Reeves has promised<\/span> Joker won\u2019t be the big bad<\/span><\/a> of The Batman\u2019s sequel \u2013 but if you\u2019re looking for other candidates, it turns out that Paul Dano\u2019s Riddler has already offered a sneaky hint of who else could be taking on the Bat in his next case. <\/span><\/p>\n You see, during Riddler\u2019s game of bat and mouse, he sent a series of cryptic cards to the vigilante hero. Each card was adorned with a cutesy cartoon, and although you might\u2019ve missed this deep cut Easter egg, these five keepsakes tease a rotten rascal for <\/span>The Batman<\/span>\u2018s sequel(s). <\/span><\/p>\n So, who\u2019s waiting in the \u201cwings\u201d? Let\u2019s find out.<\/span><\/p> Who needs one villain when you can have a whole society of them? While the shady Court of Owls are already destined to be the villains of Warner Bros. Montreal\u2019s Gotham Knights video game, they could also get their movie debut. The very first card Riddler leaves for Batman features an owl (love a Who\/hoo pun), hinting that this shadowy crew of villains could be in for an appearance.<\/span><\/p>\n In the comics, the Court of Owls is a high-flying organisation of Gotham\u2019s elite that\u2019s operated in the background and pulled the strings for centuries. Beyond their dastardly deeds, they\u2019re largely remembered for the creepy owl masks that conceal their identities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And given how much The Batman focuses on Thomas Wayne\u2019s shady dealings and the Riddler\u2019s inside knowledge on Gotham\u2019s movers and shakers, it feels like this cabal could fit right in with the world Reeves created. There are already theories suggesting Thomas Wayne was part of the Court before his untimely demise.<\/span><\/p>\n Up next, the second card featured a mad scientist and a mention of chemistry between you and them. This illustration is a close match with Professor Hugo Strange, a character that some fans might remember from Rocksteady\u2019s acclaimed Arkham City video game or BD Wong\u2019s portrayal in the Gotham TV series.<\/span><\/p>\n Doing what even the Riddler couldn\u2019t in The Batman, Strange was one of the first villains to work out Bruce Wayne\u2019s secret identity, and this could play into the new movie universe. Following in the footsteps of the Batman \u201866 continuity, picture the scene where Strange is an Arkham psychiatrist. What if he oversees the Riddler at Arkham State Hospital and deduces that Bruce is the man behind the mask?<\/span><\/p>\n The third card includes a little girl with red hair and wearing green. It doesn\u2019t take a genius to figure out the Riddler is teasing Poison Ivy here \u2013 in fact, it\u2019s probably the most obvious nod of all the cards. <\/span><\/p>\n Of course, Poison Ivy is one of the most iconic Batman villains out there \u2013 and not just because of Uma Thurman. Alongside potential ties to Catwoman, a new onscreen version could also explore Ivy\u2019s relationship with Harley Quinn to introduce this world\u2019s very own version of Puddin\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In terms of how Ivy could fit into a sequel, don\u2019t expect the theatrics of Batman & Robin. Matt Reeves has already said he\u2019d like to explore the idea of a grounded Mr. Freeze, so if we do see Ivy expect her to be a million miles away from Thurman\u2019s Mae West-inspired vixen.<\/span><\/p>\n Card no. 4 is a little harder to decipher, but with what looks like two glowing eyes, we\u2019re reminded of the Cheshire Cat. Connecting the pieces of the puzzle, it\u2019s likely a tease of Mad Hatter. In the comics Jervis Tetch is known for the ridiculous concept of controlling his victims with mind-controlling hats, but let\u2019s not forget his darker edge.<\/span><\/p>\n Even though it might be too similar to feature another serial killer in <\/span>The Batman 2<\/span>, Mad Hatter\u2019s obsession with girls that look like Alice could bring some serious Silence of the Lambs vibes, with Batman calling on Riddler to get inside Tetch\u2019s twisted mind. <\/span><\/p>\n Still not convinced? Well, there is one other clue. Did you spot Desperate Housewives\u2019 Charlie and Max Carver playing Penguin\u2019s twin bouncers in The Batman? Because many think they\u2019re a version of Batman goons<\/span>\u00a0Tweedledee and Tweedledum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Last but not least, there\u2019s a clear allusion to Batman villain Scarface among Riddler\u2019s clues thanks to a card featuring a ventriloquist dummy. In the comics, Arnold Wesker is a seemingly mild-mannered man who is convinced to do the bidding of his own dummy \u2013 the aptly named Scarface.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s implied that Wesker has a multiple personality disorder, though he believes he\u2019s merely forced to commit crimes thanks to his little wooden pal. Anyway, the\u00a0<\/span> upcoming Penguin spin-off<\/span><\/a> is sure to explore more of the city\u2019s seedy underbelly, and while Wesker might seem like a low-level mobster, he could definitely be a secondary big bad.<\/span><\/p>\n Altogether, there are plenty of clues to chew on for who Batman will face in his next movie \u2013 but we should add a note of caution. After all, it\u2019s certainly possible that Riddler\u2019s own collection of Hallmark cards might be nothing more than Easter eggs. <\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s remember, Reeves has already named mysterious villain Hush when <\/span>asked who he\u2019d like to tackle next, and any number of Batman\u2019s huge rogues\u2019 gallery could crop up for his next sojourn into Gotham. Perhaps these Riddler-teased villains could turn up in a planned TV spin-off, or a third movie, or not at all.<\/span><\/p>\n Either way, Arkham had better make sure it\u2019s got plenty of spare cells when <\/span>The Batman 2<\/span> unfurls its wings. There might be a few new residents to deal with\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n The Batman is in UK cinemas now. For more, check out our dedicated Movies<\/a> page or our full TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, l<\/strong>isten to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a>\u00a0with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Tom Chapman Published: Tuesday, 08 March 2022 at 12:00 am Riddle us this: what\u2019s black, brooding, and at the top of the box office right now? Why it\u2019s The Batman, of course! Matt Reeves has answered the call of the Bat-Signal, with Robert Pattinson donning the cape and cowl for what\u2019s tipped to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":11909,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/the-batmans-riddler-easter-eggs-tease-more-classic-villains.jpg",2000,1332,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/the-batmans-riddler-easter-eggs-tease-more-classic-villains-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/the-batmans-riddler-easter-eggs-tease-more-classic-villains-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/the-batmans-riddler-easter-eggs-tease-more-classic-villains-768x511.jpg",768,511,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/the-batmans-riddler-easter-eggs-tease-more-classic-villains-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/the-batmans-riddler-easter-eggs-tease-more-classic-villains-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/03\/the-batmans-riddler-easter-eggs-tease-more-classic-villains.jpg",2000,1332,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Tom Chapman Published: Tuesday, 08 March 2022 at 12:00 am Riddle us this: what\u2019s black, brooding, and at the top of the box office right now? Why it\u2019s The Batman, of course! Matt Reeves has answered the call of the Bat-Signal, with Robert Pattinson donning the cape and cowl for what\u2019s tipped to be…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/11908"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Court of Owls<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\""The\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/03\/each-of-riddlers-cards-correlate-to-a-different-batman-villain-1646084631-d1794ef.jpeg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Riddler\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Professor Hugo Strange<\/b><\/h2>\n
Poison Ivy<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\""Batman"\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/03\/Uma-Thurman-e12b4d1.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Batman\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Mad Hatter<\/b><\/h2>\n
Scarface and the Ventriloquist<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\""Paul\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/12\/Riddler-b06379b.jpeg?quality=90&crop=8px%2C375px%2C2748px%2C1831px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Riddler\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"