Batman 3: Who’s the Next Villain?

As The Dark Knight mounts its record-breaking box office run, talk of future sequels has already reached a fever pitch. But which foes might Batman face in a potential follow-up? Following in the footsteps of Heath Ledger's terrifying turn as the Joker would be an unenviable task for any actor, but the real challenge could lie with director Christopher Nolan and his brother/writing partner Jonathan. A peek at the remaining adversaries in Batman's legendary "Rogue's Gallery" reveals a less-than-appealing cast of cartoonish, over-the-top characters ill-suited for the darker, more realistic vision of the Caped Crusader established in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Any characters plucked from remaining ranks of Batman villains would almost certainly have to be reinvented to fit the Nolan mold: that is, no supernatural abilities, no outsized physical proportions and no preposterous origin stories. Here's a list of foes with a shot at making the cut.

The reviews are in for The Dark Knight, and they're nearly unanimous in their praise for Heath Ledger's terrifying portrayal of the Joker. Ledger's performance in Christopher Nolan's follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins has even spawned a grass-roots Oscar campaign for the deceased actor, aimed at making him the first posthumous winner since Network's Peter Finch was crowned Best Actor in 1977.