HOW 'THE BATMAN' SETS UP 5 POTENTIAL CLASSIC COMIC STORYLINES FOR A SEQUEL

Who or what will The Batman face in his next adventure? Here are some ideas.

Despite being so grounded in reality, Matt Reeves' The Batman is also the most comic accurate portrayal of Batman and his world in live action. Much like most comic book movies today, instead of opting to adapt any one specific story, The Batman tells its own stories influenced by several Batmedia. The film liberally takes elements from famous stories like The Long Halloween, and its sequel, Dark Victory, but it also takes a bit of inspiration from Hush, Ego, and Year One. Not to mention clear inspiration from David Fincher movies Se7en and Zodiac. The Batman takes elements from all of these to create something unique and original.

With the track record of this film, it is likely that a sequel will take a similar approach. In fact, between the events of the film and comments from Reeves himself, the movie sets up a lot of potential plot threads for the sequel. This isn't to say that everything listed here will show up in the new film, but these are the stories that the sequel might take some inspiration from.

1. No Man's Land

The story of No Man's Land finds Gotham sanctioned off from the rest of the world, the famous Batman villains have each laid stake on their own sections of the city to run. Nothing gets into the city and no one gets out. If this sounds familiar, it's because elements of this story were used in Batman: Arkham City, The Dark Knight Rises, and season 2 of Harley Quinn.

The way that The Batman ends seems to hint at a story influenced by these comics since the city is now flooded. With Falcone being dead too, it's going to give more of the Batman's rogues gallery the chance to take over Gotham's criminal empire.

If The Batman was about Bruce (Robert Pattinson) learning he needs to be a symbol of hope instead of vengeance, this story would be Bruce trying to live up to that idea as the whole city is against him.

2. The Widening Gyre

The Widening Gyre is a very odd story. In this series written by filmmaker Kevin Smith, Batman is confronted with the chance to potentially retire. A new hero, the crossbow bearing and goat-headed Baphomet, starts assisting Batman in his war against crime. The only thing that raises Batman's suspicions is how willingly and trustingly Baphomet takes his mask off around him. But the fact that Baphomet is a good-natured husband and father who just wants to do the right thing makes Batman think he could be worthy of being his successor. Batman even starts being able to enjoy his Bruce Wayne life again through his rekindled relationship with Silver St. Cloud. From there, the story only gets crazier. Even if the Biblical references with Baphomet are so on the nose, it would make Zack Snyder blush.

At the end of The Batman, Bruce already seems conflicted as to how effective being Batman can actually be. His actions only made crime accelerate and inspire domestic terrorists like The Riddler (Paul Dano). He also has Selena (Zoë Kravitz) as the devil on his shoulder encouraging him to lean more into his mask and join her. This lays all the footing for a story like Widening Gyre to be set in this version of Gotham. The best Batman and Catwoman stories are the ones where she really challenges Bruce on how to live his double life. Combine that with a character like Baphomet showing up and doing a better job at being Batman than Bruce, it would make for one compelling movie.

3. The Court of Owls

The Court of Owls is one of the more recent ideas added to the Batman mythos. And The Batman already seems to be laying some groundwork for this villainous organization. The idea of the Court of Owls is that they're basically the Illuminati (the conspiracy theory, not the Marvel superhero team). A group of wealthy and powerful Gothamites who anonymously met in secret for hundreds of years to secretly run the entire city. With the help of their highly skilled, and sometimes undead, assassins the Talons, the court holds a stronger hold on Gotham than Batman or Bruce Wayne ever could.

When Bruce discovers in The Batman that Falcone and the GCPD were working together, it showed Bruce that the seedy underbelly of the city was already working hand in hand with those in charge. The Court are also known to abduct children to train them as Talons in some stories. This could potentially even lead to incorporating a Robin into this films' universe. The Court could be targeting the child of the Mayor that Riddler killed, the kid Batman identified with throughout the film. Being the child of such a powerful figure, the Court could find him useful. It would be up to Batman to save him.

The Court opens up a treasure trove of possibilities and would make an excellent addition to this world.

4. Arkham Asylum

During Riddler's interrogation scene, he implies that Arkham exists on an island outside the city, making it safe there when he blows up the seawall. If Arkham is an island, that would make it a perfect setting for a movie where Batman is trapped with the villains he put there in the first place.

The game Arkham Asylum is about Batman trying to destroy a shipment of Venom on Arkham Island while his greatest foes try to stop him. A simple premise and one that would work wonders in the world of Robat Battinson. Especially since two of Batman's most iconic villains are already imprisoned there by the end of the first film, that leads them with a chance to take over the asylum. And between those two being there and Arkham and Penguin spin-offs already announced for HBO Max, who's to say there aren't other notorious villains behind bars already? Batman stories are always enjoyable when his villains team up.

5. Heart of Ice

This episode of the classic Batman: The Animated Series basically set the standards of Mr. Freeze. He's a man who can't live above subzero temperatures, so he has a freeze gun, and he's trying to save his wife from dying of an illness at the same time. He also makes a lot of ice puns while still managing to be an imposing villain. It's a phenomenal Batman episode.

Matt Reeves has said on multiple occasions that he would love Mr. Freeze as a villain in the sequel, viewing it as a challenge to make the character fit in his Gotham. If this is done, it will probably lift a lot of elements from this story.

However, Reeves is right in that it's hard to imagine Mr. Freeze in this universe. Out of all Batman's mad scientist/failed science experiment villains, Hugo Strange or Man-Bat would probably make more sense. But there is a core human emotion at the center of this character, with him being a man just trying to save his wife. If that's maintained, then Mr. Freeze would be amazing. Also, with Gotham flooded, maybe that would have something to do with his freeze gun. Water. Ice. There's for sure some connection there.

No matter what stories the sequel lifts from, fans will eagerly wait to see what - or whom - this version of Batman has to face next.
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