As well as being one of DC’s longest-standing heroes, Batman has become one of the most iconic movie superheroes in the world. The character has been consistently appearing on the big screen for generations, with audiences around the world gripped and thrilled by movie adaptations of the hero’s story. Every live-action Batman has faced their share of DC villains, with most blockbuster movies featuring more than one of the hero’s comic book antagonists. Animated Batman movies have adapted an even wider range of DC villains, which is perhaps unsurprising considering how prolific the hero has been in feature-length adventures over the years.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Even so, one mistake that Batman movies make is that they consistently adapt the same characters from the hero’s rogues’ gallery. While villains like the Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face are great, there are so many other great characters from Batman’s comic book history that seem primed for big-screen appearances. While many Batman villains have already appeared in either live-action or animated movies, there are some great antagonists that are, as yet, severely overlooked.
5) Punchline
It’s undeniable that the Joker is among the best Batman movie villains, if only because he has been so well-represented over the years. Recent years have seen his one-time partner in crime, Harley Quinn, grow into a veritable phenomenon of her own, paving the way for a comic book replacement. Punchline is just that: Joker’s new aspiring sidekick and girlfriend to play the role once filled by Harley Quinn.
Considering Punchline was only introduced into the comics in 2020, she has yet to become as fleshed-out as other prominent Batman villains. However, this actually only adds to her big-screen potential, as it would afford an adaptation of the villain an increased sense of creative freedom. While her movie debut might not seem likely any time soon, she’s one of the most interesting new villains who also has firm ties to an established and well-loved Batman antagonist.
4) Firefly
Despite being a fairly prominent DC antagonist, Firefly is a Batman villain in need of a DC movie appearance. His only real movie appearance to date was a supporting role in the animated Batman: Bad Blood, and his planned live-action movie debut was cancelled when the DCEU’s Batgirl was scrapped. The pyro-enthusiastic villain has appeared more widely in TV projects, which has only helped outline his on-screen potential.
When looking at villains that would be perfect for Batman movies, Firefly is a pretty obvious choice. He’s a character that comes with the potential for big, eye-catching set pieces, and is pretty versatile from a narrative perspective due to his relatively grounded concept. With that in mind, it seems pretty strange that Firefly still has yet to make a major appearance in a Batman movie.
3) Mr Bloom
Mr. Bloom is one of the most powerful Batman villains not yet in DC movies. Having made his first appearance in the comics in 2015, he’s also a pretty new antagonist, relatively speaking. Having featured in only a handful of DC stories to date, he’s one of Batman’s most promising new villains, as his metahuman powers make him an especially formidable foe for the Dark Knight.
Capable of manipulating his own size and strength, and possessing the ability of pyrokinesis and electricity manipulation, Mr. Bloom could be a great choice for a big-screen spectacle. His range of powers makes him especially dangerous, and his more fantastical nature could help set any Batman movie he features in apart from previous live-action incarnations of the hero. He’s another of the Dark Knight’s enemies who has never made a movie appearance, even though he would work brilliantly on the big screen.
2) The Batman Who Laughs
There are many major Batman villains missing from the live-action movies, but few are as terrifying and powerful as The Batman Who Laughs. An alternate version of Bruce Wayne from DC’s Dark Multiverse, The Batman Who Laughs is effectively a hybrid of Batman and the Joker. While the concept sounds relatively simple, the villain it has created is one of the most fearsome beings in the entire DC continuity.
The Batman Who Laughs has, surprisingly, never been featured in a Batman movie. Although his design could easily make him one of the creepiest and most memorable Batman movie villains of all time, he has so far been passed over in terms of feature-length adaptations. His frightening appearance and status as one of DC’s most dangerous villains make him a great candidate to appear in an upcoming DC movie.
1) The Ventriloquist & Scarface
The Ventriloquist is one of Batman’s best villains to have not yet been featured in a movie. The Ventriloquist, rarely seen without his puppet, Scarface, is a mild-mannered man living with dissociative identity disorder who lives out his criminal urges through Scarface. Though sensitively depicting a villain living with a mental illness would undoubtedly require careful writing, it still seems strange that the Ventriloquist hasn’t been in a DC movie.
The closest the character has come is making a few cameos alongside animated versions of Batman, but he has yet to feature as an actual antagonist. Considering the depth of the character and the unsettling nature of his Scarface persona, the Ventriloquist could be adapted in many different ways. Though it’s unclear when this could happen, it would be excellent to see the Ventriloquist finally make his full DC movie debut.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of TOHO Animation -
Courtesy of Crunchyroll
