*Originally published on 1/22/10
I love 24. While the show may not be as good as it was in the early seasons, it is still an entertaining thrill ride that keeps me on the edge of my seat. Every year I look forward to a new threat that Jack Bauer has to face within the span of a single day. While there is some formula involved, each season does still manage to keep you hooked.
I can't help wondering how Jack and the rest of the CTU team would fare against a villain like Ra's al Ghul or the Joker. This idea occurred to me a while back, but I still want to see it happen. Of course, there are legal rights issues, but seeing as we're just spitballing and pretending, I see no harm in it.
Whether you prefer the Batman Begins take on Ra's, where he is the head of a vigilante cult that wipes out cities that have become too corrupt, or the straightforward eco-terrorist, I think that Ra's would make a wonderful villain for Jack. Heck, he can give Batman a run for his money, surely, he would be able to challenge CTU.
If the next season wanted to keep Jack in New York, a story could very easily be worked for that location regardless of what take you use. Either way, I think that Liam Neeson should reprise the role. He was great for one thing, and 24 has managed to snag big name actors before so it wouldn't be completely without precedent.
Whether Talia plays a role is up to the writers, it would certainly make things interesting, but at the same time, you don't want to just rehash Batman plot elements and move them to Jack Bauer. Ubu should definitely be there though.
If that's not enough to sell you on the idea, think of this, Jack Bauer vs. ninjas. That tagline alone sells the whole season. I don't care who you are, you find out that Jack Bauer is gonna fight a ninja, you're going to tune in.
The other big bat villain I want to see Jack Bauer take on is the clown prince of crime himself, the Joker. Whereas all of the other villains Jack has taken on had some sort of motive or goal. With the Joker, there is no master plot, he just wants to wreak havoc because he's amused by it. It'll put Jack against an opponent so bugnuts insane that he won't even have any clue about the threat that the guy poses.
Maybe it's just me, but I think that would be two seasons of epic television. With a show that's been going on this long, it's easy to fall into routine, but this will allow them to spice things up without jumping the shark or just retooling CTU and adding new supporting characters. It will also lead to all sorts of internet buzz as a crossover of this scale would cause fanboys and girls all over the country to just freak out.
Seeing as both villains have, on occasion, moved beyond the borders of Gotham to enact a plot on either a national, or even a global scale, it wouldn't be that far fetched to see either of these characters up the ante and try to bring the whole country to its knees.
While I don't know if I'd have Batman himself appear, although that would be kinda cool, a quick mention of him early on would be enough to set him aside and let viewers know that this is Jack's problem and there won't be any man in a bat costume coming to his aid.
Your mileage may vary though. I thought it was awesome when I read that Nintendo was planning on having Link of Legend of Zelda fame appear in the Wii's version of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, my roommates didn't share my enthusiasm though. That may be the case here as well, but I want to see it happen.
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