The Batman, Part Two (Possible Villains and Story Elements)

Matt Reeves’ The Batman was a critical and financial success and anticipation is high for the follow up in Reeves’ planned trilogy of the Caped Crusader. The villain of the first film, The Riddler, was inspired by the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer who terrorized San Francisco in the late 60s through the early 70s. The Penguin, played brilliantly by Colin Farrell, starts as a second in command to John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone before he becomes a crime kingpin. Selina Kyle/Catwoman, played by Zoe Kravitz is portrayed as the confident, brash and sensual femme fatale that we have been well acquainted with in earlier iterations, but her chemistry with Robert Pattinson is what sells it in this film. The Joker, Batman’s greatest nemesis was also introduced in the film but shown in greater, more grotesque detail in a deleted scene. Played by Barry Keoghan, the Clown Prince of Crime is severely disfigured, with numerous welts and growing sores across his face. The signature Cheshire smile is a result of his disfigurement, akin to The Elephant Man or David Cronenberg’s The Fly.

The Joker is a potential main antagonist for the sequel, but I feel that there has been an over-reliance on the character when other members of The Dark Knight’s rogues gallery exist. With the state of Joker’s visage, I would be hard pressed to believe that Doctor Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn) would fall in love with him. Who (or what) could face Pattinson in the sequel?

Victor Fries/Mister Freeze – Unlikely. It would be hard to explain why a man would need to be in a cryogenic suit in order to survive within the confines of the Gotham City Matt Reeves and his team crafted. I wholeheartedly believe that a jail cell in Arkham Asylum being engineered by Hugo Strange to accommodate Fries would exist.

Doctor Hugo Strange – Likely. The revelation of Martha Wayne’s history of mental illness could case a domino effect in Bruce. The fear that he could be afflicted by a mental illness could weigh heavily on him and he would seek guidance from a reputable psychiatrist. It would be interesting to see how Bruce would interact with Strange, who has an unhealthy fascination of Batman. Could the bad doctor piece together the mystery of Batman’s identity?

Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent – Highly Likely. With the sudden death of the previous DA Gil Colson during The Riddler’s killing spree, Mayor Real will need someone to fill the seat, someone who will take a hard stance on crime. Enter Harvey Dent, a newly married prosecutor and former Internal Affairs officer who has gone toe to toe with the GCPD in battling corruption within the precinct. Dent is a public favorite and has the conviction rate to back it up. Seeing as most, if not all of the characters in the series have some issue or exposure to trauma and mental illness, it would great to see him grapple with his alter ego, ‘Big Bad Harv’ from Batman: The Animated Series.

Thomas Elliot/Hush – Highly Likely. One of the best Batman story arcs is Batman: Hush. It centers around an old friend of Bruce’s who returns to Gotham after Bruce (as Batman) suffers a critical injury that requires brain surgery. Successful, the two of them reconnect until a tragic accident takes Elliot’s life…or so we are led to believe. Thomas Elliot bears hatred towards Thomas Wayne for the death of his father, as his mother was an alcoholic and abusive towards him. In the film, Thomas Wayne asked Falcone to intimidate the journalist in an attempt to silence him for running an article that exposed the tragic history of Martha Wayne’s family (The Arkhams). Falcone is said to have killed the journalist so if Thomas Elliot is introduced, this will still serve as ample reason for Elliot to don the Hush persona and terrorize Bruce.

Andrea Beaumont/Phantasm – Unlikely. With Selina Kyle leaving Gotham for a change of scenery, Bruce will have to be bit more sociable and in the public eye when crosses paths with the beautiful and mysterious Andrea Beaumont. The love that Beaumont and Wayne have for each other was very strong that Bruce was willing to stop his crusade to be with her.

POSSIBLE STORYLINES

The Court of Owls – This could really explore how deep the corruption within Gotham and how engrossed the Wayne and Arkham families are. A seedy, cult like organization that is pulling the strings of those in charge. It would be a massive blow to The Riddler’s confidence when he discovers that he barely scratched the surface.

The Long Halloween – The first film is somewhat inspired by the classic Batman story in regards to Selina’s parentage, but there are other threads that can be addressed and it hinges on the introduction of Harvey Dent and his wife Gilda. The subplot revolving around the Falcone and Maroni crime families as well as a new serial killer that goes by the name of ‘Holiday’ (killer only commits murder on major holidays).

The Mask of The Phantasm – A sequel based on one of the best Batman films of all time could be interesting, if handled correctly. A revenge story that tinged with romance and prospect of a family legacy that exists beyond Batman’s crusade of saving Gotham.

The Exiled (The Count of Monte Cristo Adaptation) – Additional Notes

The Exiled (Additional Notes)

Subplots:

Prosecutor Villefort and Madame Danglars’ secret child (they believe the infant was stillborn so Villefort had the baby taken away to hide evidence of their infidelity). The baby survived and was discovered by a groundskeeper that took care of the baby boy and raised him as his own, but in relative poverty with plenty of warmth and affection (‘It takes a village’…). Despite this, he still harbors hatred/contempt for his true parents.

Unlike the novel, Albert Mondego is the son of Mercedes and Edmond, but this fact is unknown to Edmond, Fernand and Albert himself.

Our protagonist will look to exact revenge on the man that was responsible for the death of his mentor and friend.

Our protagonist gains immense wealth due to his mentor’s mass network of information and resources. This ‘treasure’ is code named ‘Sparda’, the fabled and elusive treasure hidden away by Abbe’ Faria and discovered by Edmond Dantes after Faria bequeathed Dantes the map pinpointing the treasure’s location.

Besides his massive estate and stake in numerous businesses (inherited from his mentor), our protagonist purchases a large yacht and names it The Pharaon, the ship that Edmond Dantes that served on and was later named captain of in the novel.

Albert Mondego’s trip to France will revolve around the famed Carnaval de Paris. Our protagonist will enlist the help of thieves to stage Albert’s ‘abduction’. Basing their relationship with Albert on a lie, he looks to encroach on the lives of Mercedes and Fernand.

The protagonist enlists the help of the thieves he corroborated with in France to gather intel on Fernand discovers his former friend’s numerous vices and debts owed. They infiltrate his home, posing as maids or repairmen, installing listening devices into various places around his home.

The protagonist takes the secret child of Villefort and Madame Danglars under his wing, modeling him into a young gentleman of sorts. Under a fake name, the young man looks to curry favor with the unsuspecting Villefort and Danglars families, with the prospect of Danglars’ daughter potentially marrying him.