Batman 3: The Characters We Don't Want

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Article Comments for [link=http://stars.ign.com/articles/916/916194p1.html]Batman 3: The Characters We Don't Want[/link]
by Jesse Schedeen

Summary: By now, we've covered the characters we most want to see in the third Batman film. This time, we're focusing on the opposite end of the spectrum. This feature breaks down the characters we don't want to see in the next movie. It's not that we dislike them necessarily, but everyone can agree that some Batman characters are suited for the current movies, and some aren't. It's no secret that many comic book franchises break down in the third installment. If WB keeps these 8 heroes and villains out of the next script, they'll go a long way to breaking that trend. [link=http://stars.ign.com/articles/916/916194p1.html]Read Full Article[/link]

 

[tmjedi]

I agree with pretty much every character on this list. I would like to see Poison Ivy show up some time in the franchise's future but probably not in the next movie. By the way for me Superman is just kind of a no-brainer.

 

[legacyAccount]

Its funny cos tdk's vitual marketing campaign reference LEXCORP (Superman) and SR brought up gotham city (batman) in the Tv news

 

[massdomination]

batman vs superman is one of the most lopsided fights you could have. batman has no super powers and superman has every power you could think of

 

[rennyf77]

they forgot to include clayface and catwoman. any character that requires extensive cg work should not be included in nolan's vision of batman anytime soon and i always found the female villains to be more jerk-fodder than anything else. maybe the riddler?

 

[JetPogi]

Lex could be a good enemy considering he is rich and could possibly hire Riddler or something along that line on the other hand he must be the President of US or something so that he may want to track Batman down.

 

[ant_1411]

Wrong IGN. TDK is not only the greatest comic book film ever but also one of the greatest films ever made.

 

[gswLLBatman]

robin would seem to childish for a nolan film BUTTTT Nightwing would be a very good fit. just straight up skip robin and go into nightwing. HIS BASICALLY BATMAN but is willing to kill people. they cant use anyone with superpowers or mutations like ivy/croc. bane could work but a super ripped guy doubling in size will be a bit much. freeze might work cuz his all tech oriented anyway. the best 2 are obviously catwoman and riddler. if they get depp and jolie I'D BUY TICKETS RIGHT NOW

 

[Linkk8900]

Massdomination, Batman vs. Superman is not lopsided at all. They already had Batman vs. Superman in comics and Batman won by creating a kryptonite suit. l2 read.

 

[the_one86]

"robin would seem to childish for a nolan film BUTTTT Nightwing would be a very good fit. just straight up skip robin and go into nightwing. HIS BASICALLY BATMAN but is willing to kill people."

I agree, and I disagree. I, for one, have been calling for a Nightwing movie FOREVER, and I think there's no better time than now. However, Nightwing is a solo player. Part of his willingness to kill is his dissention from Batman's rules. I think Robin must always come before Nightwing, and because of that I would like to eventually like to see a Robin appearance, if only to spawn a spinoff.

That being said, I don't think you have to go campy Robin. Why did the other Robin fail? He was mishandled, plain and simple. For one, they made Dick Grayson too one-dimensional. His parents die and he is mad, and next scene he is rebellious, next scene he's a kung-fu dry cleaner, next scene he's rebellious again. Please. Grayson needs real conflict. In Forever he was just a montage of moods and he had a couple of scenes in which he actually exhibited a real conflict. Writing killed Grayson in the Forever, no doubt Nolan could work out some better writing.

Second, they couldn't decide where they wanted to go with him. Is he campy or is he streamlined, is he reckless or is he determined, is he combat able or is he a pushover? Too much of a mix of new thinking and old loyalty. They did not have a clear direction with him in Forever, that's why he failed.

My idea, stay close to the Forever story in terms of Grayson's origins. Have him be a teenager, but an older one. Try to go for the 16-17 range in order for him to be able to be adopted, but keep in mind that he's an acrobat. In terms of look, the actor's selection in the last films wasn't bad. I also like Batman rejecting him. I think that theme would work well in a Nolan film. I think the entirety of Robin's appearance would revolve around that, and that in the end Batman accepts him like in the first movie, but rejects him after he willingly kills a main villian. That would be the end of Robin in the films, killing a villian. After that, he leaves for another city and becomes Nightwing.

