Back in 2008 Gutter Screen Editor Ian Driscoll pondered who could be the villain in Christopher Nolan’s next Batman movie.

When the question arises of who could be the villain in a third Batman movie, I’m stymied. I can’t picture The Penguin or The Riddler or Catwoman working in the world Christopher Nolan has created. Poison Ivy? I don’t think so. The Mad Hatter? Clayface? Kite Man? Bane? Nope, nope, nope and please god no….

The only possible candidates I’ve come up with are Hugo Strange, Black Mask and possibly Deadshot (and, it goes without saying, the Gorilla Boss).

Why is it so hard to come up with a villain for a third Batman film? I think it’s because The Dark Knight so effectively nullifies its own superheroic elements - and I’m not the first one to make note of this.

Read more of Ian’s “Having Your Duality and Eating It, Too” at The Cultural Gutter.