One of the most beloved aspects of Batman is his rogues' gallery, and The Dark Knight trilogy haven't done.
Matt Reeves' The Batman is the first entry in an all-new self-contained Batman universe, with Robert Pattison starring as Bruce Wayne. Unlike previous adaptations, The Batman is actually setting up its own cinematic universe instead of just a film series, with spin-off projects like The Batman 2. While other Batman series have had iconic villains, no series has set up Batman's rogues' gallery like this.
The Batman's Villain Selection Is Much Better Than Past DC Adaptations
The Batman universe's biggest strength is that it has a much better selection of villains than previous DC adaptations. The Batman introduced four villains: Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman, and the Joker. While Joker was more of a cameo, the former three villains all had fully fleshed-out stories and arcs. However, rather than tossing them to the side as previous Batman adaptations have, they are all still running around Gotham. All four of these villains are expected to return in The Batman universe, finally giving Batman a recurring cast of villains in live-action.
In contrast, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy only had a single villain make more than one appearance, Scarecrow, while Tim Burton's Batman series didn't have a single villain appear more than once. It's a waste to set up these incredible, iconic villains, only to have them die or not be used again after one movie. Luckily, The Batman is fixing this, with each of the movie's villains planned to reappear past their debut.
The Batman Universe Is Still Setting Up Even More Villains
While The Batman universe already has four big villains, it's currently being planned for even more to appear. Several spin-off movies are in development that focus on Gotham's villains, with spinoff movies about Professor Pyg, Clayface, and Scarecrow all being mentioned. Giving these villains a chance to be properly fleshed out is a great choice, as it adds to the roster of Batman's rogues' gallery without requiring them to be set up in a mainline The Batman movie.
On top of the villain movies, an Arkham Asylum series is reportedly in development. Having an entire show set in Arkham would be the perfect way to introduce other minor villains to the universe, as Batman's catalog of villains is full of characters that wouldn't be able to carry their own movies, but are worth exploring. The Batman universe is already fleshing out Batman's rogues' gallery to be better than ever before, fixing the fatal flaw with past adaptations.
