Joker was a huge success and for all the right reasons. It was a movie that the comic-book genre needed with the MCU films becoming more or less formulaic. The financial success of Joker could spark some confidence in Warner Bros. and perhaps they will start doing more ‘Black-Label’ movies. So, here’s our list of five DC characters that deserve a Joker-style movie.
Also read: Deadline Claim ‘Joker’ Sequel Not Confirmed
Scarecrow
Arguably, one of the most exciting villains to face Batman is Dr Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a horror-thriller based movie would be great for this Gothamite. Seeing his transformation from being a professor of psychology to becoming a deranged maniac would be fascinating. This would work perfectly as WB’s New Line Cinema subsidiary have become popular for the IT franchise. Scarecrow’s fear chemicals could make for some extremely tense scenes that keep the audience on their toes, and we could even get some Mysterio-esc visuals akin to Far From Home or the Arkham games.
Hush
So I know we got the animated adaptation of the ‘Batman: Hush‘ storyline this year, but let’s face it, that was awful. However, if you haven’t familiarised yourself with the character, Thomas Elliot is similar to Bruce Wayne. They both grew up with a wealthy family, and the two were friends growing up. So far he sounds like an okay guy, right? Not so much after he killed his parents to get their wealth and even begun to hate Bruce after Thomas Wayne’s surgical skills saved Elliot’s parents.
A standalone movie focusing on Elliot’s perspective, rather than seeing it happen from Bruce’s view would be fantastic. The parallels that a director could make between Bruce and Thomas would be both interesting and worrying to see how similar a hero and a villain can be.
Mr. Freeze
I know, Arnold Schwarzenegger is what comes to mind for some people. However, those who have read the comics or watched Batman: The Animated Series know just how tragic this character is. See, Mr Freeze became a villain initially to raise research funds to cure his terminally ill, cryogenically frozen wife. This backstory was created within the Batman animated series and was made canon in the comics later on as fans appreciated the tone of his story.
A character study would no doubt have fans feeling sympathetic and the movie could pose a question of whether a criminal doing bad things for truly good reasons makes them villainous.
Dollmaker
Barton Mathis was a psycho in the making as a child; his father would take him on “hunting trips” only to make him watch people get killed and cannibalised. Those father-son bonding trips would end when a young officer named James Gordon shot down Barton’s father. Barton would return years later to Gotham after spending a year in foster care. Oh, and his mask is made of his deceased father’s skin.
A Dollmaker movie would be perfect in creating a very tense-slasher style movie. The film could also develop the hatred between Barton and Gordon with James feeling a sense of guilt each time Dollmaker strikes. However, a Dollmaker movie could also make room for interactions between Barton and Joker – after all, Dollmaker did cut off Joker’s face in the comics.
The Question
Vic Sage is an investigative journalist who grew up enduring physical and psychological abuse from the orphanage he was staying in. As a result, Vic grew up with extremely violent tendencies. Later, Sage would come across stories he couldn’t investigate through legal means, leading him to don a special mask that made him appear to have no face. His name came from the calling card he’d leave at a scene he’d been investigating which consisted of a question mark.
A movie that focuses on the life of Vic Sage and what led him to create a persona such as The Question would show that even though he isn’t a villain, his violent tendencies get in the way of him being a true hero. An in-depth exploration of whether he’s a hero, villain or anti-hero would be intriguing, and the movie could bring up questions like ‘what it means to be a hero’ and ‘what differentiates a hero from a villain’.
Now, how about you? Do you have any suggestions for characters that deserve a Black-Label style movie? Let us know in the comments below!
