Rupert Thorne

Returning to villains after two weeks covering allies, let's start with Rupert Thorne. Thorne was a corrupt politician, a City Councilman who spearheaded anti-Batman policies in City government. He was determined to become Mayor of Gotham so that he could expand his influence, but, having staked his career on the pursuit of Batman, felt that capturing the Bat was the only way to win the mayoral race.

When Dr. Hugo Strange learned Batman's secret identity, I think in Strange Apparitions, it was Thorne who decided to skip the auction of Batman's real name and instead try to torture Batman's identity out of Hugo Strange.

Eventually Thorne is defeated in his quest to be Mayor, but the next election cycle he comes up with a better solution: a puppet candidate. Mayor Hamilton Hill ran Gotham for many years in the comics, and Rupert Thorne ran Hamilton Hill.

Thorne has been largely absent from comics for the past 20 years or so, but he did become the main recurring gangster on Batman: The Animated Series in the 90s.

Pros: A corrupt politician who tries to make the hunt for Batman a major issue is a perfect fit for how The Dark Knight left off.

Cons: I kind of wonder if it might be easier to just make the corrupt politician a Falcone or a Maroni, since those families have already been introduced, but that's all I can think of.

How I'd do it: The city has declared Batman to be public enemy number one, and in every crisis like this there's at least one politician who decides to be the face of the issue, hogging any camera in sight to talk about it. Thorne would obviously be that guy. Whether he's just corrupt, blackmailed by the mob, or running his own criminal enterprise depends on how the rest of the story is set up, but it's easy to see how he fits in.

Casting Guesses: I keep picturing Marlon Brando in the role, and obviously he can't do it. Fred Thompson would be great, but I'm not sure he would want to play a crooked politician so close to his attempt to resurrect his own political career. Maybe Billy Bob Thornton? I at least feel like he can give that smile that politicians give that is supposed to seem reassuring but mostly just makes it look like they're up to no good.

Verdict: One of the best fits I've covered in a while. Thanks to commenter Ray for pointing out that I'd forgotten him.

The Hangman

The identity of the Hangman is the central mystery of Dark Victory, the sequel to Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's earlier work The Long Halloween, so beware spoilers aplenty for both books.

The Hangman is a serial killer, targeting Gotham City cops, both clean and dirty. At each crime scene the victim is hung, with a game of Hangman (with some of the letters still missing) left behind. All signs point to Harvey Dent, but something doesn't quite add up.

While the serial killings go on, a gang war rages between the Falcones and the Maronis after Two-Face killed Carmine Falcone and Carmine's son Alberto confessed to the Holiday murders. The only major Falcone left is Sofia Falcone Gigante, daughter of Carmine, who was left paralyzed by the climactic battle in The Long Halloween.

In the end, it is revealed that Sofia was faking her paralysis to avoid suspicion, and that she was responsible for the murders. Out to avenge her father's murder, she first went after all the cops who helped make Harvey Dent's career. Batman is able to save Two-Face, her ultimate target, but Two-Face turns on Sofia and kills her.

Pros: Commenter A put it best:

Fits in the universe, easy to implement, Hanging theme is very dark. villain is very psychological. Could be entirely suspense / from the shadows, allowing the tension to become thicker and thicker to the point of exploding, especially since it's full of plot twists...

Cons: More from A:

Hanging theme might be hard to implement, especially if the crimes are pinned on the Bat. A villain who does not directly appear for the bulk of the movie runs the risk of being uninteresting. After The Joker, a straight serial killer might not cut the mustard.

I'd also add that the identity of the villain will leak, whoever it may end up being, and those that haven't read Dark Victory will be told that Sofia's faked her paralysis to commit the murders in the comics, so to preserve the mystery of the Hangman, they would have to change it around quite a bit.

How I'd do it: Parts of the setup don't work in the "Nolanverse." Two-Face is dead. Carmine Falcone, last we heard, was in Arkham. Sal Maroni was the mobster Two-Face took out. I think the best way to go about it would be to have Falcone's children targetted by someone looking to take hold of the Falcone crime family. They survive, barely, but know that if their father wasn't in Arkham, no one would have tried anything like that. They visit their father and he's still crazed, mumbling about the Scarecrow.

The initial attack gives you an excuse for the fake paralysis (either to follow the Dark Victory formula, or as a red herring), and have the Hangman target the Scarecrow, and the doctors, lawyers, and judges who helped his career.

Casting Guesses: Could be anyone, really, the Falcone family isn't as iconic as the regular villains. Sofia does look a bit like Drea Di Matteo, though, but with darker hair.

Verdict: I think there are just too many cons. And honestly, I didn't like Dark Victory all that much. But it's possible, I guess. I just hope not.

