The Batman – Part II is still years away, but The Penguin might be setting up a dark villain that would make a lot of sense for the world developed by director Matt Reeves. Robert Pattinson will return as Bruce Wayne for The Batman‘s sequel, as will Colin Farrell as the Penguin. Those two aside, there are a few returning stars that should be part of The Batman – Part II‘s cast, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. That includes who will end up being the main villain of the DC movie.

The Batman – Part II has suffered from a few external issues. Due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, Matt Reeves had to postpone work on the movie’s script for months. After he could finally return to the story, DC realized that for The Batman – Part II to live up to expectations, the production would need more time. As such, The Batman – Part II was delayed by a full year, going from October 3, 2025, to October 2, 2026. With the delay, the reveal of who will be the film’s main villain remains a mystery, but The Penguin could set it up.

The Penguin Sets Up A Huge Gang War Before The Batman – Part II

The Batman Spinoff Has Become A Fan-Favorite

While The Batman – Part II does not come around, the world of director Matt Reeves’ Gotham City is being expanded by HBO’s The Penguin series. The show has been described as the bridge between Robert Pattinson’s first Batman movie and its sequel. The Penguin has been met with overwhelmingly positive reception from fans and critics alike, with the series maintaining the same high level of cinematography, VFX, action, story, and acting as The Batman. The series focuses on Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb as he tries to seize control of Gotham’s organized crime after Carmine Falcone died in The Batman.

While Pattinson’s Batman does not appear in The Penguin, the series has managed to create enough tension and high stakes without the presence of the Dark Knight. As Oz tries to fill the power vacuum left by Falcone, he leads a triple agent life, playing the Falcone and the Maroni crime families into believing he has their best interests at heart when the character is really only in it for himself. Due to his actions, the Penguin has started a huge gang war in Gotham City, and it could lead to a major villain’s debut in The Batman – Part II.

DC’s Gang War Vacuum Made Black Mask Incredibly Powerful

DC Comics Explain How The Villain Could Debut In The Batman – Part II

The Penguin‘s gang war might not lead to Oz Cobb getting what he wants, as DC Comics featured a similar event that ended with another Batman villain coming into power, which could make for a surprise ending for the HBO series. “Batman: War Games” is a comic book event that brought all Batman titles at the time under a single massive gang war story. In the event, Stephanie Brown, who had been fired from the Robin role by Batman, disastrously tries to put Batman’s contingency plan to unite all crime families under Matches Malone, one of Batman’s aliases, in action.

When united, all the gangs cannot find common ground without Matches Malone present, as Stephanie had not told Batman about her actions, which led to the criminal groups opening fire against each other. That was the start of a massive gang war that led to the Batman villain Black Mask claiming control of Gotham City’s criminal underworld. The Batman villain kidnapped Stephanie Brown and tortured her to get all the information he needed to rule over the other Gotham gangs. With a similar gang war happening in The Penguin, Black Mask could swoop in at the end to control crime.

Why Black Mask Would Be A Perfect Villain For The Batman 2

The Villain Fits The World Created By The Batman’s Matt Reeves

It would make a lot of sense for The Batman – Part II to use Black Mask. The world depicted in The Batman and The Penguin is dark and gritty, with organized crime ruling the streets and a dirty Gotham City that strikes fear at every corner. Black Mask would perfectly fit that story and aesthetic for The Batman – Part II. The villain’s debut could also add more drama to Farrell’s arc as the Penguin.

Oz Cobb would have a major obstacle to get past in both The Batman – Part II and a potential The Penguin season 2 .

If The Penguin were to end with the character taking over as Gotham’s mob boss, there would not be a lot more ways that The Batman sequels could see the villain evolve. Now, if Black Mask took over as Gotham’s criminal overlord as he did in DC Comics’ “Batman: War Games,” then Oz Cobb would have a major obstacle to get past in both The Batman – Part II and a potential The Penguin season 2. After the Riddler, Black Mask would be another cerebral and ruthless villain for Pattinson’s Dark Knight to take on in The Batman – Part II.