THE BATMAN II Releases Two Years From Today - Here Are 7 Predictions For Matt Reeves' Sequel!

The Batman II will be released in theaters on October 3, 2025, and we're now sharing some of our predictions for where Matt Reeves could take Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader next. Check them out here...

By JoshWilding - Oct 03, 2023 02:10 PM EST

Filed Under: The Batman

The Batman redefined the Caped Crusader when it was released last year, with director Matt Reeves' decision to explore why Bruce Wayne is the World's Greatest Detective a welcome new direction for this character on screen. Pitting the Dark Knight against The Riddler in a Se7en-like murder mystery worked brilliantly, but what about the next chapter in this story?

With exactly two years to go before The Batman II arrives in theaters, we've been giving that some thought, and have come up with some compelling, unexpected places we could see this standalone franchise go either still in "Year Two" or, hopefully, beyond.

From potential subplots to character introductions and even the type of stories Reeves might be planning to tell (along with when they're set), we have a lot of bold, potentially crazy ideas. Some are completely out there, while others line up with some of the clues and hints seen in The Batman. After all, we can't imagine Barry Keoghan's Joker was introduced for no reason!

To take a look through these predictions, all you need to do is click the "Next" button below.

7. Trapped In Arkham Asylum

batman-ak-12-5b28414f058498-63169918-copy

We've visited Arkham Asylum in previous Batman movies, but this iconic Gotham City location has never really been depicted in a comic-accurate way. Instead, filmmakers have only really scratched the surface, treating it as little more than the cool-sounding name of the place the villains the Caped Crusader defeats are sent. Moving forward, that's something Reeves can change.

The Riddler was sent to Arkham following his defeat, and once it starts filling up with the Caped Crusader's foes (alongside him and The Joker), the filmmaker has the opportunity to explore a story where Batman is trapped at the mercy of his greatest enemies. Reeves is skipping past the hero's origin story, and time jumps like that mean Bruce Wayne can take down all manner of foes off-screen.

It's hard to believe a Batman movie set almost entirely in Arkham Asylum hasn't happened yet, especially when it's a premise that everyone knows has serious potential. Heading deeper into this trilogy, however, we expect Reeves to spend more time exploring the place Batman sends his enemies, something we know he considered with a spin-off TV series.

6. The Court Of Owls

After watching The Batman's trailer, many fans were left convinced they'd spotted clues suggesting the Court of Owls was pulling the strings in Gotham City, and it doesn't appear to be a notion Reeves was shying away from in the movie itself.

A historic cult made up of Gotham City's elite in the comic books, Batman had to root them out in order to save his home from their corrupt influence. That could quite easily be Reeves' overarching plan for the world he's creating for his Caped Crusader.

The Riddler may not have been targeting the people who make up this sinister group, but there are plenty of ways to fold them into the stories of other villains. If so, the World's Greatest Detective pursuing them throughout the rest of his trilogy in order to eliminate the corruption that's taken hold of his home makes perfect sense.

5. The Penguin Makes His Move

Colin Farrell only played a supporting role in The Batman, depicting the crimelord at a time when he was still rising up the ranks of Gotham City's criminal underworld.

Now that Carmine Falcone has been dealt with, there's a void in Gotham City the vigilante never anticipated. This rookie Dark Knight could do little to stop The Riddler from gunning down Falcone, but his death will do nothing to stamp out crime for good. In The Penguin series coming to Max, we expect to see Oswald Cobblepot step up and finally make a name for himself.

From there, Reeves can create a new dynamic between Batman and the villain, exploring the relationship they have in the comics where the Caped Crusader frequently visits his foe for intel on what's happening in his city (something we actually saw in the movie last year).

4. The Joker Makes His Presence Felt

To head down this route would feel perhaps a little too much like what Christopher Nolan did when he followed Batman Begins with The Dark Knight. However, it also seems inevitable after we met Barry Keoghan's early Clown Prince of Crime in The Batman.

