Director Matt Reeves has confirmed that he and his team are tirelessly working on the script for The Batman 2, but will the story include one of the caped crusader’s most infamous icy villains?
2022’s The Batman defied fans’ expectations, as Robert Pattinson gave a gritty and realistic take on the character people have come to know and love for decades.
With an impressive score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, Matt Reeves‘ entry into the DCEU was so popular that Warner Bros. quickly ordered a sequel to be made soon after its release.
While not much is known about the new movie‘s plot, some fans have speculated that the sequel could feature one of Batman’s greatest foes, Mr. Freeze, and the villain could be played by Patrick Schwarzenegger, the child of the original actor. But are the rumors true? Here’s everything we know.
Winter is coming in The Batman 2
Reeves has confirmed that The Batman 2 will take place in during the winter season.
During a September 2024 interview with Collider, the director revealed Batman 2 will be set just after The Penguin spinoff, which will end sometime around December.
“The [Penguin] plays out over the next weeks that take you toward the end of the year,” Reeves said. “We don’t play Christmas or New Years, but we’re getting there.”
With this information, one can deduce that plot of The Batman 2 will be set sometime during the wintertime.
Because of this confirmation, some fans believe the villain for the sequel will be someone who is not only familiar with the ice and snow, but uses its power to wreak havoc on Gotham City.
And, while Batman has dozens of villains in his rogues’ gallery, the most obvious choice of for a main antagonist would be Dr. Victor Fries, aka Mr. Freeze.
Will Patrick Schwarzenegger play Mr. Freeze?
At this time, Patrick Schwarzenegger has not been confirmed to appear as Mr. Freeze in The Batman 2.
“Winter has come at last! The iceman cometh,” Schwarzenegger posted on X/Twitter as a response to the confirmation of The Batman 2’s snowy’s place in the Reeves’ timeline.
Winter has come at last! The iceman cometh. https://t.co/LnEZ4DFcPZ
— Patrick Schwarzenegger (@PSchwarzenegger) September 13, 2024
Because of this, many fans started to speculate that the young actor may have been cast as Batman’s icy foe. This line was directly taken from the 1997 movie Batman & Robin, where Schwarzenegger’s father, Arnold, played Mr. Freeze.
In the film, Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared as the villain in all of his snowy glory, and he teamed up with Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) to take down the dynamic duo.
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“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re teasing the role of Mr. Freeze and you’re playing him!!” One fan replied to Schwarzenegger’s quote, while another wrote, “ICE to see you! Continuing the family tradition.”
However, the actor was quick to dismiss any notion of his involvement in the sequel posting, “Nah haha but I wish!”
While Patrick Schwarzenegger may not be appearing in Reeves’ film, he is still hopeful that his father will return to the DCU in some way as he responded to a recent post of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Thurman reuniting with the caption, “C’mon y’all gotta come back.”
Potential frosty villains for The Batman 2
While Mr. Freeze could still make an appearance, Reeves could choose another ice-themed villain for The Batman 2.
Fries is definitely the most well-known member of Batman’s snowy opposition, but the director could decide to pick a lesser known bad guy and put them into the spotlight.
First off, Batman has faced off against Captain Cold, a criminal who uses a “cold gun” that emits a beam that freezes anything it hits instantly.
While Captain Cold started out his time in DC Comics as an antagonist for The Flash, his character was heavily featured in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Pattison’s Batman could also go toe to toe with Killer Frost, who was also a nemesis of the speedster and acted as one half of a main cast members in The CW’s The Flash.
Killer Frost is a universal name used by several female characters including Crystal Frost, Louise Lincoln, and Caitlin Snow.
While each woman turned into the icy supervillain during various experiments gone wrong, they all share the same powers of cryokinesis and heat-absorption.
Fans can see who Reeves and his team chose to challenge Batman’s hold over Gotham City when The Batman 2 premieres on October 2, 2026.
In the meantime, you can learn all about the upcoming DC sequel Joker 2 and check out our guide to the best superhero movies.