There’s a new rumor going around about ‘The Batman: Part II‘, and it has completely changed what fans thought they knew. For months, everyone believed Sebastian Stan would play Harvey Dent, but now it sounds like that’s not the case. Instead, Stan is reportedly getting ready to play Victor Zsasz, one of Batman’s most twisted serial killers.
According to insider Jeff Sneider (The InSneider), the Marvel alum will be carving out a terrifying niche in the eagerly awaited 2027 sequel. And the part of Harvey Dent, the district attorney who becomes Two-Face, is now supposedly going to Brian Tyree Henry.
Why Victor Zsasz Fits Sebastian Stan
If this turns out to be true, it changes the whole feel of the movie. Harvey Dent is a tragic figure, a good man who falls from grace. But Victor Zsasz is something else entirely. In the comics, he was a rich heir who lost his mind and became a killer who carves a mark into his own skin for every person he murders.
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Stan recently told Deadline, “I’m excited, I’m nervous, and trying to keep surprising myself.” At the time, fans thought he meant playing Dent and his split personality as Two-Face. However, with the Zsasz rumor in play, insiders suggest Stan’s physical transformation (including a shaved head spotted by paparazzi) aligns more closely with the gaunt, unsettling appearance of the tally-man than the suited-up DA.
Brian Tyree Henry as Harvey Dent
Then there is the question of Harvey Dent. For a while, the talk was that Stan would play Dent, and maybe even bring in Scarlett Johansson and Charles Dance for related roles. But Sneider’s report throws cold water on all that.
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Instead, the rumor positions Brian Tyree Henry, a heavyweight known for ‘Atlanta‘, ‘Causeway‘, and ‘Godzilla vs. Kong‘ as the new face of Harvey Dent. This would not be the first time a Black actor has taken on the role, following Billy Dee Williams’ portrayal in Tim Burton’s 1989 ‘Batman‘. The move suggests a different dynamic for the sequel; while fans expected Stan’s intense energy to fuel Dent’s rage, Henry brings a different kind of gravitas and warmth, making the eventual fall to villainy potentially even more heartbreaking.
The Court of Owls May Be the Main Villain in the Sequel
And that is not all. The rumors also say that the Court of Owls might show up as the main villains. They are a secret group of rich and powerful people who have run Gotham from the shadows for centuries. Fans have wanted to see them on the big screen for a long time, and it makes sense, too.
The first movie was about the Riddler exposing corruption in the city’s renewal fund. The Court of Owls is basically the living, breathing version of that rot. Reeves himself said the sequel’s villain has “never really been done in a movie before.” Zsasz has shown up in small roles before, like in ‘Batman Begins,’ but the Court of Owls fits that description perfectly.
Reeves recently confirmed the sequel has begun shooting, sharing an image of a body on a slab, a visual that fits the morbid tone of a Zsasz-led investigation. With ‘The Batman: Part II‘ scheduled for October 1, 2027, the rumor mill will undoubtedly continue to spin. For now, it appears Sebastian Stan isn’t coming to save Gotham as a lawyer; he’s coming to terrorize it as a monster.
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