We live in a time where the Joker has two solo films of varying quality, separate from Batman and featuring an Oscar-winning performance from Joaquin Phoenix. The same can’t be said about Joker: Folie a Deux, but one divisive movie doesn’t discount the entire creative push with companies like DC Studios. Where the first Joker movie shined was in giving an alternative look at a classic character, and the possible origins behind his villainous persona. This movie concept aims to give some of the spotlight to a few of the iconic villains. And while Joker is likely the top choice in the DC Comics universe, there are a few more I think could work in their own Joker-style film – and not just Batman villains.
Please scroll down and the 10 DC Villains who made our list, and how we’d bring them to life in their own films. Some of the choices might surprise you, while others might be just what you’re hoping to see in the future.
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Pamela Isley has been a staple of Batman’s rogues gallery since the 1960s, powered by the same elemental power that was used by Swamp Thing in the DC Universe. She was a brilliant botanist with wealthy parents, studying alongside Alec Holland – the future Swamp Thing – and Dr. Jason Woodrue. Her work got sabotaged by Woodrue and she was transformed into the villainous Poison Ivy.
Her story and 1980s origins would translate great to the screen – possibly in some sort of environmental thriller where her transformation into a superpowered ecoterrorist could be fueled by climate change. She could somehow grow into a global force that creates some tensions with the nations of the world.
If not the more serious route, it would seem that a buddy roadtrip movie with Harley Quinn is the other potential pitch for a movie. Just play down the supernatural aspects of Ivy, and focus on the relationship between the pair.
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Talia al Ghul can lead an interesting solo film focusing on her loyalties to her father and his rule over his111 empire, and her relationship with Bruce Wayne/Batman. Instead of leaning into the superheroic nature of their story, Talia would be the daughter of a ruler in an unnamed Middle Eastern city or country.
While she navigates her father’s world, she falls for Bruce Wayne after he arrives from Gotham to negotiate a new trading partnership. The main goal could be to demonstrate the qualities Bruce and Talia maintain in Batman stories, but drop the unrealistic superhero qualities. It could be like an espionage-tinged Romeo and Juliet, with an underlying threat of global genocide at the hands of Talia’s despotic father, Ra’s al Ghul.
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The potential for a Bane solo film was established long before he snapped Batman’s back in half. If the imposing villain were given the Joker treatment, fans could potentially see a top-notch prison story based on the Vengeance of Bane graphic novels by Chuck Dixon. It could be a Scarface type of film, where Bane’s cunning and education could be on display as opposed to just getting whittled down to a singular muscle head looking for a role.
If anything, his skill development would be great to see on the screen, as he grows from a kid who is forced to serve his father’s prison sentence despite his innocence. I smell a movie that could be just as good as something like A Prophet.
As it stands, DC Studios is working on a Bane movie that will pair him with Deathstroke. Needless to say, fans are very curious to see what that’s about.
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Do we want to take a real stroll around Arkham Asylum? Hugo Strange could be the open door to explore the inmates and figures that occupy the facility. It could even be a sequel to Joker if DCyy wanted to, giving fans a mix of a Batman story and thrillers like Jacob’s Ladder and Shutter Island.
Strange has played a big part in Batman stories like Arkham City where he becomes the head of the newly created open-air prison after the closure of Blackgate Prison and Arkham Asylum. Putting Strange at the helm of the Asylum in a Joker-esque film would give fans a chance to explore a nature vs nurture view of mental illness, with the doctor revealed to be just as crazy as his patients. It’s fertile ground that could blend the best of Batman mythos with a medical thriller.
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This one will be the first movie that doesn’t hold the same tone as Joker and the preceding entries on the list. Kite Man is perfect for a story about a villain who is learning the ropes and looking for his place within that greater DC landscape. Taking cues from Tom King’s DC Rebirth series on Batman, this film would explore a brighter, sillier, common criminal who ends up being tied to supervillain-level crime that’s above his pay grade.
King established Kite Man as more than a throwaway villain, giving him some background and a sympathetic origin that involves Batman, Joker, and The Riddler by the end. If it balances comedy and superheroics, it could be a fun, black comedy. Kite Man’s animated series on Max has been fertile testing ground, so a movie seems like even more of a sure bet.
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Luthor would make for a great solo film, likely inspired by Brian Azzarello’s mini-series Lex Luthor: Man of Steel. In the comic, we get Luthor’s point of view about Metropolis, his mistrust of Superman, and his efforts to save the world from the “alien” that the public trusts more than him.
This gives us a Luthor who is playing chess while others are playing checkers. He’s a layered version that has simple motivations and is distanced from his past characterization of being a maniacal killer. Superman isn’t just his foe; he’s a threat to the Earth in Luthor’s eyes, while Lex sees himself as the pinnacle of human intelligence, trying to protect our world.
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The longtime villain who became immortal early in his existence as a Cro-Magnon human, Vandal Savage might play well on the big screen as the subject of a time-spanning epic. Savage could follow the recurring villain throughout history, showing his attempts at conquest, including his claims of being specific historical figures like Sumer, Genghis Khan, and Julius Caesar to name a few.
The major difference compared to what has preceded is that Savage knows he’s a bad guy, and he’s attempting to use his strengths to alter history. It’s far more epic than Joker, but it’s still shining a spotlight on a character you wouldn’t normally see outside of being a bad guy. What’s a lifetime of conquest represent?
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I might be cheating by including all the Rogues in one entry, but for me, the idea of these villains somehow leaving each other behind in prison just doesn’t fly. They stick together battling The Flash, so they’re going to stick together behind bars to get out as soon as possible.
The film would follow Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and the others as they navigate prison, work on an escape plan, and try to survive against other villains they’ve been competing with on the streets. That alone is a plan for a great movie and story, possibly even opening the door for a Flash cameo by the end.
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Rudy Jones is the best-known version of Parasites, one of Superman’s greatest foes, and he gets a new lease in the DC Rebirth era by reforming and joining Superman’s Supercorp company. Here he’s leaving his life of crime behind and uses a special bracelet to supply his body with energy.
Giving a villain who is now looking to be heroic, a role in a new heroic organization? It’s an intriguing Can he maintain his new status quo or is he destined to return to a life of crime? Watch the film and decide for yourself.
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Finally, we have Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, a major villain and anti-hero who’s best known as the Teen Titans’ greatest foe. He is also incredibly popular as an anti-hero and assassin, which is where any film based on Deathstroke should exist. He is one of the most deadly assassins on the planet, and has been developed a great deal across his time as a villain.
There’s just a lot of history with Deathstroke as a character, especially a bit about how he’s always prepared or ahead of the game during his missions. The fact that we were close to getting a Deathstroke solo film already is proof that it could work in the same way as Joker. Hearing Slade could be paired with Bane has us very curious…
Disagree with our choices? Sound off in the comments with your take on any possible movies.
We live in a time where the Joker has two solo films of varying quality, separate from Batman and featuring an Oscar-winning performance from Joaquin Phoenix. The same can’t be said about Joker: Folie a Deux, but one divisive movie doesn’t discount the entire creative push with companies like DC Studios. Where the first Joker Read More