Summary

• The rumored villain for The Batman - Part II - Clayface - could pose a problem for the movie's realism and tone.
• Toning down Clayface's more fantastical elements from DC Comics may be more challenging than it was for The Riddler in the first film.
• There are ways to make Clayface work as the villain, either by adapting his earlier versions or by taking a horror-based approach. The script for The Batman - Part II is still in progress, and more information is expected to be revealed in the future.

The rumored villain for The Batman - Part II could cause an issue for the movie that would be difficult to rectify. The sequel to 2022's The Batman was officially confirmed by James Gunn in January 2023 as one of the many upcoming DC movies. While Gunn announced the film, it was made clear that The Batman - Part II will be an Elseworlds property meaning it takes place in its own separate continuity from the mainline DCU.

Since the film's announcement, theories have been concocted based on The Batman - Part II's story and cast. Little has been revealed thus far, though characters like Batman and Catwoman from the first film are expected to return. Concerning what other DC characters The Batman - Part II will include, the more prevalent theories have centered around the film's potential villains. From Barry Keoghan's potential return as The Joker to DC characters like Mr. Freeze and the Court of Owls, The Batman - Part II has several rumored villains, one of whom could cause an issue that is hard to fix.

Clayface As The Batman 2's Villain Risks Ruining The Batman's Realism

The villain who has long been rumored to appear in The Batman - Part II is Clayface, a mainstay of the Caped Crusader's Rogues gallery from DC Comics. Despite Clayface being an iconic villain of Batman, his inclusion in The Batman 2 would risk ruining its predecessor's realism. Perhaps the biggest strength of The Batman was its tone. The film was a grounded thriller that incorporated superhero elements but mostly stayed in the realm of dark detective films like Seven and Zodiac.

One of the elements that allowed The Batman to feel like these movies was its villain: The Riddler. Reeves' take on The Riddler was much more grounded than some iterations from DC Comics, making the character a crazed serial killer rather than an over-the-top, eccentric antagonist. Should Clayface be confirmed as the villain for The Batman - Part II, it would be notably more difficult to tone down the character's more fantastical elements than it was for The Riddler.

How Clayface Could Still Work As The Batman 2's Villain

That said, there are ways Clayface could still work as the villain of The Batman - Part II. Interestingly, Clayface could be toned down in a way that still fits DC Comics also, at least the earliest versions of Batman's printed stories. The character of Clayface first appeared in Detective Comics in 1940, only a year after Batman's debut. Initially, the character was named Basil Karlo and was an actor.

Upon hearing that a film he once starred in would be remade without him, Karlo donned the costume of Clayface, a villain he once played in one of his movies, and began murdering the actors of the characters whom Clayface killed in the film, garnering the attention of Batman and Robin. The duo eventually stopped Clayface before he returned and attempted to kill Bruce Wayne's fiancée. This iteration of the character could certainly be adapted for The Batman - Part II as it would fit the tone of The Riddler's inclusion from the first film.

Even if the more fantastical versions of Clayface from recent DC Comics were adapted, the character could still work as The Batman 2's villain. Recent iterations of the character include powers that allow him to change his body at will thanks to its clay-like structure, with some more recent versions of Clayface allowing him to completely mimic other people through this power. If this was adapted in The Batman 2, Reeves could choose to take the horror route with the character and turn what could have been silly into a terrifying, horror-based antagonist.

Will Clayface Actually Be The Batman 2's Villain?

Until more is revealed about The Batman - Part II, it is difficult to say whether or not Clayface will be the villain in the film. The script is yet to be completed by Matt Revees, though Warner Bros. is reportedly looking to fast-track the film now that the WGA strikes of 2023 are concluded, though its delay announcement means production shouldn't be a rushed affair.

Despite Reeves returning to work on The Batman 2's script, the film has seen a delay into 2026 amid the ever-growing slate of DCU films.

The new version of the DCU has been very transparent regarding what filmmakers are revealing about certain projects. From James Gunn's openness on various social media platforms to the high level of reports into the DCU's upcoming slate of movies and shows, it is likely that reports about The Batman 2 will be more prevalent throughout 2024.

Other Villains Who Could Better Match The Batman 2's World

It's fair to say there are plenty of figures who could prove more viable than Clayface if the focus is placed on creating a grounded world for The Batman's overarching franchise. Someone like Professor Pyg - who primarily operates by performing harrowing brain surgeries on those he captures to make them his peons - could be a solidly tenable choice for The Batman - Part II, with the city's chaotic state at the original movie's ending allowing him to amass a crew from those thought to be simply lost to the disasters Gotham underwent in the original movie ending.

A villain like Scarecrow is also another viable option, as troubled psychiatrist Jonathan Crane proved grounded enough to see an unsettlingly realistic adaptation in Nolan's Batman trilogy. If adapting another villain from The Dark Knight trilogy is too close for The Batman, similar figures like Hugo Strange - who is conventionally characterized as a warped psychiatrist with a Dark Knight obsession - would work in his stead. Indeed, Strange could well be the ideal candidate in some regards, as he has previously been the first villain to know the real face behind Batman's secret identity.

Perhaps most interestingly, the storyline The Batman - Part II appears primed to potentially adapt - that of No Man's Land, which sees Batman operate in a half-destroyed Gotham, fending off villains trying to take control of it during this turbulent time - could mean the Caped Crusader faces off against a range of villains in the sequel storyline. This could be the optimal setup for the film, allowing for a proverbial taster menu of antagonists and ensuring the action, drama and mysteries stay as engaging as the original movie itself.