SGMurphy.com

One of my favorite fictional characters has been on my mind lately: Batman. I just finished reading the issue where he is killed off in the comic book continuum. You may have heard about it, one of those events even mainstream media picks up. Removing Bruce Wayne from the Batman series is a bold move, but the legend lives on with Dick Grayson and others taking on the cowl. How did he die, you ask? Spoiler alert: He confronted the most powerful alien baddie in the DC Universe, Darkseid, and he did it alone and during an enslavement of earth during the “Final Crisis.” It was quite a way to go.

I also recently re-watched The Dark Knight and, as a comic book reader, have an idea of how I would like to see the next film play out. There are a lot of holes to fill in the on-screen Gotham City. Bruce needs a new love interest, the mob needs a new boss, and since Heath Ledger is no longer with us, it needs a new supervillain.

I have no problem recycling villains from the older movies series (before Batman Begins.) I would love to see Nolan’s take on the Riddler or Mr. Freeze, but I think if any character is to be rehashed, it would be Catwoman. After all, that would fill both the villain and love interest holes. I would say Catwoman is a safe bet for the next film, if not for the Halley Berry flick and the taint it placed on the character. I would rather see new villains on the scene.
In the comics, the Ventriloquist is a relatively innocent man held hostage by his puppet, Scarface. The character is a study in split personality disorder and, as that derangement wasn’t explored in Two-Face, it could be very compelling here. The Dark Knight left a perfect opening for Scarface to take over the mob, but he wouldn’t be the main villain.

The set up for the next film is that the police want to bring in Batman. He is again an enemy of Gotham. We all know that the police aren’t up to the task for taking down Batman, so they are open to a bounty hunter of sorts to bring him to justice. The bounty hunter, Bane, is the main villain. Bane has ulterior motives for his actions and wants to destroy Batman to prove himself Gotham’s master. Batman will have to save the city from Bane, which will position him back in Gotham’s good graces.

If Nolan really wanted to tie the three films together trilogy style, Bane could be connected to Ras Al Ghul’s organization. As long as they don’t treat Bane as a mindless minor character as they did in Batman & Robin, I’ll be happy.