The Mutants

The Mutants were a gang from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. And if you haven't read that, quit reading my crap and go get it, and not just because this will be one big spoiler after another.

For some reason I'm striking out on decent images of the mutants (if I come up with one, I'll replace the above, which is of Batman on his way to kick the tar out of the leader of the Mutants), but physically they're notable for generally being young, their extremely pale skin, and their 80s quasi-futuristic sunglasses (the kind that sorta look like Geordi Laforge's visor from Star Trek, but with a single red lens stretched across both eyes). You can see them in this video from the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Legends of the Dark Knight." They speak with a unique brand of slang that's barely intelligible ("Batman don't shiv. He nasty. Balls nasty.").

In chapter 2 of The Dark Knight Returns, "The Dark Knight Triumphant," the Mutants, like most every other gang, want to kill Batman and Jim Gordon and take over the city. Which by itself doesn't seem all that interesting. What makes them unique is their reaction to defeat. Batman nearly loses his first fight with the Mutant's leader, saved only by Carrie Kelly (Robin). Though the battle results in the leader's arrest and imprisonment, the Mutants themselves continue to terrorize Gotham. Batman realizes that the only way to beat them is to humiliate them. He arranges for the leader to escape, and for all the Mutants to be at the same place at once to witness the rematch. Carefully choosing the location, and using what he learned in the first fight, Batman breaks the leader and shows the Mutants what will happen to them if they defy him. Their reaction? They become the Sons of Batman (and somehow I was able to find a picture of them, at left), painting the Bat-logo on their face and bringing vigilante justice to all of Gotham.

Pros: With Batman left as public enemy #1, winning over a gang and turning them from crime to crimefighting is a good way for him to be redeemed.

Cons: What passed for cool and futuristic in 1986 is neither cool nor futuristic now.

How I'd do it: It'd be hard to use the look of the mutants, especially the leader, the slang might not work, and they'd have to be made older (having violent kid vigilantes calling themselves the Sons of Batman is probably not the kind of thing parents' groups would react well to) but the plot can be used almost entirely. A gang of youths rises up wreaking havoc all over Gotham. Fugitive Batman takes down their leader in front of them all, and they're so impressed that they become his disciples.

Casting Guesses: There'd be dozens of them, so I'm not going to bother with casting guesses here.

Verdict: They're a good fit. My only concerns are the transition from Mutants to Sons of Batman, which was done rather abruptly in one panel in the comic, and how to let Batman command his army of former gang members in a way that's not reckless (recklessness is something The Dark Knight Returns wasn't especially concerned with).

Blockbuster

Mark Desmond was a scientist experimenting with steroids who turned himself into a giant, stupid, super-strong man/monster called Blockbuster. His brother Roland, an aspiring criminal, cared for Mark and manipulated him into criminal acts. Batman eventually stopped Blockbuster, who was recruited into Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad, and eventually died.

Later, Roland Desmond fell ill and took a steroid treatment not unlike his brother's and underwent the same transformation. Unhappy with his condition's effect on his mind, the new Blockbuster struck a deal with Neron, the DC Universe's version of the devil, and Roland gained the intellect to match his strength and ambition. He went to Bludhaven, the city protected by Nightwing (Dick Grayson, formerly Robin), and took over the criminal underworld there.

Eventually Roland Desmond died too, and a third Blockbuster emerged in the crossover series 52, but he wasn't even tangentialy a Batman enemy.

Pros: He's a big scary strong guy. And steroids are a significant cultural issue, so maybe there's some relevance to a story with Blockbuster. Roland Desmond, despite being a superstrong albino, is basically a mobster, which fits perfectly with the movies.

Cons: Mark Desmond isn't much more than Dr. Jeckyll permanently turning into Mr. Hyde. Roland Desmond's a more interesting character, but is more of a Nightwing enemy than a Batman one. And there are far more significant and more iconic big scary strong enemies for Batman to face.

How I'd do it: Personally, I'd probably use Roland Desmond to borrow good ideas from Spider-Man and Daredevil stories (like this) featuring the Kingpin. Ignore the steroids and the superhuman strength, and just make him a very large, very strong man in a fancy mobster suit.

Casting Guesses: Another one where a wrestler might be the best choice, and I don't follow wrestling.

Verdict: He won't be a featured villain, no chance there. The first Blockbuster was a pretty minor villain, and the second barely ever fought Batman. But naming some strong guy Blockbuster (or Desmond) is certainly a possibility. Heck, you could retroactively name Tiny Lister's Dark Knight character Blockbuster.

