From Hush To Hugo Strange, Here Are 8 Villains We Could See In ‘The Batman — Part II’
Matt Reeves’s The Batman – Part II recently received a new release date of October 2027 — its third since it was commissioned in 2023, but a more solid one this time around — with filming set to start in Spring of 2026. Set in the DCU’s Elseworlds, the film has a lot more freedom as far as its choice of characters is concerned, as compared to those set within the limits of the DCU.
Robert Pattinson is still expected to take the center stage as the Dark Knight, although the villain roster is what really makes a Batman film great, and this one won’t be any different. Paul Dano’s The Riddler and Colin Farrell’s The Penguin set a high standard for the depth of villains in Matt Reeves’ Batverse, and fans expect this trend to continue in the sequel.
While more returnees are expected from the first film, Batman II will likely feature a new list of villains with a deadlier big bad for Pattinson’s Dark Knight to face. From deadly but underutilized villains like Mr. Freeze to traditional foes of Batman like Hugo Strange, here are the eight villains that would spice up Batman II.
Hush (Thomas “Tommy” Elliot)
Hush’s absence in DC’s live-action projects is baffling, considering the impact the character has had on Batman in the comics since he was introduced in Batman #608 (2002). Known as the villain who broke Batman, Hush conjures some of the most devilish plots in DC comics history in his quest to destroy Bruce Wayne. He is basically the portrayal of what Bruce Wayne would have turned into if he was raised in an abusive family.
Having hated Batman and the whole Wayne family since childhood and having the resources to raise and control a criminal empire, Hush often uses villains like Riddler and Joker as pawns. Since Riddler has already done his fair share of harm in Batverse, introducing Hush as the mind behind Riddler’s twisted plot would lift Batman II to a whole new level.
The Court of Owls
Matt Reeves’s Batverse focuses on an investigative approach with means the trilogy has to end in the grand revelation of who the true masterminds of Gotham’s corruption are. While The Court of Owls would be the perfect villains for the Climax, it wouldn’t hurt if Batman faced their first agents in Batman II.
The court is one of the earliest and most secretive criminal empires in Gotham and can easily be tied to most villains that Batman has ever faced in the rogues gallery. Their infamous labyrinth is one of the biggest nightmares that the Black Knight has ever come across in the comics, which is why it would be interesting to see the traps the group can set for him in Batverse.
Mr. Freeze
Since Arnold Schwarzenegger’s portrayal of the now-unpopular version of Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin (1997), the character has been sidelined from the big screen. However, Matt Reeves himself raised hopes of Mr. Freeze’s revival “with a more grounded storyline,” in a 2022 interview in which he expressed his love for the character. Victor Fries is a prominent member of the rogues gallery who always seems to fin a reason to hold the whole city at ransom to get Batman to do his bidding.
Batman II’s winter setting makes him the best choice of a villain for Matt Reeves since freeze guns are his ultimate weapon. Mr. Freeze has also worked with other criminal groups in Gotham, including the Court of Owls so, while an alliance with Batman is unlikely, he could still serve the bigger purpose of being a secondary villain to introduce the actual big bad of the trilogy.
Mad Hatter
Jervis Tetch is one of the scariest villains in the rogues gallery but, for some reason, hasn’t appeared in a batman film yet which perfectly fits into Matt Reeves’s description of his villain of choice for Batman II. The mad hypnotist’s obsession with finding ‘Alice’ sees him cross paths with Jim Gordon which could serve as an interesting introduction in the Batman sequel. Besides kidnapping and senselessly killing innocent children, this deranged hypnotist also enjoys taking over people’s minds using hallucinations which could make him one of the most dangerous villains in Batman film history.
Nothing fits the investigative narrative of Robert Pattinson’s Batman better than a citywide braiwash campaign serving the twisted obsession of a mad scientist. If done correctly, Mad Hatter could pose a greater threat than Riddler while also connecting Batman II to the rest of Batverse.
Ventriloquist (Arnold Wesker) and Scarface
This is another prominent Batman villain who has yet to face off against the Black Knight in a live-action film. There are multiple iterations of The Ventriloquist in DC Comics, but Arnold Wesker and his doll, Scarface, remain the most popular of them all. While he doesn’t have any superpowers, his streak of crimes is one of the most bone chilling in the rogues gallery and Batman just doesn’t seem to have any way to keep him quiet in the comics.
The serial killer going on a murder spree while leaving Scarface models behind to taunt Bruce Wayne would add a unique twist to Batman II while fitting in perfectly with Matt Reeves’s investigave theme. He is also one of Penguin’s biggest rivals in the drug trade which could blend in with the continuity with Collin Farrell’s character.
Poison Ivy (Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley)
Poison Ivy’s potential as a Batman villain has yet to be achived in live action since the character was grossly mishandled alongside Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin. After his struggles with The Riddler, fans would love to see how Robert pattinson’s Batman deals with the ecoterrorist because she fits the profile of a bigger threat that the Black Knight needs to fight in Batman II.
Poison Ivy would be the Catwoman of the sequel, extending love to Gotham’s victims of pollution, but in an extreme manner that threatens the city’s very existence. She often allies with other villains in the comics, including the Court of Owls, making her a great choice for a secondary villain while also setting the stage for the final film of the trilogy.
Anarky (Lonnie Machin)
Matt Reeves’s grounded political world would benefit heavily from a villain born from Gotham’s inequalities and one that embodies the city’s dissillusionment like Anarky. Lonnie Machin is actually the dark reflection of Bruce Wayne’s youth, seeking justice against the whole broken system that preys on the city’s poor and vulnerable. His style fits in the realism of Batverse because he thrives in a politically unstable Gotham.
His ideology of using chaos and anarchy as the path to justice and freedom would pose a new type of threat for Bruce Wayne to deal with as he enjoys blowing up big corporations, destroying government institutions, inciting mass protests alongside any form of lawlessness that hurts Gotham’s entitled elite. Against Anarky, Pattunson’s Batman would have to upgrade his investigative skills and deal with bigger threats unlike anything The Riddler threw at him in the first film.
Hugo Strange
As the man who weaponizes psychology, Hugo Strange doesn’t just fit into Matt Reeve’s noir-inspired Gotham, he feels like the perfect next-level threat after The Riddler. Despite having no superpowers, the very mention of this puppet master is enough to scare the whole city because he almost always wears down Bruce Wayne with waves of insidious attacks rooted in manipulation, mind games and psychological warfare.
Having discovered Batman’s secret identity, Strange proves to be one of Batman’s most unsettling villains in the comics, using targeted attacks against the Wayne family to break Batman psychologically while unleashimg havoc on the city. Being one of Batman’s earliest adversaries, Hugo Strange is the typical fierce Batman villain who still brings a whole new challenge that the Black Knight has never faced in live action which fits the profile of what Matt Reeves wants in The Batman — Part II.
