After making his comic book debut in 1939's Detective Comics #27, Batman made his way to the silver screen with a 1943 serial. Since his initial appearance nearly 80 years ago, the Dark Knight has appeared in movie theaters fifteen times, and there's plenty more to come. Between live-action and animated, the Caped Crusader and the cast of characters that come with him have ruled the box office more than a handful of times. Some of his villains, like Joker and Harley Quinn, have even gotten their own movies.

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But while the Clown Prince of Crime and his former flame have become movie stars in their own right, many of Batman's rogues continue to wait for their big-screen break. Some of them have been waiting patiently for decades, while others are pretty new to the comics but are more than ready for their closeup.

10 Hugo Strange

One of Batman's oldest villains, Hugo Strange is a rather evil psychologist and chemist who not only knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman, but is obsessed with the idea of taking over Batman's life. When he isn't busy trying to be Batman, Strange experiments on people, turning them into super-strong cannibalistic monsters to do his bidding.

Hugo Strange himself is not the danger to Batman so much as the Monster Men he creates - some of them being as tall as fifteen feet. These beasts have no minds of their own and are deadset on killing Batman, but the Dark Knight knows that they were once men, and what they're doing is out of their control.

9 Hush

Hush

A childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, Dr. Thomas Elliot became the Batman villain Hush out of his hatred for his old pal. While Bruce had loving parents, Tommy's were abusive. And while Tommy dreamed of a life where his parents were dead, he was stuck caring for his mother while Bruce's parents were murdered.

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Hush is a careful planner who is always well ahead of his target, making him one of Batman's most dangerous foes. His connection to Bruce Wayne's past, and his ability to tear Batman apart psychologically, makes him a solid choice for a movie.

8 Clayface

Clayface Batman Detective Comics

While there have been a number of Batman villains that have gone by the name Clayface, the original continues to be the best known, and the one who feels perfect for a movie. Basil Karlo was an aging actor who, after learning that one of his most famous films was being remade, began to kill off the cast and crew of the movie. Later in his criminal career, Basil tricked the third Clayface into giving him the serum made from the blood of the second Clayface, Matt Hagen, that would allow him to become a shapechanging monster.

Taking a page from Batman: The Animated Series, a movie could combine Basil Karlo and Matt Hagen into one character, streamlining the story, and giving Batman a villain unlike any he has faced in the movies.

7 Man-Bat

man-bat-1-header

Another monstrous Batman villain, Dr. Kirk Langstrom was working on a serum that would give humans the sonar abilities of bats, but ended up turning himself into a giant bat creature, hence the name Man-Bat. While Man-Bat had the honor of being the first rogue Batman battled on Batman: The Animated Series, he has yet to have the chance to shine on the big screen.

There have been more than enough movies with Batman fighting street-level thugs and now it's time for a movie that gets real wild with it. And Man-Bat is a perfect choice for that.

6 Court of Owls

The Court of Owls with their Talon assassin

One of the more recent adversaries of the Dark Knight, the Court of Owls was introduced in the New 52 era by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, and they quickly became one of the most interesting cabals that Batman has had to deal with.

For generations, the Court of Owls has secretly controlled Gotham City from the shadows, but when Batman begins to mess with their plans, they are forced to deal with the Caped Crusader, bringing this secret organization into the light. A movie with the Court of Owls as the antagonists would have Batman doing something he rarely does on the big screen - using his detective skills.

5 Professor Pyg

Professor Pyg

Another relatively new villain, Professor Pyg would bring a serious horror movie feel to a Batman movie. Known for his pig mask and bloody clothes, Professor Pyg is obsessed with making people perfect, which he does by turning his victims into Dollotrons by permanently attaching a "doll" face over their own faces. Along with the new face, Professor Pyg's Dollotrons are lobotomized so that they will always obey their new master.

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A movie where Batman is hunting down a maniac like Professor Pyg while battling the poor souls who have been turned into Dollotrons has all the makings of a creepily good time at the theater.

4 Deacon Blackfire

Deacon Joseph Blackfire of Batman: The Cult

Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson's The Cult is basically just waiting to be made into a movie. The four-issue series sees Gotham City taken over by a man named Deacon Blackfire, a con man and cult leader who built an army out of Gotham's underclass. What would really make Deacon Blackfire and The Cult a great choice for a movie is that in the story, Batman ends up brainwashed and working with the villain, leaving it to Robin to save the day.

Batman's sidekick is rarely used in the movies, and having one that gives him a chance to shine would be wonderful.

3 The Black Glove

DC Comics - Simon Hurt in The Black Glove

A criminal occult organization led by Doctor Simon Hurt, the Black Hand is a group of the richest and more evil people in the world who worship the bat-god Barbatos. The secret group came to Batman's attention when they set their sights on the Dark Knight in order to see what would happen when the ultimate hero faced the ultimate defeat.

The Black Hand brings in a lot of pieces of a great Batman story that would work on the big screen; evil rich people, psychological breakdowns, and lots of low-level rogues for Batman to punch.

2 Mad Hatter

Jervis Tetch is a brilliant neuroscientist who became obsessed with Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland when he was a child. As he grew up, Tetch became convinced that he was the physical incarnation of one of the story's more colorful characters, the Mad Hatter. Using a mind-control device of his own making, the Mad Hatter is able to control people with ease, but his main goal is twofold; he wants to find the perfect Alice, and he wants to own Batman's cowl.

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The Mad Hatter is a character that comes with a whole lot of great imagery and a whole lot of creepiness for a Batman movie to take one. While he has never been as well known as some of Batman's other rogues, he is one of the oldest.

1 The Mad Monk

Batman and the Mad Monk

It is somewhat shocking that the Mad Monk has never made his way into a Batman movie. Along with a great outfit, the Mad Monk was the Dark Knight's first big villain, and he also happens to be a vampire who is working on creating an army of female werewolves that will do his bidding.

While Batman's movies have - for the most part - kept things simplistic and very far away from paranormal when it comes to the villains, this has constantly kept them from playing with some of the coolest aspects of Batman's history. The world is ready for a Batman movie where he fights vampires.

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