As the saying almost goes, a Batman movie is only as good as its villain, so what does that mean for The Batman: Part II? There is, of course, so much more to the rich tapestry of Bat-movies than the bad guys, but there’s also no denying that the best movies also have some of the most memorable villains, whether it’s Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight, Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Batman, or The Penguin and Catwoman (Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer, respectively) in Batman Returns. Paul Dano’s radical take on The Riddler was another entry into that pantheon and sets a high bar for the sequel.
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The Batman 2‘s many delays mean there’s not yet any confirmation on who the villain will be. Colin Farrell’s Penguin will return in some capacity, but is expected to have a smaller role than the first movie, so he won’t be taking on main antagonistic duties this time around. The Batman‘s ending set up Barry Keoghan’s Joker, but director and co-writer Matt Reeves has ruled out the Crown Prince of Crime as well, saying the sequel’s villain has “never really been done” in a movie before. That eliminates a lot of popular options, but may simply point back to the Batman enemy who’s been speculated since the first movie released in 2022: Hush.
Is Hush The Batman: Part II’s Villain?
There’s one assumption that comes with Reeves’ comments: he means a live-action movie. The extensive list of animated Bat-flicks has covered a lot of his rogues gallery, and the director’s phrasing makes it seem like this will be the case. Still, that leaves multiple options on the table, from the Court of Owls to Hugo Strange, but it’s combined with some other updates about The Batman 2 that make Hush seem the most likely choice.
The director has stressed the sequel will be more about Bruce Wayne, with a threat that’s personal to him. If that’s the case, then there’s no better option than someone who not only knows Bruce himself but has done so since childhood, which is where Thomas Elliot, aka Hush, comes in. Thomas, or Tommy, is a childhood friend of Bruce who serves as a dark mirror of him.
Both have wealth and privilege, but Tommy has an abusive father, and tries to kill his parents in order to end that suffering and inherit their fortune – a plan that’s foiled, in part, by Thomas Wayne saving his mother’s life. Tommy grows up to become a surgeon, but always harbors resentment against Bruce, eventually becoming the bandage-covered sociopathic villain named Hush, who attempts to destroy not only Batman, but Bruce directly. He is one of the most personal villains possible, and was already teased in The Batman.
In The Batman, the Riddler reveals Thomas Wayne’s secret connections to a reporter named Edward Elliot, who was planning on exposing secrets about Arkham and Martha Wayne’s history, before being murdered. That name isn’t coincidental: in the comics, he is an ancestor of Tommy. And if that weren’t enough, during this part of the story, the word “HUSH” literally flashes up on screen, as if Reeves was telling us all along what – or who – was coming.
Should Hush Be The Batman 2’s Villain?
There’s a strong case for Hush as The Batman: Part II‘s villain. He fits Reeves’ personal description more than most of Batman’s rogues’ gallery. He’s a villain who hasn’t been seen on the big screen, which allows for a deeper use of the Dark Knight’s incredible rogues gallery, rather than relying on the same handful of characters. And if it borrows from Hush’s most iconic storylines, then this would be another true detective story, a mystery to be solved, which fits with the approach to Pattinson’s characters..
The Batman’s Riddler was obsessed with Bruce Wayne, even while he targeted Gotham’s corrupt elite. His resentment that Bruce lived in privilege while he suffered hinted at how Bruce’s existence itself creates enemies. Hush would take that idea further, showing what happens when someone from Bruce’s own past decides to burn his life down. Of course, the risk there is that it could be repetitive: there were some elements of Hush in Dano’s Riddler for sure, and that alone could be a reason to avoid it, though he does also pose a far greater physical threat to Batman than Edward Nashton.
There are some other compelling options, however. Mr. Freeze has long been a popular option, and if it could do a tragic take that’s closer to the transformative Batman: The Animated Series version of the character, rather than Arnold Schwarzenegger’s pun-tastic, ice-cold take, it could be great. That doesn’t fit with the idea of not being done before, though.
The Court of Owls would make sense, especially leaning into Gotham’s conspiracy-laden history, but might be even better suited to being built up in the background, becoming the final villain for Pattinson’s Caped Crusader in the third movie. Strange would be another fascinating choice for getting into the hero’s psyche and challenging him in unique ways. Whether it is Hush, one of those other options, or someone else, though, Reeves has more than earned the faith that his call will be the right one.
The Batman: Part II will be released on October 1st, 2027. The Batman is available to stream on HBO Max.
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