As for if it could work with the Batman on the run thing, perhaps better than ever. Maybe under different circumstances Batman would be more willing to take the help, but in light of what happened with Dent is very reluctant to. After Dick saves his life maybe he doesn't avoid letting him hang around, but then eventually regrets it when Dick decides to kill a villian. Maybe even better Dick kills the villian to clear Batman's name somehow. I think the other thing to keep in mind is that Dick doesn't return. Don't turn him into a recurring sidekick, have him as a reluctant ally at best and Bruce thinking he made a mistake at worst. I think that Jason and Tim are not dark enough for Nolan's films, but I think Dick could be a very dark character if handled right.

 

[the_one86]

As for clayface and Catwoman, WAAAAT? One, Clayface is a shapeshifter. You don't need to go beyond that. He can alter his appearance and possibly enhance his physique, but you don't need to go all out Sandman-in-Spiderman 3-esque Clayface.

As for Catwoman, she's one of the most down-to-earth rogues, right there alongside Joker and Riddler. Joker's just a psycho, Riddler's just an unstable genius, and Catwoman's just a jewel thief. Ra's is more fantasy-oriented than her. I think Riddler, Catwoman, and Penguin are the frontrunners for the next film.

 

[sheriken_x]

"Massdomination, Batman vs. Superman is not lopsided at all. They already had Batman vs. Superman in comics and Batman won by creating a kryptonite suit. l2 read."

Just because YOU know that doesn't mean that everyone else does.

"Wrong IGN. TDK is not only the greatest comic book film ever but also one of the greatest films ever made."

Maybe to you it is. Definitely not my #1 comic book movie.

 

[scare_me_a_clown]

Of all the characters mentioned the only one who would be really out of synch with Nolan's universe would be Robin. The rest can be reworked to fit in his 'realistic' world.

There are so many questionable motives in bringing a child into such a dangerous environment that Batman would truly be ostracized from the rest of society.

And, no, he won't be able to 'handle it' as mentioned at the end of TDK. This would truly be a deal-breaker.

 

[KSIIronGrip]

sucks that heath is dead, he was perfect as the joker, and this is like the first celeb that im actually sad died, cause he could've done so much more.

 

[bugmetolife]

FilthyRichmond.com is teh cat's taint.

 

[Swampy303]

I agree with this article. None of these characters should appear in batman 3. Especially poison ivy. TKD is a largely realistic movie and Poison Ivy's powers are too unbelievable to be featured in Batman 3.

 

[juyan16]

Well if this is the case, I guess Nolan won't be making many more sequels then seeing as how a quarter of the villians in the series such as, Bain, Mr.Freeze, Clayface, Killer Croc, and etc are science-fictionesqe characters. Either that or he's just going to make up his own villians from now on.

 

[jmace86]

I think that Bane would be a good choice for a villain in the thrid movie. He was criminally misrepresented in the abysmal failure that was Batman & Robin and I think that he definitely deserves to be given a decent characterisation in the Nolan Bat-verse.

 

[utkipp1]

I disagree. i think both Robin and Killer Croc can work in Nolan's films.

batman is worn down from fighting crime and from nunning from the police. he slips up one night and is gonna be killed but a 15 year old kid names Dick Grayson happens to distract the villian long enough for Bat's to take him out. Batman finds out about his parent's death after the circus they worked in rejected a mob deal of somesort and he finds out Dick lives at an orphanage. A few days later Bruce visits the orphanage and decides to adopt Dick, and give him a better life and to help him deal with the anger he feels over his parent's death. Somehow he finds out Bruce is Batman and wants to join him, but Batman won't let him go out with him so Dick helps him by listening o police radio with alfred in the batcave and he secretly trains himself to follow his path. And thats batman 3. no actual Robin but the character is set up for later. batman 4 would see Bruce realizing he wont be able to do this forever and Dick reveals his training and tells him he is going to follow in his footsteps whether he likes it or not, so Bruce reluctantly agrees to take him on as his successor and we get Robin. but the costume would have to be like the current Robin's with no green and just a dark red and black.

