The following article contains spoilers forThe Batman.After the premiere movie’s success, DC fans are already talking about what they want to see in a sequel forThe Batman, especially since people have managed to decipher the mysterious message that flashed across screens after the film’s credits. The website given to viewers has been continuously updated, causing speculation as to who (or what) Pattinson’s character will face off against in the next installment of the series.
Based on the information gathered by fans fromthe Riddler’s website, obscure references throughout the first movie and director Matt Reeves going public about how he wants his version of Batman to face more emotional challenges, fans are leaning towards the next villain being Hush, also known as Thomas Elliot. In the comics, Elliot was childhood friends with Bruce Wayne, who eventually turned on the Caped Crusader during adulthood out of jealousy and paranoia.
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Making Hush the next antagonist ofPattinson’sBatmanseries would certainly deliver on the emotional troubles Reeves wants to emphasize, given the history between Bruce Wayne and Thomas Elliot. Plus,The Batmanstealthily placed some Hush references throughout the film, most notably when the word was written across a photo of Bruce Wayne’s father, who ultimately got a reporter with the last name Elliot killed.
The Batmanalso introduced their newest version of the Joker, played byEternalsstar Barry Keoghan, at the end of the film. Keoghan’s Joker was already locked up in Arkham Asylum when fans met him, but it seems like he’ll be striking up a fast friendship with Paul Dano’s Riddler, now that they’re cell buddies. Matt Reeves justreleased a deleted scenefromThe Batmanthat shows a harrowing conversation held between Bruce Wayne and the Joker in Arkham Asylum, perhaps hinting that the Clown Prince will have a much bigger impact in future installments of the series.
But despite all the villains that could appear alongside Pattinson’s Batman in future projects, there are definitely some who shouldn’t. Specifically, the group of covert criminals who use homicide and fear to maintain political control over Gotham City. This secret society is known as The Court of Owls, who fans have already (sort of) met in this new rendition of The Dark Knight’s adventures.
The Batmanintroduced wealthy, high-power individuals like Carmine Falcone andthe Penguin, serving as a separate group of villains that became pawns in the Riddler’s game. Half the movie’s story was centered around Bruce Wayne trying to outsmart the Riddler, but the other half focused on the fact that he now has to deal with the crimes mobsters like Falcone have been getting away with for years. These criminals have been pulling the strings behind the scenes and controlling everything that happens inGotham City, thanks to their exorbitant amounts of money and the ability to strike fear into the hearts of those that don’t obey them.
Pattinson was actually the one who said he’d like to do something with the Court of Owlsin the future, however the first film seemed to have put an end to the reign of mobsters in Gotham City. AlthoughThe Batmandidn’t include some of the most prominent Owls present in the comics, the film’s antagonists did bear major semblance to the masked murderers that lurked in the shadows of Batman’s literary tales.
With so many new directions to go in, foregoing this route in future films might just be the best thing to do. It would ensure that DC avoids their newBatmanmovies feeling repetitive, or using storylines that are cliché and overdone. Reeve’s has expressed an interest in bringing characterslike Mr. Freeze, and it would certainly be interesting to see live-action versions of characters that haven’t been given much life outside the pages of comic books.
Despite fans expressing their interest in a sequel, there’s currentlyno rush to release a second film. This could actually work inThe Batman’sfavor, because it seems as if the cast and crew are taking their time to produce the best work possible. Rather than simply churning out another lackluster DC and Warner Bros project to capitalize on the success of the first film, Reeves wants to give viewers time to digest the events ofThe Batmanas a standalone project.
Pattinson has already started thinking about where he’d like to take his character in future projects, though, and has mapped out Bruce Wayne’s journey throughout a three-film duration. Given his enthusiasm over playing the titular character inThe Batman,it’s extremely likely that fans will be seeing Pattinson return as Batman within the coming years. The movie has earned over $500 million at the box office and will surelycontinue Bruce Wayne’s story, sometime after the flooding of Gotham.
