, but even that seems remote.

The Clock King

There are a few significant clock kings out there. First, there's William Tockman, a Green Arrow villain who attempted to rob a bank by memorizing the timing of the bank's operation, only to be stopped by a silent alarm. As a career criminal, Tockman's crimes were always time-themed. This version was also adapted for the 1960s Batman TV series, played by Walter Slezak.

Second, there's a recurring Clock King villain from Batman: the Animated Series. On his way to an important day at work, Temple Fugate is inadvertantly delayed by lawyer Hamilton Hill, and the delay ends up costing Fugate his job. Distraught over the disruption in timing, Fugate becomes obsessed with time, and obsessed with revenge on Hamilton Hill, who had since become Mayor of Gotham. Notable for his precise timing of every event, he's a master planner, so much so that his character returns for a Justice League Unlimited episode where he plans a Suicide Squad raid on Justice League headquarters down to the second.

Third, there's a new Clock King in Teen Titans comic books (pictured above), who apparently can see a few seconds into the future. Obviously, in the wrong hands, this is a powerful and dangerous ability.

Small confession: I've never read a comic book with the Clock King in it. But since the comic book versions of the Clock King are more Green Arrow/Teen Titans enemies, that doesn't really affect the Batman angle.

Pros: There's nothing technically supernatural about the first or second Clock Kings, and someone with that kind of ability to coordinate timed events is very dangerous.

Cons: The Joker's opening heist in The Dark Knight demonstrated a similar planning/timing ability, so that might seem repetitive.

How I'd do it: I rather liked the Temple Fugate character, so if I had to do the Clock King I might just rip off that story completely.

Casting Guesses: I've got the animated series character in my head, so without question it'd be Jonathan Pryce. He's a fine actor and looks a lot like Temple Fugate.

Verdict: Nah. It's not that great a character to begin with, but the big knock on him is the similarity to how the Joker operated in his bank heist.

Carrie Kelly

Carrie Kelly was featured in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and the follow-up The Dark Knight Strikes Again. As a young girl, she's inspired by Batman coming out of retirement, and decides to join him. She saves up some money to get a costume, grabs a slingshot, and seeks out Batman. She is able to help him out in a fight he nearly loses, and carry him into the Batmobile so that Alfred can attend to his wounds. Despite the fact that Batman is still scarred by the death of Jason Todd, he accepts her as Robin.

In the sequel, Carrie ditched the Robin costume and became Catgirl, wearing a leopard print catsuit and roller skates. She had become Batman's most trusted ally and commander an army of Batboys (who I believe were the Sons of Batman from the first book, but I haven't read the sequel in forever).

(image stolen from here)

Pros: The green glasses and the slingshot make for (I think) the coolest Robin design.

Cons: Having a 13 year old girl running around as Robin (or a 16 year old as Catgirl) is probably not a good idea for a major movie, and in a realistic-ish environment, it would be awfully irresponsible for Batman to let Carrie fight alongside him. And of course if there's going to be a Robin, many people would be upset if it wasn't Dick Grayson, or if Batman's going to have a lady sidekick, they'd want Gordon.

How I'd do it: The DKR setup was that Carrie was saved by Batman on his first night back from retirement, and though her parents were still alive, they were so neglectful that they didn't notice she was sneaking out at night. I guess if you're going to include her, that's the way to go.

Casting Guesses: I don't know enough kid actresses to take a guess at this one. I heard someone suggest Ellen Page, but I think you need to go younger.

Verdict: Nah, but she is prety awesome. At least in the first book, and if you're a Batman fan you should totally read that.

Batgirl - Cassandra Cain

Cassandra Cain, the daughter of David Cain and Lady Shiva, became the second Batgirl during No Man's Land.

Raised by David Cain to be a killing machine, she was never even taught to speak, let alone read or write. But since instead of actual language, she had learned to fight, her native language is body language. This gives her the ability to anticipate her opponents movements. After years of training, her father sent her on a mission to kill a man when she was just a girl. The event scarred Cassandra, and she ran away from her father, determined not to kill again. After years of guilt, she was eventually discovered by Barbara Gordon, who gave her blessing for Cassandra to become the new Batgirl, and it didn't take long for her fighting skills to impress Batman as well. She flourished early on as Batgirl, even learning to speak, but her story ended up taking a series of bizarre turns. You can read two pages that attempt to explain the whole thing here, but basically she got drugged by Deathstroke, turned evil, killed a bunch of people, injected with a cure for the drug that turned her evil, took off before it could fully un-evil her, and did some more evil stuff before finally becoming good again. It was pretty dumb.

