Cast this: Batman

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What’s Comic Con without a bombshell? In case you missed it, Man of Steel director Zach Snyder lit the fuse of every fanboy’s dreams when he announced that the 2015 follow up to this summer’s Superman hit would feature the Caped Crusader himself: Batman. Most likely in some kind of showdown with the last son of Krypton.

Henry Cavill and the rest of the surviving cast of Steel are set to return of course, but with Christopher Nolan’s Batman, Christian Bale, retired, whom will Warner Bros. tap for the role of the Dark Knight?

Here are 10 guesses, ranked in order of projected likelihood. Who would you like to see face off against Superman? Me? I might be happy with anyone but Channing Tatum. Please.

10. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Moving laterally and using the Robin/Batman hinted at the end of The Dark Knight Rises as the new Caped Crusader opens up a lot of interesting narrative possibilities, but something tells me executive producer Christopher Nolan could put the breaks on this idea with a single raise of the eyebrow. As in, Snyder probably already knows such a tie-in to the Dark Knight trilogy is a no-no.

9. Chris Pine
Probably already on the studio’s short list, the charismatic Star Trek lead could bring a spark of rebellious recklessness that Christian Bale’s version avoided, but does Snyder want Capt. Kirk as his Batman? Doubt it, Scotty.

8. Idris Elba
Do I want to see this? Yes. Would it be amazing? Yes. Is Warner Bros ready for a black Bruce Wayne? Sadly, probably not.

7. Jon Hamm
If Snyder’s Comic Con quote is any indication, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns will be an influence on this Steel sequel, so showing an older, more grizzled and embittered Bruce Wayne makes a lot of sense. I can see the Mad Men star really thriving in this take on the fallen Prince of Gotham.

6. Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Of course, the studio could just as easily go the opposite direction, and, while keeping the dark tone of Miller’s work, introduce a younger, more ruthless and amoral Batman to better clash with the Boy Scout in blue and red. The twentysomething Savages and Kick Ass star would be a rogue, but perhaps inspired, choice in this case.

5. Charlie Hunnam
I have a feeling the Sons of Anarchy star is about to break out with a big screen career. Why not as a caped crime fighter with a dark past? He’s got the physique and the quietly intense swagger to do Batman justice, and if Warner Bros wants a relative “unknown” in the role, like Cavill was when first cast, they could do a lot worse than Hunnam.

4. Guy Pearce
Another interesting choice for an older Bruce Wayne, and of course a favorite of executive producer Christopher Nolan (who cast Pearce in his breakthrough Memento), Pearce is always solid and brings a detailed intensity to every role. He could certainly present an intellectual and ideological challenge to Cavill’s Superman.

3. Jake Gyllenhaal
He was almost Spider-Man more than a decade ago, and he’s of course proven he can go dark (see: Donnie Darko or Jarhead). Gyllenhaal has done action, and he could play a tortured Wayne who also has the best interests of Gothamites at heart in his sleep.

2. Armie Hammer
He was the studio’s choice for Batman several years ago, getting as far as script reads and costume fittings before the Warner Bros.’s planned Justice League film collapsed financially during pre-production. With the box office dud that was The Lone Ranger, Hammer could do well to leap into a more established franchise—if the big studios still believe in him.

1. Michael Fassbender
He’s played in twisted indies like Shame and Fishtank. He’s been Marvel’s Magneto, and really good at it, in X-Men: First Class, and also a bright spot in certifiable blockbusters: Prometheus and Inglorious Basterds. If anyone has the talent, range and timing to become a leading action star right now, it is Fassbender. Plus, the fanboys love this guy. And after mixed reviews for Man of Steel, Warner Bros doesn’t need any more blowback. They need to deliver.