Bruce Wayne clearly encountered the villain during his first year protecting Gotham City and comments from Reeves suggest he has unique ideas about how to explore the hideous appearance and psyche of a Joker who is a serial murderer (imagine an entire movie featuring Batman investigating his old foe's gruesome crimes, all of which would likely leave Gotham City in a state of fear).

We'd probably pair The Joker up with another baddie in order to avoid putting the spotlight solely on such a familiar, smiling, face but there's no denying Reeves feel like the right person to do something new with the character. After all, he's not The Joker...yet.

3. A New Robin

Titans followed Dick Grayson's transformation into Nightwing, but the only big screen Batman adventures to feature the Boy Wonder are Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. Neither movie handled the Dynamic Duo particularly well, and we'll admit that, on the surface, it's hard to picture how Robin could fit into the grounded, dark world Reeves is creating with The Batman franchise.

Well, why not just reinvent Robin? There's a lot of ground to be explored when it comes to the moral implications that come with Batman taking a child into battle with him. If the filmmaker skips Dick Grayson and goes with Jason Todd, then the groundwork could be laid for his eventual transformation into Red Hood and a three-way battle between him, Batman, and The Joker.

Unfortunately, The Brave and the Bold introducing Damian Wayne could mean Reeves has been encouraged to head down a slightly different route. We'd have liked to see his take on Robin, though, and believe there's still a chance we'll get a drastic reinvention of some sort.

2. Time Jumps

Reeves set out to do something different with The Batman by having the movie's story take place in "Year Two" of Bruce Wayne's tenure as a vigilante in Gotham City. We've alluded to possible time jumps a couple of times throughout this feature, so why not continue that trend moving forward?

There's absolutely no reason for a sequel to take place immediately after the events of this movie, and it could instead skip forward to a completely different time period. "Year Five" or "Year Eight," for example, might find a vastly more experienced Batman who has been hardened by years of fighting some of his most dangerous foes (and filling the horrific halls of Arkham Asylum).

This would be a clever way of advancing the stories of other characters, too, exploring what it means for Bruce to become an established crime-fighter in Gotham City. Reeves basically did this with his Planet of the Apes movies, and it would result in a series of Batman films unlike any other.

1. The Riddler Returns

The Batman's Riddler is vastly different to the version from the comic books, and after his defeat, we're not expecting him to eventually transform into the bowler hat-wearing, cane-wielding goof seen on the page.

However, it's hard to imagine him being a one-and-done villain who is forgotten about after this initial conflict, and you don't need to be a master of riddles to figure out what a great big bad he'd make across the course of the trilogy. Pulling the strings from Arkham Asylum in a quest to get the ultimate revenge on Bruce, the stage could be set for an epic rematch that truly tests Batman's mettle.

In Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's seminal "Hush," it was The Riddler who sent all of Batman's greatest foes after him, ultimately revealing that he'd learned his secret identity. That sounds like it has all the makings of an epic event movie, particularly if Hush himself factors into proceedings (we're guessing this is a plot The Hoker would be involved in as well).

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18 Comments

HashTagSwagg - 10/3/2023, 2:05 PM

Aside from the tone, wasn't a fan of the film but I hope they actually take the time to develop Riddler more and have remain involved and not just drop him in for a minor cameo and move on to the next guy.

Fogs - 10/3/2023, 2:13 PM

@HashTagSwagg - I'm also not a fan. That's why the timeskip is a must.

Noob Bats was painful to watch. Selina was trained by Rha's, not Bruce. Lol!

FireandBlood - 10/3/2023, 2:06 PM

Only DC content worth looking forward to after Joker II

WruceBayne - 10/3/2023, 2:50 PM

@FireandBlood - I’m definitely the minority by saying this but I am NOT looking forward to that musical they’re calling Joker 2.

ModHaterSLADE - 10/3/2023, 2:09 PM

Wasn't crazy about New 52 but I loved how they handled Court of Owls, hope they can be done a fraction as good as that in live action with this take on the character, hopefully with some threads set up in Penguin's project.

