Willravel

I'll ask that this thread be renamed when the next title is revealed.

This thread is about speculation regarding the next Batman movie following the Dark Knight. It will feature speculation on plot, casting, villain, title, and many other things. Hopefully it will also be the official thread in the next year or two when information about Batman Begins 3 starts to surface.

Be warned: thar be spoilers ahead.

I'd like to start this with speculation about the general plot and thus the villain(s) which will help to close the best Batman franchise ever. I'm going to come right out and say it: Catwoman. We were allowed a glimpse of the Batman pretenders in The Dark Knight, and it stands to reason that there will be more and more as time goes on. One such pretender, or at least one who is inspired to vigilantism, could be a thief by the name of Selena Kyle. After the untimely death of Rachel Dawes, Batman/Bruce will likely be left heartbroken and not find any comfort in the arms of the more shallow company he keeps as Bruce. Along with Batman being chased by the police in connection with the Dent murders, he will be in an especially dark place. I somehow don't think this will be enough story, though. This leaves the floor open for another villain.

I'll admit to being concerned that it could be the Riddler, or as I like to call him "the second most boring villain in Batman's rogues gallery after the Penguin". I hope this idea is dismissed, instead being someone a bit more complex and maybe sinister. I would personally like to see one of two: Bane or Mr. Freeze. I know that these are both a bit more science fiction than Ras, Scarecrow, and Joker, but we need escalation to be followed, as it's a central theme of the franchise.

Bane: Around 1993, when I was a boy who read comic books, Bane was a very different character than the one most might be familiar with today. He is a brilliant strategist, very cultured, and even a bit melancholy, in addition to his greatly enhanced strength from the venom serum. Bane's hatred of Batman comes from his own childhood, where he is haunted by nightmares of a demonic figure which resembles Batman. Instead of attacking Batman, he attacks Arkham and frees many great villains which Batman spends months rounding up. Bane discovers Batman's identity and battles him at Wane Manor, eventually breaking Batman's back, paralyzing him. Many likened this moment (which can be seen in the Knightfall series 1993-1994) as being paralleled to the death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday. A combination of Robin, Catwoman, and a character named "Azrael" had to protect the city as Bruce went to seek out a supernatural means of healing.

I'm not saying they have to follow this story (though it's quite engaging), but using the character of Bane from this series, instead of the dumb brute as he is portrayed elsewhere, would be good for the series.

Mr. Freeze: please, please forget Arnold's despicable suck fest. The Mr. Freeze from pre-crisis and from the Animated series of the 90s was a complex, depressed, and endlessly devoted man who's one purpose in life was to save his beloved wife. All of the crimes he committed were to fund or somehow help to find the cure to her ailment (which changed from time to time, but basically she has to be kept in a suspended state or die). Ra's, Scarecrow, and Joker, the villains so far, have been id's run wild. None of them were particularly sympathetic characters which allowed us the simple choice of siding with Batman completely, even when he was doing morally questionable things to stop them. But what of a heroic character who is obsessed with saving his one true love? Not even Two-Face can compete with that.

There are a lot of other villains to consider, and there is the fact that Batman will be hunted by the Gotham Police, which also opens up the possibility of Batman squaring off with a hero. I keep coming back to Green Arrow, who is nearly a mirror image of Batman—wealthy, socially active, anti-hero, relies on technology instead of superpowers—but just different enough that he could make for an interesting challenge for Batman.

Robin/Nightwing? The Dark Knight made it clear that Bruce agreed that staying Batman forever was a mistake and something he wasn't interested in. He wants someone to take over, and this could be motivation to accept someone under his wing. No annoying little kid, or some idiot (Chris O'Donnel), but someone who Batman fears will become a villain if he doesn't interfere.

Thoughts?