The Batman will put the spotlight on the Dark Knight going to war with The Penguin and The Riddler, but it seems the latter may have already claimed his first victim. As you can see below, an image which has reportedly leaked from the set of Matt Reeves' DC Comics adaptation shows a man with his head wrapped in tape with a message written on it...in blood?
Now, we can't say for sure whether this is legit, but it's been pointed out that the chair the victim is sitting in looks identical to one which was previously shown off by
The Batman's director.
Paul Dano is playing The Riddler in this movie, and if Reeves is planning to follow the comic books, then the villain using his smarts to taunt the Dark Knight is something we'll see a lot of in this adventure. This is certainly pretty dark, though, and could add some weight to those theories that Warner Bros. is planning to release the first R-Rated
Batman movie.
However, the box office performance of
Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey could change that, and the movie remains shrouded in secrecy so it's hard to say for sure what to expect from this one.
Do you guys think this leaked image from
The Batman is the real deal?
BATMAN from r/DCEUleaks
Which characters are we hoping to see in The Batman? Click on
the "Next" button below to take a look through our top picks!
Julia Pennyworth
What if Reeves decides not to bring Alfred Pennyworth back for this particular adventure? After all, their relationship is one we've seen explored on the big screen on many, many occasions, and it might actually be a lot more interesting for the filmmaker to make use of another ally to Batman who once served a similar role in the hero's life: Julia Pennyworth.
Alfred's daughter and a potential love interest for Bruce Wayne, she was a member of the Special Reconnaissance Regiment and allied herself with Batman to take down a crime lord.
After learning that the Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne were one and the same, she served in a similar role to Alfred for months, and it would be a lot of fun exploring this dynamic, especially as it would be something completely different and someone new for Batman to bounce off in the Batcave.
Azrael
Azrael is a very interesting character who has been utilised in various video games and TV shows over the years in a lot of different ways. In the comics, Jean-Paul Valley was the latest in a line of assassins for the sinister secret society of The Sacred Order of St. Dumas, who manipulated the man they dubbed Azrael into going after Batman.
While he certainly shouldn't be the lead villain in this movie, laying the groundwork for him to appear down the line might work very well and Reeves could even tie his origin into The Court of Owls.
Azrael is a fascinatingly complex character, and very different to the Batman villains we've already seen on screen multiple times. Jean-Paul could appear in
The Batman in any number of ways, but he should make a cameo of some sort to set the stage for the rest of this trilogy.
Matches Malone
Okay, this technically
is Batman and not a separate character, but it's about damn time we get to see the Dark Knight suit up as this small time criminal who infiltrates the underworld and uses what he learns to help him take them down as Gotham City's protector.
As Reeves has promised that this will be a detective story, the hero taking measures like this makes perfect sense and it could lead to some really dramatic and tense scenes featuring "Matches."
Plus, there's no denying that Pattinson has the acting chops to pull off a transformation like this!
Nightrunner
Nightrunner was introduced during Grant Morrison's Batman Inc. era of storytelling. He's a 22-year-old French citizen of Algerian origin that lives in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France, who Bruce handpicked to be that country's Batman.
While he could keep that background (and absolutely should, especially as he's one of only a handful of Muslim superheroes), making him a Gotham City vigilante who has been inspired by Batman not only opens the door to some different stories moving forward, but possibly even lays the groundwork for The Outsiders to assemble somewhere down the line.
Making Nightrunner one of Selina Kyle's allies seems like the most sensible option for this movie, as it might to cool to watch her lead a ragtag group of street level vigilantes and thieves.
Dick Grayson
Nightwing appearing should be a given, but he was M.I.A. in
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and is still supposed to star in his own solo movie from the director of
The LEGO Batman Movie.
Reeves should definitely make room for Dick in
The Batman, though, and while Pattinson's age makes Grayson being any older than a teenager unlikely, it would be good to lay the groundwork for this even if we do end up going down the Robin route again (something we haven't seen explored in a contemporary setting, meaning it would be something new in itself).
Either way, seeing Dick alongside Batman would be a lot of fun for comic book fans.
Green Arrow
This may be a reboot, but there's really no reason it can't still tie into the wider DC Extended Universe. While the focus here should absolutely be Batman himself, it would be no bad thing for someone like Green Arrow to make a cameo appearance, especially now that the TV series on The CW is reaching its end.