Matches Malone

Matches Malone was a small time crook who was actually a decent human being. Batman, learning of Malone's nature, approached him for help tracking Ra's al Ghul. But Matches wanted no part of it, and while attempting to shoot Batman, accidentally killed himself with a ricochet. Not wanting Malone's death to be a total waste, Batman donned a fake mustache, plaid suit, and goofy Jersey accent and began impersonating Matches to infiltrate Gotham's gangs.

He's used this identity many times over the years, most notably in the War Games storyline. Batman had developed a plan in an emergency to take over Gotham's underworld by uniting the crime families under Matches. Stephanie Brown, the 4th Robin, was desperate to make a good impression on Batman, found the plan and set it in motion without telling Batman. But when Matches Malone failed to show, it ignited a massive gang war that nearly destroyed Gotham.

Pros: Matches Malone's organized crime career makes him a good fit.

Cons: Giving him any kind of backstory is probably pointless, since as an alias of Batman, he's not really a villain.

How I'd do it: Probably just come up with an excuse for Batman to go undercover.

Casting Guesses: Christian Bale.

Verdict: Not out of the question, but he won't be a major player. But if Batman does have to go undercover, it would be a nice touch to use the Matches Malone alias. But without the plaid suit.

The Ventriloquist (and Scarface)

Arnold Wesker is quiet, shy, meek, weak, and every other adjective that seems un-villain-ly. But he develops his own version of Tyler Durden in the form of Scarface, a ventriloquist's dummy, built to look like an Edward G. Robinson-type old school gangster with a big fat cigar and a tommy gun (which works). Wesker believes that Scarface is real, an illusion more difficult for others to buy into because Wesker isn't a skilled ventriloquist and can't pronounce B's without moving his lips (forcing him to curse "Gatman"). People usually try to address Wesker, knowing him to be the man in control of the dummy, but Scarface belittles Wesker and demands to be respected. And he earns respect. Scarface somehow turns out to be a skilled criminal, and he is able to put together a real gang.

At various times in the comics, they play around with the idea that the doll is real and not just an aspect of Wesker's fractured mind. Recently, when Wesker is murdered, a woman finds the dummy and picks up right where Wesker left off, becoming the new Ventriloquist, but Scarface is almost exactly the same.

Pros: Scarface is a mob guy, and the first two movies have emphasized the mob. And with the Joker's line "You've changed things forever, there's no going back," they've signaled that the craziness will only escalate. So a lunatic barking out orders through a dummy almost makes sense.

Cons: They could have a ton of fun with a shadowy figure running a mob with a shocking reveal later in the film that it was a ventriloquist the whole time, but naming The Ventriloquist as the villain will be big enough news that everyone will know what's coming. Which is a shame.

A much bigger con is that the concept of the Ventriloquist is kind of silly. I actually like the character and I think he could work very well, but convincing Warner Bros. to spend $200 million to make a movie where the bad guy speaks through a dummy... well... that would be difficult.

How I'd do it: It would be a fairly straightforward story, except for the dummy part. Arnold Wesker is a loser in life, weak and defeated. He sees the dummy, maybe not even with the gangster look, maybe just an old ventriloquist's dummy with the big eyes. He starts talking to it, and it's angry. He figures out some way for it to fire a gun, and starts out with petty crime, making his way up. His associates laugh at him at first, but his cunning and his ruthlessness earn him respect and soon he's a threat to Gotham that Batman has to deal with.

Casting Guesses: Wesker is usually portrayed as an old guy but he doesn't necessarily have to be, as long as he seems perfectly harmless, but with a hidden mean streak. George Dzundza voiced both the Ventriloquist and Scarface on the animated series in the 90s and did an excellent job. Paul Giamatti, currently leading the Penguin poll, could be Wesker as well. But William H. Macy is a brilliant actor, can appear to be the kind of wimp that Wesker has to be, and have the hidden scariness of Scarface behind his eyes, so he would be my choice.

Verdict: It's a character that could really fit in the movie universe, since it combines the insanity of Gotham with the mafia that the movies have focused on, but far too many people would be turned off by the idea of Batman fighting some guy with a doll. I won't say there's no chance, he could make a cameo, but there's almost no way he'll be the focus of the movie.

Ma Gunn

Ma Gunn kicks off Not In A Million Years Week. She runs Ma Gunn's School for Boys in Gotham's Crime Alley, hoping to set kids straight with some good old fashioned discipline... or so it would seem. She's secretly teaching them how to be better criminals, with lessons including the pros and cons of automatic weapons, and using the boys as her own personal mob.

Pros: Batman punches an old lady in the chin! I'd love to be in a theater full of innocent movie goers and hear the gasps of horror after Batman knocks an octogenarian out cold.

