An Overlooked New DC Series Perfectly Fills The Batman 2 Void 

The gap between The Batman and The Batman – Part II can be perfectly bridged by a newly announced series in the wide DC Universe. Robert Pattinson proved to those who doubted his casting as Bruce Wayne that he was a fantastic choice to continue the Dark Knight’s live-action legacy by leading one of the best Batman movies, The Batman. Director Matt Reeves is set to continue to expand The Batman‘s universe in the coming years, and that will include series such as the upcoming The Penguin show on Max starring Colin Farrell, as well as the next step in The Batman‘s trilogy, The Batman 2.

There is not much currently known about The Batman 2’s story, although The Batman‘s ending, with Paul Dano’s Riddler meeting Barry Keoghan’s Joker at Arkham Asylum and the two becoming friends, hints at a possible direction for the sequel. The Batman 2 is currently scheduled for an October 3, 2025, release. The movie will be released as part of DC’s new Elseworlds label — reserved for projects outside the new DC Universe’s continuity — and will arrive three years after The Batman debuted. Until The Batman 2 finally releases, an overlooked new DC series can help fill the Batman movie’s void.

The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark Is Perfect To Tide Over The Batman Fans

While there are many upcoming DC movies thanks to James Gunn’s new DC Universe and some Elseworlds franchises, DC will continue focusing on different formats, and the comic book giant’s expansion over the podcast medium can help fill The Batman 2‘s void. DC and Spotify have recently announced a new podcast series — The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark. The show will follow Hasan Minhaj’s Riddler and Colman Domingo’s Batman having to work together to discover who the mysterious vigilante is that has been killing Gotham City’s villains — with The Riddler being himself a target — and stop him. The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark releases on October 10.

The series can tide DC fans over until The Batman 2 arrives in a couple of years. The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark continues the detective element that made The Batman so unique among the Dark Knight’s live-action offerings. At the same time, the project being an audio series, with an interesting team-up between Batman and Riddler rather than the two going against each other like in The Batman, should provide enough novelty to avoid it being too much like the film. The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark can keep the villain in DC fans’ minds before his likely return in The Batman 2, maintaining the first movie’s horror-esque context.

The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark Sets Up DC’s Three-Year Batman Trend

The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark sets up a three-year Batman trend. Starting with The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark‘s release this October, there will be a Batman-related project debuting in October for three consecutive years. 2024 will see Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker sing along with Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux, which releases on October 4. Then comes The Batman 2 on October 3, 2025. The three-year Batman trend ends with Pattinson’s Batman coming back, and Dano’s Riddler should be accompanying him in The Batman 2, perhaps with a somewhat similar dynamic to the one their characters will have in The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark.