How about Lex Luthor? Could be fun to see what mischief a bad guy with Bruce Wayne-level resources could muster up. Though we would have the problem of keeping Superman out of it, since he really wouldn’t fit in the new Batman universe.
Agree though, Catwoman seems the most likely choice, given what we’ve seen thematically.
It’s a darned shame that Ra’s Al-Ghul really didn’t hit his full potential in the first movie.
I don’t understand why everyone says the Riddler is so campy. He, at his core (not his overall persona, just the fundamental idea) is a big time criminal with an odd compulsion (which in the comics is actually explained as OCD I think) to leave clues to his crimes. In fact he’s probably one of the most easily “convertible” villains to the universe, realistically you could make him pretty damn dark, playing very disturbing mind games with the other characters, he could make a good lead villain, he certainly would have the elaborate planning for magnificent plots.
Catwoman is a good bet also. As stated - Poison Ivy works as a master of poisons and such, rather than a superpower.
The Mad Hatter could be interesting, but mind-control is getting a wee bit out there. I think they could do okay with Maxie Zeus.
As for the guy who was going to reveal Batman’s identity, what was his name in the movie? Because there’s an early villain from the first few (I think mid thirties) Detective Comics called Hugo Strange that uses formulas to create giant monstrosities, but more fundamentally his threat is knowing Bruce = Batman.
Harley would be fun, but if we want to pretend the Joker dies for some reason (say a pissed off cop shot him instead of taking him in, or whatever), in order to preserve it as a Heath ledger only role in this universe, Harley could be one of the few/only people who knew Joker and is just really pissed off they killed him. (I admit it would be very difficult to make this work).
This part is more for the other DK thread, but as far as the universe goes Robin would also be fine in the universe if left to a more auxiliary role rather than sidekick (i.e. what Fox did with the Bat-Sonar could easily be Robin, relegated to more of a “spotter” that jumps in for support now and then rather than someone who’s always fighting alongside Batman and throwing out one-liners).
Maybe they’ll go all out and do a “No Man’s Land” style thing in #3; it seems a good way to try and top the first two movies, and might be another “realistic” extention of the plot so far (they called in the National Guard and evacuated the city because of one supervillain…really, what do you think would happen with more super-criminals, the mob, a badly corrupt law enforcement and justice system, and the great hope Batman being declared an outlaw? The place is going to end up a Mogadishu with an L-Train).
It’d also be an opportunity to introduce other “Bat-family” vigilantes…possibly, if you wanted to keep going “darker,” ones who use much more severe or lethal force, bringing up the question over whether it is possible to be a hero by becoming a killer, and still staying in control enough to keep from becoming an all-out villain.
Darker still, you could imply that hanging onto Rachel—symbolising the normal, “moral” world—was ultimately deluded indulgence, and holding Batman back; that he was trying to hold on to the bit of humanity that was keeping him from becoming, not the hero he wanted to be, but the Crusader Gotham needed him to be.
Also, it occurred to me that while Robin almost certainly wouldn’t fit in the current Batman movie mythos, maybe Nightwing might? Play it as as either a more serious version of Robin, or a further development of the Copybats as more vigilantes begin taking on their own identities separate from Batman.
On a realted note, do Copybats ever show up in the Batman comics? I understand that in some future-setting Marvel comics, they have groups of imitation Spidermen fighting crime on the streets, and in Batman Beyond, we have the Jokers gang (who get quite schooled in a fight against a grey-haired cane-dependent retired Bruce Wayne. “We’re the Jokers!” “smirk Sure you are.” 
)
Casting would need to be damn-near perfect to keep the realistic feel, but I like the idea of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Quinn gets to alternate between tragically likable and unsettlingly crazy, and I think a decent writer could get a lot from her and from the Ivy/Quinn interaction.
Ivy herself, however, gives me trouble. Whichever movie last used her did a poor enough job that we’d probably want to skip the vigilante researcher thing, but that’s pretty much her entire spiel.
