‘The Batman 2’ Features a Villain Who’s New to DC Movies

DC fans will apparently be treated to a villain never featured in a feature-length movie before in Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II.

According to the director, the upcoming sequel to 2022’s The Batman will include a villain that has “never really been done in a movie before.”

Reeves dropped the exciting little tidbit during a red carpet interview at the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday (September 14).

Reeves also revealed that the sequel will focus more on the man behind the half-mask, Bruce Wayne, since the first film was “so focused on Batman.”

“[In] a lot of the other films, which I love, once you get past the origin tale, which we didn’t quite do, but we did something that referred to his origins, then you start telling the Rogues Gallery story and that character’s sort of arc. But I never wanted to lose [Bruce Wayne] at the center of these stories, and so that is really what we set our aim on,” Reeves explained.

While Reeves didn’t drop any clues as to which villain, exactly, Batman will square up against in The Batman Part II, some bad guys yet to be featured in a live-action Batman movie include Hush, Hugo Strange, Man-Bat, the Mad Hatter, and Red Hood.

READ MORE: The Single Most Important Batman Scene Ever

The Batman Part II, which has entered the pre-production stage, will begin shooting in the spring of 2026, and is scheduled to release in theaters on October 1, 2027. The first film grossed more than $772 million worldwide.

Robert Pattinson will reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, with The Penguin star Colin Farrell set to return as Oswald “Oz” Cobb/the Penguin in some capacity.

The Batman Part II was first announced in 2022, and was originally scheduled for release in 2025. However, the film suffered a series of delays including the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes and script-related issues.

Reeves, who was still working on the film’s script earlier this year, finalized the sequel’s script back in June.