Casting rumors and unceremonious announcements for The Batman: Part II being as rousing as they are is a testament to how highly anticipated The Batman’s sequel is. Sequels to comic-related movies—the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, for example—are endlessly captivating in this way, with worldbuilding foundations established in their predecessor and imaginations running wild as to what villains or characters they may choose to feature, as well as what storylines from comic book source material might be adapted.
We have known for a while now that Sebastian Stan will be playing The Batman: Part II’s Harvey Dent, and, while eventually witnessing half of him being burnt is inevitable, it does not seem plausible that Two-Face will be the sequel’s main villain. In fact, every clue we have received about The Batman: Part II thus far points toward one character being its primary antagonist, and they may have been cast only recently.
Harvey Dent May Not Be A Villain, But His Dad Is
Comic, animation, and video game fans are well aware that Harvey Dent’s sorrowful descent into villainy begins long before he fights Batman as Two-Face. Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: The Long Halloween, and Batman: Arkham Shadow are a few phenomenal representations of his origin story and repressed mental illness.
Batman: Arkham Shadow, for instance, paints a harrowing portrait of what Harvey’s childhood looked like that is faithful to the comics, with his father, Christopher Dent, being an alcoholic who would flip a coin to let fate decide whether he would beat Harvey. The Batman does not bother reminiscing on Bruce Wayne’s origin story, instead electing to center on a Wayne family conspiracy that not even Bruce was aware of, and The Batman: Part II reportedly casting Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance suggests that we may not need a guided trip down memory lane in order to understand how much abuse and torment Harvey suffered as a kid at the hands of his dad.
Of course, it is anyone’s guess how much of the movie will be dedicated to this character. But if someone as legendary as Charles Dance truly has been cast as Harvey’s dad, this Batman: Part II casting seemingly guarantees that his role will be villainous and twofold: he would certainly persist as a cruel figure in Harvey’s life, sure, but he may haunt Gotham City, too.
Is Harvey’s Father In The Court Of Owls?
The Court of Owls in The Batman: Part II would not be wholly alarming anymore, but perhaps those breadcrumbs were purposefully laid out for audiences in The Batman so that fans could have made that discovery early on their own with a little detective work. Still, it would be fantastic to see the Court of Owls adapted in The Batman: Part II, and Harvey’s dad being involved with the Court of Owls’ secret society would be a spectacular (if not somewhat expected) reveal.
Because the Court of Owls is so clandestinely embedded in Gotham City, it is natural to assume any elderly character could feasibly be a member, and casting Charles Dance as Harvey’s dad solely for the sake of a Two-Face origin story or brief flashback seems like it would be a gross waste of the actor’s talent, unless his role is simply significant in another way.
Harvey’s dad being a member of the Court of Owls, though, would root him in Gotham’s criminal underbelly and possibly tether him to Bruce’s family, which is likely to have had a member or two. Plus, if Harvey is depicted as a gallant white knight valiantly battling his dissociative identity disorder in The Batman: Part II, learning that his dad has his talons in the heart of the city would be more than enough of a revelation to unravel him further.
The Batman: Part II is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 1, 2027.