Pros: The next Batman movie almost certainly needs a female character, and Cassandra Cain is a lady.

Cons: Barbara Gordon is Batgirl to anyone but hardcore fans. If Batman were to take on a sidekick, it should probably be Robin. You probably need some David Cain and Lady Shiva backstory to introduce Cassandra, and all three of those characters' introductions would eat up most of the movie, not leaving a whole lot of Batman time.

How I'd do it: Flash back to Batman training with Lady Shiva, at one point drop a scene where he sees a picture of her pregnant or something like that, and he asks her about it but she dodges the question. Flash forward to the present, Lady Shiva's been hired to take out Batman, and out of nowhere he's saved by Cassandra. A quick explanation that she'd been searching for her mother, only to discover that she was a killer, and I think set up David Cain to be a future villain, instead of spending any real time on him then.

Casting Guesses: Zhang Ziyi I guess.

Verdict: I almost fell asleep trying to come up with that plot idea, it would be just that boring. Add that to all the other negatives, and there's no way we'd see her.

Batgirl - Barbara Gordon

Barbara Gordon, daughter of police commissioner James Gordon, was the original Batgirl. A librarian when she's not fighting crime, she's intelligent, strong, and confident.

Besides Dick Grayson, Barbara is the most famous of Batman's cohorts, having been played by the lovely Yvonne Craig on the Adam West TV series, Alicia Silverstone in the terrible Batman & Robin movie, and voiced by Melissa Gilbert on the not terrible Batman: the Animated Series.

In the original comics history, Barbara eventually confesses her identity to her father and retires the cape, and successfully runs for Congress. After the continuity reboot of 1985, she was again Batgirl, but only for a short while before her career was ended in The Killing Joke.

Pros:A well known, well liked character. Provides the female presence that may be lacking going forward after the events in The Dark Knight.

Cons: Batgirl is in some ways like a second Robin, and the filmmakers have expressed no interest in Robin, so I find it hard to believe they'd find Batgirl any more interesting. And in a realistic setting, it's hard to justify Batman letting a young girl risk her life, especially Jim Gordon's daughter.

How I'd do it: Technically, Barbara probably appeared in The Dark Knight, in the scene where Two-Face holds Jim Gordon's family hostage (but she's credited only as "Gordon's daughter"). She's awfully young to start dodging bullets and jumping from rooftops, so I think I'd hold off for a movie or two.

Casting Guesses: A teenager part, which probably means a lengthy casting search. Unless there's a tough, smart redhead on one of those Gossip Girl type shows, and she can actually act.

Verdict: Not for Batman 3, but maybe sometime down the line. Not until after they break down and include Robin, though.

Spoiler

Stephanie Brown is many things: Tim Drake's girlfriend, the daughter of the Cluemaster, very briefly the 4th Robin, and more. Her life reads a little bit like a soap opera character's, so apologies in advance, and be warned that some recent (within the last year) comic book plot will be discussed.

Since he was in jail for most of her childhood, Stephanie knew her father was a criminal, but when he finally returned home he claimed to be done with crime. But Stephanie soon discovered that he was up to his old tricks, so she whipped up a spooky purple costume, called herself the Spoiler, and stopped her father. At first she would only become Spoiler to stop the Cluemaster, but eventually she grew to like fighting crime.

Some stuff happened at this point, she got pregnant, gave the baby up for adoption, Gotham was mostly destroyed by an earthquake, she and Tim Drake started dating even though she only knew him as Robin, she started getting trained by Batman and Batgirl to become a better crime fighter, and her father died. Pretty rough stretch, huh?

After all this, Tim was forced to quit fighting crime, so Stephanie made herself a Robin costume and auditioned to be Tim's replacement. Reluctantly, Batman agreed and put her through more rigorous training. Eventually though, Batman decided she was too disobedient and told her to quit. Disobeying even that, Stephanie decided to prove herself by stealing one of Batman's plans to take down organized crime in Gotham. She invited all of the heads of the families to a meeting where Matches Malone would sieze power and take over all crime in Gotham. Unfortunately, no one told her who Matches Malone was, and the botched meeeting lead to an all out gang war that would eventually involve Black Mask beating Stephanie to death.

Strangely, Batman never made a memorial to Stephanie, even though Jason Todd's costume has been prominently displayed in the Batcave since his death. This outraged fans enough to start Project Girl Wonder, demanding a memorial for Stephanie. Recently, this was all explained away by bringing Stephanie back from the dead. Leslie Tompkins, the doctor who pronounced her dead and a friend of Bruce/critic of Batman, had faked Stephanie's death to try to get Bruce to see the danger in his methods. Batman never built the memorial because he suspected this all along. And that brings us more or less up to date on her.

