Matt Reeves’ The Batman has made a killer splash with audiences and critics. Shortly after the film’s release, Warner Bros. revealed it had no less than three HBO Max spin-off series in development. The most notable one focuses on Colin Farrell’s Penguin character. Additionally, a Gotham PD spin-off was ordered but was ultimately shelved; it is shifting now to Arkham Asylum. This new direction has an opportunity to expand Batman’s rogues’ gallery for the Reeves universe in a fun, creative way.
From Forbes, Reeves said about the project:
The Batman has already featured Paul Dano’s brilliant and sinister iteration of Riddler, the aforementioned Penguin, and Catwoman, played by Zoey Kravitz. In late March, fans were treated to a deleted scene featuring a terrifying Joker played by Barry Keoghan. An eventual sequel to The Batman is greenlit, leaving many fans speculating which villain will be showcased next. Will it indeed be Joker? Penguin in a more prominent role? The speculation will only widen with time, and this new Arkham Asylum series may clue us in more than we realize.
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But who do fans need to see? Who do they want to see? In the pantheon of live-action adventures of the World’s Greatest Detective, portrayals of villains have been warmly received or coldly despised. With this alternate version of Pattinson’s Batman being set on Earth-2, the choice of villains not featured in the film are up for grabs. Depending on which villains the series chooses to introduce, the expectations will undoubtedly fluctuate. Rumors have circulated about Mr. Freeze or Court of Owls (finally) showing up in a future feature film. But here are four relatively more minor villains that should make their debut in the Arkham series.
Killer Croc
Warner Bros. Animation
A Batman foe that has yet to reach full potential outside the comics and animated adventures is Killer Croc. Formerly known as Waylon Jones, Killer Croc turned to a life of crime due to his rare genetic condition, which left him feeling ridiculed and isolated, finding work as a sideshow entertainer. While often resigned as only a physical challenge for Batman, his inclusion in the Arkham series could allow for some on-screen character development. His physical stature and ghastly reptilian appearance would be an interesting addition to the otherwise grounded nature of The Batman.
Clayface
DC Comics
This particular character has undergone several incarnations (and aliases) throughout his 80-plus year existence in Detective Comics. The more popular versions of Clayface have shown his creative shape-shifting abilities to be a frustrating pain for the Dark Knight. If he makes an appearance in the show, it wouldn’t be surprising if the creators tapped into his first shade of villainy. This would have him appear as a serial killer borrowing the identity of a horror movie villain, symbolically transforming into another person instead of physically morphing into them.
Calendar Man
A character often overlooked and underappreciated, Julian Gregory Day, a.k.a. Calendar Man, at first doesn’t seem like a villain worth plucking from the gallery. Ironically, that is Calendar Man’s best trait. His innocuous and subtle existence dials down his importance, especially against all the other headliner baddies that usually encounter Batman. His high-level intellect made him an asset à la Hannibal Lecter-style for the Caped Crusader during the run of The Long Halloween. His obsession with dates and holidays (and sometimes murder) still fits the nuanced wackiness of the other villains introduced thus far in The Batman. His appearance as a mental opponent for Batman could even rival that of Riddler.
Victor Zsasz
It might be easy to chalk Victor Zsasz up as just another loose-cannon serial killer. To be fair, that is what he is. But in arguably the greatest live-action Gotham setting seen yet, it would be a crime not to introduce a sadomasochistic supervillain who would deftly round out the batch of true-crime-esque adversaries seen thus far. Zsasz has been in Batman stories for decades, displaying self-imposed carvings on his body tallying up his victim amount. Given his origin as a man who loses all financial capital in spectacular fashion – in the Iceberg Lounge headed by Penguin no less – his menacing existence as a wild card would fit right in for this universe.
While there are many other worthy adversaries that have taken residence in Arkham Asylum in the span of Batman’s adventures, this starter pack would provide a variety of strengths to challenge justice in Gotham. The spread here is quite mixed between the brainy and brawny, the crazy and the crazier. There are many opportunities with this small set of villains for strong but short story arcs with satisfying pay-offs. The success of Zsazs’ and Calendar Man’s inclusion is baked in with the established noir atmosphere that Reeves has created. The biggest gamble would be Clayface or Killer Croc, undoubtedly. No matter which villain shows up in this new Arkham series, it is assured they will leave a lasting mark on an already impressive ensemble.
