5 Perfect Villains for The Batman 2 Who’ve Never Been in a Movie Yet

The sequel to The Batman is one of the most anticipated superhero movies, set to continue director Matt Reeves’ distinct crime saga. Functioning as an “Elseworlds” project, The Batman Part II remains separate from the primary DC Universe being crafted by James Gunn, granting Reeves the creative freedom to expand his grounded take on Gotham City. Following some production shifts, the film is now set to release in 2027, with a script co-written by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin already completed. This ensures the next chapter will maintain the specific tone and focus that made the first movie a critical and commercial success.

Reeves’ core mission is to keep the narrative tightly focused on Bruce Wayne’s (Robert Pattinson) internal journey, making his evolution the central pillar of the franchise. This character-first approach means the sequel’s antagonist must be a villain who can challenge Bruce Wayne on a personal and psychological level. Crucially, Reeves confirmed the selection of a Batman villain who has “never really been done in a movie before.” This opens the door for several fascinating rogues who are perfectly suited to deconstruct the man behind the cowl.

5) Anarky

Lonnie Machin debuted in Detective Comics #608, created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle as an antagonist driven by philosophy. A child prodigy with a deep understanding of radical politics, Machin becomes the masked figure Anarky to wage a one-man war against Gotham’s corrupt systems. He is not motivated by wealth or power but by a genuine, albeit extreme, desire to liberate society from what he sees as oppression. Sadly for Bruce, Anarky views Batman as part of the problem, a vigilante who only serves to protect the broken status quo.

Anarky is a perfect ideological antagonist for the world of The Batman. After the first film exposed the city’s systemic corruption, Anarky would arrive to offer a violent solution. His arguments would be difficult for Bruce Wayne to dismiss entirely, forcing him to question the effectiveness of his own crusade. This creates a conflict that is less about fists and more about philosophy, a core strength of the first movie. In addition, the character’s memorable appearance in the video game Batman: Arkham Origins solidified him as a potent intellectual foil capable of challenging Batman’s mission on a fundamental level.

4) Prometheus

Created by Grant Morrison and Arnie Jorgensen, Prometheus is a dark mirror of Bruce Wayne’s origin. The son of two criminals, he witnessed their deaths in a police shootout and dedicated his life to destroying all forms of justice. Just like Bruce, Prometheus used his parents’ fortune to travel the world, honing his mind and body to perfection before returning to Gotham City. His most dangerous tool is his helmet, which allows him to download the skills of other fighters directly into his brain, making him one of the most formidable hand-to-hand combatants in the DC universe.

Prometheus is a villain whose entire existence is a perversion of Batman’s. He represents what Bruce Wayne could have become if he had chosen vengeance over justice, using immense resources and peak human conditioning for purely destructive ends. His narrative forces a deeply personal conflict, as he is a direct intellectual and physical match for Batman, but with a completely inverted moral compass. While a version of the character appeared on the television show Arrow, he has yet to be realized on film, and his calculated war on the very concept of heroism would be a terrifying escalation for Batman.

3) Hush

One of Batman’s most personal enemies, Dr. Thomas “Tommy” Elliot was introduced in the seminal Batman: Hush storyline by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. A childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, Tommy grew to despise him, fueled by a deep-seated jealousy. As an adult, the brilliant surgeon adopts the bandaged persona of Hush to orchestrate an elaborate, city-wide conspiracy designed to systematically ruin Bruce’s life. He uses his intimate knowledge of Bruce’s psychology and his connections to other villains to attack the man, not just the mask.

Hush is an ideal antagonist for a sequel intended to dig deeper into Bruce Wayne’s past and psychology. His entire motivation is tied to their shared history, providing a natural way to explore Bruce’s life before he became Batman. Furthermore, the Hush comic is a sprawling detective story filled with mystery and paranoia, a tone that aligns perfectly with what Matt Reeves has established. The character’s popularity was further cemented by his menacing presence in the Batman: Arkham video games, which portrayed him as a cold, methodical threat who knows exactly how to wound Bruce Wayne.

2) Court of Owls

Introduced by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo in 2011, the Court of Owls instantly became one of Batman’s most iconic modern adversaries. They are a shadowy cabal of Gotham’s wealthiest families who have secretly controlled the city for centuries. From their hidden bases, they manipulate political and economic events, enforcing their will with a legion of near-immortal, cryogenically-preserved assassins known as Talons.

The Court of Owls represents a threat on a scale Batman has never faced. His war on crime in the first film would seem insignificant compared to a conspiracy woven into the very fabric of Gotham’s history. A conflict with the Court would challenge everything Batman thinks he knows about his city, his family, and his own purpose, forcing him to fight an enemy that is everywhere and nowhere at once. The celebrated comic storyline is a brutal psychological and physical ordeal that pushes Batman to his absolute breaking point, making the Court a perfect villainous entity for an epic sequel.

1) Hugo Strange

One of Batman’s earliest villains, created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane in Detective Comics #36, Hugo Strange is an intellectual titan. As a brilliant but amoral psychologist, Strange is completely obsessed with the Batman persona, driven by a relentless desire to understand, expose, and ultimately replace the Dark Knight. Hugo Strange was one of the first villains to deduce Batman’s secret identity, and he uses this knowledge to psychologically torment Bruce Wayne in an attempt to prove his own superiority.

Hugo Strange is the definitive antagonist for a sequel centered on Bruce Wayne’s psyche. His expertise in psychology makes him uniquely equipped to exploit Bruce’s trauma and insecurities, turning his mind into a battlefield. There are many sources of inspiration reeves could use to achieve that. The classic comic storyline Batman: Prey, for example, sees Strange orchestrating a city-wide manhunt for Batman by manipulating the police and the public, framing him as a dangerous menace. In addition, his central role in the video game Batman: Arkham City further showcased his capacity as a calculating mastermind, making him the ultimate threat to Bruce Wayne’s identity and sanity.

The Batman – Part II is scheduled to hit theaters on October 2, 2026.

Which villain who’s never been in a movie do you think should face Robert Pattinson’s Batman? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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