9 Characters That Shouldn’t Appear In Matt Reeves’ The Batman

In case you've been sleeping for the past week, the latest rumor is that Matt Reeves' The Batman will feature multiple villains. While the source of the news - 4chan - should be taken with a pinch of salt, there've been more than a few murmurs that this Dark Knight flick could be a jam-packed, all-star outing. If the buzz does end up being true, we could be in for quite the Gotham adventure. However, there's always the fear that it could be a crammed affair that's more akin to Mortal Kombat: Annihilation than Captain America: Civil War. But with a creative team featuring the likes of Matt Reeves, Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns in the driving seat, do you really think they'd let us down with their choices? Regardless of which characters do make the eventual cut, there are nine of them that we believe shouldn't appear in the film under any circumstances. This isn't because we dislike them, but due to other reasons that we'll state in more detail later on. As always, we welcome your input on this topic. So, if you agree or disagree with us, please do let us know in the comments section down below. We don't bite. Promise. Tim Drake (Red Robin) Hold on, Drakers. Keep your hate from your keyboard and hear us out for a minute. In the DCEU so far, we've seen one dead Robin and know there's another former Boy Wonder, Nightwing, getting his own solo film in the near future. Shouldn't we find out how Jason Todd died first then before we get introduced to another partner? At some point, we should also get an Under the Red Hood movie in the DCEU, so it makes all the sense in the world to hold back Tim Drake until after that. There's no need to rush out characters or stories, since we've seen in the past that measured builds result in better superhero films. Slow and steady wins the race here, right? It would be a damn shame if Tim is ignored altogether for the current Robin, Damian Wayne, though. He's a critical part of the Batman mythos and valued member of the Bat Family, but he shouldn't be shoehorned in for the sake of fan service, either. Harley Quinn Undoubtedly, Harley has become one of the cornerstones of the DC universe in recent times. She's a well-known and beloved character, with her stock only rising higher after Suicide Squad. Unfortunately, though, she runs the risk of overexposure right now due to this. It's what we call the Iron Man effect, where you need to appear in every single property of the franchise. If she is in The Batman, it's likely that she'll have a major part to play in it - and this could cause all sorts of narrative and creative problems. The story needs to center on the Dark Knight, not him and Harley, or Joker, or whoever else. The focus must be on establishing the Bat in his solo film, while Miss Quinn should be left for the Gotham City Sirens project. While there's an obvious temptation of a cameo, it'd be best to save her for the Under the Red Hood adaptation (if it ever does happen). As we all know from Suicide Squad, she was an accomplice in the murder of Jason Todd, so if this crime gets explored later on, she'll naturally be a part of that storyline. Harvey Dent (Two-Face) Considering that we've already seen two adaptations of the popular villain in film, as well as Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent in 1989's Batman, do we really need another Two-Face appearance so soon? Isn't it time to let another bad guy shine and whine on the silver screen? Much like the Joker, there's a bit of Two-Face fatigue at the moment and fans would relish the chance to see some lesser known rogues in the antagonist role instead. If the DCEU's in it for the long haul, there's always the opportunity to introduce Harvey later on in another project, right? There's really no need to rush and do it as soon as possible. For those looking to get a Two-Face fix, though, there's at least the forthcoming sequel to Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders to look forward to, which features William Shatner as the voice of the coin-flipping aficionado. It's worth getting excited about as well, as the former Captain Kirk as Harvey Dent should prove to be something interesting to hear. Ra's al Ghul We don't know about you, but we're sick of seeing Ra's al Ghul in every DC property. From his overall importance in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy to his appearances in Arrow and Gotham, we're all Ghul'd out at the moment. Yeah, he's a crucial supporting character, especially since he's Damian's grandfather and Talia's father, but can we at least get some other baddies before the Demon's Head takes over the whole damn show again? Unfortunately, he's one of those longwinded chaps who needs an entire film, or three, to get his point across. Keeping Ra's out of the picture could open the door to some other complementary