DC Already Complicated the Biggest Theory About Scarlett Johansson’s The Batman 2 Villain, 2 Years Ago

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Filming for The Batman: Part II is underway, and DC fans are closely following any news and hints about the movie, including updates shared by director Matt Reeves. Recently, Reeves revealed the cast for The Batman 2, confirming the return of all the main actors from the first film, as well as introducing the new cast members joining the sequel.

Scarlett Johansson, known for her role as Black Widow in Marvel films, has been cast in a significant role in The Batman: Part II. She will be playing Gilda Dent, the wife of District Attorney Harvey Dent. While Gilda is a well-known character from Batman lore, the DC Universe’s current direction means the film won’t be a direct adaptation of the original story. This has led to speculation and questions about how Johansson’s portrayal of Gilda will fit into the new film.

Gilda Dent Is A Killer

Gilda Dent is most famous for her part in the popular Batman story, “The Long Halloween.” This story takes place during Batman’s second year fighting crime and focuses on his efforts with Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent to dismantle Gotham’s powerful Falcone and Maroni crime families. However, their plans are disrupted when a mysterious killer begins targeting members of both families on every major holiday. This “Holiday Killer” throws Gotham into chaos, threatening a war not only between the mob families, but also between the gangsters and the new wave of masked vigilantes and criminals. Even Batman, a master detective, is unable to figure out who the killer is or how to stop them.

(MAJOR COMIC SPOILERS!)

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s The Long Halloween is famous for being a case Batman doesn’t successfully solve. For a year, Batman is unable to stop the Holiday Killer from systematically eliminating members of Falcone’s criminal organization. He also fails to prevent Harvey Dent from falling into a trap that leaves him disfigured, turning the district attorney into the villain Two-Face. Ultimately, Batman and Gordon capture the killer—revealed to be Carmine Falcone’s quiet son, Alberto—but at a great cost. Dent’s attempt to save Gotham through the legal system is destroyed as the mob is wiped out through violent revenge, rather than justice. This event also marks the beginning of a new period where bizarre criminals like The Joker, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Penguin, Riddler, and Solomon Grundy become the city’s dominant crime bosses.

The story concludes with a shocking twist: Gilda Dent, who appeared gentle and reserved throughout, was actually the Holiday Killer. Driven to madness by Harvey’s all-consuming quest and the danger it brought, she believed murdering the mobsters was the only way to save her husband. Alberto, having faked his own death, committed the last killings to escape his family obligations. Gilda then destroys all evidence of her crimes and successfully evades capture.

The Batman UniverseAlready Killed The Long Halloween Twist (Literally)

When Michael Zegen was cast as Alberto Falcone in the upcoming The Penguin series (a spin-off of The Batman), many DC fans hoped it would lead to a sequel adapting The Long Halloween. However, those hopes were quickly extinguished when (spoiler alert!) Penguin, played by Colin Farrell, killed off Alberto Falcone right at the beginning of the first episode. Things didn’t improve from there – Penguin essentially became the Holiday Killer, wiping out both the Falcone and Maroni families through deception and manipulation. He accomplished this in less than a year, and by the end of the series, Penguin had become Gotham’s undisputed crime boss.

Adapting the entire story of The Long Halloween into The Penguin series isn’t feasible, but Matt Reeves can still draw inspiration from it for the broader Batman universe he’s creating. We’ll likely see Harvey Dent battling organized crime, led by the Penguin, and whispers suggest a powerful, hidden group – the Court of Owls – might exploit the chaos caused by the Riddler to take control of Gotham. With a conflict brewing between the police, Penguin’s gang, the Court of Owls, Batman, and other criminals (potentially including the Joker), Gilda Dent could emerge as an unexpected element that drastically changes everything.

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2026-05-18 20:11