Robert Pattinson is returning as Bruce Wayne in The Batman Part II, now set for February 18, 2028, after another delay. James Gunn’s DC Universe is also moving forward with The Brave and the Bold. Between those two projects, Gotham has more screen time than ever. Yet the same names keep coming back: the Joker, the Riddler, Two-Face, the Penguin. A deep bench of villains is still waiting for a proper shot on the big screen, and some of them have never had one at all.
Here are five Batman villains who deserve a major live-action film adaptation, based on their comic history, their story potential, and what is already rumored or confirmed in Hollywood.
Hugo Strange Has Waited Long Enough
Hugo Strange is one of Batman’s oldest enemies. He first appeared in Detective Comics #36 in 1940, months before the Joker arrived. He is a psychiatrist who uses his knowledge of the mind to control and break people. In the comics, he has run Arkham Asylum, experimented on patients, and even tried to take Batman’s place.
Strange has appeared in live-action television through BD Wong on Gotham, and he was a major figure in the video game Batman: Arkham City. A live-action Batman film has never used him. Matt Reeves has said the villain in The Batman Part II has “never really been done in a movie before”, and a popular fan theory suggests Charles Dance could be playing Strange in the sequel.
The character fits the grounded, corrupt-Gotham tone of the Reeves films. A psychiatrist who manipulates the city from inside a respected institution is a different kind of threat from a clown with a bomb. Strange brings psychological horror and institutional rot without needing superpowers or a giant CGI budget.
Victor Zsasz Is a Serial Killer Built for a Batman Movie
Victor Zsasz first appeared in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 in 1992. He is a serial killer who carves a tally mark into his own skin for every victim. He does not use gimmicks, costumes, or elaborate plans. He is a man with a knife and a body count.
Zsasz has never been in a live-action Batman film. Reports from 2026 suggest Sebastian Stan is being eyed to play Zsasz in The Batman Part II, though the casting has not been officially confirmed by Warner Bros. The character has appeared in Gotham and the Arkham games, but a major film role would be his first.
A Batman film with Zsasz at the center would be closer to a crime thriller than a superhero movie. He is proof that Gotham’s worst monsters do not always wear masks. A grounded, R-rated approach could turn him into the kind of villain audiences remember long after the credits.
Professor Pyg Is Horror Waiting to Happen
Professor Pyg, also known as Lazlo Valentin, is a surgeon who believes he can “perfect” people through horrific operations. He debuted in 2007 and became a recurring threat in the comics. His methods are brutal, and his visual design is immediately unsettling.
Pyg has appeared in Gotham and in animated series, but never in a live-action Batman film. Screen Rant has argued that Pyg would be a perfect fit for The Batman Part II, though he would likely need an R-rated film to work fully. His creator, Grant Morrison, described him as a villain who is “not from another world” but “very, very sick”, which fits the grounded world Reeves has built.
A Pyg film would push Batman into body horror territory. The character does not need a giant budget or a world-ending plot. He needs a dark room, a scalpel, and a Batman who is forced to confront how far Gotham’s sickness goes.
The Court of Owls Is a Gotham Secret That Deserves the Big Screen
The Court of Owls is a secret society of wealthy Gotham families who have controlled the city for generations. They debuted in 2011 in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman run. They are not a single villain. They are a system, and that makes them harder to fight than any one person.
The Court has appeared in Gotham and in animated projects, but never in a live-action movie. Set photos from The Batman Part II in September 2026 showed protest signs reading “Court of Fouls,” and the film’s reported working title, “Semper Vigilans” (“always watching”), has fueled speculation that the Court will make its movie debut. Screen Rant noted that a large part of the audience would be seeing the organization for the first time.
The Court works because it turns Gotham itself into the villain. Batman can punch a criminal. He cannot punch a centuries-old institution. A film built around the Court would be a detective story about power, money, and the lies a city tells itself.
Mad Hatter Brings a Different Kind of Madness
Mad Hatter, also known as Jervis Tetch, is obsessed with Alice in Wonderland and uses mind-control technology to make people do what he wants. He has been a Batman villain since 1948. He has appeared in animated series and video games, but never as the main villain of a live-action Batman film.
A SlashFilm poll from 2022 found that 32.47% of readers chose Mad Hatter as the Batman villain who most deserves a live-action movie. That was the top result in the survey.
Tetch is not a physical match for Batman. He is a psychological villain who turns ordinary people into puppets. A film could use him to explore control, obsession, and the horror of losing your own mind. He is strange, sad, and dangerous in a way that is very different from the Joker.
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What Is Already Happening in Gotham
Clayface is already getting his own live-action film. Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen in the R-rated body horror movie, which opens in North America on October 23, 2026, and internationally from October 21, 2026. James Gunn has said the film is a standalone story and that Clayface will not be the last Batman villain to get a solo project.
The Batman Part II is in production, with Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, and Andy Serkis returning. Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Brian Tyree Henry, and Charles Dance have joined the cast. The film is now scheduled for February 18, 2028.
The Brave and the Bold, the DCU’s Batman film, will follow Bruce Wayne and his son Damian Wayne. No release date has been announced.
Villains like Hugo Strange, Victor Zsasz, Professor Pyg, the Court of Owls, and Mad Hatter are not side characters. They are part of what makes Gotham work. A Batman film that gives one of them the main stage would not just be a new story. It would be a reminder that the best Batman stories are often about the villains who have not had their turn yet.
Also Read: Bruce Wayne Dies in Batman #15: DC Confirms Assassination, Release Date and Fan Reactions
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