With the MCU blessing us with a plethora of women-led movies and TV series, it’s safe to say that women have begun to dominate the superhero genre. That said, the only cinematic universe that can even come close to rivaling that of the MCU is the DC Universe. Featuring great characters like Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Wonder Woman, the DC Universe has a number of women heroes and villains that are just as strong as their male counterparts — and just as worthy of being seen on the big screen.

After the recent release of The Batmanstarring Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz, the new Batman franchise is one of the best places for DC to showcase the large log of woman characters that have just been waiting for some screen time. The Batman franchise is known for its unique villains that terrorize Gotham, many of whom are women and can hold their own against Batman. On top of this are a number of forgotten women characters hidden in The Dark Knight’s shadow. With talk of a potential sequel to The Batmanin the works, these are women characters we’d love to see in a possible The Batman sequel.

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7 Kate Kane / Batwoman

Former circus performer Katherine “Kate” Kane uses her skills to become crime-fighting hero Batwoman. Originally devised as a love interest for Batman, that soon changed as DC revealed that Kate Kane is an openly gay Batman character. While not much is seen of her throughout the Batman film franchise, Batwoman has a history in the DC Universe. She eventually received her own series in The CW’s Arrowverse called Batwoman in 2019, starring Ruby Rose as the title character for the first season. Not only would her addition to The Batman franchise add some much-needed LGBTQ+ representation, but her skills and talents, enough to rival Bruce’s, would bring a very strong female presence to the DC Universe.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

6 Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn

     Warner Bros.

Probably the most well-known woman character in the whole Batman Universe is Harley Quinn. The crazed girlfriend of the Joker, Harley Quinn was originally Dr. Harleen Quinzell, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who was seduced by her patient, the Joker, and wound up helping in his escape from the institution. While Harley was originally meant to be a one-time character, she eventually became a recurring character and her popularity earned her, her own part in The Suicide Squad and in Birds of Prey. Harley’s toxic and abusive relationship with the Joker has been subjected to much controversy, as no matter how badly he treats her, she seems to always return to him. This has changed in Harley’s most recent on-screen appearances in Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn, the animated series, and the new The Suicide Squad. Harley Quinn is always a welcome presence from her cutesy crazed comedy to her skilled fighting. She would be a welcome sight in a The Batman sequel.

5 Helena Betinelli / The Huntress

The Huntress has a troubled past, which led her to be sent away to learn martial arts at a young age. Similar to Bruce Wayne, The Huntress is forced to watch her parents’ murder and takes it upon herself to stop this from happening to others. The Huntress is a superhero that is hidden behind Batman’s feats, despite her skills as a fighter. The Huntress’ trademark is a handheld crossbow, fashioned from her dead parents’ equipment. While she is considered a hero, Batman refuses to work with her because he considers her to be too violent and unpredictable. This premise would make for a wonderful concept in a The Batman sequel as The Huntress and Batman would surely butt heads.

4 Pamela Lilian Isley / Poison Ivy

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Poison Ivy AKA Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley becomes Ivy after Marc LeGrand tries to poison her for implicating him in a crime. Pamela survives the murder attempt and discovers she has acquired immunity to all-natural toxins. While Ivy has made many appearances over the years in film, TV, and video games, she hasn’t made an appearance in a film since Uma Thurman’s performance in Batman & Robin. With the words of a The Batman sequel in the works, there are rumors that Natalie Dormer is set to play the role of Poison Ivy in Robert Pattinson’s The Batman film franchise.

3 Barbara Gordon / Batgirl / Oracle

Many know Batgirl simply as one of Batman’s sidekicks when the reality is she has a number of skills, including being very tech-savvy. The daughter of police commissioner James Gordon, Barbara simply joined Batman on his mission to keep Gotham safe from the never-ending reign of villains. Her origins have changed over the years, from originally wanting to go straight to vigilantism to instead wanting to join law enforcement as her father did. Her popularity has gained her enough attention to get her, her own Batgirl film set to be released on HBO Max. Seeing Batgirl in The Batman franchise would not only add more women representation to the group of heroes in Gotham, but would be a refreshing sight if Reeves were to take more inspiration from the comics. While many women have taken over the role of Batgirl, Barbara Gordon has the most interesting story to tell.

2 Sandra Wu-San / Lady Shiva

One of the most powerful characters in the whole of the DC Universe who is able to give Batman a run for his money is Lady Shiva AKA Sandra Wu-San. Lady Shiva is a martial arts grandmaster and an assassin who specializes in killing her opponents with her bare hands. The whole purpose of becoming a martial arts grandmaster was to avenge her sister’s death, attempting to take down Richard Dragon before taking up crime-fighting alongside him. Lady Shiva makes a prominent appearance in the Birds of Prey TV series. Seeing her skill live-action in The Batman franchise would be an impressive feat for Reeves’ new films.

1 Jaina Hudson / White Rabbit

An often forgotten supervillain in the DC Universe is The White Rabbit AKA Jaina Hudson. An Alice in Wonderland-themed villain of Batman, she has the ability to duplicate herself as an albino woman with enhanced speed. While not much is known about The White Rabbit, she would be a nice new addition to The Batman franchise. As she has not been portrayed on-screen before, her appearance in The Batman franchise would be an introduction of her character for most.