Matt Reeves’ The Batman is arriving in theaters soon, and our anticipation is at an all-time high. Although this is the eighth solo Batman live-action film since 1989, this movie already has the record for most classic villains in one live-action Bat-film. Although you may know most of them, there’s possibly one you may have missed. Here’s the rundown on all the rogues you can expect Robert Pattinson to take on in The Batman:
The Batman’s Villains: Catwoman
Zoe Kravitz is playing Catwoman in The Batman, the first big-screen Selina Kyle since Anne Hathaway put on the mask in The Dark Knight Rises. From what we can see, this is a very Frank Miller Batman: Year One take on the feline Fatale. She’s a street-wise cat burglar extraordinaire. Even Catwoman’s costume from 2022’s The Batman looks like a cross between David Mazzucchelli’s DIY cat mask from Year One and the late Darwyn Cooke’s look from the early 2000s.
Just like most great Catwoman incarnations, a key component of her character is her romantic entanglement with the Bat. And with Bruce Wayne. Which looks to remain intact in Matt Reeves’ world. Catwoman has always straddled the line between villain and hero in Batman’s world. That looks to remain the same in The Batman. We can’t wait to see Zoe crack that whip.
The Batman’s Villains: The Riddler
The Riddler is one of Batman’s most prominent enemies to the general audience. Especially since the Batman ’66 TV show. But he has not appeared as a villain in a Batman movie since Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. Well, Paul Dano’s version seems to be the polar opposite of that performance. But his version of Edward Nashton (0r Nygma) still seems to love nothing more than sending the Batman deadly conundrums. The green tights and bowler hat may be gone, replaced by something scarier. But the Riddler is still as smart and deadly a villain as before, a worthy match for Pattinson’s Batman. With just a dash more of Zodiac killer thrown in for good measure.
The Batman’s Villains: The Penguin
One of the earliest costumed criminals Batman faced after the Joker was none other than Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot. But you might know him better as the Penguin. He first appeared in the pages of Detective Comics back in 1940. However, we haven’t seen the dapperly dressed bird-themed villain on the big screen since Batman Returns, thirty years ago. Tim Burton’s Penguin was a mutant, but Oswald is merely a strange-looking man with a penchant for villainy in the comics. One who just has a thing for birds. Not that Batman can throw any stones at this villain.
The version of Penguin in The Batman’s trailer looks much more like the comic book version. All thanks to an incredible makeup job that totally hides the actor’s (Colin Farrell) real features. In Matt Reeves’ version of things, Pengy is just an underworld boss with a big ol’ beak, not a guy with flippers. And that’s just how we like him. Hopefully, Farrell gets that Penguin cackle just right. Especially since we’ll see a lot more of this Batman villain when he returns in an HBO Max spin-off series.
The Batman’s Villains: Carmine Falcone
Carmine Falcone isn’t a costumed criminal, but he’s definitely the mafia Don that has had the most significant impact on Batman’s life. He first appeared as Gotham City’s most powerful crime boss in Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, using the nickname “The Roman.” The head of the Falcone crime family, his story continued in the classic mystery story The Long Halloween, where Two-Face ultimately kills him.
The New 52 reboot of the line from DC Comics would ultimately undo that death, making him a recurring Batman villain. The powers that be decided that he was just too good a bad guy to waste, despite the lack of gimmicks or costumes. Despite just a handful of appearances, Falcone went on to feature in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins and on the TV series Gotham. Now, he’s also in The Batman, played by John Turturro.
Could There Be Other Villains in The Batman?
Of course, whenever a Batman movie comes up, lots of speculation arises about the villains the film might feature. The Caped Crusader has a rich history of baddies that people want to see on screen again and again. And The Batman is no different in this respect. So naturally, a top question on everyone’s mind is: Will the Joker appear in 2022’s The Batman? But for now, the Clown Prince of Crime has not appeared in any of The Batman’s promotional materials.
On the one hand, this doesn’t necessarily mean the Joker won’t appear in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. But, on the other hand, the 2022 Batman film is already full of villains enough. From true evil menaces to grey area frenemies to crime bosses… That’s a lot of villains for just one Batman to take on. Even if that Batman is Robert Pattinson, complete with emo hair and an emo Batsuit. And we have to leave some foes for a sequel to The Batman, should one arise.
Only time will tell, though, whether any other Batman foes make the cut. You can see all of The Batman’s villains, and, of course, the Bat himself, when The Batman releases in theaters on March 4.