no votes for clayface, huh?

i think it could be done frighteningly well with today’s sfx and if the character resembled the empathetic version seen in the animated series it could work. toss in another vigilante in catwoman, one who has lesser scruples than batman, and there you go… a path to public redemption but one that’d still feature the depth we’ve come to expect from nolan’s series.

Black Mask would work well in Nolans Gotham. He os the kind of sadistic villain that could follow in the Jokers footsteps although his motivations would be more traditional villain motiviations like money and power.
I think the Riddler would also work extremely well if done right. They can give him a darker personality and make him similar to the zodiac killer like someone else mentioned. Another possible way to utilize the Riddler is the way that he has recently been portrayed in the comics. Introduce him as a private eye that is seen as someone attempting to step into the void left by Dent to do some good, have him going after Batman with the public on his side while he really has a more sinister motive.
If they do recast the Joker Johnny Depp would probably be the best choicealthough i also think that someone like Javier Bardem could also pull off the role althought this role will always belong to Heath.
Also i’m almost positive Catwoman is in the next one as indicated by Luciuc Fox.

joker transcend into a “character” that never shows it face, but scheme and weaves through the use of “riddles” to manipulates Gotham against a batman that’s struggling to come to terms that he’ll be alone in the dark, maybe forever. i also agree with the idea of wrath, both from Gotham by manipulation and also Batman’s inner demon which is Bruce wayne’s struggle to succumb to the temptation of vigilante (by joker’s riddles) against up keeping the institution that is the “Batman”

I’ve got 2 takes.

1. Riddler. But as has been stated, not Jim Carrey Riddler. Think Kevin Spacey from Seven. The insiduous terror that a Serial Killer could inspire would be a direct 180 from the chaos and explosions that both the first and second movies used to instill a sense of dread.

2. Something along the lines of Bane + The Reaper. Bane comes to town and begins wreaking havoc, batman tries to take him out, bane beats him (breaks his spine…)… Batman is hoeld up whiel the city is gripped in fear of this rampaging madman. The Reaper comes to town and kills Bane. While Batman is recovering The reaper goes on cleaning up Gotham in his own way. Batman has a crisis of faith. Gotham is the safest its ever been now that The Reaper is out on the streets. Whammo.. an innocent gets killed.. Batman has had enough. The Reaper and Batman meet, “Break a few Eggs” monologue ensues. Tada! Sequel!

The Zodiac, or a Zodiac-like killer or Se7en. Nolan should create a new “villian”, but one that’s so outside the box of traditional Batman/superhero movie villians that it immediately takes the audience into new terroritory. Think Zodiac (the movie, starring Jake Gylenhaal and RDj). The city is terrorized by a mass murdering gunman and Batman must be, not a street fighter, but a world class detective (his one TRUE talent).

The Riddler and Two Face.

The Riddler – played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Epic.

Ok let me paint you a picture. The GCPD are on the hunt for the Dark Knight. But, he is to hard to find. So they go the with a hired gun (Deadshot) to bring him to justice for is supposed crimes.
While in the mean time the growing group of villains brought on by Batman’s presence are gathered together by Talia al Ghul (also the love interest angle for Bruce Wayne) in the effort to revenge her father and kill the Bat. Who’s there? Well the who’s who of Gotham City villains. Gotham City’s mob boss Black Mask, The Scarecrow (was in Batman Begins), Mr. Zsasz (was in Batman Begins), The Penguin ( But more of a realistic version not the Danny Devito type), The Ventriloquist, Bane ( Tiny Lister would be perfect he did throw the detonator out the window and he is a criminal in The Dark Knight), and The Riddler ( a reinvented version much like the joker and Johnny Depp would be perfect for that.) Druing this meeting of evil they decide to create as much terror and destruction as possible to bring the bat back out to seek get the revenge that most of them seek. They go their separate ways to smoke out the Dark Knight with The Riddler being the main focus with Bane being the second most focused on. Talia will also be a focus in both the Bruce and Batman angles.
Now that we have the Players the plot is wide open. First there would be an on going battle till about half way through with Deadshot. All the while the League of villains are causing chaos throughout Gotham. Finally the people of Gotham realize they need Batman and come calling Batman. With the dilemma of helping the people that didn’t want him or letting them take care of themselves. He battles intensely with Deadshot about mid-movie. Standing over a beat and battered Deadshot only one more punch away from ending his life and it looks like he is going to break is one rule (no Killing) Batman knows right then that what he needs to do. Bring order to the chaos in Gotham starting with Bane. With the Dark Knight almost taken out by Bane he now has his eyes on finding the Riddler who has teamed up with Talia and her ninjas. Now from here you could go two ways one he takes them all out and becomes the Hero everyone loves in Gotham or (the way I would like to see) He goes head to head with the Riddler, Talia and her ninjas and they get the upper hand then Bane comes back in and finishes the job by breaking Batmans back. THE END. Hope you liked the picture I painted. This is the only way I could see topping The Dark Knight ( almost a perfect movie). I think what ever they do they have their work cut out for them.

