Dark Knight Deviants: Who Will be Next?

I could ramble on about how The Dark Knight is a masterpiece despite Christian Bale’s bizarre “raspy voice,” or how the Joker was one of the greatest movie villains ever created …but I won’t. I reckon you’ve grown weary of this banter by now. No use in beating a dead, bat-winged horse: we saw it, we loved it, we miss Heath Ledger. We get it.

Instead, let’s move ahead to the future of Gotham’s favorite vigilante, and more importantly, what really matters to everyone: who he’s going to fight next. Rumors are rampant, ranging everywhere from Angelina Jolie as Catwoman to Johnny Depp as the Riddler, but let’s step away from the casting table for a moment to reflect upon the comic book characters themselves.

First and foremost, everyone needs to get one thing perfectly clear: Christopher Nolan’s Gotham City is one hell of a messed-up place, and rightfully so. It’s pretty much a prerequisite to have at least one mental illness to reside there, and even then, not all of them can truly call it home. I cringe at the thought of the Mad Hatter, for example, stepping foot onto its sullied streets. And Joel Schumacher’s Riddler? Ha! He’d be eaten alive by some pissed-off alley cat whose parents were just killed by a rottweiler.

Since so many of the classic Batman villains have been bastardized in previous films to such an extent that I shudder at the mere thought of them returning, I was relieved to discover that David Goyer, co-writer of Batman Begins and story developer for Dark Knight, hinted that he and Nolan would dive into uncharted waters next time around, using a foe never portrayed on camera before as the source of Batman’s woes.

Although lips are sealed regarding exactly who they have chosen, logical choices are narrowed drastically if they’ll be dwelling in the dark, disturbing Gotham we know and love. Humanoids like Killer Croc and Man-Bat are probably out of the question, as are (thankfully) kitschy characters like Crazy Quilt and Kite Man. Some of them shouldn’t have even made it to the comic, let alone become immortalized on the silver screen.

The most likely candidate would be Black Mask, who has just the right amount of psychoses and credibility to fit the bill. He killed his neglectful parents, he’s disfigured, and he disfigured his ex-girlfriend too, who kills herself shortly thereafter (and whom he replaces with a mannequin to converse with, might I excitedly add). He also resents Bruce Wayne being a better businessman than himself (which honestly isn’t too hard to do considering he released a toxic line of cosmetics that maimed hundreds of people). As head of the False Face Society, his “mob boss” persona would be easily translatable to film, while his personal vendetta against Wayne Enterprises would keep the plot line sizzling.

One of the first recurring characters Batman ever faced also has a sporting chance of being featured: Hugo Strange, a master of psychology better suited for a straight jacket than a lab coat. His genetic experiments with Arkham Asylum patients have made mindless, cannibalistic brutes out of them (i.e. “fast zombies”), while his hallucinogens lead him to discover Batman’s identity, and could serve as a potential tie-in to Scarecrow’s drugs in Batman Begins. Mad scientists and human experimentation are always a barrel of monkeys, and this would be no exception. Sure, zombies aren’t the most realistic things for the “Nolanverse,” but they’re certainly gritty and raw (much like the flesh they eat), so I think they could make it work.

Hush, contrary to his name, is anything but a wallflower, and would also serve as a worthy rival to the Caped Crusader with his criminal tendencies and multitude of “issues.” Also, contrary to his appearance, this mummy in a trench coat surprisingly isn’t Darkman. Although his convoluted storyline is worthy of a Mexican soap opera, it could easily be simplified for the camera’s sake by establishing his origins. In short, Bruce Wayne and Hush used to be childhood friends; now, not so much. ‘Nuff said. And, much like every other Batman villain, he hated his parents—tried to kill them, in fact (he half-succeeded). Oh, and did I mention he’s a doctor too? Considering the amount of lunatics Batman faces that are doctors, I seriously have to question the quality of Gotham’s healthcare system sometimes.

There’s a cornucopia of other ne’er-do-wells that could fit the bill and will possibly show up as supporting cast members (after all, there tends to be multiple villains per film), but these are the most likely head honchos if they’re going with previously untouched characters. Regardless of who is chosen, these three nemeses would follow suit with their cinematic predecessors, providing new insights regarding “the man beneath the mask” while simultaneously wearing “masks” of their own, which is always an intriguing theme any way you deal it. Anybody care to place bets on who the winner will be?