Batman III Thoughts

So obviously The Dark Knight is doing well for itself - totally making Spider-Man his bitch at the box office. This has fueled no small amount of speculation about the 3rd movie in the series.

Especially over at Cinematical, where there's been at least 3 posts about who Batman should face next, or rumours to that effect.

Some interesting points in the comments (I have double-checked none of these, so can't vouch for accuracy):

- WB has been aggressively protecting Catwoman and Harley Quinn copyrights recently it seems
- Aaron Eckhart is signed for two films
- There was a character named Reese (or Mr. Reese = Mysteries = Riddler?) who could be in a position to do some damage

Throw in some plot details (could be spoilers, but I told you to go see the movie already):

- Batman/Bruce Wayne has a window for a love interest now
- The crime family situation in Gotham is up for grabs (whether or not Sal is still alive)
- There have always been at least two "name" villains in Nolan's movies so far (Scarecrow and Ra's Al Ghul, Joker and Two-Face)
- Along with those villains, there's been a gangster - Carmine Falcone in the 1st and Sal Maroni in the 2nd.
- Joker is still alive

So the popular choices seem to have Talia Al Ghul show up, and then toss in a Riddler or Catwoman. Bear in mind that Ra's Al Ghul is essentially immortal (if his followers found him and got him to a Lazarus pit in time...), but that could be stretching it for Nolan's universe, where people don't have superpowers. Lots of people want Two-Face back, although I thought it was pretty obvious he was dead, but that could be worked around. There's also some people who think Heath can be replaced, since nobody really saw Heath Ledger, they saw the Joker.

Me? I suggested Black Mask and that seems to have some support too.

I think Talia Al Ghul doesn't work. She's far too obscure for the general public, and with her connection to the first movie, she'd have to have a major role. Plus, it doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense plot development-wise.

You need at least one classic Rogues Gallery baddie, and I think Riddler and Catwoman work best. Penguin COULD work, but he doesn't strike me as menacing enough. Catwoman wouldn't necessarily work as the main though.

Depending how long they can make the series work without destroying it, I'd push for a Black Mask and Catwoman 3rd movie, with Riddler maybe in the distant background preparing for the 4th.

In the comics, Black Mask consolidates and controls the Gotham crime syndicates, which would be easy to to with their current state. Joker burnt half their money, killed a few of the leaders, and the guy who knew where the rest of the cash was. Sal Maroni is possibly dead, and the rest are scared. So in steps Black Mask to bring it all back together.

Meanwhile, Bruce is lamenting Rachel, and Batman is a fugitive. In steps Catwoman - an incredibly skilled thief who isn't exactly evil, just bad. The standard love story between her and Bats/Bruce comes into play, especially since he's now seen as an outlaw himself.

Mr. Reese meanwhile is going nuts after the attempts on his life, and conflicted over Bruce Wayne saving him, despite his threats to identify Batman. The constant conflict and questioning leads him off the deep end as The Riddler... but he's for the 4th. But then, Joshua Harto isn't that big a name, do you trust him with a major villain? The whole Coleman Reese angle could be nothing though, but I was intrigued by it.

Now Two-Face was awesome. I hope he's dead, but if he's not, then it provides an easy way to clear Batman's name and he has the continued causes of fighting the gangs and Batman with his own special brand of crazy. ESPECIALLY if Catwoman is in the movie and he now has something he can take away from Bruce/Bats.

I have faith in Nolan to not Spidey 3 this thing with too many villains. If Black Mask gets relegated to the "gangster" category of Carmine and Sal, then you can still have Catwoman and Riddler or Two-Face and maintain the balance of the previous films.

Then there's Anthony Michael Hall's character Mike Engel... if he's alive, he's got to have some issues too now, but he'd likely become a tabloid reporter with a vendetta against Batman - blaming him for the escalation that created Joker. Because with Batman on the run and a known figure in Gotham, the media has to fit in somewhere.

I just hope Bat Manuel stays mayor.

I guess we'll all know in a couple years who will be what.