So, Exactly Which Villains Is Bruce Wayne Dealing With in The Batman?
:upscale()/2020/08/23/148/n/1922283/f6bcaaa35f4326f28f5041.58350839_.png)
The trailer for The Batman has us super intrigued for the latest iteration of the iconic superhero, and we're just as excited to see who the villains are. In all the marketing so far, the primary villains appear to be the Riddler and the Penguin, two of Batman's most famous foes in the comics — and ones who haven't reached oversaturation in the movies yet. Young versions of the characters appeared in the TV series Gotham, which centered on the backstory of Gotham City when Bruce Wayne was just a child, but they haven't appeared in feature films in years: the Penguin's last appearance was in 1992's Batman Returns, and the Riddler's came in 1995's Batman Forever.
On top of that, there's also Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, who can be either friend or foe to Batman depending on the story. In the glimpses we see of her in the first trailer, she seems to be more mercenary than evil, sneaking into a crime scene just to crack a safe.
There's one other moment worth noting that seems to tease the arrival of another villain: Batman facing off against a mob that appears to be wearing white clown makeup. Does this hint the Joker is already active in this version of Gotham? Currently, the Joker is not slated to appear in the movie, although he certainly could be a well-kept secret role. It's already been confirmed that neither current versions of the Joker — Joaquin Phoenix's from Joker or Jared Leto's from Suicide Squad — is connected to this Batman universe, but that doesn't mean he couldn't be re-introduced. The Batman is intended to set up a full trilogy (plus a spinoff HBO Max series!), so it certainly seems likely that Batman's most famous foe will arrive at some point; it's just a matter of when. For now, keep reading for a first peek at the confirmed villains in The Batman and what we've learned about them so far.
:upscale()/2020/08/23/146/n/1922283/98d0995f5f432678393f31.72826450_colin2.jpg)
The Penguin
Colin Farrell is barely recognizable as the Penguin, aka Oswald Cobblepot, in this quick shot in the first trailer for The Batman. As Collider reported from the DC FanDome panel event, this version of the Penguin is still early in his career of crime. "Oz is not yet the kingpin that he's going to become, he's The Penguin and in fact doesn't like being called The Penguin," director Matt Reeves revealed.
:upscale()/2020/08/23/146/n/1922283/ecf2e0bd5f432678a72ba6.22017423_Screen_Shot_.png)
The Riddler
We don't see Paul Dano's face as the Riddler (alias of Edward Nigma) in the first trailer, but we do see his handiwork. The trailer kicks off with a masked man duct-taping a victim, and it's later heavily implied that this masked man is the Riddler. We also see one of his creepy notes delivered to Batman, reading in part, "Haven't a clue? Let's play a game, just me and you," followed by a set of cryptic symbols.
At the DC FanDome, as reported by Collider, Reeves had this to say about this early-career Riddler: "Paul Dano plays a version of The Riddler that no one has ever seen before. He's such an incredibly creative actor, so what he's doing I think is going to blow peoples' minds." Reeves also noted: "The Riddler is just emerging for the first time."
