More wild Batman speculation! While on a press tour for "Red Riding Hood," Gary Oldman gave everyone a juicy hint about "The Dark Knight Rises" and who the main villain might be.

Oldman said, "I think it’s a villain from one of the old, old, from way back from the old comics. It is a Batman villain… It’s not going to be the Joker."

While we already sort of knew that last part (Nolan has said all along that he would not re-cast the role left open by the tragic passing of Heath Ledger), the bit about it being a villain from way back in the early days of the Batman comics is interesting.

It means Bane won't be the main villain (Bane was introduced in the early 1990's), and while it could mean that Anne Hathaway's Catwoman could be (Catwoman was introduced in 1940, in the first issue of Batman comics.), that's not likely.

While Catwoman is technically a "villain," she's not all that villainous, and certainly not evil on a large enough scale to be the main antagonist in a Batman film that follows the calculated plans of Ra's Al Ghul and the chaotic terrorism of the Joker. Plus, since Catwoman is already announced, wouldn't Oldman have just said "it's Catwoman" plain and simple?

So who will this "way back" main villain be? Dr. Hugo Strange is a possibility: the character has been a rumor for some time, and was introduced in 1940, so he's definitely part of the "old comics." However, Strange is a bit similar to the Scarecrow, who appeared in the first movie: he's an insane psychologist with a serum that forces others to follow his commands.

The Riddler is from the early 1940's, but Nolan has already said that there will be no Riddler in this Batman film. Notably, Black Mask, who was also rumored, is less likely with this news, as he was introduced in the mid-1980's. The Penguin is an old villain as well and always a possibility, but might be a bit cartoony for Nolan's universe.

That pretty much does it for the big-name supervillains, but what about a more obscure one? Doctor Death is considered to be Batman's first supervillain, and was introduced in Detective Comics #29 in 1939. He seems like he would fit the Nolanverse well, as he is portrayed as a chemical and biological weapons manufacturer and dealer who targets wealthy citizens of Gotham. Now that is the kind of grandiose villainery that can drive a Batman movie!

My guess is that they might go with Dr. Strange, but include elements of Dr. Death's character to make him less like the Scarecrow. If you have any theories, leave them in the comments!