Two-Face is the logical next villain for a sequel to The Batman, as Matt Reeves perfectly sets up Harvey Dent's appearance in a sequel.

Warning! Spoilers for The Batman

The Batman may conclude with the introduction of its version of the Joker, but the film hints at another famous villain as the star of its sequel: Two-Face. Harvey Dent becomes one of Batman's most iconic villains and has been featured on the big screen in Batman Forever and The Dark Knight. Now, Matt Reeves may become the next director to introduce the disgraced former District Attorney in the sequel to The Batman.

Harvey Dent is introduced as the District Attorney of Gotham City in all versions, except Batman Forever, where he is already Two-Face. In both the film The Dark Knight and the graphic novel-turned-animated film Batman: The Long Halloween, Dent makes a pact with Batman and Commissioner Jim Gordon to bring down organized crime as a team. While they go about it in different ways, both stories ultimately see him physically scarred and transformed into the psychotic Two-Face, a deranged villain obsessed with fairness and chance. The Batman doesn't feature Harvey, but it does introduce District Attorney Gil Colson, who becomes one of the Riddler's many victims, exploding right in front of Batman after his criminal connections are exposed. The movie ends with Batman thwarted by the Riddler as Gotham City floods. However, the Caped Crusader does manage to prevent the death of Mayor Bella Reál.

There are several factors that hint towards Harvey Dent being a major character in The Batman 2. The movie sets up the Joker in its final scene, but it may actually be hinting at Two-Face as the next major threat for Batman to overcome. The Batman's similarities to Batman: The Long Halloween, as well as the graphic novel series Batman: Earth One, certainly seem to hint at this, particularly due to the inclusion of Mayor Reál. Furthermore, the film's narrative gives Two-Face the perfect set-up, and the villain makes far more sense as a second major threat to Batman than the Joker, since Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne is so young and inexperienced.

Gotham's DA Office Needs Cleaning Up After The Batman: Will It Be Harvey Dent?

Gil Colson's death in the second act of The Batman is a major turning point, and it's no accident that the movie lingers on this character specifically for so long. Colson is absolutely corrupt and works closely with Carmine Falcone, putting him in the sights of the Riddler. However, it is this corruption that sets up Harvey Dent perfectly. Dent is everything Colson isn't: he is loyal, noble, and truly believes in justice. After having such a morally bankrupt District Attorney like Colson, it makes sense that the new Mayor Reál would want to hire somebody so virtuous.

Colson's partnership with Falcone perfectly sets up Harvey's arc in The Batman 2. If the film chooses to focus on organized crime in Gotham, then Dent would likely seek to take them down to prove that justice works, just as he does in The Dark Knight and The Long Halloween. The Riddler's attack on Gotham would also put the city in its morally and physically weakest position yet, as hope would be at an all-time low, with poverty, illness, and crime likely even more prevalent due to the widespread nature of Riddler's assault. This set-up perfectly foreshadows Gotham's need for its white knight to clean up the streets and take down the mob, and Harvey Dent is the most obvious candidate for the role, based on previous versions of the character.

Theory: Harvey Dent Becomes Two-Face In The Batman 2 (Or 3)

The most obvious comic book connection between The Batman and its source material is how closely it resembles The Long Halloween, which makes an excellent case for Harvey's appearance in a sequel. Following Batman's early activities, this book focuses on the trio of Gordon, Dent, and Batman as they struggle to take down Gotham's mobs, led by Carmine Falcone and Sal Maroni respectively. The Batman reveals that Maroni was taken down during an enormous bust by the police, which was ultimately revealed to be orchestrated by Falcone himself. However, this leaves the door open for The Batman 2 to see Maroni return to the forefront and take back the reigns of his criminal empire. This is particularly relevant as Maroni is almost always the character who scars Harvey Dent, transforming him into Two-Face.

However, The Batman isn't a straight adaptation of any one comic book, so it makes sense that its sequel would also take a few elements from various Batman comics. As such, the introduction of Mayor Reál may also be a hint towards Two-Face's inclusion in the sequel, based on Batman: Earth One. In this version of events, Dent has a twin sister named Jessica. After Harvey is fatally stabbed and scarred, she holds his face to hers, scarring her in similar fashion. The book ultimately reveals that she becomes Two-Face, as she develops dissociative identity disorder, which sees her project Harvey's personality onto her own. Crucially, Jessica is also mayor of Gotham, and she uses this position to urge Bruce Wayne to do more with his resources for the city, similar to Mayor Reál in The Batman. These connections suggest that Mayor Reál may be revealed as either Two-Face's sister, or may end up becoming The Batman's version of Two-Face herself. This is also supported by how many other elements of Earth One which The Batman adapts, such as Martha Wayne's Arkham family relation, and the way in which the Riddler is portrayed.

Why Two-Face Fits Pattinson's Gotham Better Than Joker

Since Bruce Wayne is still in his infancy as Batman, the second movie seems too early to see him fight the Joker. Therefore, it is possible that The Batman reveals the Joker during its ending to set up his appearance in the third movie in the trilogy, and a different villain may be the antagonist of The Batman 2. Harvey Dent or Bella Reál make more sense as a second antagonist to Bruce. Not only is it set up in the first film, but it gives him more opportunity to become a more established Batman before taking on his most iconic villain. Lastly, it is likely that The Batman 2 would not introduce Two-Face alongside the Joker, simply because this would be too similar to the events of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Based on the hints presented in The Batman and the links to its comic book source material, it seems that Harvey Dent, Bella Reál, or another version of Two-Face could well become Batman's next foe, which is arguably more exciting than seeing him fight yet another version of the Joker.

Next: Robert Pattinson's The Batman Trilogy Can Redeem Nolan's Worst Wasted Villain