These two have always had something of an interesting relationship, and a grittier Green Arrow who has pursued a Star City criminal to Gotham City crossing paths with Batman before being told to go back to his own town would be fun to see.
This would help establish the new Batman's attitude (he's never played well with others) and opens the door to that version of Green Arrow appearing elsewhere in the DCEU.
Crispus Allen
As of right now, we don't know if
The Batman will take place in the present day (basically just rebooting him in the DCEU) or whether the plan is to go back ten or fifteen years for a standalone prequel trilogy. Assuming it's the former, though, bringing this
Justice League character back for a meatier role alongside J.K. Simmons' Jim Gordon could work very well.
Played by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith in Zack Snyder's superhero ensemble, Reeves could bring him back or decide to recast, but Crispus Allen's comic book history is an interesting one and could easily play into this story.
He has a history with Renee Montoya (who will appear in
Birds of Prey), and his relationship with the Dark Knight means that he could make for a worthy addition to this film.
Victor Zsasz
Victor Zsasz is a classic Batman villain who will make an appearance in
Birds of Prey next year. However, having him appear here and alluding to the events of that movie (once again assuming
The Batman takes place in the same timeline) would be a nice way to tie these two Gotham City-set adventures together...something Reeves may or may not be interested in doing!
A long list of Batman bad guys are already set to appear so we don't necessarily need one more, but a throwaway mention or even just a cameo appearance in Arkham Asylum might be enough.
Either way, Zsasz is a character who has a lot of history with the Dark Knight - although it might be too soon to add him to this adventure, especially as we don't know
how he'll be portrayed in
Birds of Prey.
Holly Robinson
It's been widely reported that Catwoman will be making an appearance in
The Batman, and assuming Reeves is planning to delve into Selina Kyle's origin story, it would be great to see Holly Robinson as well. A former prostitute who was a friend and ally to Catwoman, she even suited up in her costume for a time, and adding another female character to this movie would be no bad thing.
Her comic book history ended up being ridiculously convoluted, but Reeves can stick to the basics.
She doesn't necessarily have to be a former prostitute, but getting some insight into what Catwoman does and the sort of people she helps would do her character a world of good. Making Holly a well fleshed out character in her own right and following her on the streets of Gotham City would add another dimension to this story that other Batman movies haven't really touched on.
The Batman Who Laughs
Honestly, introducing a villain from the Dark Multiverse feels like a real departure from what Reeves is going for, especially as we know he's aiming for a grounded origin story which delves into Batman's detective skills.
If he wants to get a little more fantastical with the sequels, though, using a post-credits scene to introduce The Batman Who Laughs (or even secretly revealing that he's been pulling the strings, Hush-style) would be extremely exciting and the filmmaker could easily move away from some of the sillier elements of this villain's background.
Pitting the hero against a monstrous version of himself who is part-Batman and part-Joker would be unlike anything we've seen on screen before, and is arguably even more interesting than watching Bruce take on the actual Joker (for the umpteenth time) in a future movie.
Continue reading below for details on The Batman's
villains and a look at some we'd like to see in the movie!
The Villains We Know About
Firefly
A few different people have held the "Firefly" mantle over the years, but common sense says it will be Garfield Lynns we see in The Batman. A former special effects expert who became obsessed with flames and starting fires, he's definitely in the minor leagues when it comes to the Dark Knight's villains but there's still a lot of potential here.
After all, the sight of Batman fighting him as they're both surrounded by flames would be something very unique from a visual standpoint. According to the casting call doing the rounds, Reeves wants a male actor between the ages of 20 and 30 of any ethnicity, and we can safely assume that he'll be a henchmen or someone Batman quickly deals with.
The Riddler
The Riddler is reportedly
The Batman's main villain, and considering we've heard so much about this movie finally making use of the hero's detective skills, it's hard to think of anyone better to fill that role. After all, while we'll no doubt get plenty of action, someone like Edward Nygma gives us the opportunity to really see how smart the Caped Crusader is.
Reeves has spent a long time on the screenplay, so that hopefully means we're getting a story full of twists and turns and a big
Hush-style surprise that'll tie everything together in a shocking way. Once again, Reeves is said to be looking for an actor of any ethnicity, this time between the ages of 30 and 40, and there are a lot of suggestions already doing the rounds among fans.
