The Batman 2 Has Already The Trilogy's Real Villains For Pattinson's Third Movie (Theory Explained)

Published Sep 19, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT

Simon Gallagher has worked in movie and TV journalism for more than 17 years. He has written more than 6000 articles and reviews, and edited thousands more. He is an expert in the entertainment industry, particularly in the golden age of screen superheroes. Simon is also a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic.
 

The next Batman movie has been a long time coming, but Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II will finally swoop from the shadows into theaters on February 18, 2028. That might still feel like an eternity away, but the wheels are turning, with filming on the sequel already happening. And we’re already getting reveals from the set.

Following the huge success of The Batman and HBO’s critically acclaimed The Penguin spinoff, the expectations for The Batman Part II have been dialed up massively. And that’s without any real confirmation of what’s going to happen or which Batman villains Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight is going to face. We already know that Barry Keoghan’s Joker is festering in Arkham State Hospital, Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb has consolidated his power over Gotham’s underworld, and Paul Dano’s Riddler is still spiritually commanding his radicalized army from behind bars. But reports suggest none will play anything like a major role.

Instead, we’re reportedly getting either one villain or several from the new cast additions of Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Charles Dance, and Bryan Tyree Henry. That’s an incredible injection of talent, and the rumors linking Sebastian Stan to Two-Face or VIctor Zsaz, and Johansson to Poison Ivy are particularly compelling. But, there are already complicating factors, because The Batman Part II set photos have also seemingly teased other villains - including fan favorite anti-villain Anarky.

And even if that proves to be more of Reeves’ misdirection, there are other clues that could set up a major villain group that have not appeared in a live-action movie yet, and who would be the perfect villains for The Batman Part III. Step forward, the Court of Owls.

Who Are The Court Of Owls?

To understand why the tease of the Court of Owls is such a big deal, you have to understand just how great the relatively new villains are. Introduced in 2011 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s run in The New 52, the Court of Owls completely rewrote Gotham City lore in a way that completely made sense. That was no small feat, and the genius of the writing was that it tied together everything we took as part of Gotham’s identity.

Rather than the typical theatrical psychopaths, mobsters, and freaks who roam Gotham’s streets and alleyways, the Court are a secret society of Gotham’s wealthiest families who have acted as the puppeteers from the shadows for as long as Gotham has existed. They also have an enforcement arm, the Talons, a faction of undead assassins kept on ice until they’re needed to take out a target. It’s an incredibly compelling idea that fits well with the idea of Gotham City being fundamentally rotten: Snyder effectively wrote a logical origin for that idea.

The Batman 2 Set Photos Tease The Court Of Owls In Matt Reeves' Gotham

Almost as soon as The Batman Part II started filming, leaks began to appear online, with the rumors of Anarky’s involvement inspired by the sight of a protestor daubed with the antivillain’s logo. Reeves has been known to misdirect, as he did notably with staged shots of Barry Keoghan as a GCPD cop to throw everyone off his scent as the Joker, but Anarky too fits with the broader ideas of corruption in Gotham.

From the same shooting day, a crowd was shown seemingly harassing or at least confronting Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, and among their banners was a placard held aloft reading "Court of Fowls." Inevitably, that caught the attention of Batman fans online, and while the pun was debated as either misdirection or no more than a playful but ultimately hollow pun, Reeves isn’t the kind of filmmaker to be that passive. Speculation shifted towards The Batman Part II including the Court of Owls, but it might not be as simple as them being the villains in the sequel.

How The Court Of Owls Could Fit With The Batman's Story So Far

Despite some cynicism at how openly they’ve now been teased, the Court of Owls’ existence actually fit very well with the story Reeves has built in both The Batman and The Penguin. The entire plot of the first movie revolved around unearthing systemic corruption and the tragic reveal of his father’s true legacy, and his links to Carmine Falcone’s criminal empire. And the Riddler’s entire manifesto promised Gothamites that he was merely scratching the surface of much deeper corruption.

The Penguin took that idea and ran with it, showing how the aftermath of the Riddler’s terrorist attack on the city had immediately opened further rifts between Gotham’s upper and lower classes, with the elites given preferential treatment as the lower sections of the city were left to rot. Ironically, of course, that corruption allowed Oz Cobb to be adopted as a de-factor leader of the people, as he also influenced Gotham’s political class through intimidation.

Gotham being kept in a permanent state of class conflict suits the elite class, and though Falcone was shown as a manipulator, and Oz dragged himself up to his new seat of power, the idea that both running Gotham’s underworld would be silently facilitated by forces unknown to them is a compelling idea.

Why The Court Of Owls Would Be Perfect For The Batman 3

Despite the “Court of Fowls” tease, hastening the Court of Owls in as the main antagonists of The Batman Part II would be a mistake. It would be too early for such a deep cover-up to be uncovered, and instead, the trilogy ending with Batman taking down the secret society and saving Gotham works far better.

The rumored additions to the cast also deserve more room to breathe than them being Court of Owls figures. Someone of Sebastian Stan’s profile deserves an individual villain like Two-Face or Zsaz, rather then him being a lesser character like Talon. Charles Dance being at the top table of the Court of Owls makes a lot more sense, but again, it feels too early.

Instead, using Part II to focus on the immediate aftermath of the city's collapse and the rise of further opportunistic villains as Batman uncovers further hints about the depth of Gotham’s corruption is a better idea. That way, the Court of Owls can be the grand finale of Pattinson's arc, which started with hints of corruption and his own family’s secrets, and Reeves can deliver the ultimate thematic conclusion for his Dark Knight. It transforms Batman's mission as Gotham’s protector into something deeper, and would be the perfect escalation of him accepting his destiny at the end of The Batman.

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  Bruce Wayne / The Batman

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  James Gordon

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  Alfred Pennyworth

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  Oz Cobb

Sequel to 2022's The Batman, director Matt Reeves' cinematic take on the Caped Crusader.