Over decades of non-stop comic book stardom, Batman has faced off against a truly staggering catalog of killers, criminals, and all-around bad people. Not all of them have the staying power to become household names, but many are unfairly ignored in favor of the heavy-hitters.
Matt Reeves' upcoming film The Batman has clearly set its sight on the title of the darkest superhero movie of all time. With that in mind, the film has reimagined a few iconic villains into grounded murderers for Robert Pattinson's Batman to battle. Spandex-clad puzzle aficionado The Riddler is unrecognizable from many previous takes on the character. Instead, he appears as a serial killer heavily inspired by Zodiac. The Penguin similarly pops up as a disfigured crime boss, rather than the fun bank robber with an umbrella that's also a gun.
These characters have seen grim adaptations before, but the first image in most fans' heads when asked about The Riddler or The Penguin is still Jim Carrey and Danny DeVito respectively. Giving a lesser-known comic book villain their first shot at the big-screen would allow the filmmakers to fully define the character, while also starting with a baseline that could be better for The Batman.
Calendar Man
The Batman takes inspiration from a few classic Batman stories. One great source for the film could be Batman: The Long Halloween, an iconic tale that explores The World's Greatest Detective's skills in solving mysteries. The villain of that story was a serial killer called Holiday, and the mind behind bars that helped Batman solve the case was Calendar Man. Julian Gregory Day is obsessed with dates, leading him to adopt a life of crime with a strict schedule and constant daily themes. Day was originally a joke, as he is occasionally today, but has since been reimagined into a sadistic serial killer with a specific fascination. This organic shift over the years would lead naturally to the gritty apex of The Batman. Calendar Man would be a threatening, yet unexpected threat to Pattinson's Batman.
Calculator
Organized crime will be a heavy aspect of The Batman, which seems to feature multiple conflicting crime bosses in Gotham's seedy underworld. Penguin is a nasty social climber while Carmine Falcone seems like a more classic mafia character, but the film could benefit from a solid evil businessman. Noah Kuttler, AKA Calculator, is a villain who has existed in two phases. In the early days, he was dressed in a silly robotic suit that could project hard-light structures to fight his enemies.
However, the modern incarnation of the character is a tech genius who serves the same role for villains that Oracle serves for heroes. Kuttler is the ultimate schemer and a logistical genius. He doesn't commit the crime, he sets all the pieces in place and lets other people do all the work. Kuttler lives with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, leading him to compulsively surveil his enemies and drive himself mad trying to outwit them. Calculator's technological genius makes him dangerous, but the real threat he poses is his ability to make supervillains out of anyone that pays him off.
Firefly
Though a version of this character played by Brendan Fraser will be facing off against BatgirlGarfield Lynns is a pretty simple character, he's essentially an arsonist elevated to the level of comic book supervillainy. Lynns was once the pyrotechnics expert on a film set, but after that position fell through, he turned to a life of crime. In the midst of obsessively torching Gotham City, Lynns set fire to a chemical factory, which immediately exploded, leaving him traumatically burned on almost every inch of his skin. His pyromania remained, however, and after donning a flame-retardant suit, he took the name Firefly and continued his campaign of fire-based violence.
Firefly's motivations are straightforward, and his design is striking. The film's universe could redesign him into a more realistic fire-resistant outfit and play with his character as an embodiment of obsessive destruction. The big reveal of Lynn's Freddy Krueger-esque form would be a show-stopping moment in a film as harsh as The Batman.
Lock-Up
Batman: The Animated Series originated some of the best parts of The Caped Crusader's overall mythos. This lesser-known villain popped up in a 1994 episode of the show and has since made it into the main DC continuity. Lyle Bolton was a security expert who worked for Bruce Wayne. Wayne later got Bolton a job at Arkham Asylum, whereupon he turned it into an inhumane dictatorship.
Lock-Up is a vigilante who uses violence to capture villains and torture to keep them docile. Lock-Up could serve as a powerful examination of the concept of incarceration, and in the hands of The Batman, would raise interesting questions about the hero's philosophy.
Hush
Dr. Thomas Elliot has been a heavily requested Batman movie villain since his landmark introduction in the early 2000s. Elliot grew up alongside Bruce Wayne, with wealthy parents and world-class education. After Bruce's parents were killed, and he inherited their wealth, Elliot became wildly jealous of his best friend. Elliot hated his parents and attempted to murder them to collect their fortune, but failed, leaving him trapped taking care of his frail mother. His hatred of Bruce led him to become a dark mirror of his friend, donning a costume and embracing violence in pursuit of vengeance.
Hush is a genius-level planner who orchestrates an intricate deconstruction of Batman with the help of a cadre of other heroes and villains. His dedication to vengeance shines a light on the pitfalls of Batman's morality, while his immense capability makes him a tremendous threat. Hush is a villain that could easily fit into the world of The Batman and would make the perfect antagonist to build a sequel around.
