A new rumor claims Sebastian Stan isn’t playing Harvey Dent at all in The Batman: Part II. We still know surprisingly little about Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II, with the overarching plot remaining a mystery. For months, there have been reports Sebastian Stan is the new Harvey Dent, but a new rumor suggests that isn’t the case. Not only that, it seemingly confirms that Harvey Dent is still a part of The Batman: Part II, who will be playing him, and which other iconic DC villains have also (so far) been kept a secret from eager fans.
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In his latest newsletter, Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider claims The Batman: Part II newcomers are not playing the characters everyone believed. According to Sneider, Stan is instead playing the serial killer Victor Zsasz – a much less well-known, but frankly far more fearsome, Batman villain. In the comics, Zsasz is a wealthy businessman who ultimately becomes one of Batman’s most terrifying enemies, a killer who’s comparable to Jigsaw in the Saw franchise. And despite the news, Harvey Dent will still appear, but he’ll be played by another of the cast’s newcomers…
So, Who Is Playing Harvey Dent in The Batman: Part II?
Sneider now also reports that Brian Tyree Henry will be playing Harvey Dent. He was officially announced alongside Stan, Charles Dance, Scarlett Johansson, and Sebastian Koch. Notably, little firm speculation met Henry’s casting, unlike Stan, Johansson, and Dance, but if he is Dent, it was masterful misdirection. Sneider also notes that Gotham’s District Attorney won’t necessarily become Two-Face in the film, and that this isn’t the first time Harvey Dent has been portrayed as a black man, as Billy Dee Williams played him in Batman Returns (and was intended to become Two-Face if Tim Burton hadn’t stepped aside after Returns). Henry has also, of course, relatively recently played Phastos in the MCU’s Eternals.
Meanwhile, Sneider also reports confirmation that the DC villain group the Court of Owls – wealthy and corrupt industrialists who have controlled Gotham for decades – will appear in The Batman: Part II. They’ve long been suggested on many DC fans’ wishlists for a live-action debut, and their corrupt oversight of Gotham City does fit with ideas introduced prominently in Matt Reeves’ original movie. Sneider speculates that Dance could be a grandmaster in the Court of Owls, with Johansson as his daughter, who dates Bruce Wayne in the comics and is poised to take over the organization.
He concedes this is pure speculation, however, so we’ll have to wait and see. Sneider’s sources refused to give him information about Johansson and Dance’s roles, although one stressed they aren’t big names from the Batman comics; rather, they are “melds” of lesser-known characters. So that seemingly debunks the suggestion that they were also to play other Dent family members.
Who is Victor Zsasz and Why Would Matt Reeves Use This Villain?
Victor Zsasz is probably Batman’s most disturbing villain, Gotham’s most prolific serial killer. He gives himself a fresh cut for every kill, and his entire body is littered with tallies, giving a sense of just how lethal he truly is. Zsasz originally appeared in the epic “Knightfall” event, which pushed Batman literally to breaking point, and his evil made him stand out from the rest of Batman’s rogues’ gallery; there’s something brutally simple about the concept, because Zsasz doesn’t need a costume or a gimmick to show he’s a threat. He just needs to slip off his shirt.
Stan has never directly commented on long-standing rumors that he’s playing Harvey Dent, beyond confirming his role requires a lot of make-up – which would be true either of Two-Face, or of Victor Zsasz. This aligns with rumors Matt Reeves, whose version of Gotham is so wonderfully grounded and visceral, is doing a villain who hasn’t really been done before on the big screen. Stan even arguably has form for this kind of role, given his stunning performance in Fresh.
It’s easy to imagine how a serial killer could flourish after The Batman‘s ending. Gotham was struck by devastating floods, meaning there will be countless missing or homeless people. Victor Zsasz has always preyed on the vulnerable, and he’d be able to build up quite a tally before his murders were spotted by the police. Even better, Zsasz would allow Reeves to develop the mythical Sherlock Holmes / Jack the Ripper confrontation; Batman has always been the world’s greatest detective in the comics, and Zsasz is DC’s Ripper. This may only be a rumor, but it’s undoubtedly a thrilling one.
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