characters, such as Lady Shiva, to appear in his place. Who wouldn't want to see Shiva tearing up Gotham, with the Bat having to sharpen up his skills to defeat her? Man-Bat Remember the time when we were excited to see Dr. Curt Connors/Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man and he turned out to look like a naked Goomba from Super Mario Bros.? Well, we fear a similar thing might happen with Man-Bat if he makes his way onto the big screen. Though the idea of a monster bat as a villain might sound like a good idea in principle, it translates far better in animation than it ever would in live action. Face it: some comic book peeps need to stay comic book peeps for a reason. This isn't to say that an appearance by Kirk Langstrom wouldn't be welcome as an ode to the character, but we think his alter ego should stay away far away from the DCEU. There are already too many bat-inspired creatures lurking around in Gotham City - and we don't need another one. Carrie Kelley (Robin) Considering Batfleck is based on Frank Miller's version of the Dark Knight, there's a strong possibility that Carrie Kelley might find her way to the DCEU, too. Frankly (ha!), we think this is a bad idea due to the continuity chaos that it'll cause for the audience. Out of all the Robins, she's technically the last one, so there's a huge gap of partners to fill before she dons the red, green, and yellow. While it's entirely possible that the DCEU might (and will) ignore several canonical elements, it's insulting to the other Boy Wonders to be scrapped in favor of Carrie. Look, if she does appear as Carrie and not Robin, that'll make much more sense in the long run and end up being a nice tribute to her as well. Batman's partners have a rich and long history, so it's essential to respect each and every one of them, and not jump the proverbial gun just because Miller's series was Zack Snyder's favorite version of the Caped Crusader. Kate Kane (Batwoman) While Rebirth has a major hard-on for Kate Kane right now, introducing Batwoman in The Batman would be a really bad idea. Not only would it detract from the titular hero, but it would also ruin the spotlight for Batgirl. Remember, folks, not many people know the difference between Batgirl and Batwoman, so there's no need to muddy it in the DCEU. You see, Batwoman is a character that you would introduce in phase three of a franchise. This is the stage when everyone has already been established and you can start bringing in the names that aren't widely known to the average person. By this time, the audience will be more receptive to new heroes and actually want newer characters as well. Kate's a legitimate badass and her time on the screen will come, but now's not the right opportunity. Let the universe be built first; otherwise, it'll be like chucking every character at the audience and hoping they'll stick. Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow) Much like Ra's al Ghul, we've seen quite a bit of the Scarecrow in The Dark Knight trilogy. However, he's also a quintessential villain that demands his own storyline - not just a cameo in between other bad guys. Pulling off the Scarecrow in the DCEU might prove difficult if the direction is going to be lighter from now on, since the character is incredibly dark and feeds off the gloomier and fear-driven storylines. We're not sure about you, but we'd rather see an R-rated film featuring Jonathan Crane than an all-ages affair where he comes off looking like a loser with a bag over his head. It's a tough choice here; however, we think the Scarecrow wouldn't fit into this universe at the moment. He's a complex character and needs the right platform to make an impact. Anything less would be an injustice to him. The Court Of Owls It might be cheating to list a whole group here, but we don't care. After seeing what Gotham and Batman vs. Robin did to the Court of Owls, we have zero interest in seeing this arc play out again. It's too big of a story to adapt properly and should be left alone - trust us on this one. While Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's original tale was novel, intriguing and entertaining, it relied on the fact that you had enough Batman knowledge to fill in the gaps and timelines. Pulling this off in film could be an impossible task since you'd need to cater for the casual fan as well. How would you explain where Dick Grayson's family fits in 20 minutes, for example? So, as much as it pains us to say it: the Court of Owls should be a major no-go zone. If you think the DCEU is convoluted and messy at the moment, then you certainly don't want this secret society to be thrown into the mix. Good luck in figuring out what's happening if this group ever pops up in a film. That's it, folks. Tell us, though, do you agree or disagree with our picks? And who don't you want to see in The Batman? Let us know in the comments section below.