Killer Croc is doable too. Anyone ever hear of the Lizard dude who has gotten all the tats and surgeries to make him look like a lizard? Well this is what Killer croc does except he is a really big, really strong, really smart, realy insane guy who decides to take the croc thing a little too literal. and he can't be the main villain, but one who more or less annoys the hell out of batman and is a pawn in the main villians plan.

 

[shyguynumber3]

With the magic of computers and cut footage, along with back-of-the-head shots and an excellent Joker impersonator, the Joker could quite possibly be part of the third film, though only actually appearing briefly.

 

[mjm0415]

In the Gotham Knight dvd just before TDK, the introduced Killer Croc as someone with a skin disorder that was filled with the Scarecrow's fear toxin due to being a test study of Dr. Crane's. He also filed his teeth down to pointy razor sharp teeth and became a canible.

 

[Bookman230]

Man-Bat SHOULD be in, he could make Batman seem like an even bigger criminal, but he should be a pawn. Bane should be the main guy. He is dreadfully underated, even in Batman:TAS. He's smart and strong, giving Batman a major challenge. Catwoman,Riddler,Taila, and Penguin could work also{Pengin's nose would be toned down}.

 

[the_one86]

"Of all the characters mentioned the only one who would be really out of synch with Nolan's universe would be Robin. The rest can be reworked to fit in his 'realistic' world.

There are so many questionable motives in bringing a child into such a dangerous environment that Batman would truly be ostracized from the rest of society."

So, for one, don't let Batman take him in. Go the Forever route and have Robin assist Batman against his will.

Secondly, Grayson has always been the older, more mature Robin. I don't think a child Robin works in Nolan's universe, but an adolescent Robin who's just coming into his own does.

utkipp, I agree wholeheartedly except on bringing Robin back. I think Robin as a recurring character doesn't work. Keep it to one film. I like the way you set it up, but again, I think it should end with Grayson choosing a more violent route than Batman would like, causing them to go their seperate ways.

 

[TheLOT]

It would be cool to have Batman investigate the Alien of Metropolis. Have him gather facts on Superman but not have them meet or anything just yet. There should also be at least a mention of Dick Grayson.

Ra's Al Ghaul is a character I definetly want to see again. I don't want to see the penguin or the riddler or catwoman. I personally think they should go completely left field with the next Batman. I believe Grodd is a killer bad guy. I know a talking, super intelligent gorilla is over the top for a Nolan Batman movie, but still, Its time to see more of the DC universe in a Batman movie.

 

[antoinettemessina]

Bane makes the most sense for the next big villian. The idea that Bane steps in after Joker's failed attempt to take over the crime world of Gotham would be plausible. This may sound silly, but I think that Dwayne Johnson, yes ladies and gentleman The Rock, could actually portray him quite well. He is articulate, intelligent and pretty talented. With Nolan's direction and ideas he could play a FANTASTIC Bane. One worthy of the franchise. He is capable of bulking up to be a very very large man. I think the worst they could do is CGI anything with Bane.

 

[tmarks208]

let me paint a picture for all of you by adding a character known as night wing to the thought of a good character in the 3rd movie. you could look at him as a vigilante trying to capture batman as if he is what batman shuld have been (thinking that batman killed the five people) and try to become a symbol for gotham to rally behind. a good way through the movie, night wing learns the truth and then becomes an ally to batman. this way it gets a badass sidekick for batman without ruining nolans world of batman.

 

[Natendo64]

tmarks208 ummm I'm going to have to kill you for extreme stupidity nightwing is dick grayson aka robin ok not some random vigilante

 

[Vitro2000]

"However, was he being truthful or just referencing old legends? Was he really Ra's the entire time, or was he merely taking over for Ken Watanabe's deceased character?

Nolan left this interpretation up to the viewer because the mystique is much more interesting than the truth."

I really dont think that is the case. If you recall in the movie, Ra's says "But is Ra's al Ghul immortal? Are his methods supernatural?" to which Bruce says "Or just cheap parlor tricks to conceal your identity, Ra's?"

That is supposed to be a contrast to Batman and Bruce Wayne. I dont think Ra's is immortal, but more so the title is passed down, and kept hidden. I think Ken Watanabe's characters was a cover to conceal the true identity of Ra's. I dont think there is much left up to interpretation.

