Comic Con is in full swing, and a Batman 3 announcement could come any day now. The one thing that has been on many people’s minds is the subject of the antagonist(s).  Christopher Nolan has said time and time again that the Joker will NOT be appearing in Batman 3.

Who Could We See?

There are a multitude of villains in the Batman universe, but we won’t waste our time with Bookworm or Egghead! The following five characters have been compiled by their potential for fitting in with Nolan’s Gotham City, as well as their potential for being a compelling villain.

The Riddler

Eward Nygma is the most obvious choice. As a bat-villain, he ranks just under the Joker, and like that character before The Dark Knight, he hasn’t been done justice in any of the live action films. Unlike the bombastic joke that appeared in the 1960s series and Batman Forever, Nygma is an intellectual genius. The current rumor is that Joseph Gorden-Levitt is on the top of the list to play The Riddler.

Catwoman

Many believe that we will be seeing Selina Kyle come to Gotham. Between the Adam West series and Batman Returns, her live action counterparts were usually portrayed as straight up bad, but in other mediums, like the comics and Batman: The Animated Series, she usually walked a neutral line between good and evil. To her best incarnation, she was a cross between an animal rights activist and a cat burglar. Often, she would intermingle with the title character, frequently causing a conflict of interest.

The Penguin

While not as likely as Nygma or Kyle, Oswald Cobblepot could be portrayed realistically. Unlike Tim Burton’s vision, The Penguin was not half-bird, but 100% human. He also wasn’t a disgusting pervert. Basically, he’s just a large crime boss with a sharp nose. He’s also a businessman, who owns a nightclub called The Iceberg Lounge. With Falconi and possibly Maroni out of the loop, who better to take over the crime syndicates than Cobblepot? Which leads me to my next villain….

Rupert Thorne

While he doesn’t dress like a psychotic, he is a likely choice for the mob boss role, a part that could easily be filled by either Cobblepot or Thorne. Or both. Who’s to say there couldn’t be a  bit of competition between two different crime syndicates?

Red Claw

While her costume never did her any justice, Red Claw is more or less a head of a terrorist organization. While she isn’t suggested often in these lists, with the right character design and actress, she would make for a great villain.

Who won’t we be seeing?

The following is a list of characters who we shouldn’t see in the Nolanverse.

Mr. Freeze

While Batman: TAS had created a brilliant backstory for the character (you know, the tragedy involving his wife, which was later picked up as official canon), there is far too much fantasy and science fiction involving the character for him to be grounded in the more realistic approach Nolan has taken with the series.

Harley Quinn

She makes for a fun cartoon character, but really she is just a female Joker. Including her in Batman 3 would just be too repetitive.

Clayface

A man made of clay. Enough said!

The Mad Hatter

I love this villain. He was responsible for my absolute favorite episode of Batman: TAS. But since he’s a bit too much like the Scarecrow, his character would also be a bit repetitive.

Poison Ivy

A girl who controls plants is a tad bit far fetched for the Nolanverse.

What fresh faces do you want to see in Batman 3?

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