His story is known by all and his modus operandi has turned into the stuff of legends. Yet, through it all, the Batman stories have featured many other incredible characters across its various mediums. From Joker to Robin, Harley Quinn to Poison Ivy, Batman himself is more than just his own character—he’s a touchstone for the beginnings of many other characters throughout comics and popular culture. Here are our picks for the greatest Batman characters who have the depth and complexity to deserve their own spin-off TV series.
7. Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze’s story isn’t like the other stories in Batman’s rogues gallery. His is one of pain and heartache for the woman he loves. After his wife Nora becomes sick with an incurable illness, Victor Fries decides to do whatever it takes to save her—which happens to be freezing her in ice to keep her in stasis while he works out a cure. However, following an accident, he ends up being transformed into Mr. Freeze. His altercations with Batman are rooted in his continual turmoil as he’s forced to live life without his wife. A TV series based around Mr. Freeze would be deep and emotionally affecting, and many fans want Giancarlo Esposito to play the character, which could work out perfectly in Rob Pattinson’s Batman series.
6. Catwoman
If a TV series about Catwoman was ever going to happen, it would have to be based on Zoe Kravitz’s version of the character, following her appearance in 2022’s The Batman. The way Kravitz inhabited the role was the best of any Catwoman actress since Michelle Pfeiffer, and her take had an edge that made the world around her much murkier due to her ethical position. At the end of The Batman, she heads to Bludhaven—and her time there would be the perfect setting for a Catwoman TV series, delving into what Selina has been up to since leaving the flooded Gotham.
5. Nightwing
Nightwing is a character that has never had much luck on the big screen, especially with Batman himself hard enough for any filmmaker. But a TV series about Nightwing? That would be a totally different endeavor, and one with a lot of promise and potential. Nightwing has already appeared in a few shows, but a dedicated TV series—with a proper budget—could bring the character out of the “Don’t Touch” list and into the “Must Include” list. We’d want to see any version of Nightwing head out on his own to help the poor citizens of Gotham City or Bludhaven. It would be refreshing to watch a character so closely associated with Batman.
4. Harley and Ivy
On the one hand, Harley and Ivy already have a good thing going on HBO Max with the Harley Quinn animated series. However, what about a live-action show about these two and their journey from friends to lovers? It seems like a great idea on paper—one that’s perhaps too good to not cash in on. Margot Robbie would obviously be the actress playing Harley Quinn, as no other would be accepted by the vast fanbase. But then who would play Poison Ivy? Practically speaking, whoever Robbie wants! If a show like this got greenlit, Margot Robbie would no doubt be a producer of some kind on it.
3. Ra’s Al Ghul
The immortal enemy of Batman had such a great story in Batman Begins, who was overshadowed by both Heath Ledger and Tom Hardy in the sequels as Joker and Bane, respectively. We’d love for Liam Neeson to reprise his role as Ra’s Al Ghul, but he may be pushing the years now and it may be time for a new actor to take over in a series about the famed leader of the League of Assassins. What would it be about? We’d love for it to be set in the past with a young Ra’s fighting his way through centuries up to the modern day, but this TV series could go anywhere. The possibilities are endless.
2. Scarecrow
Scarecrow has long been one of Batman’s deadliest villains in the comics, but on the big screen, audiences have only seen Cillian Murphy’s bit-part performance in The Dark Knight trilogy. However, now that Matt Reeves has brought together a movie that looks worthy of fans’ time, a spin-off TV series about the rise of Dr. Jonathan Crane would be a very interesting one. A story centered on a doctor who obsesses with chemicals and their effects on the human body? That’d be perfect for a dark and gritty series that fits with the tone of Reeves’s Gotham and Pattinson’s Batman.
1. Joker
Truth be told, the character of Joker is beyond the standards of television. The clown is a movie star, through and through. But consider for a moment the possibility of a TV series about this character before he fell into that vat of chemicals. The Joker has always been an unhinged character, long before that incident. Wouldn’t it be special to watch a series about this man who possesses a mind so twisted by evil yet so blessed with intellect? With this being a pre-Joker Joker, we’d ideally see him played by an unknown actor, but one who has the acting chops to stand up to any scrutiny by Joker’s rabid fanbase. Read next: The Best Joker Actors, Ranked: Who Is the Greatest Joker of All Time?
