Vicki Vale

As requested by a commenter a while back but I've been slow to get to, Vicki Vale is a recurring love interested from Silver Age Batman stories (which mostly read like the Adam West TV series, with some wacky science fiction mixed in). A reporter for the Gotham Gazette, Vale has a lot in common with Superman's Lois Lane. While dating Bruce Wayne and reporting on the activity of Batman, she often has suspicions that the two are one and the same, but by the end of the issue Batman has managed to fool her into thinking her theory can't be true.

Vicki Vale basically disappeared from the comics in the mid-1960s. However, in the 1989 Batman movie with Michael Keaton, Vicki Vale was written in as Batman/Bruce's main love interest, played by Kim Basinger. This resulted in a brief return to the comics, now as a TV talk show host.

She also appeared recently in Frank Miller and Jim Lee's All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder (pictured above) as a reporter, though the appearance was somewhat controversial since she spent the bulk of her time on the page in her underwear.

Pros: It's never a bad idea to put a gorgeous redhead in a movie (there's a story -- I don't know if it's true -- that the original Vicki Vale was drawn with a then-unknown Marilyn Monroe in mind, which you can read about here). And as with every other female character I've mentioned, Batman will probably need a love interest of some sort for the next movie.

Cons: Most people associate Vicki Vale with the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton Batman movie, and the Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale movies seem to intentionally distance themselves from that franchise.

How I'd do it: We left off in The Dark Knight with Batman as public enemy #1, so in addition to the cops going after the Bat, the local media would be hot on his trail. Enter Vicki Vale, tough young reporter looking to make her name by breaking the Batman story wide open. She seems to be making more progress than anyone else, so to keep a closer eye on her, Bruce Wayne asks her out. Still heartbroken over the loss of Rachel Dawes, he thinks he won't get emotionally involved, but of course he does.

Casting Guesses: It'd be from the same pool of actresses as Poison Ivy. But while I'd insist on Christina Hendricks for Miss Isley, I think Amy Adams is the best choice for Vicki Vale.

Verdict: I think the connection to the earlier Batman movie makes Vicki Vale somewhat unlikely, but she's a decent enough character who doesn't need any tweaking to fit this universe.

Harvey Bullock

Harvey Bullock is an old school tough guy detective. He's a donut-eating, cigar-smoking, loud-mouthed gumshoe who doesn't mind roughing up a suspect for a lead. When he and his partner play "good cop, bad cop," he's always the bad cop. And he's plagued by rumors that he's on the take or excessively violent with suspects. But for the most part, he does seem to be a good cop.

In the Officer Down storyline (spoilers to follow), Jim Gordon is shot, and after a series of twists and turns, GCPD finds out who did it, but the shooter enters the witness protection program to testify against the mob. Extremely loyal to Gordon, Bullock refuses to let an attempted cop killer walk free, so he gives up the shooter's identity to the mafia. When details about his involvement emerge, Bullock turns in his badge. He was seen from time to time as a private detective, but recently returned to the force (the details of how that happened are yet to be revealed).

Much like I confused Anna Ramirez in The Dark Knight with Renee Montoya, I thought Harvey Bullock was in The Dark Knight until the character's name was revealed as Det. Stephens. With Montoya, I wonder if there weren't issues with money (since Renee Montoya was created for the animated series, someone from that show might've been entitled to money if they used her in the movie), but Harvey Bullock was created in the comics, so Warner Bros. almost certainly owns his rights (WB, the studio that made The Dark Knight, owns DC comics).

Pros: He's a great character, well known, and like I've been saying, I'd like to see a good cop from the comics included in the movies.

Cons: Although I think his character was somewhat of a novelty in superhero comics, I think the cop who plays by his own set of rules is well-worn territory in movies.

How I'd do it: Just bring him on as a cop in the hunt for Batman.

Casting Guesses: There's actually a thread on the superherohype.com boards with casting ideas. Forest Whitaker is an interesting thought, though Bob Hoskins might be the best in terms of fitting the character (see Who Framed Roger Rabbit? for a perfect Harvey Bullock). But James Gandolfini was the first name I thought of, and he would probably offer the right mix of being faithful to the comics while adding something new.

Verdict: I'd love to see him, and can't think of a compelling reason to exclude him.

Crispus Allen

Crispus Allen was a cop from Metropolis who was hired by the Gotham City police department to be Renee Montoya's partner after Mackenzie Bock was promoted. Allen, coming from a city with a superhero who tended to work within the law, didn't like Batman's brand of vigilante justice. But after spending some time in Gotham, he learned just how crazy the city was, and that by the book police work wasn't going to keep the streets safe. But he never saw Batman as anything better than the lesser of two evils.

