After The Batman 2 Updates, The Batman 3 May Actually Be Repeating The Dark Knight

Videos by ComicBook.com

Despite the delays, the superhero sequel is coming along nicely now. Production is expected to begin in April 2026, and stars like Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan have joined The Batman 2’s cast, making the leap from Marvel to DC. The latter, in particular, is pertinent not only when it comes to the second movie, but perhaps also the third, and comparisons to The Dark Knight. It’s expected that the Bucky Barnes actor will be playing Harvey Dent in the movie, so could Part 2 be setting up Part 3 to repeat the villains from Christopher Nolan’s classic?

The Batman 3 Could Reuse The Dark Knight’s Villains – But Is That A Problem?

Image via WB

If Harvey Dent is indeed in The Batman – Part II, then it seems quite likely it’s to set up his villainous transformation for the third movie, assuming it happens (this has been earmarked as a trilogy, and while nothing is guaranteed, you wouldn’t bet against it). Matt Reeves said the sequel’s villain hasn’t appeared in a Batman movie before, ruling out Two-Face from this instalment, at least as the primary foe, so the third movie would make sense to pay that off.

Alongside Harvey, though, there’s also the return of the Joker (Barry Keoghan) in The Batman 2. Again, he is not expected to be the main villain, which means he’ll probably have a more background role again, perhaps along the lines of the deleted scene from the first movie where Batman visited him in Arkham, or maybe this time around, he’ll break out. Either way, with two movies of setup, it’d be fair to think The Batman 3 will fully deliver on Pattinson’s Caped Crusader vs. Keoghan’s Clown Prince of Crime.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because they were the two villains used by The Dark Knight. The movie gave us the most iconic portrayal of the Joker ever, and had Harvey Dent’s transformation into Two-Face take place across a single movie, though he ended up being mourned as a fallen hero, the truth concealed. The Batman 3 could still pull off a swerve, especially as it’ll not happen for several years, but the pieces are in place to repeat the DC epic.

Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. It’s certainly true that there’s a lot more to Batman’s rogues gallery than the select few who have already been used multiple times on screen, and some of those deserve the chance to shine. At the same time, there’s a reason characters like Joker and Two-Face are among the most popular and iconic comic book villains, and it’s because they’re so compelling.

There’s plenty you can do with them, and I’d absolutely trust Reeves to do something that’s both fresh and fascinating. Batman is a generational mythology, where everyone has their own version, and it gets refreshed for new audiences, and there’s no reason that can’t apply to his villains as well. It doesn’t need to beat The Dark Knight, it just needs to do something different, and it has all the necessary tools to pull that off.

The Batman – Part II will be released on October 1st, 2027. The Dark Knight is available to stream on HBO Max.

What do you think of The Batman 2 introducing Harvey Dent? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!