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I'll Be Back: Arnold Schwarzenegger Wants To Play A Batman Villain Again

No, Hell isn't freezing over, but it sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger is ready to give Batman another shot.

By Tom ChapmanPublished 6 years ago 2 min read
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'Batman & Robin' [Credit: Warner Bros.]

No matter what your views are on #comicbook movies, 1997 is heralded as the year that #Batman died. Rubber nipples, Buttgirl, and a frosty reception to #ArnoldSchwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze all tanked #JoelSchumacher's second Batman entry. It has been 20 years since Batman & Robin rounded off the quadrilogy that was started by Tim Burton in 1989 and most people have managed to move on from the blip on the radar.

The franchise has since been rebooted twice, but the ghosts of Batman & Robin still loom over the careers of George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman, and Schwarzenegger himself. While most of the cast have since shied away from #superhero films, and some from films all together, at least one member of the team is ready to return to the genre. No, Hell isn't freezing over, but it sounds like Arnie is ready to give Batman another shot.

Let's kick some ice.

'Batman & Robin' [Credit: Warner Bros.]

Speaking with Fandango, Schwarzenegger gleefully answered when quizzed on whether he would return to Gotham City:

"Absolutely! I think all of those movies, if they're written well, they're entertaining. If it's Batman or Batman and Robin, or X-Men or Spider-Man -- all of them. If they're written well, they have a great life. People enjoy them, and you can see the grosses that they make worldwide. So, yes, of course I would."

There is only so much you can do with a paper-thin script, and Schwarzenegger wasn't wholly responsible for the tirade of puns that poured forth in Batman & Robin, even if he delivered them. Arnie is known for his one-liners, but Mr. Freeze was an iceberg of woeful wording. He upped the film's already OTT sense of camp. While Marvel has always been caught up in its villain problem, however, even at its lowest point #DC can give us a memorable monster, and Mr. Freeze is no exception.

Back to the Bat.

[Credit: DC]

So, does Schwarzenegger deserve a second chance to pummel the Caped Crusader? Remember that the former Mr. Olympia was once rumored to be playing Ares in the upcoming Wonder Woman film, so a return to the #DCEU wouldn't be that hard to imagine.

Even in his advancing years, Arnie still has the impressive physique to play one of Batman's muscular menaces. Certainly the 69-year-old would be an interesting take on an aged version of Bane, although with Tom Hardy so recently playing the character, it would be an unlikely move. Elsewhere, he could be a great Basil Karlo, a.k.a. Clayface. As an underrated Batman villain, Clayface has had memorable storylines in the likes of the "No Man's Land" and "Death in the Family."

You may also remember that King Shark was originally scheduled to appear in Suicide Squad before the script was changed to include Killer Croc. If King Shark were to turn up in the director-less Suicide Squad 2, DC should definitely give Arnie a call. While Schwarzenegger can sometimes come across as a joke choice for an actor, let's not forget that roles in Terminator and Predator have made him one of the best-known actors in Hollywood today. I think the hate toward Batman & Robin is finally beginning to thaw, so let's fire up the Arninator!

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About the Creator

Tom Chapman

Tom is a Manchester-based writer with square eyes and the love of a good pun. Raised on a diet of Jurassic Park, this ’90s boy has VHS flowing in his blood. No topic is too big for this freelancer by day, crime-fighting vigilante by night.

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