Matt Reeves Drops Cryptic Clue to The Batman 2 Villain, Hints at a Big-Screen First

Matt Reeves just tossed a curveball about The Batman 2, and it points away from the usual suspects. We still don’t know who Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight will be breaking in that sequel, but Reeves is teasing a villain choice that digs into Bruce Wayne himself and, apparently, hasn’t been done on the big screen.

The tease, straight from the Emmys red carpet

On September 14, Reeves spoke with Happy Sad Confused’s Josh Horowitz on the Emmys red carpet and laid out where his head’s at for the follow-up. He and co-writer Mattson Tomlin have been deep in the weeds on this one — poring over comics and pulling influences from movies that aren’t even set in Gotham. Inside baseball note: that usually means they’re looking to widen the tonal palette, not just remix old Batman beats.

"We had to pick the right villain that digs into his past... I won’t tell you where we ended up but we’re super excited about it, and I will say it’s never really been done in a movie before."

Reeves also made it clear this chapter pushes further into Bruce Wayne, not just the cowl. The first film was steeped in the Batman persona; this time, he wants to keep Pattinson’s Bruce at the true center and build a foe around that.

What we actually know right now

• Filming has not started on The Batman 2.
• Matt Reeves is writing with Mattson Tomlin, after a deep-dive into the comics and a sweep of movie inspirations beyond Gotham.
• The sequel aims to press further into Bruce Wayne, with Pattinson firmly at the core of the story.
• The chosen villain is designed to tap into Bruce’s past and, per Reeves, hasn’t really been done in a Batman movie before.
• The Batman 2 is dated for October 1, 2027.

So... probably not the Joker

Yes, Barry Keoghan popped up as the Joker in a late cameo last time. But given Reeves’ whole 'never really been done' line — plus the Joker being the most overrepresented Bat-foe in film history — that cameo likely isn’t a setup for him to be the big bad of Part II.

Where The Batman left things

In 2022’s The Batman, Pattinson’s year-two vigilante matched wits with Paul Dano’s Riddler, a serial killer targeting Gotham’s elite. The rogues gallery also included John Turturro’s crime boss Carmine Falcone and Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin. Over on the cinematic scorecard, Batman has already fought Bane, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, and more. Reeves hinting at something that hasn’t been done suggests a deeper cut or a new angle on an existing name.

Bottom line: expect a villain tied to Bruce’s history, expect the movie to be as much about the man as the mask, and don’t expect cameras to roll just yet. We’ve got a long glide to October 1, 2027.