Matt Reeves Teased His Next 'Batman' Villain And I Think I Know Who He's Talking About

After a looong five year wait, it looks like we're going to get 'The Batman Part II' in 2027, and writer/director Matt Reeves is finally starting to share some details on who the villain might be....

He didn't give us much, but he did say it's going to be a villain who "hasn't really been done before" which eliminates The Joker, Two Face, Poison Ivy, Mr Freeze, Bane, Ras al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, and Scarecrow (and The Penguin/Catwoman have already been introduced, so it ain't them) - and then Reeveas said it'll be someone who "sort of goes into [Bruce Wayne's] past and his life" - which narrows it down A LOT in my mind. 

Most people are jumping straight to the Court of Owls - a fan favorite/more recent addition to the Batman mythos - who are an underground secret society in Gotham City that have been controlling political influence in the city via assassinations/intimidation for decades....

The Court of Owls were introduced by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo in the 'New 52' comics in 2011, and they feel like a perfect fit for the creepy/grounded Reeves universe in my mind. We already learned a little bit about Thomas Wayne's corruption in the first Battinson movie, and tying the Court into that would be seamless and make a ton of sense. Plus, they might've even be teased in the final episode of 'The Penguin' this year….

I mean, c'mon! It's a courtroom filled with curtains resembling the silhouette of owls! It's right on the nose beak!

Another possible option in my mind would be Hush - introduced by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee back in 2002 - and he ties into Bruce Wayne's past more than almost any other villain. He's a bandage-wrapped stalker who clearly knows A LOT about Bruce's history from the get-go, and then is later revealed as (SPOILER) one of his childhood friends. I think it's one of the best Batman stories ever, and features a whole rogues gallery on top of just Hush himself. They recently adapted it into an animated movie that's worth checking out if you're not much of a comic reader, although they make some massive changes to the book (including the identity of Hush)….

….and maybe that's what Reeves meant when he said a villain who hasn't "really" been done before. He was kinda done in animated form, but never in live action. There was also what seemed like a Hush easter egg in the first film….

….and Matt Reeves has mentioned the villain in the past as one he thinks would be worthy of tackling….

I VERY STRONGLY think it'll be one of those two options, and could even see a world in which Hush is the big bad in this movie and the Court of Owls round out the trilogy, but I'll throw one more dark horse villain out there while I still have you here: The Phantasm.

The Phantasm, from the animated movie 'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm' in 1993, also ties heavily into Bruce's life as it wound up being his (SPOILER) ex-fiancé, Andrea Beaumont - and would be another one who hasn't "really" been done before because of the whole live action thing. I think most Batman fans hold 'Mask of the Phantasm' near and dear to their hearts just as an all time adaptation/story for the character, and while I'd be really surprised to see Reeves base the next movie off of it, I think it could be awesome. It's a mob centered plot as well, and that's obviously a big focal point of this "epic crime saga" they're building - so who knows.

Regardless, I'm stoked for whatever Matt Reeves brings to the table in this next movie, and can't wait to find out more.

Check out My Mom's Basement this week for a more in-depth conversation about all of this….