A vicious villain already wasted by the DCEU emerges as a frontrunner for ‘The Batman’ sequel

It’s going to be notoriously difficult for The Batman‘s upcoming sequel to top Paul Dano’s Riddler in terms of the next Big Bad in Matt Reeves’ Batverse. In past renditions, we’ve seen the likes of the Joker, Harley Quinn, Bane, and Poison Ivy portrayed numerous times by various actors in several standalone timelines. Over the years, the competition for the best Joker has only gotten fiercer, featuring Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, Jared Leto, and Joaquin Phoenix as top contenders.

But as we approach The Batman 2, which has been slated for a 2025 release, DC fans are scratching their heads to ponder who the next supervillain to oppose the Bat might be. Since Reeves hasn’t drawn inspiration from any previous live-action iterations, we can assume he won’t be sticking to the familiar faces in Batman’s rogues’ gallery.

When we eliminate the obvious suspects, i.e. Joker, Harley, Poison Ivy, Bane, etc., that leaves us with a handful of lesser-known evildoers. We have Mister Freeze, who hasn’t been seen since Arnold Schwarzenegger brought him to life in 1997’s Batman & Robin. He made a brief appearance in Fox’s Gotham, portrayed by Nathan Darrow, but that’s about it.

But our prime suspect for Batman’s next foe seems to be Killer Croc, whose last live-action role came from Nigerian actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje in David Ayer’s 2016 flop, Suicide Squad. Before that, his only major appearance was as a supporting antagonist in the Batman: Arkham video game series.

But The Batman fans are crying out for Killer Croc to be introduced all over again in the sequel.

The above Redditor suggests that Killer Croc should be introduced on the heels of The Batman‘s dramatic climax, where Gotham City is entirely flooded after the Riddler’s car bombs explode and take down Gotham’s seawall. As Finding Nemo taught us, all drains lead to the ocean, including the sewage system. And who do we know that dwells in the murky sewers?

Reddit is inclined to agree with the prospect, thinking it to be a perfect segue into The Batman 2 with the spotlight shining on a grossly underused villain.

Others were on-board but stated their conditions for a live-action Croc, namely his design resembling that of Batman: Hush or the Arkham series, which we mentioned before.

Another comment expressed excitement for the idea but reminded us that Reeves is approaching his own Batverse from a grounded angle, therefore it’s more likely that Killer Croc is an average citizen suffering from an incurable case of ichthyosis rather than an actual humanoid crocodile. And where’s the fun in that?

In any case, it can’t be worse than whatever David Ayer was trying to conjure up in Suicide Squad, so we have full faith in Reeves to deliver, no matter who the villain might be.