Batman II Set Details Reveal Scarlett Johansson Might Actually Be An Iconic Villain After All: “Perfect Casting”

UPDATE: the original DCULeaks post has been deleted with the moderator note that the poster did not have a sufficient track record (and without weighing-in on the likelihood that the info was accurate or not).

The Batman already featured a stellar cast, but Matt Reeves has added even more star power to the roster for the anticipated sequel. Joining Robert Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright, and Colin Farrell in The Batman Part II are names like Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan, and while Stan’s role has been debated in different reports, Johansson’s role seemed to be locked in. That might not be the case though, as new set details may have revealed she’s playing an iconic villain after all.

The DCULeaks Reddit page now features a post by a user named dborn1, which includes information that they claim is from the set of The Batman Part II. The post goes on to say that Johansson is actually playing the main villain of the film, and is a serial killer who has an obsession with plants and uses toxins. This seems to be a more realistic take on Poison Ivy, and she is targeting Gotham’s elite, including the leader of a secret organization led by Charles Dance. There are a variety of reactions to the news, and quite a few are excited about the casting.

Is Scarlett Johansson Playing Poison Ivy, and If Not, Who?

When Johansson was initially cast, the two prevailing theories about her role included Gilda Gold and Andrea Beaumont. The Gold casting made sense since Stan was thought to be playing Harvey Dent, and the Beaumont casting would also be interesting since many would love to see what Reeves could do with a character like the Phantasm.

Then reports locked in on Johansson playing Gilda, even when other reports started shaking things up by stating Stan wasn’t playing Dent, but instead the serial killer known as Zsasz. While Gilda isn’t as mainstream as someone like Poison Ivy, Johansson’s casting still made sense, as the character plays a key role in The Long Halloween, which seemed like a big inspiration for The Batman Part II.

This new set report instead says that Johansson is playing Poison Ivy while Stan is indeed playing Zsasz, and if that’s the case, this would be the first time Zsasz has appeared onscreen and only the second time Ivy has appeared. That said, this would be the first time the villain has appeared in a more grounded and serious take, as the last Ivy was played by Uma Thurman in the hilariously camp Batman & Robin.

As for the report itself, the poster says that codenames were used on set, so some of the post is speculation based on what they heard and saw. It’s also worth noting that VarkingRunesong, who is a mod for the page, added that there was some proof sent to the mod team before the thread was made, giving some additional weight to it.

We’ll have to wait and see which reports end up being true and which ones are completely off, but a Johansson version of Poison Ivy is certainly interesting, especially when paired with a villain lineup that includes Zsasz and Penguin.

The Batman Part II is expected to hit theaters on October 1st, 2027.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

Scarlett Johansson’s Exorcist Movie Finally Gets Major Update