The Batman 2 Has A 78-Year-Long DC Streak To Destroy Thanks To Paul Dano

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The upcoming film, The Batman – Part II, could make history with its villain, potentially featuring a return by Paul Dano. It’s surprising to think it’s been four years since Matt Reeves’ The Batman debuted, offering a particularly gritty and dark portrayal of the superhero. While some critics found the nearly three-hour runtime and lack of humor challenging, the film was widely praised for its acting and stunning visuals.

After a few setbacks, the cast for The Batman – Part II is starting to come together. Director Matt Reeves has confirmed Robert Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright, and Colin Farrell will return, and Sebastian Stan has also joined the project. Reeves has only announced returning cast members so far, but is expected to reveal the new additions today, May 14th.

It’s not surprising that people are already guessing about the plot and villains in the next Batman movie. Because the sequel will take place in a snowy Gotham, many fans are hoping to see Mr. Freeze appear. There’s also talk that Sebastian Stan might play Harvey Dent, which could lead to the classic villain Two-Face being introduced, or potentially just set him up for a role in a future film.

Many questions remain unanswered until the trailer for the next Batman movie is released. One big mystery is whether Paul Dano will reprise his role as The Riddler. His character caused chaos in the first film and, at the end, was seen plotting with the Joker while in prison.

The Batman 2 Is Perfectly Primed To Break A Major DC Villain Streak

As a huge Batman fan, I was thinking about Paul Dano potentially returning as The Riddler in The Batman – Part II, and it got me realizing something kinda wild. Apparently, no actor has ever played The Riddler in two Batman movies back-to-back! It’s been nearly 80 years of separate Riddlers for each film. If Dano signs on for the sequel, he’d be the first to break that streak. It’s funny because Frank Gorshin, who was amazing as The Riddler in the classic 60s TV show, only got to play him in one of the show’s movie spinoffs. It really shows how rare it is to see the same actor reprise the role across multiple films!

Jim Carrey became a major star after playing the Riddler in the 1995 film Batman Forever. However, he didn’t return for the next Batman movie, and likely wouldn’t have wanted to. Carrey generally avoided doing sequels around that time.

The ending of The Batman hinted that Barry Keoghan would return as The Riddler, and that seems like a promising direction for the sequel. While it would be a mistake to overload the next film with too many Batman villains, it would be great to see The Riddler and Robert Pattinson’s Batman face off again, given their connection in the first movie.

Why The Riddler Needs To Be In The Batman 2

In The Batman, the Riddler aimed to reveal Gotham City’s hidden truths and expose widespread corruption. His destruction of the seawall dramatically altered the city, making it unlikely that The Batman – Part II would ignore his impact or the character himself.

There’s a chance Dano’s Riddler could make a brief appearance, maybe like the Joker did in the first movie, or he could break out of prison and join forces with the current villain. Traditionally, Batman films introduced a new villain with each installment, but that’s no longer the case.

As a big Batman fan, I’d honestly love to see The Riddler come back. It’d be really interesting to explore where his character goes now that he almost achieved his goals. Plus, there’s still a lot of tension between Batman and Nashton that feels unresolved, so introducing a completely new villain feels a bit unnecessary. Still, Matt Reeves really knocked it out of the park with the first film, so I’m confident The Batman – Part II will be fantastic when it comes out in 2027.

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2026-05-14 16:11