Who should be the next Batman villain?

The puzzlers: The Riddler and Cluemaster
Played as an outrageously over-the-top cackling bad guy by both Frank Gorshin on the TV show and Jim Carrey in “Batman Forever,” Edward “Riddler” Nygma wears a trademark green suit covered with question marks and specializes in leaving Batman mocking puzzles at the scene of his crimes — or hints at future dasterdly deeds, daring Batman to stop him. His jester-like qualities sometimes make him something of a low-rent Joker, but lately in the comics he’s turned over a new leaf and reinvented himself as a detective, solving puzzles instead of creating them.

Speaking of pale imitations: What would “Jeopardy!” quizmaster Alex Trebek be like if he turned his formidable game-show hosting abilities to evil? That’s essentially the premise of Cluemaster, who turned to a life of crime as after being fired from his high-profile TV job, with a signature attention-grabber of leaving clues behind for Batman to follow. Even the Riddler, not exactly the least gimmicky of villains, felt contempt for Cluemaster’s shtick, which he thought was a rip-off of his own.

Nolan-ability Rating: The Riddler: B. Cluemaster: D.
The Riddler’s apparently got a pretty good shot at a future film, if you can believe comments made recently by Gary Oldman, who plays Commissioner Gordon in the series. Anthony Michael Hall has been rumored to play the role, and “Doctor Who” star David Tennant reportedly would love to do it.

Penny Plunderer
It’s not exactly uncommon for a Batman villain to have a theme that all his crimes and misdemeanors revolve around, but Joe Coyne’s particular peccadillo was possibly the most pathetic of any of them: He was obsessed with pennies, going to ludicrous lengths to steal rare coins and one-cent stamps, and defended himself by hurling rolls of copper coins at Batman’s head. After getting caught, the poor schmuck got sentenced to the electric chair, which seems harsh for a guy who was, after all, just small change.

Nolan-ability Rating: C-.
He’d work as comic relief, but the series hasn’t shown much inclination to need any.

Chandell
Pop quiz: Which villain got the highest ratings on the 1960s “Batman” TV show starring Adam West? The answer might have even longtime Batman fans asking “who?” Weirdly enough, the most popular guest villain was none other than the flamboyant pianist Liberace playing a dual role as a pair of twins — famous pianist Chandell and his evil brother Harry, who schemed to steal a fortune from Batman’s Aunt Harriet and blackmail his own brother in the bargain.

Nolan-ability Rating: D-.
A villain played by Liberace is pretty much the dictionary definition of “camp,” exactly what Nolan’s avoiding.

Bat-Mite
Just as Superman is often plagued by the mischievous genie-like extradimensional being Mr. Mxyzptlk, Batman has his own magical imp who pops in every now and then to sow trouble. Bat-Mite doesn’t really mean any harm, and in fact has a childlike hero-worship of Batman, but whenever he uses his magic to “help,” he usually just complicates things.

Nolan-ability Rating: F.
Bat-Mite only works as a character if you keep things light and zany. Put him in a movie, and you might as well put Homer Simpson, Daffy Duck and the Tasmanian Devil in there while you’re at it.

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