Pros: She's a fun character, and there's certainly a lot of story to draw from if you're so inclined.

Cons: She's mostly built around being Tim Drake's girlfriend and the Cluemaster's daughter, so without both of those, it's tough to include her. And there's no way Tim Drake and the Cluemaster will be in a Batman movie any time soon.

How I'd do it: I think you'd need an entire movie to establish some kind of Robin before introducing Spoiler, so there's no way I'd put Stephanie in the next movie.

Casting Guesses: Another teenager type role that I think you'd need to go through lots of casting to find someone for. Either that, or Dakota Fanning might actually be about that age by now, and at least as a little kid she could act. Haven't seen her lately though, who knows.

Verdict: We're more likely to see a Prius Batmobile.

Nightwing

After many many years as Robin and as the leader of the Teen Titans (sort of a Junior Justice League), Dick Grayson decided to leave Gotham City and strike out on his own. He adopts the name Nightwing, and ditches the short pants for what at first was a totally fab disco costume (below, left) but eventually worked it's way into something kinda cool (above).

As Nightwing, Dick becomes the unofficial protector of Bludhaven, a city near Gotham but much smaller (I've heard it compared to Newark, NJ, which is pretty close to New York City). He joins the Bludhaven police force to fight crime and corruption from the inside in addition to his nightime gig as a superhero. But he remains close enough to frequently visit Gotham, taking part in many of the biggest Batman stories of the past two decades, and even briefly taking over as Batman.

Pros: The folks behind the first two movies may not like Robin, but Nightwing would allow them to include Dick Grayson.

Cons: What makes Nightwing interesting in the context of Batman is his previous career as Robin.

How I'd do it: It's a tough one, if you're going to skip Robin entirely, but my best idea would be to have the Grayson family live next door to Wayne Manor. Instead of acrobats, make Dick's mother a gymnast, and Dick is interested in gymnastics as well. Much younger than Bruce, Dick idolizes his older neighbor. When Bruce is off seeing the world and training to fight crime, Dick's parents are killed as well. When Batman starts appearing, Dick understands what would motivate someone to act like that, and how much money it would take to equip Batman. Still idolozing Bruce, Dick decides to join him and makes his own costume (not the disco one), mask, and gear. I think this would do a decent job of replicating the Nightwing/Batman dynamic without the Robin backstory.

Casting Guesses: Milo Ventimiglia (Peter from Heroes) once said he wanted to play Nightwing, and that sounds just fine to me.

Verdict: I guess it's not completely out of the question, but the odds are close enough to zero that I'm just going to call it zero.

Robin - Tim Drake

After the Death of Jason Todd, no one was sure if there would ever be a Robin again. Dick Grayson had moved on to become a hero on his own, and the first attempt at creating a new Robin had failed. But other than the death of a character, nothing drives sales as well as introducing a new one, so Tim Drake was introduced.

When he was very young, Tim Drake was at the circus when Dick Grayson's parents were murdered. That day stuck with him, so much so that later, when he saw footage of Batman and Robin in combat, he recognized one of Robin's moves as one of young Dick Grayson's from the circus. Going from there, he was able to deduce Batman's identity as well. He followed the careers of Batman and Robin very closely. After Jason Todd's death, Tim noticed that Batman's behavior had become erratic. Tim theorized that Batman needed a Robin to keep him sane, and after impressing Dick, Alfred, and undergoing intense training from the likes of Lady Shiva, he becomes the new Robin.

Unlike Batman and previous Robins, Tim had a relatively happy childhood. It was only after becoming Robin that his family life fell apart. His mother died, his father lost the use of his legs, his father's company fell apart, his girlfriend died (sort of, I'll probably have a subsequent post about that), his best friend died, his father died, and I think his step mother died or vanished or something. Much like pimpin', being Robin ain't easy.

Tim Drake has proved popular, much more so than Jason Todd, and arguably as popular as Dick Grayson. Unlike Dick, Tim's Robin has had his own comic book for many years.

Pros: Actual pants! No short shorts like the other guys. Tim's selection as Robin is more natural than Jason Todd's, since he entered the picture due to his natural abilities as a detective. As Robin, Tim spends more time out on his own, taking his own angles at Batman's cases, and even taking many cases on his own.

Cons: Again, we already know we won't be seeing Robin, and most people associate Robin with Dick Grayson. Plus, Tim Drake's origin is tied to there having been a previous Robin.

How I'd do it: I would mix in healthy portions of Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, plus a tiny bit of Jason Todd. Dick Grayson's name and the flying Grayson's origin is something you can't deviate from, since it's too well known and people might be confused by anything else. But I've always liked Tim Drake's deduction being the reason for his selection. And I kind of like the edge of Jason Todd.

