Major spoilers follow for The Batman. You've been warned.
The Batman has only just landed in theaters, but eagle-eyed fans claim they've already worked out who the sequel's primary antagonist could be.
In a move that's eerily reminiscent of the iconic vigilante himself, fans of The Batman have put their detective skills to good use, and seemingly discovered which villain may show up in the superhero movie's follow-up.
To understand this particular riddle, you'll need to have watched the DC movie in theaters. We'll be diving into major spoiler territory for The Batman after the below image, so turn back now if you're yet to catch it.
Throughout The Batman, references are made to El Rata Alada, a website The Riddler set up in order to lead Bruce Wayne on a merry dance through his eventual masterplan. If you search for that exact term online, you'll find a marketing campaign website for The Batman – www.rataalada.com – that you can actually visit.
Head to that website and you'll be greeted with a fair amount of text – once the page has loaded – that appears in The Riddler's trademark green hue. A bunch of IP addresses and supposed websites will show up on the screen, and it's the IP addresses for these locations that fans have used to seemingly determine the Caped Crusader's next cinematic adversary.
As revealed by Reddit user vengeance22, each IP address relates to a specific Batman comic books that appear to have heavily influenced The Batman's plot. The first, reading 27.05.19.39, relates to Detective Comics #27, which was released in May 1939. This comic was the first time that Batman and Jim Gordon were introduced to readers. Given that both characters are integral parts of Batman's latest movie adaptation, it seems there's something to this fan theory.
And if you think that IP address was simply a one-off, think again. The other addresses all tie back to other Batman comics, and The Batman's story and cast of characters, as you'll see below – well, apart from two intriguing ones.
- IP address 01.03.19.40 – Batman #1 in March 1940 (Catwoman/Joker introduced)
- IP address 58.12.19.41 – Detective comics #58 in December 1941 (Penguin introduced)
- IP address 140.10.19.48 – Detective comics #140 in October 1948 (Riddler introduced)
- IP address 405.03.19.87 – Batman #408 in March 1987 (Carmine Falcone introduced)
- IP address 16.04.19.43 – Batman #16 in April 1943 (Alfred the butler introduced)
- IP address 258.10.19.74
- IP address 03.04.20.22
So what do the last two addresses tell us? The second one is easy – it's the release date of The Batman itself, which landed in theaters on March 4, 2022.
But it's the penultimate IP address that's the most interesting. And, if vengeance22 is right in their assertions, it makes for very exciting reading indeed.
Why? Because it relates to Batman #258, which was released in October 1974. In this comic storyline, none other than Two-Face himself – aka former Gotham attorney Harvey Dent – escaped from Arkham Asylum with the help of General John Harris, a renegade army officer who planned to hold Washington DC to ransom with an atomic bomb.
Unsurprisingly, fans have put two and two together and suggested that this means Two-Face will be the primary villain in The Batman sequel. After all, ahead of The Batman's release, director Matt Reeves told TechRadar that Barry Keoghan's Joker wouldn't be the follow-up movie's antagonist if (or, rather, when) one is made.
Will Two-Face be the foil to Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight next time out, though? Other fans aren't so convinced. Some believe that Two-Face will actually be sprung from Arkham as part of the upcoming Gotham City PD spin-off that's in the works for HBO Max.
Speaking to The Cyber Nerds YouTube channel, Reeves revealed that the reportedly Jim Gordon-led TV show had been reworked into a series that focuses on Arkham Asylum and the inmates it houses. Reeves said: "The GCDP thing, that story has kind of evolved. We’ve actually now [moved] more into the realm of exactly what would happen in the world of Arkham as it relates coming off of our movie, and some of the characters, again in their origins [...] It’s like a horror movie or a haunted house that is Arkham."
So it's possible that Two-Face could actually escape from Arkham as part of The Batman's TV spin-off; but given that the now-likely Arkham TV series will tie into The Batman, it's still possible that Two-Face could appear as a villain in the movie sequel. The HBO Max show may set up his appearance in The Batman's latest cinematic universe, but time will tell on that front. Regardless, there's no smoke without fire, so we'd be surprised if Two-Face doesn't make his second cinematic appearance in the last 15 years.
For now, there are a few things we do know about the future of The Batman. Check out our ending explained and post-credits scene article for more on the character's film future. While you're here, read up on details about the Penguin HBO Max spin-off from star Colin Farrell himself, and how The Batman proves DC has the ability to go toe-to-toe with Marvel in the movie industry.
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