Even though the superhero group Birds of Prey first introduced itself on a big screen in the recent film, the viewers have already noticed that these ladies have some serious skills and are excellent at kicking ass. What else could you expect, when you put together the Huntress, Black Canary, and Renee Montoya?
Harley Quinn joined them on their first adventure when they fought the Black Mask but it’s probably safe to say she’ll keep away from the group in the future. But even without Harley and her enemies, there are a lot of villains in Gotham the Birds of Prey could fight. And some they shouldn’t.
SHOULD: Archer Braun
In his fight against Birds of Prey, Black Mask relied heavily on brutal force and using a lot of goons. However, there are other villains in the DC universe with a much more impressive set of skills. One of them is Archer Braun, whom most people probably won’t know unless they read the comic books.
In the comics, Birds of Prey fight against Archer who is not only excellent at martial arts but is also a metahuman psychic with some seriously formidable psychic abilities. Having him fight the Birds of Prey would allow for the opportunity to include some visually interesting mind games in the film.
SHOULDN’T: Calculator
As his name suggests, Calculator’s real power lies in his mind, not his physical fighting skills. People used to mock him until he reinvented himself and became a broker with information that he provides to other villains. He’s excellent at creating strategy and manipulating others but while he’s an impressive opponent in the comics, it’s debatable whether his set of skills would translate well onto the big screen.
After all, people usually like seeing epic fights in superhero films, and that’s not what the Calculator prefers doing. His presence might perhaps work if the screenwriters pushed him into association with another villain, but for now, there are other, more interesting villains available.
SHOULD: Brainiac
Brainiac is by far one of the most dangerous villains in the whole DC universe. He’s brilliant, ruthless and when it comes to Superman’s archenemies, he’s right there at the top alongside Lex Luthor. Brainiac is a computer who has no primary physical form but often chooses to appear as a green hairless alien (an alien version of Lex Luthor, perhaps?).
If the Birds of Prey stood against him, it would be a very difficult fight, perhaps the most difficult one they could go through. It would also provide the filmmakers with the opportunity to team up the Birds with other heroes, maybe even Superman himself.
SHOULDN’T: Copperhead
Copperhead’s case is a bit difficult. He’s dangerous and shouldn’t be underestimated. He’s an excellent athlete who uses a snake suit to fight his enemies. He can also paralyze them or even kill if they don’t stay out of the reach of his helmet since its fangs are coated with deadly venom.
However, after everything’s said and done, Copperhead is still just a guy in a snake suit, which could look ridiculous in the films, unless the creators would somehow manage to pull it off. Even Black Mask’s mask in the first Birds of Prey wasn’t all that rage and creating an impressive Copperhead snake suit would be even more difficult.
SHOULD: Joker
Joker has appeared in live-action films many times before but it could still be interesting to see him fight against the Birds of Prey. His set of skills is a lot different than theirs and would lead to a complicated showdown with an uncertain result.
Plus, if the Birds of Prey fight Joker, it would also provide the screenwriters with an opportunity to bring Harley Quinn back into the group, albeit for only a short time maybe. Harley might want to get rid of her former lover for once and for all, and she could decide to temporarily join forces with the Birds to fight Joker which would no doubt be epic.
SHOULDN’T: Killer Croc
Killer Croc is slightly similar to Copperhead (see above) in the aspect that it would be difficult to show him in a way that wouldn’t make him look a bit ridiculous and diminish the threat of him as a legitimate villain. Plus, unlike Copperhead, Killer Cros has already appeared once in a DCEU film, in the Suicide Squad (2016), and many fans thought that his character could have been handled much better.
He also doesn’t have such a strong connection to the Birds of Prey like other villains and could easily turn into a mindless caricature of himself if the screenwriters weren’t super careful.
SHOULD: Lady Shiva
Speaking of villains with personal connections… Lady Shiva is one of the most intriguing female characters in the whole of DC. Fans and comic book screenwriters alike also consider her one of the deadliest ones so she would provide a proper challenge to the Birds of Prey.
Plus, as already mentioned, she has a strong connection to other well-known DC heroes. She trained Tim Drake, the third Robin, and what’s even more, she’s Cassandra Cain’s mother. Yep, the same Cassandra Cain from this year’s film. Lady Shiva’s presence would also mean Cassandra would have a reason to return and the fans could get an epic showdown between the mother and the daughter.
SHOULDN’T: Prometheus
In the comics, Prometheus is a dark version of Batman. Just like the famous caped crusader, Prometheus watched his parents get murdered, but not by criminals - by the police when he was just a child and this moment forever changed his life. He didn’t join the side of good and instead became a villain. Prometheus is very impressive and dangerous to everybody around him, but that’s still not a strong enough reason to include him in the future Birds of Prey films.
By far the biggest obstacle is the fact that the DC fans have already seen him in a live-action piece, the TV show Arrow, and many were disappointed by the show’s portrayal of Prometheus. So it’d be for the best to let him rest for a while.
SHOULD: Talia al Ghul
When talking about formidable DC female villains, you can’t leave out Talia al Ghul, who also appeared in Arrow but didn’t have a big role there, unlike her sister Nyssa. Talia is the daughter and the heir of Ra’s al Ghul and she proudly titles herself ‘The Heir to the Demon’.
Talia is a dangerous, cunning, beautiful and highly intelligent woman who also has an important connection to one of the most famous DC characters ever - Batman - since she’s also the mother of Bruce’s son Damian who later becomes the new Robin. Seeing Talia fight the Birds of Prey would no doubt be amazing, so let’s keep the fingers crossed.
SHOULDN’T: Harley Quinn
There’s a lot of villains the Birds of Prey could fight in the sequel (or sequels), but one of those they definitely shouldn’t fight is Harley Quinn herself. After all, it would be a bad taste to fight the one person who actually brought your superhero group together.
If it wasn’t for Harley who urged them to join forces, there would be no Birds of Prey at the end of the film. Plus, even though Harley usually kicks for the bad guy team, she’s not a stereotypical villain who’s evil just to be evil, and you can almost consider her an antihero, at least in some of the comic books stories.
