I originally planned on writing a top ten list for each of these movies but found that there were actually a few specific things I wanted to see which were a lot more important than some of the stuff I included in my past "Top 10" lists so I decided to combine them all into one. I did this because I figured that it's better to focus on what I think are the really important things to me and as someone whose still fairly new to the DC Universe, it was probably best I didnt end up talking about stuff I don't really know that much about! Below though, are things I do have a strong opinion on so thanks for reading in advance and please share your thoughts in the usual place!
10. Catwoman
If there's one thing that the past two Batman movies have needed, it's a strong female character. I can honestly say that I wouldn't be too upset if Selina Kyle didn't make an appearance (and hell, with all the other things I've suggested below, this movie would be more than a little bit crowded!) I do however think that it would be genuinely interesting to see Nolan's version of this character, and the unique situations that her introduction would put Bruce in. Whether he decides to make her a hero or villain, it would be great to see yet another character in Gotham City, especially if she ends up becoming a crime fighter by the end of the movie. On a separate note, Talia Al Ghul could also be a great female character to use in a similar capacity because if
Batman 3 really will be the end of Nolan's trilogy, what better way than to come full circle by introducing the main villain of the first movies daughter?
9. No Origins?
This is a fairly obvious one I think. After all, even people who don't read comic books know his origin story and we don't need 40 minutes of the movie swallowed up by yet another retelling. Just pick things up with Clark Kent, perhaps already in a relationship with Lois, working at The Daily Planet and obviously have him as Superman. (no red/blue blur for me thanks!) However, as I write this, I have to admit that it would be genuinely exciting to see what Zack Snyder’s take on the origin story would be and if they could keep it fairly brief I wouldn't be all that much against it. Either way, whether it's a credit sequence or a short retelling at the start of the movie, just keep it brief. If there was one thing I didn't like about
Batman Begins, it was that it took far too long until we finally saw Batman. I’d rather the same thing not happen again here.
8. Robin
When you look at Nolan's past couple of Batman movies, it's fair to assume that Robin would be a little out of place. However, I believe that there's a way he could be realistically and effectively introduced. After the events of
The Dark Knight, I think it would be an ideal time to introduce Dick Grayson as the death of his parents parallels Bruce's loss - and after having lost Rachel as well as being blamed for the death of Harvey Dent, I think it would be believable to see Batman make the somewhat odd choice of taking on a sidekick. Plus, if his origins were altered a little in order to make "Robin" his stage name, the cheesy aspects of the character could be avoided (with the costume a modified version of that one as well) and if they made Dick early twenties, how awesome would it be for the movie to end with him taking on his Nightwing persona and heading off to Bludhaven?
7. A New Type Of Villain
So far, we've not yet seen Batman completely overpowered in a physical fight. Although I'm keen on seeing The Riddler as the main villain in
Batman 3, how great would it be to see him take on a villain like Bane or Killer Croc? Yes, they're both a little unrealistic in terms of the tone that Nolan has established in his past two movies, but if we can accept a character like the Scarecrow and his fear gas, why not these strong (and I guess you could say "deformed") villains? If there's one things I've always loved in the comic books, it's seeing a superhero bloodied and in a torn, damaged costume - see the final fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin in Raimi's first movie for the perfect example of how cool this can look on the big screen. This would not only leave the Caped Crusader in an entirely new situation, but imagine the amazing fight scenes it would result in - something that Nolan has nailed many times in the past and most recently in the brilliant
Inception!
6. A Better Costume
The costume from
Superman Returns wasn't that bad. However, both the colours and material were very drab and ordinary in my opinion and the "S" was just too small and unimpressive looking. I'm not talking about putting him in a bright, cheesy outfit that just looks plain daft but something a little closer to the picture above would be ideal. I know that Christopher Nolan is a producer and we have a director who has made gritty movies like
Watchmen but Metropolis isn't Gotham City. I for one don't want a dark Superman. It makes sense for Nolan's Batman to have a more realistic costume but Clark Kent is a near indestructible alien who uses a pair of glasses to hide his identity. Let's see him in a decent costume, huh?
