10 Iconic Villains Most Likely To Make Cameo Appearances In Ben Affleck's THE BATMAN
Rumour has it that Ben Affleck's The Batman will be "crammed with villains", and these are the members of the Dark Knight's rogues gallery who are most likely to make brief appearances in the movie...
Batman has arguably the best rogues gallery in comic book history, so there are almost countless possibilities for which familiar faces from the source material could end up making their respective presences felt here. Bear in mind that the report said that these will be cameos, not full on starring roles, and what you'll find here are ten of the most likely candidates to show up in this movie.
Some are A-List baddies who could steal the show with just a few seconds of screentime, while others are lesser known characters who would be making their big screen debuts. Either way, so long as we get at least a handful of these guys in The Batman in some capacity, Affleck and Johns' desire to make what has been described as the "definitive" Batman movie would become a very real possibility.
10. Deadshot
Rumours have already pointed to Deadshot showing up in The Batman, and regardless of whether he's fighting the Caped Crusader or reluctantly working alongside him, this villain showing up in some capacity feels like a given. After all, Warner Bros. are going to want to take full advantage of having an actor like Will Smith in their DC Films Universe, and there's something undeniably exciting about the prospect of seeing him sharing the screen with Ben Affleck.
If The Batman is set before the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (a movie about him being an urban myth will probably be better than one where he's a well known public figure as a member of the Justice League), Deadshot's cameo could perhaps feature the moment he was captured by the hero and sent to Belle Reve.
9. Black Mask
Like many DC Comics characters, a couple of men have been known as Black Mask over the years, but it's Roman Sionis I would like to see on the big screen in The Batman. Whether or not he has what it takes to be a lead villain is hard to say, but a character like this would be ideal for a scene depicting The Dark Knight taking on some of Gotham City's gangsters.
The movie could open with the visually unique (er, forget the Red Skull) Black Mask ordering his men to do his bidding when the lights go out and Batman appears to take him and everyone else there down in a fight scene which would no doubt be awesome. Following that with a quick conversation between the hero and Jim Gordon about them finally taking down Black Mask's crime family would make for a great bit of world building too.
8. The Riddler
The Riddler has a very unique history with Batman, whether we're talking about the fact that he's one of the few villains to figure out his secret identity or the time he took over Gotham City during Year Zero. Either one of those would make for a great story in this movie, but if the character's role here will be little more than a cameo appearance, then the best place for Ed Nygma is probably a cell in Arkham Asylum.
Batman walking through that iconic location and suddenly being presented with a riddle by this villain would be a very cool moment, especially if the Dark Knight solves it with very little effort and leaves The Riddler fuming. Handled the right way, a scene like this could very easily set The Riddler up as a big bad somewhere down the line or even tie him into The Batman's plot.
7. Harley Quinn
Like Deadpool at Marvel, Harley Quinn has become something of a cash cow for DC Comics in recent years, hence why she stars in a number of series and dominates merchandise. Warner Bros. are no doubt hoping for a similar level of success when Margot Robbie brings the iconic character to the big screen for the first time in Suicide Squad, and if things do go to plan, don't be surprised to see her shoehorned into The Batman in some capacity!
We already know that she has some history with the Caped Crusader, and whether it's as Harleen or Harley, an appearance of any kind here could actually be good fun, and may even go some way in setting up the events of Suicide Squad 2 or even her own solo outing. Free from The Joker's clutches, perhaps she's put together her own gang of Harleys?
6. Clayface
Whether he freaks Batman (and us) out by shapeshifting behind glass in Arkham Asylum or is used as a secondary villain of sorts here, The Batman definitely needs to make room for Clayface. Personally, I'd quite like to see the hero head into battle against a group of thugs, only to then be left with another "Oh, shit!" coming from him as their leader morphs into the monster you see above.
Scott Snyder has made particularly good use of this bad guy, while his past involvement with the Red Hood - he disguised himself as Jason Todd so the real deal could escape after revealing himself to the Dark Knight - could open the door to a similar role here if reports about that story being adapted are accurate. While he's undoubtedly something of a throwaway bad guy, a cameo has some potential!
5. The Penguin
It may be something of a trope, but there's still something undeniably cool about Batman scaring the sh*t out of Oswald Cobblepot by randomly appearing in his office to quiz him about something else which is going on in Gotham City. Sometimes those exchanges go fairly smoothly, while others feature the Caped Crusader giving The Penguin a beating and leaving the villain's cushy digs in The Iceberg Lounge a mess.
A scene like this in The Batman would be an effective way of bringing this iconic character back to the big screen, and may also be a smart way of making it clear that there's a pre-existing criminal heirarchy in Gotham City which Batman has to work around. Seeing as Gotham hasn't really do anything new with him, a fresh take on The Penguin is a really exciting prospect.
4. The Ventriloquist
Arnold Wesker is a meek, quiet man who executes his crimes through a dummy named Scarface the Puppet (who has the dress sense and persona of a 1920s gangster), and while the whole thing is pretty ridiculous, it's something which would no doubt work in the comic book inspired DC Films Universe Zack Snyder established with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Like a couple of the other villains I've mentioned here, this is someone I think would be best utilised in a throwaway scene of the Dark Knight taking out a group of thugs, and seeing Affleck's take no nonsense Batman knock Wesker out and crush Scarface's head would be pretty damn badass. There has been some cool female versions of The Ventriloquist, but it's this original one which I think is best suited for the big screen.
3. Two-Face
While I was initially tempted to say that an actor should be cast as Harvey Dent, exploring the dynamic between him, Batman, and Jim Gordon will probably end up feeling a bit too similar to what Christopher Nolan did in The Dark Knight. Instead, it's probably better to have the former District Attorney already as Two-Face when we meet him, perhaps robbing a bank and coming to blows with the Caped Crusader in a brief - but sure to be memorable - sequence.
Of course, he's another character who could probably make quite an impact as an inmate in Arkham Asylum, but Two-Face is such a visually unique villain that any sort of appearance would end up being a big talking point. It would also be interesting to touch on one of Batman's greatest failures from his time serving in Gotham.
2. The Joker
While it definitely seems as if Suicide Squad is going to briefly feature Batman and The Joker sharing the screen, we absolutely need to see more of Ben Affleck and Jared Leto together as these characters, especially as you can pretty much guarantee that the results are going to be amazing.
Just how signficant a role the Clown Prince of Crime has here would depend on when The Batman is set; if it's before the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, a tense exchange between these two foes in Arkham Asylum could be very cool, while there's also an opportunity to set up the next Batman movie by having him show up in some other capacity. Either way, rather than immediately giving The Joker a leading role, I think it would be cool to use this release to build up to that showdown.
1. Catwoman
Catwoman is definitely one of those characters who blurs the line between hero and villain, but regardless of whether she's p*ssing Batman off by robbing a jewellery store or making out with him on a rooftop somewhere, it's essential that teases the relationship between these two. Seeing her make an extended cameo of sorts would be great (think Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War), especially if it establishes the very complicated dynamic Selina Kyle has with the vigilante.
Carla Gugino has expressed her interest in taking on this role a number of times in the past, and I definitely think it's fair to say that no one would complain about seeing the Watchmen star squeeze into Catwoman's spandex on the big screen.
Which of these villains would you most like to see show up in The Batman? Have we missed any of your favourites? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.