Recent comments about The Batman 2‘s villain have shed far more light on what to expect from the DC movie’s antagonist – and established some exciting things about who will take on this role. Batman’s movie roster contains a wide array of stellar films, including 2022’s The Batman, which set a high bar for its sequel.
With The Batman doing a stand-out job of making the Riddler into a fascinating foe for the Dark Knight, the question after the film’s release soon became which villain could match or outdo this prior effort. Excitingly, recent comments about The Batman 2 have given us a better picture than ever before of who could step into this role.
The Batman 2’s Villain Mystery Has Gotten Some Key Answers Recently
With The Batman 2 set to start filming only months from now – and Reeves’ script now firmly completed – it’s perhaps no surprise we’ve gotten some of our most interesting updates on the sequel yet. One of the most interesting recent updates about The Batman 2 came from Matt Reeves’ comments to James Horowitz, wherein he stated:
“We began the process of this by deep diving into the comics, exploring the ideas that I had… I knew the way [The Batman] ended, it was leaving us on the precipice, and also the way events sort of happen within [The Penguin] that there is an exploration to be had, and one of the explorations for me was to do something that pushes even further into the character of Bruce Wayne, because the first movie is so about the Batman… picking the right villain that digs into what that does, that sort of goes into his past and his life, that was what drove that sort of discussion.”
These statements are very interesting in terms of suggesting the main antagonist of The Batman 2 will have a specific tie to Bruce Wayne and his story – moreso than the Riddler in The Batman, seemingly, even though Edward Nashton himself had links to Bruce and his family due to Edward’s orphanage being connected to the Wayne’s Gotham Renewal Fund.
While The Batman‘s ending suggests Joker and the Batman have already fought previously, Reeves’ statements have supported the idea the Clown Prince of Crime won’t be the central antagonist of the sequel. On the matter of the villain being used for The Batman 2, Reeves mentioned, “I will say, it’s sort of never really been done in a movie before.“
Though it’s possible this is in reference to how The Batman 2 features the Joker, this doesn’t seem to be what the comment suggests, especially since such a premise would be more at odds with the idea of exploring a villain who can delve into the past of Bruce Wayne over Batman. Instead, another path seems more viable.
The Batman 2’s Setup Makes One Villain Choice Seem The Most Likely
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Reeves underlined that The Batman 2 will indeed be a mystery like its predecessor, stating:
“Because of what the first movie was and what [The Batman: Part 2] is, which is so much a detective story, the idea of trying to protect the secrets of the movie is super important because it’s a mystery.”
This interview also reinforced the idea that The Batman 2 is covering new narrative ground in movie terms for the hero, with Reeves saying that:
The things that it does for his character, for Batman, and for Bruce has never been done before in this way.
Given the puzzle pieces we’ve been provided in recent history – which have let us know that the story draws on Bruce Wayne’s past and history, that it hasn’t really been done in the movies before, and that it’s a mystery that builds on The Batman and The Penguin – two villain theories would appear to look stronger than ever before.
The Batman and The Penguin both focus on the corruption rife within Gotham. As such, the Court of Owls – the organization running and warping Gotham behind the scenes comprised of much of the city’s elite – would be a fitting pick villain-wise here, as would Bruce’s childhood friend Thomas Elliot, who becomes the villain Hush and tries to steal Bruce’s identity.
That said, while Hush has long been a frontrunner for fans when it comes to The Batman 2, Matt Reeves’ comments about the character have paradoxically suggested he is far less likely to appear in the film. In a 2022 interview on X, Reeves was asked what villain he’d like to add into the world, and mentioned Hush explicitly, saying:
“I’ll choose Hush, I’ll say. But that doesn’t mean the next one will be Hush. I just want to say there are so many, and what we would do next, what we’re going to do next – if we have that opportunity – is, you know, it’s still in the planning stages, and I have a lot of ideas. So please don’t latch on to this and say ‘hey, they’re doing the Hush movie.’ But that is a character that I would love to see done, and maybe we’ll get the opportunity to do it – but there are many.”
Although exciting in a short-term sense, in the long run, makes Hush seem less likely, since the focus on “trying to protect the secrets of the movie” would make Hush more complicated to use now after the villain has been explicitly referenced in this manner. Ultimately, it does seem as though the Court of Owls may be the preferable choice.
Why The Court Of Owls Would Be A Better Choice For The Batman 2’s Villain Than Hush
Hush would still be a solid villain for The Batman 2 in terms of giving the Dark Knight a mystery, and a mystery that’s a little closer to home in terms of Elliot being someone from his past. However, the Court of Owls work as an antagonistic force that’s been sabotaging Bruce since day one.
The Court of Owls are centuries old, meaning they pre-date Bruce’s Batman career and also his birth – undermining the efforts of his parents to make Gotham a better place, and Batman’s efforts to honor them. Perhaps more importantly than that, they’re likely to be many people Bruce knows in his civilian life, and may have known since he was born.
The Court also work effectively as a villain that reinforces Batman’s most recent movie lessons. As a cabal that is embedded deeply within Gotham’s institutions and government, the group can’t simply be beaten up in order to defeat them, and more tactical methods would have to be employed – methods that may make Bruce Wayne’s place in society useful strategically here.
All in all, the Court of Owls is a perfect villain choice in terms of tying Batman’s opposition to his life as Bruce Wayne, and providing a mystery by unveiling that Gotham’s flaws are custom-built to enhance the corrupt elite. Hopefully, The Batman 2‘s plot will nail all its story aims, whether that’s with the Court of Owls or not.