10 Villains We Need To See In Ben Affleck’s Batman Trilogy

While it has yet to be officially confirmed by Warner Bros., a number of reliable sources (and by that we mean the trades, not the typical rumour mongers) have confirmed that part of Ben Affleck's deal with the studio from the very start has been to direct a solo outing for Batman obviously featuring him in the title role. Before Comic-Con, we learned that he's currently writing the screenplay for that alongside comic book veteran and The Flash scribe Geoff Johns, while there have even been rumblings that this could end up being the first in a new trilogy of movies. The plots of these obviously remains to be seen, and there are many different directions they could go in, especially when it comes to adapting the members of Batman's amazing rogues gallery. Like Spider-Man, Batman is blessed with a group of iconic foes who would all be well suited to the big screen, but which of them are ultimately the most deserving of a place in what's shaping up to be an epic new trilogy? Here, you will find the ten most deserving candidates who we desperately need to see in the DC Extended Universe as part of Ben Affleck's take on this iconic superhero. Some you'll no doubt expect, though there are plenty who will no doubt surprise you... 10) Killer Croc Batman took on a foe far more powerful than he is in The Dark Knight Rises, and while going down that route again may feel a little redundant, Killer Croc is different enough to ensure that this wouldn't feel like more of the same. The villain is, of course, set to be introduced in Suicide Squad, and if the rumours are to be believed, pretty much the entire roster of that team are in Belle Reve because Batman put them there. That gives Croc some potentially very interesting history with the Caped Crusader to mine for this movie, while his introduction as part of Task Force X could help to get viewers invested in him. Of course, the decision to go down the practical route with Killer Croc means he's not quite as intimidating as his comic book counterpart. That, however, could easily be fixed by having him undergo a transformation into the horrible monster you see above. Admittedly though, having one of Suicide Squad's supporting villains take on a leading role in a Batman movie might not be too smart, but as a minor threat in the first act or even as a henchman for someone else, Killer Croc is a character who could definitely make an impact in this trilogy, especially if he's handled in just the right way. 9) Black Mask Because Batman is such a unique character, there are really countless paths that his movies can go down in terms of tone. It could be a straightforward superhero summer blockbuster, a detective/murder mystery, or pretty much even a horror story if the action were to be set in the halls of Arkham Asylum like some of his most popular comic book arcs. It could also be a crime story, and that's where a villain like Black Mask could come into play, as there's a lot of great material to mine from his appearances over the years. A ruthless mob boss, Roman Sionis has an extreme hatred for Bruce Wayne (meaning the villain could factor into things when Bruce is out of the costume, too), and a sadistic talent for torturing his victims. Perhaps the most shocking moment in his history came when he tortured and killed Stephanie Brown, a female Robin who would later become known as Spoiler. To make Black Mask a movie's big bad, there would need to be a truly great crime story at play, but Affleck has already shown that he's more than capable of delivering on that front after directing The Town, so we're good to go! 8) Poison Ivy One thing all of the Batman movies - and arguably superhero releases in general - have been lacking are strong female characters, and specifically, strong female villains. Uma Therman's Poison Ivy is better off forgotten along with everything and everyone else involved with Batman and Robin, but the character is one who definitely has the potential to be great on the big screen. For starters, just imagine how amazing it would be to see her take over Gotham City with plant life using today's special effects; Batman's home could quite literally be transformed into some sort of living jungle! Visuals aside, and Ivy's desire to protect and nurture nature is arguably more relevant in today's world than ever before. Without getting too preachy, this movie could actually deliver a strong message in that respect, something a filmmaker like Ben Affleck is most definitely capable of achieving. Poison Ivy isn't really a character with one definitive story arc this movie could borrow from, but it would actually be pretty cool to this become that. She's someone who deserves to be done right on the big screen, and handled the right way, she could easily outshine Batman's other foes. 7) Talia Al Ghul Another great female villain, Talia al Ghul arguably wasn't used as well as she could have been in The Dark Knight Rises. While going back down the path of Ra's al Ghul and The League of Assassins feels a tad redundant (especially as they've just been featured heavily in season three of Arrow), turning to Grant Morrison's work with the character would certainly help to freshen things up in a number of ways. Batman and Son featured Talia returning to reveal that Bruce Wayne has a son, and she leaves the ten year old - who has been trained his entire life to be a killer - in his father's custody. However, as time passes, Bruce and Damian develop a strong bond and the youngster eventually ends up becoming the new Robin. This could work in a movie, but could also go horribly wrong. Robin is not an easy character to adapt into live-action, and Batman putting his young son in harm's way is sure to divide the opinions of moviegoers. In many ways though, that's what would make this so interesting, as this story could really delve into their relationship and how wrong it is for Batman to use these kids as a sidekick. Meanwhile, you can use a jealous Talia as the movie's villain. 