From the moment he appeared on screen, it was established that Ben Affleck's Batman was no newbie to crime fighting. Although Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice did little to showcase the Dark Knight's previous encounters with the biggest and baddest of Gotham City, it was clear that he was already a veteran by the time he came face to face with the son of Krypton and Doomsday.
With the announcement that Affleck himself will star in and possibly also direct a new standalone Batman movie, the buzz is that some of the most iconic villains in DC history will be included in the roster.
According to Birth.Movies.Death., Affleck and producer Geoff Johns want to fill the new movie with as many villains as possible.
“They want to tell the ultimate Batman story, and to do so they're going to bring in all the big guns,” the report says.
Although no official list of villains has been presented yet, here's a rundown of some of the best villains ever to duel with the Bats who could potentially appear in the new film about the Caped Crusader.
The Joker
We simply cannot talk about Batman villains without giving a nod to his ultimate nemesis: The Joker. And with Jared Leto already making headlines for the extreme length of method acting and pranks he played on his Suicide Squad cast mates to get into character, many are hoping that he'll make enough of a mark on the character to warrant an appearance in another film.
Catwoman
Chris Nolan had his Dark Knight run away and live happily ever after with Anne Hathaway, aka Selena Kyle. Fans had mixed feelings about this outcome, but perhaps Affleck could rectify the situation and give fans back the tension-filled relationship between Batman and Catwoman.
The Riddler and Penguin
If Affleck and Johns decide to go by route of 1966's Batman: The Movie, perhaps all four of the aforementioned villains could team up once again on the big screen to take down the defender of Gotham.
The Suicide Squad
We already know that Affleck's Batman makes a cameo appearance in the upcoming anti-hero film. It wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see many of the DC universe's best villains also pay a visit on the set of the new Batman movie as well.
Anarky
Anarky has never been portrayed on the big screen yet. But he may just be the fresh face needed to inject into the cinematic world of DC to set apart Affleck's Batman. Similar to Affleck's portrayal of Batman, Anarky wants to purge Gotham of corruption and will go to any lengths to achieve it. Unlike Bruce Wayne's noble motivations to create his alter ego though, Anarky's self-importance is his downfall.
Clayface
This shape-shifting brute has been a mainstay antagonist in Batman comics since the 1940s. Before he went bad, he was one of the Gotham Police's most respected officers and was even Bruce Wayne's best friend. But just like Harley Quinn, he has The Joker to thank for torturing him and exposing him to the Putty that melted off his skin, turning him into Clayface.
Poison Ivy
Wonder Woman undoubtedly stole the show in Dawn of Justice. And Harley Quinn is ruling all the trailers of Suicide Squad thus far. It would probably be in DC's best interests to lay out another one of its best female characters out for a new movie.
Dr. Pamela Isley was a botanist who turned into the eco-terrorist, femme fatale, Poison Ivy. She was a worthy adversary for Batman from the beginning; however, her storyline involving Harley Quinn, steaming up the comic book pages, is what fans are clamoring to see heat up the big screen as well.
Azrael
Jean-Paul Valley took it upon himself to continue Batman's work even when he was out of commission after getting defeated by Bane. But even though the new Batman is arguably the most brutal on-screen Batman we've seen yet, Azrael's psychotic tendencies to kill and eliminate villains without remorse still makes him one that the real Batman must put away.
Dr. Fortune and Aliens
In 1998, a crossover comic between Batman and Aliens was created where Batman drops into the middle of the jungles of Guatemala and comes into contact with the famous face-huggers. In a sequel to the book published in 2003, an army scientist named Dr. Fortune comes across hidden alien specimens and uses them along with DNA taken from inmates at Arkham Asylum to create xenomorph super villains to keep superheroes in check.
This would certainly take the new Batman's trust level for aliens on Earth way back down after making so much progress with Superman in Dawn of Justice.
The Heretic and Damian Wayne
Bruce Wayne's son by Talia al Ghul. Damian has both the blood of Batman and Ra's al Ghul (his grandfather) in his veins. As a young child, he was raised and trained by the League of Assassins, but also fought side by side with his father as the fifth Robin. In the comic books he was killed by an adult clone of himself, The Heretic – which could make for very interesting father-son dynamics in a standalone Batman film.
