There have been eight solo theatrical Batman films since 1989. This includes The Batman, but it does not include any of the DC universe films since none of them were technically solo adventures. Of the live-action films, not many of them have strayed far from Batman’s main repertoire of villains. There are a lot of repeat offenders like the Joker.
The Joker is an all-time classic, but he has been done to death. He even got his own movie. What about the B-tier and even C-tier villains. If they could make for intriguing episodes in the cartoon then surely they could be entering on the big screen. It’s unknown if The Batman will get a sequel. However, if it does, maybe it could include one or more of these eight choices.
8 Clayface
Clayface would make for a fantastic mystery thriller film plot. The villain first appeared in the cartoon episode called “Feat Of Clay” which was a two-parter. The villain begins as an actor who is addicted to this chemical that allows him to stay youthful.
Clayface is born after he falls into a vat of the stuff. This allows him to change his appearance and voice on a dime. A film plot could have Clayface impersonating Batman to commit heinous crimes in his name.
7 The Ventriloquist
This may sound like a joke villain from the cartoon but every episode involving The Ventriloquist rules. Arnold Wesker is The Ventriloquist while his puppet is called Scarface. He is the real brains of the operation and acts like a mob boss. Wesker has a split personality disorder which comes out through this puppet.
Everything he does he says Scarface makes him do it. He is a sniveling worm otherwise which can make Wesker a sympathetic character. “Double Talk” is like the penultimate episode of the cartoon for those interested.
6 Baby Doll
Baby Doll first appears in the self-titled episode “Baby Doll” in the cartoon. Her story might sound just as ridiculous as a guy voicing a puppet to commit crimes. This villainess used to be a child actor.
She eventually left her comfy life as a sitcom star to pursue other interests like the stage. Unfortunately, Baby Doll has a rare disease that makes her look like a child for eternity. This causes society to not take her seriously thus resulting in a meltdown. How cool would a film in the Batman franchise be wherein a child is revealed to be the true mastermind?
5 The Clock King
This villain might be considered to be another joke character. The Clock King turns to a life of crime after people keep causing problems with his schedule. “Time out of Joint” is one of the best episodes of the cartoon that he is in.
The Clock King hijacks a belt that allows him to seemingly move quickly through time. However, there is a trick to this. This idea could be expanded in a film to include time travel. Maybe Christopher Nolan would be interested to add in a few pointers for the next director since a lot of his movies involve time travel in some regard.
4 The Mad Hatter
The filmmakers might have some trouble creating a movie involving The Mad Hatter, but they should do whatever is necessary. He is based on the Alice and Wonderland character, which is public domain, but this could still be tricky depending on film rights regarding the name.
It’s like how the Spider-Man film universes are split because Sony and Disney can’t seem to make a consistent deal. Making movies is not an easy business. Now, “Mad as A Hatter” is this villain’s debut episode in the cartoon. He uses chips to control people which could make for a thrilling film plot with zombie-like citizens going after Batman.
3 Man-Bat
Speaking of the split film universes of Spider-Man, the next Batman film could go after Morbius. That film’s plot is about a doctor, Michael Morbius, turning into a vampire after the "cure" for his rare disease goes wrong.
It also involves using bat DNA. That’s almost exactly what happens to the doctor in the episode “On Leather Wings” in the cartoon. The only difference is that Man-Bat is a giant bat instead of a more humanoid vampire like Michael. Maybe this sequel Batman film could do a better job with this subject matter than Morbius.
2 Calendar Girl
Calendar Girl has no relation to the more ridiculous Batman villain, Calendar Man. This tragic femme fatale turned to a life of crime after the fashion industry seemingly threw her away due to her aging looks. She first appears in “Mean Season” in the cartoon.
What makes her a fun villain is her henchman. She uses buff models that look like she acquired them from a Magic Mike show. What’s under her mask? Is she hideously grotesque or is there another more tragic secret? Watch the episode or cross those fingers for her to appear in the next Batman movie to find out.
1 H.A.R.D.A.C.
This idea for a Batman movie is a bit more high-minded. H.A.R.D.A.C. isn’t a person. It’s a computer. Specifically, it is an AI that was created by the technician, Karl Rossum, who works for the tech giant Cybertron. Both characters appear in “Heart of Steel” which is another two-parter in the cartoon.
As is the case with most AI, it decides humans are no longer necessary and starts to send out robots to replace mankind. It’s kind of like I, Robot mixed with Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It could be another good mystery thriller for this long-running movie franchise.