 

[Behellmorph666]

i think the riddler would be the best choice of the third film cause with batman on the run the poilice would hire the riddler and so he would still be batamns enemie but also keep true to what the riddler has recently become in the comics, of course it will also be sutible to have a second villain terorizing gotham so that would either be Bane or the penguin

 

[MastrSplintr18]

Very good article. What I would like to see is some of these villains who would be tough to portray on the big screen to be part of animated features that take place in the "Nolan-verse" much like Croc was in Gotham Knight. If there is a third movie, unless it starts with Batman running away, there will be a time lag and so another gap to fill in just like Begins and TDK, so a nice hour long animated feature where Batman takes down someone like the Man-bat/Mad Hatter/Poison Ivy while on the run could work. However, I would hope that they would not resolve the hunt for Batman in a non-big screen production and leave that for Batman III.
Oh yeah, and as for Batman teaming up with the Ninja Turtles? Well, it might not be a project for Nolan, but I'd buy a graphic novel about that.

 

[Blomar69]

I dont know why, but I can see Johnny Depp replacing Heath if he really puts his balls into it!

He looks very similar to him, he's a good actor, and with computers now-a-days, I'm sure they can enhance the visuals and vocals similarities.

I agree with him not being the Major character though.
Two-Face woulld be good for that(he was my favorite character in TDK only he didnt have much screen time)

 

[Blomar69]

HEY and superman wouldnt be so bad!
as long as they make the new Superman series somewhat realistic..........

 

[the_great_tsavo]

blomar69, i hope to god you're being sarcastic. i don't care who you are, there is absolutely no f****** way you can make superman realistic.

and you know we all know by now that nolan hasn't signed on yet for the third. granted i would absolutely love a third, since TDK is my favorite movie of all time (just edging out pulp fiction), but i'm probably the only one who could actually be content with not having a third one at all. why are these franchises obligated to be trilogies or beyond? why does it have to be like that? why can't you just tell a story, and if that story is only like one or two movies long, then that's fine. i left the theater after TDK and felt like it was the end of the final movie. it just felt like there was closure. i mean obviously batman is on the run now, but it seemed like it was the end of Nolan's run.

 

[Mushyren]

Am I the only guy on the face of the Earth that feels, although TDK was awesome (and only for Ledger), Batman Begins was a total miss? The only "do nots" I'm really behind are Robin and Joker. Batman should stay solo and it's too soon to bring in a replacement Joker as a primary antagonist (that said, I'd still want the Joker to reappear as soon as movie 4).

A realistic Superman would be terrible. They've proposed it before (including a weapon he would use) and it was rightfully shot down. The Superman franchise will never get off the ground until he faces a serious physical threat or tantamount danger like Brainiac. It's also just stupid to pretend that Gotham City exists in a void outside the DC Universe; cross-overs will happen sooner or later.

Plus Mr. Freeze is a much worse selection than Ivy (who, as long as she doesn't use moving plants, could stay realistic) and Clayface is more unrealistic than both Manbat and Croc combined (as traditionally he can go so far as to turn his entire body to goop besides changing his face at a moment's notice...)

 

[Jmgriffin8]

Good article, a few more would be Clayface, Batgirl, and Mr. Freeze. I don't think any of them fit into Nolan's version of Batman.

 

[Commanderlewis]

I think the list above is good! And like what Jmgriffin8 said about freeze batgirl etc!

But for a villain that is prefect for Nolan's Bat i think the BlackMask fits that universe!

 

[nsxdriven]

u guys still won't let go of talia, ra's daughter, give it up, she'd be a SHITTY character in a movie, hands down. they need riddler and catwoman, because that would be badass. they could also use ban, maybe making him this dude who is all hopped up on steroids and stuff.

 

[elshakal]

I still think they can make Robin work in this universe. Make him more serious and affected by his parents death and he'd be perfect. Not to mention his turn into Nightwing later on which would be awesome to see.

 

[mcsubzeroSharpy]

3 words where is scarface?

