Now that DC has released some quality movies with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam, the one thing they still need to do is nail down is their villains.
DC Comics created some of the best developed and most popular villains in history. They should be knocking the villains out of the park every single time a movie comes out. However, that hasn’t been the case with the DCEU.
They have yet to give us a villain that is truly memorable, much in the same ways as Thanos, Darth Vader, and the one time they accomplished that with Ledger’s Joker.
That could all soon change with Matt Reeves’ The Batman.
Set in the ’90s, this film promises to show Batman in or nearing his prime, as well as showcase those famous detective skills while he battles a handful of villains from his vast rogues gallery.
Keep in mind: Nothing has been officially announced, two of the villains appearing in the movie have reportedly been revealed.
The Penguin
Criminal mastermind. Umbrella gun. Wind-up penguins. Nice top hat.
The Penguin is everything a Batman villain should be. He’s campy in all of the right ways, yet still evil enough to be scary and put up a good fight.
Besides bringing another well-known character into the project, this move would allow the film to delve deep into the criminal underworld of Gotham, and really explore the detective side of Batman, which is something we surprisingly haven’t seen truly attempted on the big screen yet.
Not to the extent ‘The World’s Greatest Detective” deserves anyways.
Matt Reeves has said “The film’s focus will be on] Batman’s skills as a detective as the film will [be centered] around a mystery that Batman will have to solve.” With the Penguin as the mastermind, this leaves room for plenty of true detective work to be done. Fingers crossed!
This villain reveal comes as no surprise as it has been rumored for a while now; however, it really gained traction when Frozen actor Josh Gad started posting Penguin related content to social media.
Good Knight pic.twitter.com/5qu6HOn1qL
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) January 14, 2019
It’s unclear on whether he’s teasing fans about his upcoming role, or campaigning to convince Warner Bros. to cast him in the role. Whatever the case, Josh would make a great Penguin.
Catwoman
Past depictions of this character have been overly sexual and under utilized. While none have been necessarily bad (lets just forget about the 2004 movie for a second), there is definitely room for improvement.
Those depictions won’t pass anymore. Audiences crave for strong female characters in their movies, and there isn’t nearly enough of them. Catwoman would give us yet another strong female badass who could show up in inevitable sequels and spin-offs.
With the movie being set in the ’90s, there is room to explain why Batman has become so rotten over the years. Perhaps Catwoman is part of it?
In the comics, her relationship with Bruce is romantic in nature, but it’s also filled with deceit. Perhaps Reeves will draw inspiration from the comics in this regard and have Bruce fall in love with Selina only to be betrayed, which adds to his distaste of society
If done right, Catwoman could bring something new and effective to the screen, which is something that DC’s universe so desperately needs right now.
Why Do These Two Work?
If this report pans out to be true, it would be a huge win for the DC Universe.
Even though we have already seen these two villains team up in Batman Returns, that doesn’t take away from seeing them here. Burton’s film was focused on being dark and sometimes scary, while Matt Reeves’ version is focused on being more true to the character.
The Penguin would allow us to explore the criminal side of Gotham, while Catwoman could show us a weaker, more vulnerable Batman. Pitting these two against Batman would add much-needed depth to the character of Batman and to the person of Bruce Wayne.
The Future of Batman in the DC Universe
Alongside these are rumored villain reveals, it was also reported with Affleck out, the role of Batman has come down to either Twilight star Robert Pattinson or X-Men star Nicholas Hoult. Either of these would make for the youngest and probably most divisive casting of the character yet.
Matt Reeves is no stranger to blockbuster movies though, as he has directed two of hugely successful Planet of the Apes films and Cloverfield. Whatever Matt decides is best for his movie is probably the right decision. Fans have to trust that.
With the divisiveness that has come out of the casting and villain reveals, the movie still has a way to go. Anything could change. With Reeves at the helm, and Batman going up against these villains, DC is on track to deliver what could be the best Batman movie yet.
Totally agree, Penguin and Catwoman are great villains for a Batman film – as we saw in Batman Returns. I hope these two are the foes the Dark Knight will face in Reeves’ new Batman film. Either Robert Pattinson or Nicholas Hoult would be good casting as well as Batman, we shall have to wait and see. I just hope they ditch the gloom of the Affleck’s Batman and go for something a bit closer to the more current comic book version. Think that would work well.