Who Will Be The Villain Of ‘The Batman Part II’?: The 10 Most Likely Choices

Matt Reeves recently spoke with Joshua Horowitz, interviewer for MTV and Happy Sad Confused, on the red carpet at the Emmys, where The Penguin was nominated for 24 awards and won nine. In the conversation, Reeves revealed that for The Batman Part II, he and co-writer Mattson Tomlin looked at the comics and chose a villain who has never been done in a movie before. 

Today, on a livestream for Feature First, I sat down and deciphered Batman’s rogue gallery to see who will likely be facing off against Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne in The Batman Part II. 

First, I listed a few considerations: When Matt Reeves referred to films, he may not have been referring to animated movies as they are hugely underseen in comparison to theatrically released films. In addition, the character should be from comics if that is where Reeves and Tomlin were looking for characters. Finally, the villain should likely revolve around themes of corruption and unearthing conspiracy. 

10. The Sensei (League of Assassins)

The Sensei is a villain I considered due to not being adapted in live action theatrical projects, but also playing a deep rooted role in the corruption of Bruce Wayne’s life. The Sensei is the father of Ra’s Al Ghul, of the League of Assassins. I have this listed quite low due to the League of Assassins being adapted in live action quite extensively, particularly playing a large role in Batman Begins (where Ra’s Al Ghul was played by Liam Neeson), and in The Dark Knight Rises (where Talia Al Ghul was played by Marion Cotillard).

Overall, an interesting pick, if Reeves decided to take that route, but one that could lead to complaints of reusing the same villains over and over again, even though The Sensei himself has not appeared in a live action theatrical film.

9. Mad Hatter

Jervis Tetch, aka The Mad Hatter, is an interesting villain who is more fun than anything. He is a character famed for his hypnotism and brainwashing of other individuals to do his bidding, playing a huge role in the Fox series Gotham. Despite this popularity on TV, in the comics, and in animation, the character is yet to debut on the big screen. This popularity, in combination with his skillset makes him my next pick. 

He isn’t the typical serial killer, like what many are expecting Reeves to tackle in The Batman Part II, but I believe the concept is ripe for being brought down to earth, with therapeutical manipulation already being seen in The Penguin series, with Theo Rossi’s Julian Rush playing a character theorised to be Scarecrow. 

I would love to see The Mad Hatter in a live action film one day, but honestly it is more likely to see him in James Gunn’s DCU than here in The Batman Epic Crime Saga. 

8. The Reaper

The Reaper is by far the most niche character on this list, despite having a rich comic history with four characters picking up the mantle. I think this character could be perfect for The Batman Epic Crime Saga. It’s not a particularly deep character, and wouldn’t unearth too much corruption (which is why I have it near the low end of this list), but would make for a pretty interesting time and some potentially unique fights, playing a Punisher-type role.

He isn’t the most deep villain, which is something that could hinder his chances of being included in something such as The Batman Part II. 

7. Phantasm

The only character on this list to not be born of the comics, originating first in the Batman: The Animated Series spin-off film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, which created the villain, inspired by The Reaper.

The character is similar to the Reaper, and is far more well known, but due to the character not originating from the comics and appearing in a relatively well known film, I do doubt their inclusion in the final film, but it is a possibility nevertheless.

6. Professor Pyg

Professor Pyg is yet another serial killer, this one wearing a pig head as a mask, and often seen carrying a butcher’s knife. This one would be a fun serial killer, a different tone to what was seen with Paul Dano’s incel coded Riddler in The Batman.

He has not appeared in a live-action film, and has only had a small role in Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay in animated form. He also appeared in the Fox Gotham series, where he had his own arc, facing down James Gordon. I think he is a pretty likely option, if not for the lack of obvious connection to a corruption plot, but as per usual, I’m sure Reeves and Tomlin could figure it out. 

5. James Gordon Jr.

Easily my favourite choice of this list (in combination with another), James Gordon Jr. is the son of Jim Gordon. Unlike his GCPD connected father, James Gordon Jr. is a psychopathic murderer and could provide a look at the inner corruption of the GCPD. 

Ideally, I would have him be the villain of the Gotham PD series, which has sadly been cancelled, which would allow for a phenomenal arc for Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon. He would make a great adversary for Robert Pattinson’s Batman, and would really flesh out the past of the universe.

4. Hugo Strange

Hugo Strange is the head of Arkham Asylum, a deranged and evil surgeon, who is responsible for the inmates of the prison (where Joker, Riddler, and Sofia Falcone, are currently imprisoned). He is yet to make a theatrical live action appearance, but previously appeared in the Gotham series, being one of the main villains of Season 3, working under the Court of Owls. 

These past stories working with the Court of Owls (more on them later) leads me to believe Hugo would be great in being a stem of the corruption within Gotham and a great adversary of the Batman, hidden within the law.

3. Harvey Dent

This inclusion is a bit of a cheat. Harvey Dent is one of the most prolific onscreen Batman figures, having appeared in The Dark Knight (played by Aaron Eckhart), Batman Forever (played by Tommy Lee Jones), Joker: Folie à Deux (played by Harry Lawtey) and many others. I only included this character on this list as I believe he will be in the movie, perhaps even getting his origin, but certainly not as a villain. 

Two-Face is often connected to the Gotham gangs and the US legal system so I do believe there is room to explore the corruption of Gotham in the latter way, but I do not believe he will be a full on villain here whatsoever. 

2. Hush

Tommy Elliot, aka Hush, is a big figure in regards to the corruption of the Wayne family, having already been alluded to in the first film. In the comics, he is childhood friends with Bruce and even disfigures himself to look like him later on in life.

The only reason Hush isn’t the number one obvious pick to me, is the setup for his character, ironically enough. In the film, the Wayne family’s corruption is found to be overplayed and are proven to be actually innocent, leaving not too much corruption to unearth with Bruce’s parents (at least). That as it may be, Reeves and co. could easily find a way around this, as I do believe the character will appear in the film. 

1. The Court of Owls

The Court of Owls are the preeminent set of characters to jump to when you want to tackle corruption in Gotham. They are a group of masked figures, acting as a secret society, that controls Gotham and its elites, controlling the city’s every move. When Matt Reeves said he was diving even deeper into the corruption of Gotham, following the deaths of several high ranking officials, many wondered how you would tackle the subject while NOT addressing these characters. Surprisingly, they have never been tackled in a theatrical manner, barely being addressed in animated format, and only heavily being featured in Fox’s Gotham series.

Many believe that The Court of Owls were teased in the finale of The Penguin series, and with Oz Cobb setting himself up as a politician and an elite, we may see his character dance with the devil. 

I do think The Batman Part II will use a combination of The Court of Owls, Hush, and Harvey Dent, tackling the deep corruption of Gotham as a city and organisation. 

The Batman Part II is directed by Matt Reeves, written by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin, and stars Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, and Andy Serkis.

Thanks for reading this The Batman Part II villain article. For more, stay tuned here at Feature First for more news on the film.