..Did I really just read this?
“The Riddler – played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman.”

Sounds more like The Retardler.

IF they choose to use the standard Batman characters, I would like to The Riddler. However, that seems so boring at this stage.

I almost wish that Nolan would challenge all Batman traditions and incorporate new elements and villians.

Plus, he please tone it down on the Bat armor? Christ. It’s getting ridiculous.

Oh yeah no Two-Face he was dead. You can’t top Ledgers’ performance so the Joker is out. They did make a Catwoman referance in The Dark Knight (Fox makes it about his new suit being able to handle a cat scratch) but she just can’t be saved in this version due to the hack job in the Catwoman movie. No Poison Ivy not realistic enough for this version. No Killer Croc or Mr. Freeze again not realistic. You could use Hush and Azrael but that’s about it for me lol

No one has mentioned Killer Croc or Clayface. Both pivotal characters in the graphic novels. Croc would play well into the psychological warefare storyline that Nolan has hit us with. His struggle with the duality of his humanity/creature exterior would play well in the event that they don’t bring back Two-Face. Clayface is simply a cool character that could be brought to life beautifully with today’s technology.

Daniel Day-Lewis as the Joker.

How about Tom Cruise as the Joker?

I’m getting bored of the “city in peril” concept. It was excellent in Dark Knight but I’m hankering for a different story.

catman, he fought batman to a standstill back in the day. deathstroke could also be fun as well.

robin williamsss shud be in the batman movie :P
i dnt kno which villain but his role on the movie one hour photo is scary dont u guys think??

On the Joker:
Although there were plans to bring the Joker back in the 3rd film, they were scrapped after Ledger’s death. And the big argument out there is: should they re-cast him and follow through with their original plans? I think they are smart not to bring him back for a number of reasons:
1. Nobody will be able to play the character the way Ledger did. Some other actor can either mimic him, which would be silly, or try to re-interperet the character their own way. Somebody out there may even do a good job, but talk about spitting on Ledger’s grave. the man left us with an image of a real life joker that we as Batman fans should burn in our memories. If ever you asked yourself what the Joker would be like terrorizing your real-life hometown, now you know.

2. THEY DON’T NEED TO BRING BACK THE JOKER. As we all know, the battle between Batman and The Joker is eternal. they are going to fight/balance eachother for the rest of their lives. They love eachother! In the end of Dark Knight, the joker has that wonderful upside-down monologue all about just that. How they’re going to be doing this for a long time. Not to mention the “You complete me” line. So we had a great 2.5 hour film of “Batman vs. the Joker” and at the end it is IMPLIED that their battle will never stop. That’s all you need in the celluloid world. You have one great film, and if you want to see more joker stories, PICK UP A COMIC BOOK.

On Two-Face:
They will certainly bring him back. I belive the next film will mainly be a Two Face story. As a matter of fact, I think the last half hour of Dark Knight (which was pretty much all two-face) may have been a little too long of a lead-up to the next film. Making us all think the two-face story is over. But we’re forgetting that besides Joker, Two-Face may be Batman’s most significant enemy. Someone who was once his friend and worked so closely with. someone who still has good in him. Not to mention they both look in the mirror and see monsters. Eckart was great, and I think if he was the focus, instead of a supporting character, he’ll shine.

On Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler & Robin:
ALREADY DONE! Poorly? You betcha! But they were already done. Bring some fresh storylines to the screen. The only think I would be OK with is if they did a really accurate Catwoman story. If they based her character and origin on her involvment in “YEAR ONE”, and made some really great sexual tension scenes between the Bat and The Cat, that might be cool. Catwoman is a burglar, yes, but she’s also something of a vigilante. Not totally bad, Not totally good. this would be an interesting film plot to explore, as she gets in batmans way on the rooftops of Gotham, yet after a while, he goes looking for her . .cus he’s horny and can’t help himself.

I think Harley Quinn would be fantastic. She’s so petite but insane. I know that her character is surrounded by the joker but I think a movie could be manipulated in such a way that a joker influence is there but he is not necessarily the main villian (perhaps have her doing his dirty work outside of Arkham while he is committed?)

Don’t worry your pretty little heads, I’m sure Nolan knows what he is doing with the 3rd one.

I was pretty sure they hinted at Catwoman big time when Bruce Wayne was with the Russian ballerina (the Catwoman in the 1966 Adam West movie was russian, too). Plus the comment about Batman’s suit being able to withstand a cat… And the Batman/Catwoman teamup idea is interesting too… Batman is a proclaimed enemy of the city now, so he might have to settle for a slightly shady alliance like that to remain active. OTOH, noone knows he’s Bruce Wayne, so it really shouldn’t be a problem for him to continue being Batman.

And I have to second (n+1-th, technically) Harley Quinn… she could even pick up and nurse Harvey Dent/Two-Face back to health, allowing him to come back after Catwoman or whatever other villain they bring in (I would very much like the Riddler) to do their thing first. Then she’d make him help her avenge/free the Joker.

