5. Clayface (Basil Karlo)
Across Batman continuity, there have been various Clayfaces terrorizing Gotham. A fan favourite is Basil Karlo, known for his appearances in Batman The Animated Series and the Arkham games. As a failed actor driven to insanity, identity is the strongest theme Clayface brings to the table.
With his ability, Clayface can literally be anyone. An enemy who can infiltrate anywhere Bruce is would add a suspenseful, alienating twist, which would have audiences guessing who was trustworthy and who wasn’t. If handled well, Clayface’s grotesque features morphing into people Bruce trusts can potentially turn Gotham into a city of antisocial strangers.
Clayface’s splintering idea of self is something that can be related to Bruce, although the compulsion to be the Bat over all other personas is ultimately the lesson that will be drawn.
4. Renee Montoya
In Nolan’s trilogy, many say that the female police officer Anna Ramirez was inspired by Renee Montoya. It’s a fair assessment – both are Latina female detectives with strong senses of justice. However, Renee’s disgust with corruption in the Gotham City Police Department led to her eventually leaving it; Anna was on the take, in order to pay her mother’s hospital bills.
Since we’ve seen the fall of Anna, her redemption is something that we expected to be explored in The Dark Knight Rises. Since it wasn’t, a reboot with the hard-boiled Renee Montoya would be engrossing.
Alongside Commissioner James Gordon, Renee Montoya is a prime example of law enforcement done right. Her efforts to fight crime, despite personal injustice done to her by Two-Face, mirror Batman’s determination on a more grounded level, which could help a future Batman film succeed if it follows in the serious and realistic direction.
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Published: Jul 22, 2013 04:34 pm