Though Paul Dano’s Edward Nashton, a.okay.a. The Riddler, initially made a reputation for himself in The Batman as a serial killer concentrating on Gotham’s elite, by the tip of the film, he’d achieve considerably extra notoriety by flooding the town after blowing up it seawall, after which having his followers try and assassinate mayor elect Bella Reál. Though Robert Pattinson’s Batman managed to avoid wasting Reál, Gotham was left devastated by the flooding, which factored into the occasions of The Penguin and can proceed to be explored in 2026’s The Batman: Half II. On that be aware, director and author Matt Reeves shared how this model of the Caped Crusader will wrestle within the upcoming DC film following Riddler’s assault
Throughout The Batman’s ending, Bruce Wayne realized it wasn’t sufficient to easily strike concern into the hearts of criminals; his costumed persona additionally wanted to encourage hope among the many residents he was defending. He appeared to get off to a superb begin doing that, however as Reeves knowledgeable Digital Spy, all of the destruction Riddler wreaked will lead Bruce to grapple together with his views on justice. The filmmaker began off by saying:
There’s a whole lot of unrest and there is a whole lot of clamouring due to the revelations of what we discover out on the finish of the [first] film. There’s unrest within the streets to say, ‘Effectively, how might this be?’. The concept that this corruption extends as deep because it extends. Within the first film, Batman views issues very simplistically, he sees issues in black and white. What he can characterize and the way he can have an effect on that.
People like Mayor Don Mitchell Jr., Commissioner Pete Savage and crime boss Carmine Falcone, have been killed by Riddler in The Batman as a part of his mission to show how Gotham Metropolis was festering with corruption and greed. It confirmed Batman that there was extra to preventing for justice within the metropolis past simply beating up criminals, as there are some issues that may’t be solved with fists. That doesn’t condone Riddler flooding Gotham, however it would power Bruce to have a look at what’s occurring in his metropolis, and by extension his crimefighting campaign, with a extra nuanced perspective. Matt Reeves continued:
As we enter into the following film, there’s much more gray. There’s much more folks at odds. There’s much more division within the metropolis. It is much more like our world is now, there’s a whole lot of turmoil as a result of individuals are of their camps they usually’re not speaking. How does Batman match into that? The place do you match? It is not as clear as going, ‘Oh yeah, dangerous man, I am going after dangerous guys’. And when issues are in gray, it makes it very arduous to be Batman, so that is a part of the problem as we enter it.
It’s good to know every thing that went down in The Batman gained’t all be fastened by the point The Batman: Half II begins, and that Bruce Wayne might want to alter the way in which he seems on the world to be able to extra successfully fight Gotham’s darkish forces. Matt Reeves additionally talked about that the chaos that unfolded within the streets throughout The Penguin may also “construct into the battle” of the sequel. The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc beforehand stated that Batman didn’t seem within the HBO collection as a result of this a “huge metropolis,” and likewise as a result of the superhero doesn’t suppose Colin Farrell’s Oz is “actually value taking note of.”
The Batman: Half II doesn’t arrive in theaters till October 2, 2026, but it surely’s possible 2025 will convey some main updates relating to what to anticipate from the sequel, together with hopefully studying if Barry Keoghan’s Joker will certainly issue into the plot. For now, do not forget that each The Batman and The Penguin could be streamed with a Max subscription.