I think that all the people saying Two-Face wasn’t Two-Face enough are missing something: What little we saw of him in the movie is less than 48 hours after he actually became Two-Face (he didn’t even have his signature coin – in scratched state – until very close to the end). He didn’t have much time yet to develop his infamous split personality, and it would be a shame if Nolan didn’t give him the opportunity to do so in another movie.

And while I’m at it, of course the Penguin, Riddler, Freezer etc. have been done before, because (as was said before) the number of recognizable villains is rather small. But the joker has been done before, too… a LOT. That didn’t stop Nolan from bringing him in, and the same might happen with the Penguin or the Riddler.
Same for Robin, btw, I was already surprised he wasn’t in The Dark Knight.

On a final note, Azrael would be a cool, if little known (to the average moviegoer) villain.

I’m voting for Man-Bat. Science experiment gone awry. I mean, shit, with all that buzz about the Mantauk monster washing up on shore in recent days, this could be ripe for viral marketing.

I would like to see more of an emphasis on masked villians in general. All throughout “The Dark Knight” they talked about Batman messing with the criminals, making it personal. Also in the story “The Long Halloween” we see a change from Mobster villians to villians that don masks and do despicable crimes.
New villians are hard to contemplate in Nolan’s realistic Batman. They have to be realistic but also strong enough to take on Batman for a whole movie.
I would say “The Riddler”
or “The Penguin”
I would like to see Nolan go a whole different direction than Burton’s Batman series though. Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Mr Freeze, Penguin, etc. they have all been done before.
Maybe a new villian should be in the mix, or a team of pyschotic villians fed up with Batman-controlled Gotham.
A new class of criminal.

I say let Gotham be the “villian”. Yes, I know. Hear me out.

The police, the government, the media, the organized crime- they’ve all turned on the B-man. To save the actual, physical city- he’s got to teach it the difference between what is right and what is just an insitution…

Which brings me to selling toys. I think this is the point in which we bring in the anti-heroes.

For that, Azreal and Catwoman at the same time would be a potent combination. Batman would be attempting to show them what he has learned from his choices in the previous films.

Azreal, incouragable as always could die not learning his lesson in the final act. Perhaps he’d tell Batman, ala the Joker, that he’s got to kill him to stop him.

Catwoman could be left a question mark. Maybe she kills Azreal at the end- driving her and Batman apart. I dunno.

If you like, throw in a Dick Grayson cameo as a young child witnessing true heroism for the first time. Maybe this would be too much- or maybe this would be a good way for which the audience to see the end of the film. A new generation of Gothamites will then inherit a better city. (Just in time for the franchise to start to suck?)

If emerging redeemed in the public eye is the plot of the story, then it only makes sense to have other characters wrapped up in that. Catwoman and Azreal are natural choices.

The Riddler… He’s always been Joker-lite, even in the comics. Let’s not start the movie off with Heath Ledger comparisons, or it will have Return of the Jedi syndrome for sure.

Black Mask is an intriguing choice, but both he and Bane are not old skool enough. That sounds like we’re having a vilian just to have a villian.

An obvious evil is what people expect. We’ve already got Bat-wannabes roaming Gotham from DK. Let Azreal and Catwoman give Batman a run for his money.

Definitely Dr Hugo Strange. He knows who Batman is, would be a fantastic link to Arkham, and could also be the one that unleashes Two Face back on society. After all… the most dangerous villain to Batman is the one who knows who he is! Strange could also kill the Joker and thereby solve the problem of replacing Heath…. who was astonishing and couldn’t be replaced anyway!!

These are lesser known villains but what about Lew Moxon and The Wrath?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lew_Moxon

Moxon is most famous for hiring Joe Chill to murder young Bruce Wayne’s parents (in early versions of Batman’s origin story), thus making him indirectly responsible for Batman’s existence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrath_(comics)

The Wrath served as a sort of anti-Batman. The Wrath’s appearance and motivation are reminiscent of Batman’s, but with notable differences. The Wrath (like Batman) is distinguished by perfectionism and obsession in what he does. His costume is also very similar to Batman’s (though colored in crimson and purple with a W-insignia on the chest and cowl). The Wrath’s parents were a couple of burglars, similar to Joe Chill. They were shot by a young policeman who mistook them for committing a robbery. Due to this, the Wrath dedicated his life to a campaign of revenge against law and law-enforcers. When the Wrath finally returns to Gotham City, he comes to kill the man who had shot his parents. The Wrath’s target turns out to be James Gordon, commissioner of the Gotham City Police and an ally of Batman.

If Batman is ever to escape the label of being a murderer in the Nolan Universe, then the character of The Wrath can assist in the police believing that it was The Wrath who committed the murders in “The Dark Knight”

I think having these two characters, along with the return of Joker or Two-face could definitly form a great script based around the theme of “revenge”.