*SPOILER WARNING*

I'm gonna be discussing the events of The Dark Knight and the fates of certain characters so if you're one of the few people not to have seen it yet and don't want to be spoiled stop reading now. If not, feel free to continue...

You've been warned...

*SPOILER WARNING*

Ok, I thoroughly enjoyed The Dark Knight. Ledger's Joker was amazing! I know a lot of people (myself included) were wondering early on if they'd give us the psychotic Joker most people wanted or another clownish Joker. Well, IMO Ledger's Joker is scarier than the comic book version! It's like the Joker turned up to 11! Great stuff. I was glad to see Rachel Dawes go. There is only so long you can keep a made for movies character like her, especially once she found out Bruce was Batman. Plus she would have been standing in the way of bringing Catwoman in. Maggie did a good job though. Eckhart's Dent/Two-Face was perfect as well. Especially the the scarred look, I don't think they could have done it any better (besides maybe giving Dent black hair). Everything else was top notch too.

...but it's not perfect. I didn't have that same sense of "Hell yes! That was awesome!" like after I saw Batman Begins. And I think it is mainly because Two-Face died. That really disappointed me when I saw it for the first time. I, like most people following the film's making, assumed Two-Face was going to be "created" in TDK and be the main villain in a third film. So it was shocking and disappointing to see him killed off. I loved every minute up 'til then and it sort of sucked the life out of me. I started trying to think of ways they might bring Two-Face back, although it was useless because it wouldn't really work if there was NOTHING hinting at a return in TDK. And then I thought... is there any reason to bring him back? I was expecting to see little of Two-Face in TDK and he'd be featured in BB3 but they had loads of Two-Face in TDK. They had his origin & revenge killings... what's left? Make him a generic crime boss in a third movie? Or have committing crimes in them of 2's? No, after I thought about it, they did it perfectly. I think it was just the shock of expecting TDK to be a Joker film not Joker AND Two-Face film. I wish I'd gone in with that mentality in the first place, but they never really gave the impression Two-Face would have a big role. But now with no Two-Face who's gonna be in a third?

Well, I think Catwoman for sure. I'd say there is a 90% chance Catwoman will be in a third film, I think nearly everyone with an interest in Batman wants to see Catwoman and if you wanted a definitive tale of Bruce/Bats you gotta include Selina/Cats. But these rumours of Jolie... no. No. You can believe any rumours until they start making a third (or Nolan starts discussing things early) and Jolie would be one lazy casting choice (which would get you one lazy performance). Anyone who's look at my page knows I want Charlize Theron but I'm interested to see who pops up when more believable rumors start popping up in a few years time.

Now, Catwoman is a fine inclusion but she's no threat-to-the-city villain. No main villain. There has to be someone who can do villainy on the same scale as Ra's & the Joker and also not be a joke following the Joker in TDK. So who have we got...

Black Mask, Hush, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Poison Ivy, The Riddler, Hugo Strange.. the only really possible options. Freeze & Ivy are to unrealistic, especially if you want them to be the major threats. I would love to see Ivy "Nolanized" but she is difficult to fit with other villains (since she's all about plants). If they did have Catwoman I doubt they'd have Penguin again (Batman Returns) but it's possible. Riddler is a distinct possibility (although probably more as a secondary villain) but he's similar to the Joker (in a way) and having him follow the Joker might be a bad idea. Hush is a possibility, they might feel drawn to the less well known villains and he can be fit well with other villains. Hugo Strange? Possible but I doubt it. My favourite for head villain is Black Mask. He's ruthless and interesting enough to be head villain... but is he ruthless and interesting enough to follow the Joker? Is any villain? Nolan will have his work cut out for him on a third.

My guess for Batman 3:

Main Villain: Black Mask (Hush a distant second)
Secondary Villain: The Riddler or The Penguin
Tertiary Villain/Ally: Catwoman