Forthas - 10/3/2023, 2:10 PM

I have a feeling Robin will not be the same as often depicted. He will be teased and hinted at and may factor into a story that includes Batman...but I don't think he will have as big a role as many people think.

FireandBlood - 10/3/2023, 2:11 PM

@Forthas - I reckon they’ll tie his origin into the Court of Owls, considering Dick was originally meant to be a Talon

Forthas - 10/3/2023, 2:22 PM

@FireandBlood - That is actually brilliant. It would explain him being trained without the awkward Batman training child soldiers, his motivation for joining the Court could be seeking vengeance for his parents and that could build on the theme of being "scarred" and rising above vengeance that the first film introduced. I don't know if Matt Reeves has considered this angle but you should send him the idea and collect your writers credit and check.

Th3Batman - 10/3/2023, 2:15 PM

Here's another prediction: It'll be so ahead of Superman financially that WB will finally pull the plug on their shared universe.

99OPTIMISTPRIME - 10/3/2023, 2:19 PM

An Arkham City/The Purge type of movie, would be pretty epic.

hainesy - 10/3/2023, 2:28 PM

I liked the first movie. It wasn't perfect, but what is. They did a great job of a grounded Batman and did an amazing job of taking him from myth to public hero. A time jump would skip the "No Man's Land" story they could do after the flooding and that's not a horrible idea. Leave that to the Penguin TV show. I love the idea of exploring Arkham and having the Joker pull strings from there. Not sure if that happens though, due to competition from the Joker sequel.

Solarkalel85 - 10/3/2023, 2:32 PM

I predict it will be class just like the first one

WruceBayne - 10/3/2023, 2:49 PM

If Reeves skipped Grayson and went straight to Todd, this community would Rustled Jimmied up the WAHZOO!

THEDARKKNIGHT1939 - 10/3/2023, 3:07 PM

I vote No to adult Robin. Make him a kid.

Repian - 10/3/2023, 4:27 PM

I want to see Batman similar to a rat in a maze, Batman trapped in Arkham while Hugo Strange observes his subject of study. Maybe in Batman Part III.

GarthRanzz - 10/3/2023, 5:22 PM

I really hope its Court of Owls because Robin is rumored and its the only way to due Robin justice in 2025. Otherwise its kinda creepy story. Definately want to see something happen with that Hush storyline.

RolandD - 10/4/2023, 10:24 PM

Facts matter. Again Josh, you have forgotten that Batman and Robin were together on the big screen in two serials, I believe were in the 1940s and the Batman 66 big screen movie. This is the second time in a few weeks that I pointed this out to you.

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THE BATMAN II Releases Two Years From Today - Here Are 7 Predictions For Matt Reeves' Sequel!

The Batman II will be released in theaters on October 3, 2025, and we're now sharing some of our predictions for where Matt Reeves could take Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader next. Check them out here...

7. Trapped In Arkham Asylum

6. The Court Of Owls

5. The Penguin Makes His Move

4. The Joker Makes His Presence Felt

3. A New Robin

2. Time Jumps

1. The Riddler Returns

SHAZAM! Star Mark Strong Confirmed To Star In THE PENGUIN - But Who Is He Playing?

THE BATMAN Star Zoë Kravitz Makes Her Directorial Debut With BLINK TWICE - Check Out The First Trailer

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THE BATMAN Star Zoë Kravitz Makes Her Directorial Debut With BLINK TWICE - Check Out The First Trailer

THE PENGUIN Star Colin Farrell Promises "Ton Of Violence" And A "Hard R" Rating For DC TV Series

SHAZAM! Star Mark Strong Confirmed To Star In THE PENGUIN - But Who Is He Playing?

THE BATMAN Star Zoë Kravitz Makes Her Directorial Debut With BLINK TWICE - Check Out The First Trailer

THE PENGUIN Star Colin Farrell Promises "Ton Of Violence" And A "Hard R" Rating For DC TV Series

THE PENGUIN Star Colin Farrell Says The Upcoming Television Show Exists Solely Because Of One Person

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