With the rousing success of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman”, it comes as no surprise that we’ll be getting a sequel starring Robert Pattinson’s rendition of the Dark Knight. Get ready for “The Batman Part II”, set to hit theatres sometime in 2025. The film will continue to remain in Matt Reeves’ universe, or Elseworld, and will not be related to James Gunn’s DC Universe (DCU) or his new Batman film, “The Brave and the Bold”. At least for now. There’s been a ton of exciting updates regarding the development of the film, which includes potential villains that could appear in the upcoming sequel. Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves have been suggesting some rather interesting candidates that could appear in the film.
The question is: Which of their villains will most likely be featured in the sequel? Could we potentially be getting more than one? If you came here to find out some answers, then you’re in the right place because we’re breaking down all teased villains that could play the antagonist in “The Batman Part II”!
In the Talons of the Owls
According to Scott Snyder’s New 52 storyline of “Batman”, long before the Waynes, the Falcones, the Cobblepots or the other powerful families of Gotham carved out the city…there were the true rulers of the land. There’s a rather interesting nursery rhyme young Bruce Wayne heard when he was young. It goes: Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowy perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they’ll send the Talon for your head.
The aforementioned Court of Owls is an ancient secret cult of influential elites who control Gotham’s political and economic infrastructure. You may have seen them in TV shows like “Gotham” and the video game “Gotham Knights”. No matter the version of the group, they’re always depicted as a group of well-dressed folk wearing spooky white owl masks, led by the golden-masked Grandmaster. If someone were to ever expose the Court of Owls or threaten their interests, they would send their skilled, undead assassins called Talons after them.
In an interview with “Den of Geek”, Robert Pattinson stated that: “I’d love to do something like Court of Owls. There are elements of The Batman which are kind of horror and I think it really feels quite new for Batman.” To that we wholeheartedly agree, the idea of his Batman going up against a powerful cult in the city of Gotham would fall perfectly in line with the thriller/horror motif Matt Reeves has set up with his burgeoning Batman franchise. In “The Batman”, we saw the Dark Knight go up against not just individual serial killers like the Riddler. He also took on the threat of systemic corruption brought about by Carmine Falcone and his criminal organisation.
Furthermore, there is a hidden history between the Waynes and the Court that could continue Bruce Wayne’s struggle with his familial past. Fans online are theorising that the owl-themed greeting card addressed to Batman in the first film could be a hint that the Court of Owls is making its way into the sequel.
Fun fact: owls are natural predators of bats so the poetry of Batman going up against the Court of Owls and its legion would be amazing!
Rogues Gallery Galore
While the Court of Owls is currently a strong potential pick, there are some classic villains in the Bat’s rogue gallery in the running as well. Before you ask, no, Barry Keoghan’s Joker will not be appearing in “The Batman Part II”, at least not as the main villain. That being said, there are currently three names that have been thrown out there: Calendar Man, Hush and Mr. Freeze. After mentioning his love for the Court of Owls with Den of Geek, Pattinson has also said that he’d love to see the Calendar Man appear in the sequel as a Hannibal-Lecter-style serial killer who strikes on specific dates. As cool as that sounds, we don’t think Calendar Man will be the film’s next pick. Following one serial killer with another would be redundant.
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Director Matt Reeves has also given us some very juicy details with regards to which of the Bat’s rogues gallery could be appearing in future films. When asked on a Q&A by Twitter Movies if there was a villain he’d love to bring into his universe, he chose Hush as his choice. However, he was very quick to temper expectations by saying that he was still in the “planning stages” and told viewers not to go around spreading rumours about Hush being in the sequel. While an intriguing idea for sure, putting Hush in the sequel would be a huge mistake.
In the comics, Hush is Thomas Elliot, a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne who becomes the criminal mastermind with a vendetta against his former best friend. He rallies various criminals including Poison Ivy, Clayface, Two-Face and the Joker to destroy Batman and the Wayne legacy. He was always jealous of Bruce’s perfect life and hated the fact that Thomas Wayne stopped him from inheriting his abusive father’s wealth by saving his mother’s life. To bring Hush into the film would weave too tangled a narrative web, even if the film was two and a half hours. If Elliot’s character is given some time to be established in “The Batman Part II” then perhaps sometime down the line, he could appear as Hush.
In a press event, Collider reported that Reeves has also expressed interest in bringing a more “grounded” version of Mr. Freeze into his Batman universe. He also elaborated on how he loved the more “fantastical” elements of Batman’s mythos and thinks there’s a great story to tell with Mr. Freeze. It’s interesting how in this statement, he seems a lot less hesitant about this idea.
Who’s it going to be?
Personally, as fans of all things Batman, we love the fact that both Reeves and Pattinson are avoiding the more well-known villains and giving some much-needed love to more niche characters. As for which of their teased villains is most likely to appear in “The Batman Part II”, we’re going to have to go with Mr. Freeze. Believe it or not, the Court of Owls has made several appearances in Bat-media! They’ve appeared in CW’s “Gotham” and are set to appear in another TV series this year “Gotham Knights”. Then we have the video game “Gotham Knights”, which is totally unrelated to the CW show, featuring the Court of Owls as the main villain. They were also the main villain in the animated film “Batman vs. Robin”.
So while we love the Court of Owls, we don’t think Reeves is going to want to draw comparisons with the other media adaptations of the group. As we mentioned earlier, Calendar Man would be a tad too similar to Riddler and bringing Hush into Reeves’ Batman sequel would be way too soon. Ultimately, Reeves is the one with the most creative authority and he’s right when he says that Mr. Freeze could be used to tell a really compelling story.
Besides the 1998 film “Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero”, there hasn’t really been a truly memorable and accurate depiction of Mr. Freeze in film. There are so many layers to the character that make him both sympathetic and sinister. In spite of his icy exterior, deep down Victor Fries is just a man desperate to save his wife Nora. However, he’s willing to go to any lengths to save his love. If Reeves manages to deliver on his “grounded” take on Mr. Freeze, he would make cinematic history as the man who redeemed the character from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s terrible, terrible version.
So which of the four villains pitched by Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves do you want to see in “The Batman Part II”? Be sure to let us know in your comments!
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