The Batman franchise has had a good track record of interesting villains from his extensive rogues’ gallery popping up on screen in theaters. We’ve gotten several Jokers over the years, a few Catwomen, three Harvey Dents, and a pair of Two-Faces appearing in the movies. Most recently, the Riddler returned to terrorize Gotham in Matt Reeves’ The Batman — and we added another Joker to the film list. But there is still a selection of great villains that could make the jump to the big screen to terrorize the city and face the Batman for Gotham’s soul. Doesn’t mean they’ll succeed, of course, but it probably helps break up the monotony for the Caped Crusader.
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Some classic villains deserve a chance to shine on the big screen in a different light than they have in past appearances. Then, some of the modern additions to the Batman lore also deserve some time to shine, especially some major new players controlling the underworld and pulling the strings.
Scroll down for five potential future Batman movie villains, including an honorable mention and a combination of two similar villains.
Spoilers ahead for a lot of classic Batman stories, so tread carefully.
Clayface (Honorable Mention)
I wanted to include Clayface because he’s high on the list to get more love across the board. But he’s an honorable mention here because plans are in motion to have Clayface as at least a presence in the The Batman 2 universe. But then James Gunn confirmed the character and fellow rumored villain Scarecrow were not featured in the sequel, with Clayface instead getting his own film slated for a 2026 release.
He even commented on the recent news that Daniel Radcliffe was being tapped to play the disgraced actor Basil Carlo in the planned upcoming Clayface film set to release in 2026 and reportedly has ties to The Batman. So since this is something that could indeed happen, it’s an honorable mention.
Mr. Freeze
It would be special to get a version of Mr. Freeze based on the tragic villain from Batman: The Animated Series. There was plenty to love and other stuff to cringe about with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance in Batman & Robin, but it only somewhat borrowed a bit of the backstory from Paul Dini’s version. Instead, they mixed in the camp from the Adam West Batman television series.
Having the Dini version on the big screen, or even just another version apart from Arnold, would be welcome. The version we’ve gotten to experience through the Arkham games in recent years has been menacing and layered in a way that could play well in a film.
Hush/Prometheus
Since Prometheus is more of a JLA villain and foil to Batman with the team, it feels like he’s worth a little love. The problem is he’s got an odd look and is very similar to a few other Batman villains, namely Hush. The latter villain was introduced in the Batman storyline of the same name, holding a mysterious connection to Bruce Wayne’s past that has returned to torment his former friend. He has also been rumored to be the villain in a Batman sequel.
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Thomas Elliot also has an interesting connection to The Riddler, who has already been established in The Batman Elseworlds universe. The connection they shared in the comic book arc, combined with Prometheus’ ability to download and install skills and knowledge directly onto his brain, and Hush’s personal grudge against Batman, it’s an idea with potential.
Professor Pyg
Introduced by Grant Morrison in his Batman & Robin series from August 2009, Professor Pyg, real name Lazlo Valentin, was unsettling and creepy from the start. Taking a name from Pygmalion and pledging to help fix the broken people he encounters, Professor Pyg turns his victims into lobotomized minions called Dollotrons. He even melts doll faces to theirs, making for a creepy introduction under Morrison and artist Frank Quitely.
He’s got the trappings you’d expect from the likes of The Joker or Riddler, but he’s driven by his art. And that drive leads him to want to spread his brand of “perfection” across the entire city. It could be a villain that is truly scary in a Batman film, which we’ve only glimpsed from time to time over the years.
The Batman Who Laughs
The comic origins of this version of Batman would be quite difficult to send to the big screen, or the realistic world of Matt Reeve’s movies. But it’s hard to deny the draw of a Bruce Wayne that has the best of Batman, mixed with the best of Joker, taking on the real Batman on the big screen. Maybe you could turn him into a street-level character or just ground him a bit more as an evil clone. They brought Knull to the movies with Venom, so we know the teeth can be done.
Mad Hatter
Jervis Tetch, better known as Batman villain The Mad Hatter, is a genius criminal who has mastered mind control technology and places them in hats to take over fellow criminals or the citizens of Gotham. And his tech always seems to be improving, with his latest versions controlling people from a distance and with better concealment on the victim.
The problem is he’s also insane, hence the Mad part of the name and the obsession with Alice in Wonderland. But just because he’s a small-time criminal normally, he’s still shown to have big swings within him and the power to affect the entire DC Universe. In Final Crisis, it is his tech that helps Darkseid craft the Justifier helmets that spread the Anti-Life equation around the planet.
Court of Owls
Another modern group of villains from Batman’s rogues’ gallery, this time courtesy of Scott Snyder’s great run on the book. The Court of Owls is a shadowy collective of Gotham City’s oldest and richest families, using their wealth and influence to build the world they see fit. They also have a group of elite assassins to do their dirty work, sending out Talons when they need a target removed.
After trying to kill Bruce Wayne, he finds that the group has origins back to the 1600s and may have even played a part in the death of his parents. He also discovers his great-grandfather Alan Wayne helped to establish secret hideouts for the Court, using his trust to maintain secret headquarters in all of his buildings. Having them in the fold would create an interesting dynamic we don’t typically see in Batman movies. What would happen if Batman wasn’t able to be a step ahead of his enemy? We’ve seen him broken, but what about outmatched?
Are there any villains you’re hoping to see pop up in the next Batman film? Let us know in the comments!
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