5. A Villain Superman Can Fight
I think I've made my dislike of Bryan Singer and his superhero movies very clear in the past so won't go over it again here. Needless to say, what the hell were they thinking when they let him make that watered down version of Lex Luthor and his property scam the main villain in
Superman Returns!? I want to see the Man if Steel punch something. No, I'm not talking about a brainless two hour fight sequence that someone like Michael Bay put together, but having him take on a villain that challenges him physically would make a nice change! Plus, the quality of CGI these days means that it would be a truly epic sight to behold on the big screen! Brainiac, Darkseid, Doomsday or any other of his villains...take your pick. Thankfully, I’m sure that Zack Snyder will nail this sort of stuff because I just want to see Superman take on something more exciting than a Kryptonite island. And how exactly was it that he couldn't stand on it but could fly it into space? Damn you Singer...
4. Brandon Routh/Tom Welling As Superman
As my recent pole discovered, despite the fact Tom Welling managed to win, CBM is still split down the middle to when it comes to which of these actors is most deserving of portraying Superman in his next big screen adventure. And personally, I think that they both deserve the chance to audition for the role when casting for the reboot begins. Brandon Routh was let down by both a poor director and script in
Superman Returns, but he did a great job with what he had to work with, while recent appearances in
Chuck and
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World show what a quality actor he is. Tom Welling on the other hand, has progressed well as an actor during his time on
Smallville and surely deserves a chance to play the character on the big screen in a movie that would not have to have any relation to the TV show at all. There are numerous reasons besides these why they're both good and terrible choices for the role but we've discussed them so many times before, I'm not going to repeat them here. All in saying is that they both deserve a chance.
3. Links Between The Two
With Christopher Nolan obviously heavily involved with both movies, it's the perfect time to start laying the groundwork for a crossover between Batman and Superman. Perhaps the events in Gotham and Metropolis could be somehow related...for example, Lex Luthor could be somehow linked to whatever those events might end up being leading to some sort of "Public Enemies" adaptation. Just imagine
Batman 3 ending with Superman asking for Bruce's help or vice versa! If we're not going to see a JLA movie any time soon, then a team-up between these two iconic characters (set in the Nolanverse!?) is the least that Warner Bros can do! Regardless, I think that it would make for a truly amazing sight to have them both side-by-side on the big screen and as I've said, these two movies are the perfect place to start building up to that.
2. Detective Work
If there's one thing that the past two Batman movies have neglected, it's the fact that he's the "World's Greatest Detective". We've seen brief glimpses of this but I think that Nolan needs to take it up a notch in the next one. This is what actually makes The Riddler such an ideal villain as it would really pit Batman against someone he'd need to use his wits to beat, and if there's anyone who can come up with some great riddles and twists, it's a writer like Christopher Nolan who proved exactly that in the likes of
The Prestige and
Inception! Although this point somewhat contradicts what I've said above about having Batman face a much stronger villain, I don't see why this movie couldn't cope with both that and the Riddler! The detective side of him is one of the most important aspects of the character and in my opinion, it's about time they stopped neglecting that!
1. A Larger DC Universe
With
Green Lantern out next year,
Batman 3 and
Superman in 2012 and rumours pointing to
Green Lantern 2 and
The Flash in 2013, it's about time DC started following the example of Marvel Studios and prepare for a JLA movie already! It's all well and good giving us "unique experiences" but I can't help but feel a little deflated at the thought of all these films leading nowhere when the answer is so blatantly obvious. If they got to work on a Wonder Woman movie as well (for release in 2013) we could easily have a JLA movie by 2014/2015. Sure we might be missing the odd member but if
The Avengers can seemingly go without Ant-Man and Wasp, I can deal with no Martian Manhunter. Marvel have managed to link their movies with the odd reference and character, DC could do the same. My guess is that they're just waiting to see how
The Avengers works out before committing to anything but the longer they wait, the longer WE have to wait. And if they're not signing actors up for more than one or two movies at a time, God knows how many more years we'll have to wait. Time to get a move on Warner Bros/DC.
'Nuff said. :)