While the identity of the villain in The Batman – Part II remains a mystery, like the world’s greatest detective, we may have uncovered some clues in Matt Reeves‘ recent statements. Despite The Batman – Part II being two years away, fans are still feverishly speculating on who could menace the Caped Crusader. With Batman having one of the most famous rogues’ galleries, the possibilities are nearly endless. Although the film is expected to feature the return of the Penguin and possibly the Riddler, and perhaps pay off the Joker tease, it will likely focus on a new villain.
Reeves recently teased that The Batman – Part II will focus on Bruce Wayne, after the hero’s alter ego took a bit of a backseat in the prior film. In addition, Reeves said the villain might tie into Bruce Wayne’s past, saying, “Picking the right villain that digs into what that does, and sort of goes into [Bruce’s] past and his life, that was what drove that discussion. I won’t tell you where we ended up, but we’re super excited about it.” He also teased that the villain “has never really been done in a movie before.”
Those are two rather significant clues. A villain that hasn’t been in a movie rules out picks like the Joker, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, Bane, or Ra’s Al Ghul. Meanwhile, one that ties into Bruce Wayne’s past narrows it down a bit. Assuming Reeves isn’t reworking a previous Batman foe, such as the Mad Hatter, to have a childhood connection with Bruce Wayne, that leaves us with three possibilities. The first two are safe, but predictable and a little boring. The third, however, might be the most interesting and brings a supernatural horror element to The Batman’s epic crime saga.
Hush Feels Derivative
The most obvious pick for whom Matt Reeves could have chosen is Hush. Created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Jim Lee, Hush debuted in January 2003 in Batman #609 in the now-iconic Batman: Hush storyline. Hush’s real name is Thomas Elliot, and he was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne’s who attempted to murder his parents to inherit their wealth. However, Bruce’s father, Thomas Wayne, saves Elliot’s mother and begins to make the young man bitter towards the Waynes, a bitterness that worsens when Bruce’s parents die. He is left to fulfill Thomas Elliot’s dream of being an orphan. Elliot later adopts the persona of Hush, teams up with the Riddler, and discovers that Bruce Wayne is Batman, manipulating many of Batman’s foes into a long conspiracy to ruin his former friend’s life.
Given that Thomas Elliot and Bruce Wayne were childhood friends and Hush serves as a dark mirror image of Batman, it is easy to imagine Hush being the villain. The Hush storyline is a massive mystery in the spirit of The Long Halloween and would fit the tone Matt Reeves established with The Batman. However, elements of Hush’s backstory and even some of his villainous design were already pulled over into the Riddler. Another bandage-wearing villain orchestrating a conspiracy of murders for Batman to unravel might feel derivative.
The Court of Owls Is a Little Too Obvious
The Court of Owls is one of the most substantial additions to Batman’s mythology in the past 20 years. Introduced in Batman vol. 2 #1 in September 2011, the Court of Owls was created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo. The Court of Owls is a secret society composed of Gotham’s wealthiest and most influential citizens, having existed since the city’s founding. They use their money and power to wield political influence. Since even before the release of The Batman, The Court of Owls has been a fan-favorite pick to appear in the franchise, with even stars Robert Pattinson and Paul Dano being fans of the comic storyline that introduced them.
If The Batman explored the dark conspiracy behind the criminal underworld that Batman walks in, then thematically it would make sense to show the other side of Gotham that Bruce Wayne is supposed to mingle in, and show their own dark, dirty secrets. The interaction between the Court of Owls and Gotham’s crime family would be an interesting dynamic for The Batman – Part II, possibly forcing Batman to align himself with villains like the Penguin. Also worth noting is that one of the key members of the Court of Owls is Lincoln March, who believes he is, in fact, Bruce Wayne’s long-lost brother, Thomas Wayne Jr. (he isn’t), so that could tie into Reeves’ comments about an element from Bruce Wayne’s past.
Yet, the Court of Owls is also a very comic-booky addition to Batman’s lore that might not fit into the largely grounded aesthetic that Matt Reeves has created. This is an organization with trained assassins known as Talons that can be resurrected from the dead. The idea of the Court of Owls being centered on an animal that preys on bats, but the organization existing centuries before Batman, is a bit too much of a comic coincidence for Reeves’ take on the DC heroes. Reeves could drastically rework and downplay the more fantastical elements of the Court of Owls, like he did with the Penguin. However, there is one more villain that walks the line between fantastical and real that might be the best suited for The Batman – Part II.