While working a case, Allen suspected a crime scene investigator of tampering with evidence and began investigating him. The man was tipped off that he was being investigated and murdered Allen, then used his experience with crime scenes to ensure that he wouldn't be caught. Allen was brought back to life by the Spectre, a spirit that resides in a human host, trying to bring justice to the world. I'm not big on those kinds of stories, so I stopped paying attention to Allen at this point, so check out wikipedia for what happened after that.

Pros: A good Gotham cop with a unique view of Batman would be a welcome addition.

Cons: He's a very minor character. His origin, though easily changed, ties to Metropolis, and from reading that interview with Christopher Nolan a while back, I think his vision of Gotham doesn't exist in the same world as Superman.

How I'd do it: Like every other cop, just have him join up with Gordon. Possibly out of Gordon's attempts to find the only good cop(s) in Gotham. But I would skip the Metropolis bit.

Casting Guesses: Don Cheadle's the obvious answer, since he really looks the part (and he's a fantastic actor), but I doubt Allen would be a big enough role for Don Cheadle to consider. Gary Dourdan from CSI provided Allen's voice in the Gotham Knight animated feature that came out around the same time as The Dark Knight, and he wouldn't be too bad either.

Verdict: Sure, he's a good fit.

Mackenzie Bock

Mackenzie Bock -- nicknamed "Hardback" because he liked to read -- is a Gotham cop who partnered for a while with Renee Montoya. He was generally suspicious of Batman and didn't like vigilantes interfering with poice work. During No Man's Land, when Gotham is destroyed by an earthquake, evacuated, and cut off from the rest of the country, Bock stays behind with the police to try to deal with the chaos in the city, taking only a brief break to help rebuild his old neighborhood. After his stint with Montoya, he was promoted to the head of the Organized Crime department at Gotham City PD, and eventually Chief of Police, but upon receiving that job he basically disappeared from the comics.

Pros: The movie Gotham could use a tough, honest cop.

Cons: A fairly insignificant character, I'm not sure he even lasted 5 years as a regular in the comics.

How I'd do it: Have Bock be one of Gordon's Lieutenants.

Casting Guesses: Richard T. Jones? D.B. Woodside? Someone like that.

Verdict: He wouldn't be in a big role, but Bock would fit perfectly.

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.

Sasha Bordeaux

After an incident with Dr. Hugo Strange, Lucius Fox, who in the comics has no idea that Bruce Wayne is Batman, decides that Bruce Wayne needs protection. For obvious reasons, Bruce doesn't feel he needs it, but Lucius insists. So Sasha Bordeaux is hired to become Bruce's 24-hour bodyguard.

This makes things a little tricky, since the times Bruce wants to sneak out to become Batman are the exact times Sasha wants to stick closest to him. After a number of incidents where he disappears in the middle of the night, Sasha becomes suspicious and eventually does discover his identity. Because of some kind of bodyguard code, she keeps his identity secret, but insists that she must extend her protection duties to his time as Batman. So Bruce puts her through grueling training to get her in shape to take on the dangers he faces, and she starts accompanying him as a sidekick of sorts.

It's at this point that the Bruce Wayne - Murderer? story kicks off. Batman and Sasha return to Wayne Manor after a night of crimefighting to find the body of Vesper Fairchild, Bruce's ex-girlfriend. Their only alibi is Bruce's identity as Batman, but both refuse to say anything. Lacking any other explanation, Bruce and Sasha are arrested. Sasha appears to be killed in prison, but her death was faked as part of her recruitment into the secret government organization Checkmate.

Pros: She's a strong woman who can hold her own with Batman. Her role as Bruce's bodyguard made for some fun situations where Bruce had to improvise ways to change into his costume, or stop a villain without becoming Batman.

Cons: There would have to be a whole new introduction scenario, since the movie version of Lucius knows Bruce's identity. And even though Sasha was a pretty good character, she was mostly introduced, I think, to set up the Vesper Fairchild murder story.

How I'd do it: Instead of Lucius Fox doing it, have the FBI show up and send Agent Sasha Bordeaux to provide round the clock protection for Bruce.

Casting Guesses: Jessica Biel always look like she could kick my ass without breaking a sweat, which seems bodyguard-like.

Verdict: It's highly unlikely. Sasha's a relatively recent, relatively minor character, who's probably more associated with Checkmate than with Batman. But you never know, I guess if there's a story that works with a bodyguard, she'd work well.

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.