I was thinking Nightwing too, but he’s so much unknown it would be difficult to sell to the audience probably. A lot of the lesser early villains (like the “normal person” crime syndicates in both movies) ended up filling back roles. I’m not sure you could realistically sell Nightwing, who I don’t think is too well known, as a major character.
Don’t get me wrong, I for one would love Nightwing, but I feel to introduce him they’d almost have to intro Robin in some fashion first to sell him.
Wasn’t it looks around Batman and Robin, one of those movies that frequently makes it on people’s “movies not to talk about in polite conversation” lists?
Yeah it would take some work, but there were more problems in that movie that EFFECTED Poison Ivy’s character negatively rather than were BECAUSE of her character. Working her in wouldn’t be that hard, especially if you keep her as an accessory to Harley Quinn, rather than feature her.
Harley Quinn is not a character from the comics, she was created for the animated series in 1992 (though has had comic book runs since). Because he’s basing a lot of his ideas on the classic Batman concepts and serials, I think it’s unlikely that Nolan would choose to use her.
I’ve given probably too much thought to this for the last day or so, but here’s how I would like to see things play out in the next film. Yes, this is a bit long and obviously just my own bit of fanwank, but I think I’ve got a decent idea and I’m curious to know what others think of it as a continuation of Nolan’s vision. It’s a redemption story at heart, and has a big character arc for Bruce, one of the most neglected roles in TDK, I think …
With Batman having taken responsibility for the death of ‘White Knight’ District Attorney Harvey Dent, citizens and authorities alike are more divided than ever on Gotham’s Dark Knight. With his repute tenuous, he has decreased his profile and lessened his involvement in the affairs of city, in part because of his unscrupulous status, but also due to the city having achieved a level of peace and prosperity the likes of which have not been seen since the social programs and economic initiatives put in place by Thomas Wayne over a quarter century ago. With the dismantling of the mob’s infrastructure and its various kingpins, the elimination of its funding sources and the incarceration of the Joker at Arkham having brought reconciliation to Gotham, the need and demand for Batman almost seems to be nearing an end.
Large amounts of land throughout the Narrows have been acquired by the city via eminent domain and have been rezoned as part of an urban redevelopment plan. Arkham Asylum sees rapid expansion as the residents of the Narrows are relocated to government subsidized housing in other areas of the city. The Narrows becomes a sort of Alcatraz zone, segregated from the rest of the city as an isolated region of Gotham devoted specifically to criminal incarceration and rehabilitation. Thanks to new facilities and security technologies provided in large part by Wayne Enterprises, Arkham is now considered the high water mark for detention centers around the world. Inmates absolutely cannot escape, although with the inmate population at an all-time high, Arkham’s directors are desperately seeking professionals at the top of their field to join the ranks in developing better methods of rehabilitation. Up-and-coming luminary in the realm of applied criminal psychology, Dr. Harleen Quinzel rapidly gains tenure as one of Arkham’s rising stars, having helped develop and implement several successful rehabilitation programs at the facility. As a result of her remarkable work, she is offered an assignment on a research team dedicated to the case of Arkham’s highest-profile resident: the Joker.
Realizing that his role as the unsung guardian of the city may be nearing an end in the wake of the city’s prosperity, Bruce Wayne begins to consider the ramifications of a Gotham without Batman. Not yet fully convinced that he’s ready for an early retirement, his perspective begins to shift after meeting equally high-profile socialite Selena Kyle, a mysterious and seemingly independently wealthy art collector who is every bit the playgirl counterpart to Bruce Wayne’s executive playboy. Beautiful, educated, and physically adept, she is the perfect complement to Bruce. A genuine love begins to blossom between the two, despite the fact that something is being left unsaid about what lurks just beneath the surface of their respective personas. They trust and care for one another implicitly, but suspicions begin to mount as quickly as the alibis for their respective late-night whereabouts, which they keep from one another for the sake of protection against reprisal from those who would do them harm. Bruce doesn’t want what happened with Rachel to happen again with Selena, after all.
