By the time The Batman Part II arrives in theaters in 2027, it will have been over five years since we first saw Robert Pattinson on screen as the World's Greatest Detective.
Recently, filmmaker Matt Reeves said the sequel's villain is going to push "even further into the character of Bruce Wayne," and is someone that's "never really been done in a movie before." That's exciting on many levels and opens the door to exploring corners of Gotham City that haven't been seen on screen before.
In this feature, we're singling out some of the most likely, thrilling possibilities for The Batman Part II's big bad. Some will be well-known to you, while others are a little more obscure...with plenty of potential in Reeves' "Bat-verse."
You can check them out by clicking the "Next"/"View List" buttons below...
5. Nobody
We're kicking things off with a very obscure villain: Nobody. Introduced in Batman and Robin, Morgan Ducard is the son of Henri Ducard, the detective and assassin who helped train a young Bruce Wayne.
Morgan initially befriended Bruce, but was tasked with killing him by his father. He failed and was delivered to Henri broken and beaten. That destroyed their relationship, prompting Morgan to become a shadowy killer who arrived in Gotham to deliver lethal justice and take his revenge by killing Batman and Robin. Eventually, Damian killed him.
A villain like this would allow Reeves to further explore The Batman's "no-kill" rule and to have a key figure from Bruce's past come back and haunt him in the present day. Robin is rumoured to appear in the sequel, so you can likely see the pieces falling into place here.
4. Hugo Strange
Hugo Strange is a brilliant but deranged psychologist and scientist obsessed with Batman. One of the Caped Crusader's oldest foes, he often uses mind control, his horrible experiments, or psychological manipulation to test Bruce's mettle.
On the page, Strange's obsession drives him to uncover Batman's identity as Bruce Wayne, a secret he's exploited in many storylines. Arkham Asylum has frequently factored into his twisted plans, and with The Joker and The Riddler among those holed up there, that could make for a one-of-a-kind sequel.
Strange isn't a physical threat to Batman, but that only serves to make him even more interesting. A villain like this can also take us on a deep dive into Bruce's psyche.
3. Calendar Man
Calendar Man, a.k.a. Julian Day, is obsessed with dates and holidays, committing crimes themed around specific days, seasons, or significant historical events, and leaving cryptic clues behind that are tied to the calendar.
Reeves has confirmed that The Batman Part II will be another detective story, and given Calendar Man's unique modus operandi and his connection to the seminal Batman: The Long Halloween storyline, he'd be a terrific fit for this movie.
Reeves and co-writer Mattson Tomlin will need to work hard to differentiate him from The Riddler, but it can be done. Pair him up with a fresh take on Harvey Dent, and his inclusion has the potential to make for a compelling follow-up to The Batman.
2. Hush
Tommy Elliot was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, who plotted to kill his own mother and father so he could inherit their wealth. However, Thomas Wayne used his surgical skills to save Tommy's mother, resulting in him having an irrational hatred and jealousy of Bruce.
Yeah, later, he became a successful surgeon in his own right and returned to Bruce's life as a friend. In reality, he's Hush, a demented killer who plots to destroy the Dark Knight by any means necessary (he even enlists many of Batman's greatest foes to torment the vigilante).
The Batman referenced Hush, and he's definitely a logical choice of villain to explore Bruce's past and push him to his limits. As for the similarities to The Riddler's mask, The Batman Part II could link these two characters, similar to the comic books.
1. The Court of Owls
The Court of Owls is a secretive, elite society of Gotham's oldest and wealthiest families. Operating in the shadows for centuries, they control the city's power structures, manipulating events to maintain their influence.
The Court believes they are the city's true rulers, viewing the Dark Knight as a threat to their order. To take him down, they employ the Talons, undead assassins trained to enforce their will, though how likely zombie assassins are for Reeves' vision of the DC Universe is hard to say.
Still, it wouldn't be hard to ground this group in reality, especially if they're tied more to Bruce than Batman (a fun reveal might be that his parents were also part of the clandestine group). Robert Pattinson has also expressed an interest in seeing The Court of Owls on screen...