Summary
With the end ofThe Penguinfast approaching it means audiences are one step closer to the next installment in Matt Reeves’ DC universe,The Batman Part 2. The sequel won’t be released until 2026 but speculation is already rife about what will happen next and when the movie may take place.
The Batmanstars Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, who is still in the early stages of his career as the superhero. The movie pits Batman against the Riddler, who was depicted as a nefarious serial killer in Reeve’s more grounded version of Gotham City.The Batmanwas widely praised upon its release in 2022, maintaining an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with many approving of the film’s noir aesthetic and its realistic portrayal of the DC Comics world.The Penguinhas been gaining similar acclaimthanks to its depiction of the villain’s origin story through the lens of a gritty crime drama. Now all eyes are onThe Batman 2to see what happens next, but one thing that may be beneficial to the story is setting it during the Christmas season.
Batman’s History With Holidays
Batman has a long history with important holiday dates. In both the comics, movies, and games, Batman’s stories have often taken advantage of holiday themes to introduce new villains or to raise the stakes of certain scenarios. Halloween is a particularly important time in the Batman franchise as the holiday’s association with wearing masks and inciting fear is something that could also be associated with the character of Batman.
One of the Caped Crusader’s most famous comic book runsisBatman: The Long Halloween, which sees the Dark Knight fight a villain who exclusively kills on holidays. The story actually takes advantage of multiple holiday dates throughout its run but is a great example of how different festive themes can inform a story. Rocksteady’sBatman: Arkham Knight is another Batman story that takes place during Halloween. Given that the themes of the story center around facing fears, with the main villain being Scarecrow,Arkham Knighttakes great advantage of the Halloween aesthetic.
The Batman Takes Place During Halloween
Matt Reeves also chose to follow the Halloween path inThe Batman. The movie starts on October 31st, the night of Halloween, withBruce Wayne wading through a sea of costumed civilians. The movie shows a darker side of Halloween, with criminals taking advantage of the holiday night to blend in and wear masks while enacting their crimes. However, this is Batman’s advantage as well as he uses his mask to instill fear in Gotham’s criminals. At one point, a goon asks Batman “who the hell are you supposed to be?”, which is clearly a reference to the Halloween tradition of dressing up, but this offers the perfect opportunity to set up why Batman is different, his costume is not for one night only.
Thursday, October 31st. The city streets are crowded for the holiday.
The Batman 2 Would Be An Intriguing Christmas Movie
WithThe Batmantaking advantage of Halloween, it provides the opportunity for Matt Reeves’ franchise to start a pattern of exploring notable holiday events. The next logical holiday for this in the timeline would be Christmas and there are already hints that this is whereThe Batman 2could go. In an interview withCollider, Reeves confirmed that chronologicallyThe Penguintakes place a week after the events ofThe Batman, which places the timeline in November, and that it would take the series towards the end of the year. “We don’t play Christmas or New Years, but we’re getting there,” Reeves said.
This means that ifThe Batmanis to be set shortly after the events ofThe Penguin,it will be the heart of winter with Gotham City likely preparing for the holiday season. The idea of seeing Reeves' version of Gotham City in the festive season is intriguing and would likely provide audiences with a darker Christmas story, something that is the opposite of the joyous nature Christmas films are known for. Similar to Halloween’s themes of masks and fear, the Christmas season could provideThe Batmanwith new opportunities to explore certain themes, like family or joy. There would also be plenty of chances tointroduce villains that may tie thematicallywith this period of the year, with Mr. Freeze being a popular choice due to his affiliation with cold weather.
Similar to Halloween, the Batman franchise has taken advantage of the festive season as a setting many times before. TheBatman gameArkham Originspits Batman against eight of Gotham’s most skilled assassins on Christmas Eve.Batman Returnsis another Batman film that is memorably set during Christmas, with some of the action taking place at Gotham’s Christmas-tree lighting ceremony. Given this precedent, it would be interesting to see Reeves’ grounded take on a Batman Christmas movie and how the director can use the setting and festive aesthetic to his advantage inThe Batman Part 2.
The Batman: Part 2is scheduled for release on Jun 29, 2025.
The Batman Part II
The Batman Part II is the sequel to Matt Reeve’s The Batman, released in 2022, and will continue where the original film left off. The film shares a universe with the HBO Max original Penguin series and sees the return of the Riddler and a different incarnation of the Joker.
