How 'The Batman' Sets Up The Villain For The Sequel
The Batman is racing forward at the global box office. The film is on pace to be around $500 million globally by the end of week three of its release. Essentially, The Batman is already viewed as a massive success to WB and it is all but assured it will receive a sequel.
Let's take a look at what all the clues mean, in regards to what a Batman sequel may look like when it is released. First off, The Riddler clue at the end of the movie translates to "Gotham loves a comeback", so there is definitely reason to believe we have not seen the last of Paul Danos' villain in the series. That could go one of two ways. He could be seen in the proposed Arkham Asylum series or he could make an appearance directly in the sequel.
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It would be neat if the series was used to introduce a few more of Batman's Rogues to give them an original story, and then the sequel could be about an escape from Arkham during the chaos of the flood. That could lend very well to a direct adaptation of the classic story No Man's Land which sees the citizens of Gotham cut off from the outside world for a period of time. The end of The Batman certainly has put down the foundation for this iconic story to come to life. This would bring about the return of Oswald Cobblepot and could bring in other villains, such as Scarecrow.
The second option is that Batman faces off against his arch nemesis, the Joker, who we were briefly introduced to during the scene at Arkham. We know nothing about how he was originally captured, how he went down this villainous road, and what his interactions have been with Batman. Plus, there are countless story arcs involving Joker and Batman that could be adapted, if he is brought back in a larger capacity and expanded upon. He definitely does not feel like a character introduced to be forgotten, since he is always a recurring presence in whatever Batman is up to.
With those two villains already presented as potential recurring characters throughout the series, Reeves very well could decide to leave them for a third film and go an entirely different route. There is an open DA's office in Gotham that needs addressing and it would be a perfect opportunity to bring in Harvey Dent and grow him a bit as a character before making him a villain in his own right. It would cool to see Harvey, Gordon, and Batman working together for the entire film, while slowly seeing Harvey crack. That would be better served as another mystery-style caper and then set up Two-Face, The Joker and The Riddler as the three primary villains in the third film.
A couple of villains I could see as the primary antagonist for Part 2, if Reeves plans an Arkham breakout for Part 3, would be: Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, or even Professor Pyg. Any of those three would provide Batman with a mystery that would continue to see his detective skills put to the test. It would be fun to see Freeze redeemed on the big screen, which is something the character desperately deserves. Scarecrow is personally one of my favorite villains and using his fear toxin could create a disturbing Gotham and give us our first Batman horror film. Pyg could be used in the vein of a Hannibal Lecter/Red Dragon style mystery, where his next move is unpredictable.
Regardless of where this series goes next, I am sure it will garner plenty of intrigue from fans world wide as they wait with anticipation for any news regarding the sequel. After viewing The Batman, Matt Reeves has earned the trust to do whatever story and whatever arc he feels is best for these characters and the city of Gotham. Bring on more stories in this new iteration of Batman and his universe!
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