While it initially sounded like Thunderbolts* and Avengers: Doomsday star Sebastian Stan would play Harvey Dent/Two-Face in The Batman Part II, we've since heard that the actor will undergo a very different transformation.
According to the latest rumours, Victor Zsasz, a twisted serial killer who carves a tally mark onto his flesh for each of his victims, is Stan's DC role. Meanwhile, Eternals star Brian Tyree Henry is said to be playing Dent, with Scarlett Johansson eyed for a new take on Poison Ivy. However, none of that has been confirmed by filmmaker Matt Reeves.
For Stan, his first foray into the DC Universe promises to deliver a very different character compared to the MCU's Bucky Barnes. Movies like Fresh and The Apprentice have proved he's not afraid to go to some unexpected places, so fans expect big things from the actor, regardless of the role he takes on in The Batman sequel.
Talking to Premiere, Stan didn't offer too many clues about his role in The Batman Part II, but he did share some fascinating insights into how he's approaching the project. That includes figuring out their past and what's brought them to where we find them now, which he suggests, like The Winter Soldier, makes the character "quite complex."
"No matter the subject or the character, whether it’s a film with Christian Mungiu or Matt Reeves, you always have to get to the heart of the truth. That means understanding what makes a person the way they are. What shapes their way of thinking? What is the world, the environment in which they grew up? That also includes their family background, their socio-economic level, as well as the city, the place and the time period in which they find themselves. You have to treat all of that with the same importance."
"And regardless of whether it’s a real person or a fictional character, you always have to do your research. So that’s what I do. And then, at Marvel as well as DC, all these characters are actually quite complex. I also think—and sometimes people don’t realise it right away—that there’s something mythological about comics. In any case, there’s always a reason, whether the character is a good guy or a bad guy, that explains why they ended up where they are. And in my opinion, finding that reason is what has the strongest impact on the interpretation."
Stan has recently been spotted with a shaved head, which, depending on who you ask, either confirms the Zsasz rumours or suggests he'll don heavy prosthetics to play Two-Face.
The Batman was by no means a typical comic book movie, which explains why Reeves has attracted such top-tier talent for his follow-up. We'd expect the entire cast to bring their A-game, and if Stan is playing a villain, he has big shoes to fill after Paul Dano and Colin Farrell's memorable approaches to rogues like The Riddler and The Penguin.
Directed by Matt Reeves from a script by him and Mattson Tomlin, The Batman Part II stars Robert Pattinson, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, Charles Dance, Jayme Lawson, Gil Perez-Abraham, Sebastian Koch, and Brian Tyree Henry.
The Batman Part II is set to be released in theaters on October 1, 2027 February 18, 2028.