Cons: The fun of messing with the audience doesn't outweigh the general lameness of the character. Plus, she was introduced in the origin story of Jason Todd, the second (and worst) of the Robins, and we're already pretty sure there won't be a Robin in these Batman movies.

How I'd do it: I might just skip the story and have the next movie open with the exchange in the panels above.

Casting Guesses: It might be cool to see Angela Lansbury knocked on her ass. Or Betty White.

Verdict: Get ready for a whole week of this: absolutely not.

Penguin

Oswald Cobblepot was born into money, but he was shunned from Gotham's high society because he's not exactly as handsome as Bruce Wayne. So he takes beloved birds and the penguin nickname he'd been teased with as a kid and goes into career villainy. Traditionally, he's just a standard criminal with a bird theme and a variety of umbrella weapons, but recently he's been transformed as the owner of the Iceberg Lounge nightclub who has more criminal connections than anyone (and conducts his business just as ruthlessly as his mafia friends).

Pros: Penguin, along with the Riddler and Catwoman, is one of the most famous villains yet to appear in the movie series, and his inclusion would please many fans. Although his

Cons: People either associate the character with Burgess Meredith or Danny DeVito. While I love Burgess Meredith's version, neither is at all what a Christopher Nolan Batman villain should be. When people hear about him being in the movie, they might get the wrong idea and avoid it. Penguin is also not physically imposing, so a movie with Penguin would lack a satisfying fight scene at the end. Plus, as I mentioned in Catwoman's entry, one of the writers said they wouldn't use any of the bad guys from the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher films, and Christopher Nolan specifically said in an interview with Esquire that "There are certain characters that are easier to mesh with the more real take on Batman we're doing. The Penguin would be tricky."

How I'd do it: The most important thing would be to get away from the Danny DeVito version. A mutated freak won't work. Physically, he'd just have to be an ugly chubby dude with a big nose. Jason Aaron, writer of Scalped, wrote a fantastic Penguin one shot (from which the above image was taken) for the Joker's Asylum series, which is probably the best Penguin story I've ever read. It captures the character, especially as it would work in a Dark Knight follow-up, perfectly. A rich nightclub owner with mob ties, ugly, wounded, and with a vicious mean streak.

Casting Guesses: Philip Seymour Hoffman was the rumor going around for a while, and he could certainly pull it off, but even though I did already suggest him for Hugo Strange, Paul Giamatti could nail it. UPDATE: Bob Hoskins is being rumored for the part as well, and he'd be a fine choice.

Verdict: It could be done, but I think it's a long shot, given what we've heard from the creative team. A few weeks ago I would've said no way, but that Jason Aaron book really revived my interest in the character.

Black Mask

Black Mask is one of the many Batman villains who has a sort of anti-Batman origin. Roman Sionis' parents were wealthy jerks who eventually drove their son to kill them both. He took over the family business and ran it into the ground, then turned to a life of crime only to discover that he was quite good at it. After running a crime syndicate with a mask on, he was disfigured in a fire, and his Red Skull ripoff appearance became permanent. From No Man's Land to War Games, two of the biggest Batman events of the past decade, Black Mask was a major player in the comics (probably most notable for brutally killing Spoiler (sort of)), but for the past couple years he's been more involved in Catwoman's solo series. See wikipedia for more.

Pros: A non-superpowered villain who's basically just a meaner version of a traditional mob boss, Black Mask could fit in the Batman film universe without much change to his origin. Though derivative of a more famous Captain America villain, the black skull is a cool visual.

Cons: His origin story isn't terribly interesting. And part of The Joker's story in The Dark Knight was offering his services as a crazy killer to the mob, which is along the lines of what Black Mask would do. So it might be too similar to do in back-to-back movies.

How I'd do it: Not much would really have to be altered. Flashbacks to Roman and Bruce as kids (hopefully Linus Roache wouldn't be too busy with his TV gigs to reprise his Thomas Wayne role), Roman's parents are cruel, he grows up to be a criminal, disfiguring accident brings on the Black Mask thing, he does something horribly sadistic, then Batman kicks his ass. The End.

Casting Guesses: Being able to do crazy eyes is a must, since the Black Mask look doesn't give an actor much to work with but his eyes. James Callis is wonderfully crazy on Battlestar Galactica, but I've never actually heard him do an American accent. Jason Dohring might be too young to convincingly play a childhood friend of Christian Bale's, but he'd be a good fit for the part. I'm out of ideas though. Help me out in the comments.

Verdict: Possible, but not very likely. Black Mask, unlike Calendar Man, fits in the Batman Begins/The Dark Knight environment, but he just isn't that interesting.