The Proof The Batman 2 Is Making Its Biggest Fan Theory Happen Might Be Its Best Trick Yet
Zoë Miskelly is an editor and second in command for Screen Rant's Movies team, having covered the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. Zoë's love of superheroes and all things Marvel & DC started out in childhood, and has blossomed into a career getting to talk about some of the biggest and best movies and shows of all time, having previously focused on comics while working at WhatCulture.
The newest updates about The Batman 2 have convinced plenty of DC fans that we've just gotten proof one of the biggest theories around the movie is a reality for its story - but it does also appear this could be a trick on the part of the sequel to ensure audiences are kept on their toes. The Batman 2's story has become more and more exciting the more we've gotten teases of what to expect, as set photos, glimpses, and comments about what is set to come paint a promising picture of the upcoming DC movie and the events within it.
Of course, this has come hand in hand with a wide range of fan theories about the movie and what will happen within it emerging over this time too, with one of the most popular being that the film will feature the DC villain group known as the Court of Owls, since they would be a perfect faction for Robert Pattinson's Batman to go up against now he's focused on getting to the root on Gotham's corruption.
The Batman and The Penguin have established a world wherein a grounded version of the Court of Owls could very much fit perfectly with the series' setting and tone, and capitalizing on a villainous faction that movie fans haven't seen the Dark Knight face could be huge for the 2027 sequel and its story. However, the latest detail that has been taken by some as proof the Court of Owls will be in The Batman 2 doesn't seem to be quite the concrete evidence it has been taken as.
The Batman 2 Set Photos Have Increased Hopes For The Court Of Owls To Appear (But It Might Also Be An Expert Red Herring)
The theory that the Court of Owls - a shadowy organization that's been running and corrupting Gotham from behind the scenes throughout it's history - will appear in The Batman 2 appears to have gotten its best potential tease yet from new set photos. The Batman 2 set photos provide a look at what appears to be a protest scene in the film, which contains a sign that reads "Court of Fowls", exacerbating theories that the Court of Owls will play a role in the proceedings.
Indeed, were the denizens of Gotham to find out that a sinister group had been wheeling and dealing in ways that prevented Gotham from operating fairly and legally, this scene and this sign would make perfect sense. The world of The Batman would need to tweak the group slightly, but this doesn't seem impossible, as it's easy to imagine the Court as a more grounded enterprise than the somewhat larger-than-life sci-fi-eque story of the Owls in the comics, wherein they have centuries-old assassins on hand to try and take down Batman.
With that said, it also stands to reason that this sign may be a red herring of sorts that plays with the fan theory and the number of people looking for clues about the Court of Owls' role in The Batman 2.
Ultimately, "The Court of Fowls" could easily be a pun that plays on either the Batman or the Penguin's interactions with Gotham's institutions, given both have animal names. Batman's ties to the police and Jim Gordon could easily come under scrutiny, as could the Penguin's new connections to Gotham's council and his rise to the top of the city's underworld, as per The Penguin's story and ending.
Given the comparative narrative challenges of showing Gotham becoming aware of the machinations of the Court of Owls comparatively - since the group generally operates in such underhand ways it's hard to see how the general public could become aware of them en masse - these other connections may make more sense for the sign and story. With that said, it's still tantalizing to consider that the Court of Owls could well be public knowledge by the end of The Batman 2 depending on the movie's story and how things go.
The Batman Makes The Chances Of A Sequel Theory Misdirect Seem Higher
When it comes to the matter of The Batman 2's theories and whether any of them seem concrete for the film, it's worth considering how early looks and reports about The Batman itself did lead some excited fans down roads that didn't come to pass down the line.
For example, the looks at some actors in what appeared to be superhero costumes lead to hopes and beliefs that other heroes would be glimpsed in the 2022 DC movie. The reality of things was quite different, of course, as a range of costumes that would otherwise be outlandish for background characters to wear appeared in the Halloween sequence the movie opens with.
Similarly, there were some other misunderstandings or misdirects on the lead up to the original movie's release, such as it being believed that Barry Keoghan would be playing a police officer, rather than his actual casting being that of the Joker, which was a decidedly different role to say the least. As such, while The Batman 2's latest reveals make the Court of Owls theory look even more possible, there is very much context around it that suggests it could well also be the film's greatest misdirect thus far.
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