So I'd have Dick Grayson's parents murdered, then him quitting the circus and living on the streets. He sees Batman in action and using his acrobatic skills is able to tail him for a while, but Batman's eventually able to evade him. Dick becomes obsessed with Batman, knowing this is the kind of person who could avenge his parents' death, and starts plotting a map of sightings and figures out where the Batmobile must be coming from in the evening and going to in the morning (pointing him to either the cave or the basement thing in the city, depending on whether Bruce has moved back to Wayne Manor in the third movie). Unable to come up with a better plan, he simply knocks on the door and asks Alfred if he can speak to Batman.

Casting Guesses: Again, casting a kid would inolve an unknown.

Verdict: He's my favorite Robin, but still it won't happen.

Robin - Jason Todd

Jason Todd was introduced when Dick Grayson moved on after many years as Robin (more on that in a few days). Initially, he was practically a clone of Robin, growing up in a circus, his parents murdered (by Killer Croc), and Batman takes him on. In 1985, DC Comics "rebooted" their entire universe and revamped many of their characters, and Jason Todd was recreated as an orphan living on the streets, doing whatever it takes to make ends meet. Batman first meets the boy while he's trying to steal the tires off of the Batmobile.

Batman enrolls Jason in a school for troubled boys, but Ma Gunn, who runs the school, turns out to be a criminal herself. Jason helps Batman take her down, and that sets him on the path to becoming the next Robin.

While Batman and Dick Grayson endured single tragic events in their childhood, Jason's early years consisted of nothing but problems. As a result he was angry, moody, impulsive, and had trouble with authority. This was a stark contrast to Dick Grayson who was a little too much of a yes man for my tastes. But Jason Todd was not well received by fans, and in one of the strangest publicity stunts I know of, DC Comics opened up a 1-900 line for fans to vote on whether he should live or die. And you can probably guess how that went from the title of 1988's A Death in the Family.

Pros: I complained about Dick Grayson being a little too boring, and Jason certainly brings some conflict to the table.

Cons: He was obviously not popular. Casual fans only know Dick Grayson as Robin. Putting a kid in the line of fire is wildly irresponsible. Just like Dick Grayson, he wore the short shorts. And as I've mentioned many times before, Robin won't be happening no matter who he is.

How I'd do it: Still saving this for after I've covered the big 3 Robins.

Casting Guesses: Again, you'd have to do the legwork to find a kid who fits the part.

Verdict: No way. As much as I liked the effort to get away from Dick Grayson's Robin, Jason Todd was a mistake from start to finish.

Robin - Dick Grayson

Taking a week-ish long break from villains to talk about some characters friendly to Batman who might pop up, starting with the original Robin.

Probably the best known origin of anyone in Gotham other than Batman, Dick Grayson grew up in the circus as a member of the acrobatic Flying Graysons. While still just a boy, Dick saw his parents murdered by mobster Tony Zucco. Having suffered through the same thing as a boy, Bruce Wayne takes Dick Grayson on as a ward, and when Dick discovers Bruce's secret identity as Batman, Dick becomes his sidekick Robin, the Boy Wonder.

Pros: Out of all the Robins, Dick is the most famous. So much so that any other Robin would probably confuse fans who associate Robin with Chris O'Donnell or Burt Ward. The acrobat backstory provides an excuse for his agility and fearlessness.

Cons: First, and I'm probably going to mention this in every Robin, we're already pretty sure there won't be a Robin, and Robin is a tough sell anyway. In a semi-realistic interpretation of Batman, it's hard to justify putting a kid in that kind of danger.

Second, there's the short pants. He's a kid, and the costume was designed almost 70 years ago, so I can't blame Bob Kane/Bill Finger, but it's not a good look.

Third, and this is a personal opinion, he's a little bit boring. At least as Robin. He rarely seemed to challenge Batman and almost never did anything on his own. He was just an occasionally wisecracking kid who did flips, kicked people, and got taken hostage.

How I'd do it: I'm going to save this until after I've covered the three (major) Robins, since I'd include elements of at least two of them.

Casting Guesses: Who knows with kids, but I'm sure it'd be a long, difficult casting process.

Verdict: From the above link, apparently not.

Tweedledee and Tweedledum

Denver and Dumfree Tweed are cousins who look not only like identical twins, but also like Lewis Carrol's characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Not generally affiliated with Mad Hatter even though they're all based on Alice in Wonderland characters, Tweedledee and Tweedledum are strategists who let henchmen carry out their plans. Recently they did hook up with the Mad Hatter and formed the Wonderland Gang (no relation to the actual gang), adding some new Alice in Wonderland-themed characters.