Dr. Quinzel’s efforts in the case on Joker gain recognition as she quickly proves to be the only one with whom he willfully cooperates. Quinzel soon finds herself the principle liaison in his psychotherapy treatments and begins spending an increasing amount of time holding sessions with him. For all her perceptive talent and determined resolve, she doesn’t realize that the reason she’s doing so isn’t because she is making any progress, but because she’s a victim of his supremely cunning manipulation. Her inability to make sense of his motivations begins to feed back on itself as she starts becoming obsessed with him to the point of sympathizing with his predicament. It isn’t long before she confuses her obsession with feelings of love and they share their first kiss, a bond that Joker commemorates by nicknaming her his little clown, his “Harlequin”. Together they begin to mastermind an escape plan, not just for Joker but for all the inmates of Arkham. Harley, however, can’t do it alone. She tracks down a lead from the underground; a mysterious thief claimed to have been able to break into or bypass any security system without ever having been caught. It isn’t long before Harley makes this “cat burglar” an incredible offer: handsome compensation in return for advice on the vulnerabilities of Arkham’s security systems. The burglar seems to think the request is benign at first, and that Quinzel is only looking to address the weaknesses in Arkham’s security. The thief complies in the face of such a handsome reward, despite her better judgment.
Before long, reports of Arkham inmates being seen at large on the streets of Gotham become increasingly common. Batman begins to investigate, discovering late one night that a plot to unleash them one at a time from within Arkham has been unleashed by someone on the inside. Suspecting that the Joker is responsible, he attempts to make his way into the facility to do something about it. It is then that he first encounters Harlequin (and where we first see her in her recognizable white makeup and skintight costume), and it is suddenly all too clear that she has been corrupted by Joker. Batman is pitted against a series of particularly frightening “funhouse” traps that have been set up throughout the asylum by Harlequin. Narrowly escaping with his life, he is forced to regroup and come up with a plan to stop the events now set in motion. What he can’t wrap his head around is exactly how the advanced security measures of the asylum could have been so readily undermined. Only someone with advanced intrusion skills and perhaps even a little inside knowledge could have allowed the facility to be compromised in the first place. It isn’t long before he picks up on the trail of the mysterious thief who has aided Harlequin. After witnessing the stealthily-disguised “cat burglar” tinkering with equipment on the outside of the facility the following night, an intense cat and [flying] mouse chase ensues through the streets of Gotham, ending with a confrontation between the two on the city’s rooftops. They recognize something about one another and simultaneously choose to reveal their true identities to confirm what they are already fairly certain of. Bruce is torn apart at the realization of his love Selena having been living a double life as a pawn in Harlequin’s scheme. Selena’s intent was never to hurt Bruce, as she was only in it for the money, a big part of what she felt she needed to win Bruce’s attention and affections in the first place. He turns his back on her, letting her go rather than turn her in to the police. He feels more alone than ever before, betrayed and heartbroken. Guilt-stricken and equally heartbroken, Selena breaks down, not knowing what to do to right her wrongs and mend their relationship, or whether it’s even beyond saving.
Bruce knows he must take on Harlequin if the city is to be saved, but in the process of trying to take her down, he is captured by her traps on his second attempt to infiltrate the asylum. Harlequin finally frees the Joker from his holding cell, replacing him with Batman, who becomes Arkham’s newest treasure; the great winged freak finally being put on display for all the other freaks to look in on. The world having long since forgotten about Batman, he is forsaken in an oubliette of madness where even his fragile psyche begins to break down and crack. Joker cackles from the outside looking in, cleverly getting into Batman’s head and under his skin by candidly marveling at the irony of their role reversal. With the tables finally turned against Batman and all possible means of escape being lost, Harlequin and Joker delight in the notion of keeping him in there forever, locked away behind the walls of Arkham to lose his mind as he helplessly watches Gotham turn into their empire of chaos.
