PR in the Philippines

(SeaPRwire) –   Following the critical success of 2022’s The Batman, its follow-up has emerged as perhaps the most eagerly awaited superhero movie in recent memory. In the wake of the DCEU’s abrupt end and Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne, Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson presented a younger, emotionally immature Batman with room to grow, a take that struck a chord with viewers and swiftly secured approval for a second installment. (This includes the hit spin-off series, The Penguin.) As pre-production ramps up for The Batman Part 2, fans are already theorizing wildly about the sequel’s direction—ranging from wishful thinking about a team-up with David Corenswet’s Superman to whispers that Reeves might be setting up the Court of Owls.

Although filming has not yet commenced, hints regarding Battinson’s upcoming adversary and the potential comic book inspirations are already surfacing. With Sebastian Stan confirmed as Harvey Dent and Scarlett Johansson attached to a mystery role, some speculate the movie will adapt The Long Halloween more faithfully than Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. However, there is a slight chance the film is drawing from a far more obscure well.

Batman: Earth One Might Hint at a Batman 2 Surprise

The casting of Stan supports the idea that Johansson might portray Gilda Dent, fueling the TLH adaptation rumors. In that narrative, Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and District Attorney Harvey Dent join forces to dismantle the Falcone mob and apprehend a serial killer called Holiday, who is targeting both the Falcones and the Maroni family. After Salvatore Maroni disfigures Harvey with acid on the stand, turning him into Two-Face, the story concludes with a twist: although Alberto Falcone is revealed to be Holiday, the book’s end exposes the initial killer—who ignited the gang war—as Gilda Dent. She acted to free Gotham from the Falcones’ control and ease her husband’s burden as their marriage suffered under his professional stress.

While Gilda Dent is the probable choice for Johansson—and a direct Long Halloween adaptation would highlight this Batman’s detective skills—there is an alternative candidate from a non-canon source: Jessica Dent of the Batman: Earth One graphic novels. The Earth One imprint, starting with 2010’s Superman: Earth One, aimed to offer a contemporary, streamlined take on specific heroes and their origins, similar to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe or DC’s current Absolute Universe.

Introduced in Batman: Earth One Volume Two, Jessica Dent is Harvey’s twin sister who becomes mayor after Batman exposes the corruption of her predecessor, Oswald Cobblepot. She and Harvey were childhood friends with Bruce, and as adults, Jessica and Bruce develop a romance while he aids them in purging corrupt officials lingering from Cobblepot’s tenure. During their inquiry, they find that the officials they are hunting are also the targets of a serial killer Riddler (a character resembling Paul Dano’s’ portrayal).

Before they can proceed, Harvey is killed in a riot at the GCPD, his face burned by a Molotov cocktail. Driven by overwhelming grief, Jessica disfigures her own face and subsequently suffers from dissociative identity disorder. When a new crime boss identifying as Harvey appears in the third volume, it is revealed that Jessica has become a new Two-Face, assuming her brother’s identity as an alter ego determined to avenge his death on Gotham.

Could It Be Something Other Than ?

Although less renowned than The Long Halloween, the Batman: Earth One series has already left its mark on Reeves’ Batman. In The Batman, Thomas Wayne’s unsuccessful mayoral run was a plot point borrowed from the Earth One comics, as was the concept of Alfred being a former military operative who trained Bruce in fighting.

It is also notable that if Sebastian Stan portrays Two-Face, it would mark the third Batman reboot to feature the villain. Audiences would be shocked to see Harvey die, only to witness Scarlett Johansson’s Jessica transform into a female Two-Face. While this theory is far less probable than Johansson playing Gilda, for a Batman film that strives to distinguish itself from past iterations, such a move would be a daring and radical shift for the franchise and the character.