Dr. Simon Hurt is a ’70s-Inspired Batman Horror Villain
Simon Hurt has a fascinating history. Originally an unnamed scientist in Batman #156 from June 1963, the seemingly small background character was revived as one of Batman’s most dangerous foes under writer Grant Morrison in Batman #673 from June 2008. Simon Hurt, also known as Dr. Hurt, has dedicated his life to destroying Batman in body, mind, and soul, with his ultimate goal being to replace him with an evil counterpart. Simon Hurt’s identity remains a mystery, one that still lacks a definitive answer to this day, making him the ultimate foe for The Batman sequel.
Dr. Hurt has implied that he is actually Bruce Wayne’s 18th-century ancestor, Thomas Wayne, a devil-worshiping figure. He has also implied that he is Bruce Wayne’s long-lost sibling, Thomas Wayne Jr. (the same sibling Court of Owls member Lincoln March claims to be), the supernatural bat demon Barbatos, and even the devil himself. Batman originally suspected he was just an actor named Mangrove Pierce, but that theory was quickly proven wrong. Much like the Joker, none of these identities have been confirmed, but in a 2009 interview with Wizard Magazine, creator Grant Morrison gave a definitive, supernatural answer, saying:
“The minute I say who he is…it will stop people talking. I was trying to do a definitive Batman story. Batman’s stories tend to put Batman against a diabolical mastermind. I thought, “Who’s the ultimate diabolical mastermind?” This is a story about Batman’s Black Casebook which is all the mysterious cases, the ones that are supernatural or bizarre. So for me, this is the ultimate supernatural Batman story. There are clues, there are places in fact, where they actually state who’s he up against in the story. But people don’t want to accept the supernatural explanation. But yes: This is the story of how Batman cheats The Devil.”
Now, immediately, the idea of a supernatural presence like the devil might make some fans dismiss the idea of Matt Reeves using Simon Hurt, since that would clash with the crime drama set up in The Batman and The Penguin. Reeves could easily go for one of the other takes on Dr. Hurt, possibly someone who claims to be Bruce Wayne’s ancestor or long-lost brother, only to reveal it is all a ruse. Yet when talking about The Batman – Part II‘s villain, Reeves also said:
“Well, it’s funny because I had a lot of ideas and then Mattson Tomlin, who’s my writing partner, we began the process of this by doing another deep dive into the comics, exploring the ideas that I had. He gave me some ideas that he had had, and we sat together and we watched a lot of movies, honestly, and not all movies that are from the realm of Gotham.”
Watching movies not from the realm of Gotham might imply that Reeves might be expanding the tone or source material for The Batman – Part II. Although Matt Reeves’ The Batman is often compared to David Fincher’s work in Se7en and Zodiac, the director heavily drew from 1970s crime dramas, such as The French Connection, The Conversation, and Taxi Driver. For The Batman – Part II, Matt Reeves may be drawing influence from satanic-panic-inspired horror films such as 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby, 1973’s The Exorcist, and 1976’s The Omen.
Simon Hurt possesses no overt supernatural powers aside from implied immortality, making him a potential fit for Reeves’ Gotham. The director could either downplay or emphasize his possible demonic connections. It is easy to see how Dr. Hurt could menace Batman, toying with the hero’s mind if he is a supernatural foe, as seen in many great Sherlock Holmes stories. Reeves could have Batman solve the problem, revealing Hurt to be a mere mortal, or opt for a more ambiguous ending, one that never reveals whether Simon Hurt was supernatural, or even if he was the devil himself, but leaves it up for the audience to decide.
Like Michael Myers in the original Halloween, what if Simon Hurt is just pure evil and the personification of “the boogeyman?” Batman vs. The Devil sounds unlike any other Batman movie before and is far more intriguing, as well as terrifying, than Hush or the Court of Owls. This is why we hope that Dr. Simon Hurt will be the villain in The Batman – Part II.