Pros: Nothing supernatural, they're just criminals looking for money.

Cons: The Mad Hatter's a much better (and better known) Wonderland villain. Tweedledee and Tweedledum haven't been involved in many of the bigger Batman stories, so they wouldn't generate much fan interest.

How I'd do it: Have the Tweeds be low level criminals who had been stopped by Batman in the past. When they see Batman on the run from the cops, they think it's open season for crime and set out on their own.

Casting Guesses: Two portly gentlemen who look alike... the only actors who are coming to mind are comedic ones. Jack Black types who would be more than a little out of place in a Christopher Nolan Batman movie. I'm sure there are a couple of perfect guys for the part, but I doubt they'll get the chance to prove it.

Verdict: Nope. When there are two similar villains and one is just that much better than the other (like Catman and Catwoman), I don't see any reason to include the crappy one.

Catman

Thomas Blake was a big game hunter who, now bored of killing lions, decided to move to Gotham and take up costumed crime. He borrowed Catwoman's theme and costume (much to her chagrin) and named himself Catman. Many of his early stories relate to his competition with Catwoman. His cat-themed crimes are often falsely pinned on her, so she has joined forces with Batman to stop Blake.

Later, Blake was portrayed as a joke among supervillains, a loser even among those who always lose to Batman. So he and Killer Moth formed a team of D-list villains called the Misfits. Later still, Blake has joined the Secret Six, a group of villains including Deadshot and Bane.

As a hunter, Blake's abilities include tracking, hand-to-hand combat, and a number of weapon skills, and he has metal claws built into his suit.

Pros: No supernatural powers, so he's not a stretch realism-wise. That's about it.

Cons: His backstory is that he's bored and needs money, so he puts on a cat costume and steals stuff, which is pretty weak. And Catman in a movie would feel like a poor substitute for Catwoman.

How I'd do it: I think I'd just rip off Kraven the Hunter from Spider-man. Thomas Blake decides that the hunt for Batman is the ultimate challenge.

Casting Guesses: I have suggested him before but Thomas Jane looks just like this guy.


Verdict: Nope. Catwoman is iconic, Catman is a novelty.

Whisper A'Daire

Whisper A'Daire is at least eighty years old, but looks pretty good for her age. Her boss, Ra's al-Ghul, gave her a serum by her boss to make her effectively immortal, which also gave her some kind of shape shifting snake powers. She sheds her skin to keep looking young, can do some kind of mind control stuff, and at least at one point could spit acid or venom or something. She's also given Ra's serum to her henchmen, like Kyle Abbot (pictured), who changes into a wolfman.

Pros: With the demise of Rachel Dawes, Batman probably needs a lady friend for the next movie. And she ties back in to Ra's al-Ghul from Batman Begins.

Cons: Ra's in Batman Begins didn't have the Lazarus pit or anything, so him giving some lady an immortality serum doesn't make much sense. Also, nothing supernatural has happened so far, so a snake lady with mind control doesn't really fit.

How I'd do it: I guess have her as a follower of Ra's, after revenge for Batman foiling the League of Shadows' plan to take down Gotham. Plus she can be a love interest or a femme fatale.

Casting Guesses: Not too many redheads out there. I already suggested Christina Hendricks for Poison Ivy, and she's not much of a fit, physically at least, for Whisper A'Daire. So I'll go with Alicia Witt.

Verdict: I say no chance. Not that she's a bad character, but Talia al-Ghul can bring the same call-back to Batman Begins and serve as a potential love interest, but she isn't based around supernatural abilities and is much better known.

Cluemaster

Arthur Brown is obsessed with clues, and he intentionally leaves behind clues at all his crime scenes. Though his clues are technically not riddles, he is basically a poor man's Riddler.

His main contributions to Batman comics are forming the Injustice League with a group of lesser-known villains, and fathering Stephanie Brown, aka Spoiler, who briefly served as Robin.

Pros:You can take most potential Riddler stories and turn them into Cluemaster stories.

Cons: But they wouldn't be as good.

How I'd do it: I probably wouldn't. Any Cluemaster story would feel like a cheap version of a Riddler story. And having him as a cameo would require too much time to explain his impulse to leave clues behind.

Casting Guesses: I tend to think of him as an older guy, father of a teenage daughter. Character actor Gregg Henry could fit the part.

Verdict: Not going to happen. If they ever started making Robin movies featuring Tim Drake, he'd probably have to show up. But in Robin-less Batman, he's a nobody.