It took them a couple of months, but Warner Bros. has now officially announced that The Batman 2 is a go, with Robert Pattinson back under the cowl and Matt Reeves returning to the director’s chair. But that’s about all we know about the project as yet, as it’s too early for any story details to be revealed. But that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating who might be the movie’s main villain. And one contender has risen up to the top of the pack.
Though there are a number of ne’er-do-wells from Batman’s rogue’s gallery who would be great picks for Reeves’ grounded style — Two-Face, Scarecrow, Hush, ETC — fans have collectively decided that The Batman 2 should include Gotham’s most cold-hearted criminal, Mr. Freeze. Victor Fries has continually trended on Twitter in recent times as Bat-lovers make it known that they want to see Freeze defrosted for the next film.
And while that’s still just a pipedream right now, this epic fan poster teases what a battle between Pattinson’s Caped Crusader and the frosty felon could be like. The stylish piece, as shared by @BatmanContent on Twitter, depicts Batman’s cowl suspended in a block of ice.
It’s certainly high time that Freeze returned to the big screen. Much like the Riddler before him, he hasn’t appeared in a live-action film since the 1990s, when Arnold Schwarzenegger brought him to campy life in 1997’s Batman & Robin. However, fans know from the likes of Batman: The Animated Series that Fries can — no, should — be portrayed with much more depth and complexity, so there’s definitely the potential for a more serious cinematic portrayal.
The good news is that Matt Reeves has admitted he’s open to the idea of making use of Freeze in The Batman 2. The only thing is that it’s hard to imagine a villain with such an outlandish gimmick as Victor gelling with the grounded vibe of the Batverse. But we’d love to see Reeves try and figure that out.