It’s no mystery that The Dark Knight trilogy is filled with more Easter eggs than you’d find at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. In many ways, director Christopher Nolan is a bit like The Riddler, leaving several clues for viewers to discover, or perhaps even like Batman, using “theatricality and deception” to hide things in plain sight.Throughout his three Batman films, Nolan relies heavily on subtlety, even when it comes to the main characters. Not once is Selena Kyle (Anne Hathaway) ever called “Catwoman” (instead, her burglar-alias is simply referred to as “The Cat”), while Batman’s sidekick in the movie, John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), is only revealed to be Robin in a closing scene.Credit: DC / Warner Bros.The reason Nolan took this approach with The Dark Knight trilogy is simple — his movies are grounded in reality, unlike all the previous outlandish Batman flicks that came before it. While Matt Reeves’ The Batman (2022) is now considered the most realistic in the franchise, there’s no denying that Nolan’s three films are the most ingeniously subtle.In fact, Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), are each so realistic that Nolan decided not to include certain Batman characters — hero or villain — that would feel too unbelievable. However, that didn’t stop him from referencing some of them, or even including versions of them that fit into the “Nolan-Verse” more easily.So, having solved some of the director’s clever riddles, here are seven comic book-born Batman villains you definitely missed in The Dark Knight trilogy.7. Victor Zsasz — Batman BeginsCredit: DC / Warner BrosVictor Zsasz, the sadistic killer who carves a marking onto his body for each one of his victims, has appeared in many forms of Batman media over the years: in addition to the comic, he’s popped up in the TV series Gotham (2014– 2014), the DCEU movie Birds of Prey (2020), and in the Arrowverse TV series, Batwoman (2019).However, many fans are unaware that he has a small role in Batman Begins.Early in the film, Victor Zsasz (Tim Booth) appears in court, where Dr Crane/The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) orders that the killer be sent to Arkham Asylum for “rehabilitation”. And later, when the League of Shadows, led by Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson), pollutes Gotham’s water supply with an hallucinogenic agent, several inmates from the asylum escape onto the streets, including Zsasz.6. The Penguin — The Dark KnightCredit: DC / Warner Bros.So here is director Christopher Nolan’s subtle attempt at including Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin in The Dark Knight, which finds us in the movie’s opening sequence. The Joker (the late Heath Ledger) and his goons are in the middle of robbing Gotham National Bank when they meet the resistance of the bank manager, played by William Fichtner.Fichtner isn’t wearing a monocle or a top hat, but there are many other clues that suggest he is Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin. The first is the fact that The Joker shoots him in the leg, which may explain why The Penguin uses a cane when he’s a more established villain. The second? The Joker says to him, “Whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you… stranger.” Need we say more?Related: All the ‘Batman’ Movies Ranked Worst to Best5. The Riddler — The Dark KnightCredit: DC / Warner Bros.Much like Victor Zsasz, the inclusion of iconic Rogues Gallery villain The Riddler is far more subtle than the others on this list. However, director Christopher Nolan does make some tweaks to the character in The Dark Knight, firstly changing his name from Edward Nygma to Mr Coleman Reese (Joshua Harto).But how do we know he’s supposed to be The Riddler? After all, he’s not wearing green spandex adorned with question marks like Jim Carrey in Batman Forever (1995). Well, the first clue is his name — Mr Reese, as in mysteries. And the Wayne Enterprises lawyer is also the first person to discover that Batman is Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). Riddle solved.4. The Calculator — The Dark KnightCredit: DC / Warner Bros.The Calculator is one of the lesser-known villains in Batman’s extensive Rogues Gallery, but he has appeared in numerous DC comic books, as well as CW’s Arrowverse and The LEGO Batman Movie (2017). But he also shows up in The Dark Knight, which definitely appears to be the hotspot of the trilogy for Christopher Nolan’s subtle villain cameos.In the 2008 sequel, Lau (Chin Han) a Triad boss, CEO, and corrupt accountant who works for the mob, appears to be Nolan’s version of The Calculator. In the comics, he also works for Gotham’s villains, running a vast network of information and connections, a role not too dissimilar to the one Lau plays in the film. In one scene, he even says, “I’m good with calculation.”Related: Michael Keaton’s New ‘Batman’ (1989) Series Explained3. Killer Croc — The Dark Knight RisesCredit: DC / Warner Bros.While The Dark Knight has its fair share of hidden Batman villains, The Dark Knight Rises appears to follow suit, with Nolan continuing to flesh out Batman’s wider universe in the most subtle ways. And in the trilogy-topping sequel, we get a major clue that suggests the villain Killer Croc actually exists beneath the streets of Gotham City.When John Blake tells Bruce Wayne that Gotham PD doesn’t believe his claims about there being trouble in the sewers (Bane’s secret underground operation), he says, “They asked me if he [Jim Gordon] saw any giant alligators.” However, it’s likely that Killer Croc would be an actual crocodile in this universe, or a cannibalistic human — but definitely not both.2. Clayface — The Dark Knight RisesCredit: DC / Warner Bros.Ben Mendelsohn is known for playing the lead villain in major Hollywood blockbusters, such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Ready Player One (2018). But many forget that he also appears in The Dark Knight Rises as John Daggett, a character who tries to take control of Wayne Enterprises with the help of the movie’s main villain, Bane (Tom Hardy).However, later in the movie, after challenging Bane, Daggett is horribly killed off screen. Despite having a seemingly small role, his character is developed from the Batman comic book character Roland Daggett, a villain responsible for creating the clay-like shapeshifter “Clayface”. While the villain doesn’t actually appear in the film, Daggett is undoubtedly a nod to his existence. It’s also heavily implied that Bane mangles his face during that off-screen kill.Related: Batman: Every Returning Version of the Dark Knight Explained1. Mr Freeze — The Dark Knight RisesCredit: DC / Warner Bros.The third act of The Dark Knight Rises finds Gotham under siege by Bane, and cut off from the rest of the world, as the threat of a nuclear bomb hangs over the city. Meanwhile, law and order has collapsed, and self-made judge Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) punishes men by sending them to their deaths on Gotham’s frozen river, which may just be Nolan’s answer to Mr Freeze.Okay, we get it, it seems like we’re reaching a little, but our point is that Gotham’s deadly frozen river is simply Nolan’s way of including Mr Freeze in the trilogy without actually including him. Because let’s face it — Mr Freeze (famously played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1997’s Batman and Robin) doesn’t belong in the Nolanverse, so perhaps the film’s icy death-march is the only compromise.Did you notice these villains in The Dark Knight trilogy? Let us know in the comments!The post 7 Batman Villains You Missed in ‘The Dark Knight’ Trilogy appeared first on Inside the Magic.