Snyder revealed that he has plans for several characters in his DCEU, including Batman villains Catwoman and The Riddler. Two of Batman’s most enduring foes, Catwoman and The Riddler, were introduced at the outset of the Caped Crusader’s comic run in the 1940s. They played two of the rogues in the original Adam West TV show from the 1960s.
The Riddler Has Yet To Return To the Big Screen
Both villains are considered classic rivals of the Dark Knight, with Michelle Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, and Anne Hathaway modernising Catwoman on cinema, while Jim Carey provided a throwback, campy Riddler in 1995’s Batman Forever. While Christopher Nolan gave Catwoman the brutal realism treatment in The Dark Knight Rises, The Riddler has yet to return to the big screen. That is, until Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman confirmed both Selina Kyle and the Riddler as characters. Paul Dano plays a scarier, more cerebral version of the puzzle-based villain, while Zo Kravitz plays the feline femme fatale.
Snyder’s Interview With BroBible
Snyder discussed his ambitions for the two villains if he had been permitted to continue his vision for the DCEU in an interview with BroBible. Catwoman was “someone we talked about,” according to Snyder, who also said that he had a “Riddler concept.” Going into detail about the latter, the director explained his planned Riddler was “kind of like the one who figured out the Anti-Life Equation in the spec scripts,” highlighting the storylines created in his Justice League movie.
Snyder Had A Lot More Planned
Snyder had a lot more planned for Batman and his rogues gallery, according to the comments, with The Penguin also confirmed to have been on his mind. The Riddler’s involvement in Darkseid’s anti-life equation conspiracy may have eventually transformed into the role played by Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, but the villain was always going to be present. The Snyderverse version of Batman was supposed to face various adversaries, including Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke, in Ben Affleck’s solo feature, but the project was later cancelled and replaced with the new Robert Pattinson-led film.
Snyder’s vision of the future DCEU may never be realised, but fans of the director’s cut of Justice League are clamouring for his return. While the introduction of a new timeline with The Batman raises questions, the multiverse concept and the reintroduction of Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck’s Batmen in The Flash give fans optimism that Zack Snyder’s vision for the Batman enemies may one day be realised on the big screen.