Harold Allnut

Harold Allnut is a mute hunchback with a gift for building and repairing electronics, machines, and computers. He was never an incredibly important part of Batman's life or anything, but he had some nice moments along the way.

In his introduction to Batman's world, the Penguin discovered Harold's talent for technology, and forced him to build devices to aid in the Penguin's schemes. After taking care of the Penguin, Batman recognized Harold's genuis, and recruited him to work on Bat-gadgets. Harold took up residence in the Bat-Cave for many years, repairing and building all kinds of things. Though he basically never left the cave, he seemed happy to have a purpose in life.

In No Man's Land, a terrible earthquake destroys most of Gotham, and since Batman would not be using the cave for some time, Harold went out into Gotham for the first time in years. He was shocked to find the city falling apart, and went to work on anything in sight that needed fixing.

Later, in the Hush storyline, Hush repairs Harold's spine and his voice and Hush forces him to betray Batman. Harold confesses to Batman, but before he can reveal Hush's identity, Hush kills him. Until that point, no one knew Harold's last name, so Batman had to research his life to give him a proper headstone at his grave.

Pros: Although Wayne Enterprises supplies all of Batman's equipment in the movies, someone would have to do maintenance on the Batmobile, and I can't imagine Bruce just bringing it back for repairs. Having Harold around would at least explain how the repairs happen.

Cons: Harold's unexplained ability to work with technology doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and only works in comic books because those kinds of things always happen in comics. Also, I'm not sure if it's politically correct or whatever to have a mute hunchback servant guy.

How I'd do it: Have a guy named Harold who's an excellent mechanic blackmailed into working for a villain, Batman rescues him, and sets him up with a secret garage where he'll bring the Batmobile (or pod or whatever else) for repairs. I don't think he needs to be in the cave, know Batman's identity, be a mute with a spinal deformity, or any of that.

Casting Guesses: It could literally be anyone, so I'll say Luis Guzman, since he's great
at everything.

Verdict: The Batmobile didn't make it out of the Dark Knight in one piece, so it's possible there could be a Harold-type character.

Ace the Bat-Hound

As his name would suggest, Ace the Bat-Hound is Batman's dog. Well technically Ace is Bruce Wayne's dog, and the Bat-Hound is Batman's dog, but you get the idea.

Originally, Ace belonged to an engraver who was kidnapped by criminals hoping to use his skills for counterfeiting, and Batman used Ace's nose to help track his owner down. When the engraver was rescued, he took a new job which left him no time to care for Ace, and Bruce Wayne offered to adopt the dog. To keep Ace's distinguishing marks hidden when palling around with Batman, he gave Ace a Batman-style hood.

In modern comics, Ace has basically disappeared, since he's considered to be too campy for current readers.

Pros: A dog in a Batman mask is pretty awesome, in a Chris Sims sort of way.

Cons: A dog in a Batman mask is pretty silly, too. And I think that would earn protests from PETA.

How I'd do it: Give Bruce a dog, call him Ace. No mask.

Casting Guesses: Ace was a German Shepherd (and I'm pretty sure a ripoff of Ace the Wonder Dog), so... some German Shepherd.

Verdict: Possible, if it's just Ace the dog, but no chance for Ace the Bat-Hound.

Jason Bard

As the world's greatest detective, Batman doesn't always show much respect for other detectives. Although he occasionally consults with other detectives like The Elongated Man or Bobo the Detective Chimp, Jason Bard is the only detective I can think of that Batman has ever actually hired.

A former Gotham City cop who was wounded in the line of duty by Killer Moth. He quit the force and opened up his own business as a private investigator. Around the same time, he started dating his former boss's daughter, Barbara Gordon. They were pretty serious, but after Barbara was attacked by the Joker, she left him. He reappeared years later when Barbara was running the Birds of Prey, and he was actually temporarily blinded in an accident while helping out her team, but he wasn't able to rekindle his relationship with Barbara.

His relationship with Batman would begin after all this, when Batman was concerned that Harvey Dent, who had been reformed, had lost his way. Having been absent from Gotham, there wasn't enough time for Batman to chase all his leads, so he hired Jason to investigate the disappearance of Orca.


Pros: The movies have played up the physical and psychological aspects of Batman, but haven't paid much attention to his skills as a detective. Including Jason Bard in the third movie would certainly push the story in that direction.

Cons: Jason would take the focus away from Batman and whoever the central villain of the movie might be. Plus, it really wouldn't sell Batman's detective skills very well if the first time he really needed them in a movie, he had to hire someone else to assist.