6) The Joker Whether it's in the first, second, or third movie (and common sense says it will most likely be the first), we need to see Ben Affleck's Batman square off against Jared Leto's Joker. Set photos have confirmed that we'll get at least a taste of that in Suicide Squad, but there's no way that will be enough. An entire film devoted to these two incredible actors butting heads most definitely has the potential to rival the amazing work done by Christian Bale and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, and enough time has passed that seeing The Joker take on a leading role here definitely wouldn't feel at all stale. It's clear that there's a lot of history between these two characters in the DC Extended Universe, so Affleck and Johns could very easily turn to the comic books for inspiration with the story they tell or come up with something entirely new. It would, however, be a lot of fun to see an adaptation of Death of the Family, the story which saw The Joker cut off his own face, tie it back on with fishing hooks and a belt, and systematically target each member of the Bat Family as it became clear that the Clown Prince of Crime is well aware of the fact that it's Bruce Wayne fighting crime beneath the cape and cowl. 5) Hush Hush was a divisive story at the time of release, and even now fans still debate whether it really should be considered a modern classic. Whatever the case may be in that respect, there's no denying the fact that Hush as a character most definitely has a lot of cinematic potential, as do elements of the storyline itself. The plot saw Batman square off with almost all of his iconic rogues gallery as he attempted to find out the truth behind a mysterious new foe in Gotham City. The budget would obviously have to be pretty huge to include all of his villains, but do it over a trilogy and it would be epic. Hush himself was revealed to be Thomas Elliot, a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne who spent decades plotting his revenge on the Wayne family over the fact that Bruce's father saved his mother's life after a car accident. It turns out that Thomas caused that accident as he wanted to get his hands on his inheritance early, and for whatever reason, he ended up blaming Bruce for his plot failing. A movie could really delve even deeper into that and make Hush significantly darker and more complex as a villain, and he should definitely be considered for at least one of these Batman movies. 4) Catwoman Catwoman obviously played a major role both in Batman Returns and The Dark Knight Rises, but there's still plenty of ground for another movie to explore if she were to be introduced in the DC Extended Universe. With an older Batman, common sense says that we'll have a slightly older Selina Kyle as well, giving her and Bruce's relationship the sort of depth that the aforementioned versions were mostly lacking. On a side note, a pretty brilliant casting suggestion currently doing the rounds is Watchmen star Carla Gugino, and she's admitted being interested in the role! Getting back to the point though, and those of you thinking about the fact that Batman and Catwoman have more often than not been allies (and lovers) over the years aren't wrong. However, look no further than the character's current solo series to see how she could end up taking on a villainous role opposite Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader. Selina has given up her cat burgling ways and risen up the ranks to become one of Gotham City's biggest crime bosses. This actually feels like a natural evolution for the character, especially if she's been operating in the city for as long as Batman. 3) The Riddler Jim Carrey's take on The Riddler was certainly more than acceptable for its time and mostly worked because of the kind of movie it was featured in, but we've yet to see this villain truly done justice on the big screen. For Ben Affleck's Batman, ditching the silliness seen in past iterations would be acceptable, but whoever were to take on the role could still have fun with it given how completely insane Edward Nygma is. That madness shouldn't overshadow his intelligence though, as bear in mind that The Riddler is one of the Dark Knight's only villains to have figured out his secret identity. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's recent Zero Year story arc did a fantastic job showing what a huge threat The Riddler can be as he was depicted as taking over Gotham City and outsmarting Batman again and again. A movie revolving around a villain who uses riddles and is no sort of physical match for the Caped Crusader could be a hard sell to moviegoers used to epic action in their comic book movies, but that's something which could easily be sorted by pairing The Riddler up with someone who could deliver those large scale action scenes, as him having an underling makes a lot of sense anyway. 2) The Court Of Owls The Court of Owls are a fairly new creation, but their introduction led to one of the most critically acclaimed Batman stories in years. They're revealed to be a secret society who rule over Gotham City, dealing in corruption and murder to intimidate their way into wealth and power. The Court employs a breed of highly trained undead assassins known as Talons, wearing owl masks on their faces to disguise their true identities. They try to mentally break Batman, and things get extremely personal when it is revealed that his brother is actually a member of this sinister group. That's right, Bruce Wayne is revealed to have a brother he never knew about. While it's never confirmed that the two are related, the clues certainly point to that being the case. Even if the movies decided to drop that particular plot line, The Court of Owls are the kind of characters who would work well in the DC Extended Universe, especially if their role in the movie resulted in Ben Affleck's Batman also being pushed to the brink of insanity by them. That gives the actor some strong material to work with, and could make him the first superhero actor to to receive serious awards attention. 1) Red Hood With the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer confirming that The Joker killed Robin in the DC Extended Universe, a logical place for the Caped Crusader's solo movie to go would be an adaptation of the Red Hood storyline. That saw Jason Todd (who was resurrected in the comics in the most convoluted fashion possible) return to Gotham City in the persona originally held by the man who killed him. Now a vigilante similar to someone like The Punisher, the Red Hood took aim both at The Joker and the mentor he felt had let him down by not killing the villain in retaliation. Unfortunately, DC Comics turned Jason into a complete lunatic before The New 52 reboot transformed the one time Robin into an anti-hero of sorts. Following the latter path would be a smart move for Warner Bros. as they could then consider launching a spinoff series of movies starring the character. Going back to his initial return though, and the Red Hood would be a great villain for Affleck's Batman to square off against. Sure, he may not be as iconic as some of the others listed here, but it would result in the most personal Batman movie to date, and that's worth getting excited over.