Here are 10 lesser-known Gotham criminals the deserve a spinoff.
After it was announced that The Batman director Matt Reeves and The Wolf of Wall Street writer Terence Winter were teaming up to develop a spinoff to the Robert Pattinson-led superhero film on HBO Max, fans quickly began to speculate which members of Gotham’s criminal underbelly would be seen.
The series focuses less on the caped crusader and more on the corruption of Gotham City while exploring a myriad of complex characters. While many of the franchise’s heavy hitters come to mind right way, there are many opportunities from the more obscure villains the Dark Knight has dealt with. Here are ten characters fans would love to see in the highly anticipated HBO Max series.
1. Cornelius Stirk
Cornelius Stirk is a demented psychopath introduced in Detective Comics #592, and he makes the scarecrow look like a Disney character. His idea of a good time is pumping his victims full of stress hormones called norepinephrine and adrenaline because a terrified heart is much more nutritious than a calm one. A heart-eating serial killer would allow The Batman spinoff to drift into the territory of other HBO hits like True Detective and The Outsider.
2. Humpty Dumpty
Humphry Dumpler, a.k.a. Humpty Dumpty, has an unnerving habit of taking things and people apart and then failing terribly at putting them back together. This disturbing, compulsive serial killer attempted this process with this own grandmother and tried to sew her back together. Dumpler is like The Human Centipede guy meets Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs. Someone this dangerous and deranged would help the spinoff’s criminal underbelly of Gotham stand out amongst past iterations and really tap into the darkness.
3. The Savage Skull
First appearing in 1983’s Batman #360, Jack Crane was a member of the GCPD that was fired from the force for illegal activities, including shooting an arsonist in the back at a fire that left the disgraced officer disfigured from burns. The rogue cop becomes the Savage Skull and murders his way up the ranks of GCPD, aiming to kill Commissioner Gordon. His police training and psychopathic tendencies not only make the revenge obsessed villain a formidable threat but a serious no brainer for The Batman HBO Max spinoff series.
4. The Condiment King
The Condiment King is one of the silliest villains to occupy Batman’s impressive gallery of dastardly villains. The goofy criminal is portrayed with ridiculous, dual-wielding guns that shoot ketchup, mayo, mustard, and any other condiment that comes to mind. No one has ever taken the Condiment King seriously, and there could be an opportunity for The Batman spinoff on HBO Max to reinvent this oddball into a terrifying psychopath. If the Riddler and Mad Hatter can make it in Gotham, it’s time for Mitchell Mayo (Yup, that’s his real name) to have his moment in the spotlight.
5. Copperhead
Copperhead is the daughter of the assassin of the same name and was predominantly featured in the Batman: Arkham Origins game as one of the eight assassins Black Mask hired to kill Batman. She is an expert killer and master escape artist. She also exhibits reptilian features like a forked tongue, slit pupils, and venomous talons. This gene-edited villain would be an ideal choice for Gotham crime bosses to utilize in there struggle for power and could prove to be a worthy adversary for the GCPD.
6. Calendar Man
Calendar Man had a traumatic childhood, and the extreme neglect and abuse from his parents almost resulted in his death from days of exposure, resulting in his psychotic obsession of days and holidays. The man who ripped his mother’s heart out and chopped his father up into fish bait plots his murders thematically around certain holidays throughout the year. Not only would Calendar Man be a Carcosa-level serial killer for the HBO Max series but also would take care of The Batman spinoff’s Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving episodes.
7. Scarface
There is nothing creepier than a ventriloquist dummy unless one manifests into a psycho’s criminal alter ego. Scarface has been used in several iterations, but a truly dark depiction of the demented Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dynamic has yet to be explored in live-action. The perplexing mystery of who is to blame for the character’s heinous acts Defending Jacob-style, the doll or the man, is an immediately engrossing concept The Batman HBO Max spinoff should absolutely consider.
8. Duela Dent
Duela Dent is a delusional schizophrenic who first appeared as Joker’s daughter in the comics and also claimed to be the offspring of Catwoman, The Riddler, Two-Face, and Penguin. At one point, she wears the Joker’s cut off face, leads a group of sewer people and brands people’s faces with a smile, making her the perfect amount of crazy for an instantly riveting antagonist in any detective series. After Joaquin Phoenix’s award-winning Joker turn and Margot Robbie’s less than stellar
Birds of Prey
outing, it’s safe to assume audiences are in the market for a new clown criminal, making this a perfect time to let Duela Dent land some punchline’s in
The Batman
HBO Max spinoff.
9. Anarky
Anarky is a political activist and extremist that is all for the abolishment of government and the fall of oppressive corporations. He is an expert at organizing followers and protests. But he is also not afraid to resort to violence, murder, and terrorism to accomplish his radical mission. This character, if utilized, sets up the show in more ways than one to take on very relevant and topical issues while still coming off as a unique, menacing adversary for The Batman spinoff’s heroes.
10. The Wrath
The Wrath is a very twisted mirror image of the Dark Knight and billionaire Bruce Wayne. He is an Anti-Batman with his own tricked out vehicles, hideout, evil sidekick, and more. But his mission is a war against justice, making GCPD one of his primary targets. It would be interesting to see the Gotham police department take on a criminal that is almost identical to the caped crusader. It could also prove to be too much for the brave civil servants, requiring them to light the signal for Robert Pattinson’s Batman to arrive on the scene.
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