 

[Frosty91A]

NO ROBIN!!! That whole pedophile thing that Bruce Wayne used to do in the 50's needs to stay dead. Just like Sarah Palin's Ayers lies, Robin is a DISTRACTION. I agree with the authors. Leave Robin, Killer Croc, Superman and all of the other dweebs buried in the comics.

 

[bballman41]

fantastic article. i couldn't agree more with the exclusion of superman and robin. Riddler anyone?

 

[burntheshire]

batman vs. superman? superman would just spin the world backwards, go back in time and then kill batman when he was a baby. the end. superman wins.

 

[naruchigo]

i think heath ledger took the role of the joker at tad too seriously. Sure hes a maniacal villain willing to kill everyone around him, however the are more sides to joker. To some he is the clown prince of crime aka batman the animated series. When i saw the dark knight for the first time people were laughing in the theater around me. We are used to mark hamil's voice talents of a joker who wanted to make batz laugh and put a smile on gothams face in comical way. point is yes heath ledger nailed the role; its a damm shame it got to him thou.

 

[razalien-tk]

I always thought when the Ghul man talked of immortality he meant his Ideas. Sure he can be brought back. I hope this is explored more deeply.

You can't kill an idea, or a purpose. And Ras's purpose is to destroy Babylon...er, Gotham City.

 

[kswindl]

ugh...a lot of times these types of articles are written based on the assumption that ALL of these things are good in their own right...."they just don't fit with the type of movie they want to make".
the fact is....the batman franchise has been around 50+ years.....and its passed through the hands of many writers...many of them bad.
what you get in the end is something that's not completely consistent. sometimes you've got well fleshed out characters that are, while obviously belonging in a comic book, compelling. (and when i say "obviously belonging in a comic book," i mean people walking around with half their faces burned off)
other times you get immortal villains and psychos dressed like the mad hatter.
the point being: some aspects of the batman franchise represent some of the worst gimmicks in the comic book industry (too many of which, might i add, also found in soap operas)
recurring villains and scenarios...
sidekicks being brought back to life after being stuck in alternate universes and infinite dimensions!!!!!

dont get me started on multi-hero team ups. almost always completely worthless
[foreboding music rising.....then stop]
batman: i think im gonna need some help on this one
[DUN-DUUUUUH]

i know its a WB exec's wet dream, but really. what goes through their heads? "lets see....batman money + superman money = .....oh dear god! hire some writers!"

i think that right now, the batman movies are THEMATICALLY where they need to be. any new batman movie would only be treading water. don't expect another classic movie in batman 3

 

[FMcInnis]

I would love to see Robin introduced and killed (possibly by a recently-escaped Joker) in the same picture. This may sound sadistic, but honestly I don't hate Robin. I just think this would be a hell of a shocker that would send Nolan's Batman (who seems a little too laid back at times) on a rampage against crime. It would also allow the Joker (who can still work with another talented actor) to draw Batman back into a duel.

 

[bloodgraive]

wow this is the stupidest thing ive ever seen....

 

[batman_is_god]

The Riddler first started as a freelance detective working on who the BATMAN was for the gotham city police department. I think that would work well considering the BATMAN's situation with the police at the end of THE DARK KNIGHT. They would just need another villian. And they did use scarecrow, who is not all tat realistic. So characters that are only slightly out there could be worked into realistic, like bane or mr.freeze. Maybe Hush, but he is too recent.

By the way, I think joker is overrated. Ra's is my favorite

 

[legacyAccount]

I disagree with Poise Ivy, I think with the right actress and enough detrermination the charecter could fit in pretty well with Nolans films. Also, the only way Superman and Batman could ever be in a film together now they would have to reinvent the Superman films from scratch. There would have to be atleast one 'new' Superman film before they even think of putting the two together. So I don't see it happening for a good few years. Apart from that I agree with the article and an interesting one at that.

 

[Iamz]

Everyone NEEDS to rent "The Lookout" with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and you'll be AMAZED by how much he resembles Ledger in it. From the long hair to the grim facial expressions. There were times I was caught off guard, wondering why Heath Ledger was in this the movie. Plus, his character was involved in a car wreck so he walks funny, just like the Joker in TDK. After watching it, I had no problem with Levitt being cast, as he is proving himself a powerful acting force.
But seriously check it out!