Harlequin, however, fails to see the retribution deservedly coming her way. The Catwoman returns to undo the damage she inadvertently helped to facilitate. She infiltrates the asylum on the eve of the clowned duo’s master plan to unleash the remaining inmates of Arkham on Gotham. Cleverly and cunningly avoiding Harlequin’s deadly traps with acrobatic expertise, the devices prove to be no match for Catwoman’s stealh and athletic prowess. She makes her way mostly undetected and unapprehendable up to the Batman’s cell, freeing him and finding redemption as his savior. They share a moment of absolution with one another, both knowing that the only way to stop Harlequin and Joker is to work together. They form a cunning alliance and a final exciting showdown takes place throughout the deadly halls of Arkham. Catwoman and Batman work hand in hand to subdue Harlequin and Joker before they can execute the plan of letting the remaining inmates loose, and the city is once again safe.
The story ends with Bruce and Selena on uncertain terms. Theirs is a love that seemingly cannot be, with both occupying a different area of the moral spectrum. Despite having redeemed and proven herself as an ally for justice (and blending Bruce’s previously black-and-white notions of right vs. wrong to several shades of gray in the process), he still cannot bring himself to see her quite the same way, and is unable to reconcile the duality of his love for her because to do so would mean abandoning his commitment to what is best for Gotham. The story truly ends, however, with a sequel-foreshadowing detail; one particular Arkham escapee who has begun leaving behind prophetic Doomsday “riddles” for the citizens of Gotham …
Cool plot, but I think they would more likely kill Catwoman off in that scenario.
Hey, I referred to it as “whichever movie” for a reason. 
GuanoLad has a good point about the animated series, though. I wasn’t aware that Quinn was originally from the cartoon, but it makes a certain amount of freakish sense: “Let’s give the Joker a groupie who dresses like a jester” is honestly a pretty bizarre plot point, even for the Batman comics.
You’re SO old continuity!*
Although I agree with you…Helena Bertinelli never existed…
Daaaaaaaayum…
You’re writing the screenplay- aren’t you?
anamnesis, I want to see THAT movie!
I haven’t seen Dark Knight yet but if he is a fugitive then there is one choice for the Villian.
Superman
Superman, Corporate Tool (who dislocated my shoulder last week. Again. 
)
Quick thought–anyone else notice the scar on the neck of one of the prisoners on the boat? Isn’t that the mark of one of the organizations that Batman fights against? That might be a hint to who shows up in the next movie.
Man… I’d love to see the Bats Vs. Superman arc…
However, my prediction for the villain would have to be Riddler (as he’s my 2nd fav. Baddie behind the Joker from the Comics. I think he’d suit a world where Batman is a fugitive, and would try to take advantage of it… Plus i REALLY want to see what Nolan could do with him, he’s always been under-appreciated as a villain, but he’s one of my personal favs).
I also think the other one though would be Catwoman, just because as I was watching TDK, I just thought to myself- “Man, there’s a lot of Dog references in here…” So it feels like Bats having to then take on a Feline Villain might actually work out after the Bats gets used to fighting Dogs and all (I think there’s a L.Fox line about Batman’s armor standing up to Dogs in there somewhere, but “cats on the other hand…”). That sort of implies to me, we’re going to be seeing Cat woman for sure.
As for the Mad Hatter- he COULD work, rather than focus on the Mind Control aspect of him though, focus on the pedophile version from the newer adaptations. That MadHatter is QUITE disturbing and def. could fit into the Dark Batman Universe that has been set forth. So I could see the MH as a minor villain along the way to set up a “creepy” vibe.
I thought, awhile back, that one might be able to turn Ivy into less of a “Green Mae West/Planeteer” into more of an outright freak of science and nature, without much trouble. However, it might dip a little too far into the “science fiction” angle than would be appropriate for the tone of the new films (on the other hand, they did have the ninja Doomsday Device and the Bat-sonar, so…maybe not). And on top of that, it’d kind of kill the chance for good Harley/Ivy interaction and, er, slight chemistry subtext.
Oh, hi, Christopher Nolan! I really enjoyed The Prestige, too…
You’re right, Batman’s most dangerous adversary…
The Man With Ten Eyes!
