And the next Bat villain will be...

Right, seeing as The Dark Knight is happily on its way to becoming one of the highest grossing films of all time (if not THEE highest grossing), the question "Will there be a sequel?" is pretty redundant. Of course there will.


What is already prompting discussion though is which villain/s will we be seeing in Batman 3. I direct you to these 2 blog entries, which tackle the issue thoroughly, and present some excellent options:

8 Great Villains We Want in the next Batman Movie
Everybody's Wondering... (Read the comments for the proper discussion)

Here's my 2 cents on the matter:

(Please note that there may be Dark Knight spoilers ahead!)

First of all, given the "realism" of Christopher Nolan's take on the Batman universe, I think we can immediately rule out the villains who actually have super powers and require more of a CGI treatment. This would eliminate one of my personal favourites, the shapeshifter Clayface (the Batman equivalent of Spider-Man's Sandman), as well as loony environmentalist Poison Ivy, with her plant manipulating powers.


I think the next most logical choice in terms of high profile villains is The Riddler. Treat him as a sadistic bomber/terrorist holding Gotham City to ransom, and you have an excellent opponent for Batman.


Also, given how much the mob has played a role in the first 2 of the new Batman films, Black Mask is also a great option.

This sinister crime lord could easily fill the void left after the imprisonment of Gotham's godfathers and their minions. The same goes for The Penguin, although the inexplicably strange appearance of this criminal mastermind might form a barrier to his presence in future Batman films.


Another obvious choice is Catwoman. Bruce Wayne is without a love interest now, and if he's not going to get a Batman-hating girlfriend unware of his secret identity, then he needs the female villain who has most toyed with his heart and moral code over the years (otherwise the Batman films risk becoming a sausage fest!).

Catwoman makes sense - especially as Batman has now been labelled a killer and a criminal. If he starts to believe the title, he might start leaning his affections towards a woman he knows is bad news. Just portray Selina Kyle as a slinky, risk-taking cat burglar with no resemblance to Halle Berry and it's all good.


Another excellent female choice is Harley Quinn. Whether she is a psychiatrist sent mad by the Joker, as per her origin story, or just an unstable woman inspired by "Mr J", this playful female anarchist could be a lot of fun. With those big cheeks and that smile, I was even contemplating the return of Maggie Gyllenhaal as a "new and improved" Rachel Dawes. Who knows, maybe her supposed fate in The Dark Knight was just the Joker playing mind games again?


Speaking of the Joker, I don't think a Joker re-appearance is out of the question in an upcoming film. Perhaps not in Batman 3 - Heath Ledger's death is still a little too fresh in the memory and other actors may be unwilling to step into his shoes given the comparisons they will receive. However, I don't believe Ledger is irreplaceable in the long run. It's the role that's important and guides the actor's performance. And really, the Joker is too fantastic a Batman villain to sideline for long.


My other final suggestions:

You need some beastly muscle in Batman 3? Look no further than the vicious Killer Croc, a sideshow freak turned criminal with a hideous skin condition.


For a touch of the disturbing, there's serial killer Zsasz, who cuts and scars himself every time he "liberates" his victims from their meaningless lives (apparently Zsasz was glimpsed in Batman Begins during the asylum escape).


And finally there's the Mad Hatter. It might be difficult to integrate the Alice in Wonderland motif into Nolan's Gotham City, but this seemingly silly character has grown darker and more dangerous over the years - to the point where it's been suggested that he's a paedophile who likes using mind control technology on young girls.