The three-hour epic The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, offered some viewers more than simply a new perspective on the origin story of the Caped Crusader. Instead, it was Barry Keoghan’s unexpected appearance as the Joker.
It’s not that the film lacked villains; there were plenty of them, from well-known figures like the Riddler and the Penguin to John Turturro’s menacingly subtle performance as crime leader Carmine Falcone.
Even more so than the Dark Knight trilogy by the previous director, Christopher Nolan, Reeves took a shockingly realistic approach to Batman. How many of Batman’s infamously colorful rogues gallery could be described as fitting this style?
It turns out, more than you might anticipate. Reeves is one of many filmmakers presenting ambitious DC projects to Warner Bros., including The Suicide Squad director James Gunn and Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Reeves, according to the publication, intends to create films “centered on Batman rogue s gallery, both established and more obscure, with characters ranging from the Scarecrow to Clayface to Professor Pyg.
” Although THR emphasizes that all of these projects are “in the very early stages of gestation,” it does make it clear that Reeves is referring to films and not an HBO Max series comparable to the planned Colin Farrell-led Penguin series.
The Scarecrow undoubtedly functions inside a more realistic environment, as Nolan already demonstrated in Batman Begins and its sequels. The other two names on this list, though, do stand out for other reasons.
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Clayface has been a Batman foe for a very long time; he originally appeared in Detective Comics #40 in 1940. Because of his recent comic book appearances and significant part in Batman: The Animated Series, Clayface is best known for being a huge, shape-shifting mud creature with excellent impersonation abilities.
However, Reeves’ Clayface would probably be similar to the original version of the character, in which he was essentially a Lon Chaney-style actor who employed makeup to hide when committing crimes.
Professor Pyg, one of the more recent additions to Batman’s roster of villains, made his debut in the critically acclaimed Batman & Robin run, which saw the original Robin Dick Grayson assume the role of Batman following Bruce Wayne’s passing (actually, he was sent back in time by Darkseid, where he manifested throughout history as a reoccurring Bat-myth because comics are awesome).
The first foe of Grayson’s Batman and his Robin, Bruce Wayne’s son Damien Wayne, was Professor Pyg. As a deranged surgeon wearing a pig mask, Pyg performed odd operations on his victims, turning them into mindless “Dollotrons” while frequently muttering unsettling and bizarre nonsense.
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Pyg has made multiple comic book appearances and even crossed over into other media. In both the video game Batman: Arkham Knight and the animated series Beware the Batman and Gotham’s fourth season, Professor Pyg played a significant antagonistic role.
Despite these appearances, Professor Pyg continues to be one of the more eccentric and obscure Bat villains. Reeves’ willingness to delve this far into the bad guy bullpen demonstrates both his familiarity with Batman and his ambition to explore tales that are rarely seen outside of comic books.
Additionally, it inspires followers with the possibility that more obscure characters will get larger exposure. Could KGBeast soon be released on television?
What about Kite-Man, Condiment King, Enemy Ace, Anarky, or the like? Regardless of who moves into Arkham Asylum’s cells next, it will be evident that the Joker was only the beginning.