How I'd do it: Nothing too fancy, just have something that needs investigating during daylight hours, maybe have a scene where Bruce Wayne tries to look into it, but he's too recognizable out of costume to accomplish anything, so he hires Bard.

Casting Guesses: James Marsden. He looks sorta like Jason Bard, and has the right personality too.

Verdict: I doubt it. But if there is a private eye somewhere in Batman 3, they might just name him Jason Bard to pander to fans, but I can't imagine much time spent on a Jason Bard character.

Dr. Leslie Thompkins

Skipping back to good guys for a bit, since I'm still running out of villains, let's talk Dr. Leslie Thompkins. Just as Alfred Pennyworth has been a father figure to Bruce Wayne, Leslie has traditionally been like a mother to Bruce. A friend and colleague of Dr. Thomas Wayne, she took an active role in helping to raise Bruce after his parents' murder. In some versions of the Batman origin story, Leslie is among the first to arrive at the scene of the murder.

Leslie eventually learns that Bruce has become Batman to fight crime in Gotham, but unlike Alfred, she does not approve. As a pacifist, she believes that Batman's vigilantism will only lead to more violence. Though she tolerates him and occasionally provides medical help, she takes every opportunity to try to talk him into hanging up the cape and cowl. Her most radical attempt was during War Games, when Black Mask tortured Spoiler nearly to death, Batman brought her to Leslie. Leslie allowed her to die, hoping her death would convince him to end his crusade against crime. Much later, it was revealed that she had only faked Spoiler's death, and that Batman had suspected as much, but their relationship seems to still be strained.

Pros: Although a few people have learned that Bruce is Batman, everyone seems to agree with his way of thinking. It would be nice to see someone challenge his reasoning and really try to convince him to stop.

Cons: She's a relatively late (1976) addition to the Batman mythology and it might not work to cram her back into the origin story with new flashbacks. Alfred seems to work fine as a single parent figure, so there's no real need for a "mother."

How I'd do it: I suppose you could skip any flashbacks, and just have Batman injured. Unable to summon the Batmobile and too wounded to make it back to the cave (or the basement thing, if he still hasn't moved back to Wayne Manor), he realizes he's near a free clinic run by an old friend. He stumbles into Leslie's office, she's briefly startled but he takes off his mask, and naturally she tends to his injuries, but when he wakes up the next day she scolds him for being reckless and ignoring everything she'd ever taught him about violence. That's basically how half of Leslie Thompkins' appearances in the comics have gone, but it's a formula that works, I think.

Casting Guesses: Diana Muldaur (Dr. Pulaski from Star Trek: The Next Generation) voiced Dr. Thompkins in the Batman animated series from the 1990s, and did a fine job, but it looks like she may have retired from acting. Most of these types of parts go to Judi Dench or Hellen Mirren, but I'd like to think there's someone else perfectly capable of it. Ellen Burstyn maybe?

Verdict: A definite possiblity. Considerably more likely that any of the Robins, at least.

Oracle

The events of The Killing Joke left former Batgirl Barbara Gordon paralyzed, her time as a crime fighter seemingly over. But she turned her passion for justice and knowledge from her day job as a librarian into a gig helping out Batman, the Justice League, and eventually her own team, the Birds of Prey.

Hacker, researcher, and coordinator of group efforts, she provides research, intelligence, and status updates to superheroes by monitoring internet, phone, and radio traffic, hacking into various government and corporate databases, and having a small army of informants.

Pros: She's a tough lady, and is a rare comic book character who overcomes a disability and lives with it, rather than getting some kind of magical or superscience cure.

Cons: People would want to see her as Batgirl first. And if she's going to be Jim Gordon's daughter, at least 15 years would have to have elapsed from The Dark Knight, since Jim's daughter was just a little girl. Also, movie hackers rarely work as more than comic relief. As a computer nerd myself, that's always bothered me, but in a medium that relies on things like movement, someone sitting in front of a computer isn't very dynamic.

How I'd do it: If for some reason the plot of Batman 3 called for someone to break into a super secret computer or something, I'd just skip the Barbara Gordon part, and have a mysterious hacker using the name Oracle contact Batman (possibly through Lucius Fox, having connected Batman's equipment to Wayne Enterprises) and offer her assistance.

Casting Guesses: Bryce Dallas Howard. Technically she was already portrayed by Dina Meyer on the terrible WB TV series Birds of Prey, but I'd like to see what an actual decent actor could do with the part.

Verdict: Probably won't happen. But I won't say there's no chance, because dropping the Oracle name could count, even though it's little more than an easter egg for fans.

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.