The DCU is already starting to roll thanks to the success of Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Superman, and soon, even more characters will make their debuts with projects like Supergirl, Lanterns, Clayface, and the recently announced Man of Tomorrow. One character who hasn’t had a spotlight yet is Batman, but that will change in the coming years, and he’s a character who will have an even bigger impact on the DCU thanks to his infamous rogues’ gallery. We’re breaking down 7 of Batman’s deadliest villains and how they could have an impact far beyond Gotham whenever they finally make their anticipated DCU debuts, and we’re starting with someone who can go toe to toe with just about anyone the DCU can throw at him.
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7. Deathstroke
Few villains are as lethally efficient as Deathstroke, who can terrify even the most powerful of heroes. Deathstroke has more than earned that reputation over the years, and his trail of targets has expanded far beyond the Titans. In recent years, Deathstroke has taken on an army of DC’s next generation of heroes (Dark Crisis) and has even schooled the Justice League (Identity Crisis) on occasion, and all on his own.
Dark Crisis showcased how deadly Deathstroke can be on a larger scale, and coupled with his already lethal skillset one-on-one, this makes him an immediate factor in the DCU as soon as he enters the fray. Recent reports have indicated that he will actually be part of a project with another key villain (who also may or may not show up on this list), and if that’s the case, he will have no issues having an impact as soon as he debuts.
6. Bane
We mentioned before that Deathstroke was reportedly heading to the DCU as part of a villain team-up film, and that other villain happens to be the lethal powerhouse Bane. Bane and Deathstroke are certainly a vicious combination, but as we’ve seen in the comics, Bane could end up having a much bigger effect on the DCU at large.
Having Bane in the mix also brings the concept of venom along for the ride, which we are currently seeing explored in Absolute Batman in truly unexpected ways. That’s a big enough element on its own, but then there’s the complex history with Batman, with Bane being one of the few who has been able to take Batman off the board for a lengthy amount of time.
Bane famously broke Batman’s back, but he’s also taken over Gotham City and isolated it from the rest of the United States at one point, having such a grasp on the city that other DC heroes were outlawed and kept from interfering with his control. If he does this in the movie universe, we could look at some tragic losses in the inevitable battle for the city’s freedom, and that would leave a mark on the DCU forever.
5. Brother Eye
While Batman is one of DC’s most beloved heroes, he’s unquestionably done some problematic things over the years. That includes when Batman created an artificial intelligence-powered surveillance system called Brother Eye, and over time, this system would collect a metric ton of data and information on Batman’s fellow heroes, unbeknownst to them.
To say this backfired on Batman would be an understatement, as his spy satellite was taken over by Maxwell Lord. Lord wasted no time making an impact with his new weapon, and he coupled it with the awakening of sleeper agents throughout the world known as O.M.A.C.s. Brother Eye also turned the world against the League when it broadcast the footage of Wonder Woman killing Maxwell Lord. Though all of this was bad, it would get worse when Lex Luthor got ahold of Brother Eye.
Having the concept of Brother Eye make its way into the DCU early would set up something big for the future, and Brother Eye could have an immense impact on the world at large. We actually saw a bit of this in Superman when Luthor used the footage of Superman’s parents to turn public opinion, but Brother Eye could truly unleash Pandora’s box in this regard, and it could affect everyone, not just one individual hero.
4. Failsafe
While we’re on the subject of Batman plans gone wrong, let’s talk about Failsafe. In order to keep himself in check, Batman created his own subconscious personality named Zur-En-Arrh. That’s all fine and dandy, but unbeknownst to Batman, this alternate persona then created its own backup super android in case Batman went rogue or died, and did so without Batman’s knowledge. Plus, he erased the way to defeat it from Batman’s mind, which really caused issues when Zur-En-Arrh managed to move his consciousness into the Failsafe android.
With Zur-En-Arrh at the wheel, Failsafe took down not only the Bat Family but also most of the Justice League, utilizing his superior technology and Batman’s knowledge of how to take down his allies.
Even when Failsafe was defeated, he was then put in the employ of Amanda Waller and made an even bigger threat during Absolute Power, so you can see just how much chaos Failsafe could cause in the new DCU against anyone DC threw at it. If we are doing a Waller series down the line, Absolute Power would be a great way to go for a big crossover story, and Failsafe could certainly play a role in that if allowed.
3. Poison Ivy
Moving back to some of Batman’s classic villains, few have the ability to affect as much in the DCU as Poison Ivy. In recent years, we’ve seen Ivy broaden her horizons far beyond Gotham City, and as her powers evolve, so does the impact she has on the broader world of DC.
Sure Ivy still gets up to the occasional bad act in Gotham, but she is much more likely to be involved in something far outside of Batman’s wheelhouse, and that usually involves her growing impact and effect on The Green. The Green is an elemental force that connects all plant life across the world, and Ivy is one of the few who is not only connected to it but has the ability to manipulate it.
This has greatly increased Ivy’s influence on the greater DC world, and coupled with storylines involving Swamp Thing and other characters connected to The Green, her introduction has the potential to impact just about everything in the DCU if the right storyline comes along. As we’ve seen in the comics in the past, most events have a way of involving The Green and the elemental forces of the universe, and someone like Ivy allows access to those bigger-scale stories while also still being a force of nature in Gotham and Batman’s world.
2. Ra’s al Ghul
To see the potential impact of Ra’s al Ghul, one need only look in the pages of Absolute Superman. While Ra’s has always been one of Batman’s marquee villains, he’s been relatively focused on Batman or Gotham with his plots as opposed to the global scale you’d expect from someone who has his resources and manpower. Absolute Superman throws that out the window and, in turn, makes Ra’s a global tyrannical power that affects everyone, not just the Dark Knight.
This could be a perfect blueprint for a DCU version, and would necessitate a powerhouse response from DC’s heroes if the right story were attached. With the League of Assassins at his beck and call and infinite money and time in which to implement his plans, Ra’s would be operating on a scale that would necessitate a team-up on the side of the heroes, and if we took some cues from how this rolled out in Absolute Superman, you could be looking at one of the centerpiece to the DCU’s first crossover battle.
1. The Batman Who Laughs
Now we’re getting into multiverse territory, and there’s one villain that not only would have a profound effect on Batman, but also on two extremely different universes. That villain is The Batman Who Laughs, and while this would require a full-on move into multiverse storytelling, it definitely has a shot at delivering thanks to the current team at the helm.
The Batman Who Laughs is actually Bruce Wayne from Earth -22, which is the Dark Multiverse version of that particular world. In this universe, Batman is forced to watch Joker commit truly awful acts and is unable to act due to being paralyzed, but when he regains his ability to move, he finally kills Joker. Unfortunately, Joker had rigged himself with a toxin that would dispense if he died, and it comes into contact with Batman, slowly turning him into an even more lethal Joker.
This results in this Jokerized Batman brutally killing a host of his allies and friends and taking over the world with unhinged Robins at his side, which leads to him being recruited by Barbatos and eventually leading the other Dark Multiverse generals in an invasion of DC’s Prime Earth.
As you can see, this would be an event truly epic in scale, and while it starts out as a deranged what-if Batman story, it quickly becomes an all-encompassing DC story that leads to some truly unforgettable moments. This would be a Thanos-level threat to be sure, and while there’s a good chance we may never see The Batman Who Laughs hit the big screen, there’s still a chance that we do, and that’s pretty exciting.
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