Mad Hatter
The inclusion of Mad Hatter is definitely unexpected, but he has a lot of history with the Dark Knight - even if he'll never be up there with the likes of The Riddler and The Joker. Jervis Tetch is obsessed with
Alice in Wonderland and bases his crimes on the novel. That could fit nicely into this detective story, but will Reeves head down the route of including his mind control technology?
That ultimately depends on how much the filmmaker is embracing the source material, but it would help Mad Hatter stand out and could introduce some very interesting and unexpected moments like Batman fighting a mind-controlled Catwoman. Regardless, the director wants an actor between 40 and 50 to play this particular bad guy.
Two-Face
Now this is very exciting indeed. Rather than starting off with Harvey Dent and giving us yet another origin story for Gotham City's former District Attorney, it appears as if Reeves will jump head first into using the villainous Two-Face from the very start. Making him an established criminal with just the odd reference to his past with Bruce Wayne and Batman is by far the best option.
Thinking back to how Two-Face was used in the
Arkham series of video games, that might also be what we see here, and it would be nice for us to get a comic accurate take on the villain. Time will tell on that front, but expect Reeves to cast an actor of any ethnicity between the ages of 30 and 40.
The Penguin
The Penguin has been linked to
The Batman from the very start and seeing as it's hard to pick up a comic featuring the Dark Knight that doesn't feature him interrogating Oswald Cobblepot in his Iceberg Lounge about Gotham City's criminal dealings, it's not hard to figure out what his role will be here.
Reeves can easily set the stage for The Penguin to be a bigger threat down the line, and treating him as a "Kingpin" of sorts definitely makes sense. With any luck, though, he will embrace the source material and won't shy away from some of the character's more ridiculous elements. What we do know is that Reeves wants an actor between the ages of 20 and 40, so he's casting a wide net.
Catwoman
While she's been lumped in with the rest of these rogues as a "villain," common sense says Catwoman will actually be more of an anti-hero. Batman being attracted to Selina Kyle despite her being a criminal and cat burglar has always been one of the most interesting things about their relationship, and that dynamic is a must for
The Batman.
Reeves certainly appears to be looking for a younger actress to fill the role as he wants someone between the ages of 20 and 30. That more than likely means she'll be relatively new to a life of crime, and we can probably expect her to divide Batman's loyalties and be the movie's main love interest.
Four More Villains We Need To See
Clayface
Clayface is definitely one of Batman's zanier villains but in recent years, we've learned a lot more about what makes Basil Karlo tick. Whether it's the twisted, non-powered serial killer version of the character or the monster you see above, there's an awful lot he could bring to the table here.
After all, if
The Batman is indeed going to be a noir-driven detective story, then who better for the Dark Knight to face off with than someone who can change their appearance at will?
Tweedledum And Tweedledee
With Mad Hatter set to appear in
The Batman, the pint-sized villain is going to need some backup when he faces off with the Caped Crusader. Well, Tweedledum and Tweedledee have fought Batman on his behalf on a number of occasions and it would be great to see the hero make short work of them when he crosses paths with the
Alice in Wonderland themed bad guy.
This is the sort of cameo that would more than likely only be appreciated by die-hard Batman fans, but it's also one that makes sense given Mad Hatter's inclusion and a good excuse for Reeves to show off some of the Dark Knight's fighting abilities.
Poison Ivy
While Catwoman is going to be part of
The Batman, the movie currently doesn't have a female villain, so who better than Poison Ivy to fill that void? While it might be tricky to include her in the main story (unless the Dark Knight is going to track down his rogues throughout Gotham City), a cameo in Arkham Asylum makes sense.
After all, imagine how cool it would be for the hero to walk past her cell and for us to just get a glimpse of a woman inside surrounded by foliage? It would be one heck of a tease and opens the door to her making an appearance down the line.
The Joker
The Joker has been done to death on the big screen at this point, and with Joaquin Phoenix's take on the Clown Prince of Crime likely to be every bit as divisive as Jared Leto's, it would definitely be interesting to see what Reeves would do with another fresh take on the iconic villain.
This wouldn't need to be any more than a cameo in Arkham Asylum, and The Joker should definitely be introduced as someone Batman has already crossed paths with rather than a new foe. There being history between these two automatically makes their twisted relationship that more interesting, and it would be no bad thing for him to have pulled some of the strings here.