Sebastian Stan’s Role in Batman Part II Revealed (And It’s Perfect)

Matt Reeves’ “The Batman Part II” continues to gain momentum as 2026 rolls around, as casting announcements roll in. Recently, Sebastian Stan Joined Scarlett Johansson as New Comedians to Enter Reeves’ Gotham City (and, ironically, both are veterans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), and as soon as news of their involvement broke, there has been much speculation about who they are playing. The mystery surrounding Johansson’s character is still active, but we can now officially put the rumors about Stan’s role to rest. From the Hollywood Reporter’s Heatvision newsletterStan will play Harvey Dent, the idealistic prosecutor whose destiny is to have his face horribly scarred, which shatters his psyche and transforms him into the evil Two-Face.

Unfortunately, there are no further details beyond that, so we can’t say if Stan will play the threat of the draw in “Part II” proper, or if he’ll be old Harvey for the majority of the film. Given Johansson’s involvement as well as the expected return of Barry Keoghan as the Jokerthere may be too much going on for Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne to also deal with Big Bad Harv. Still, there’s a good chance that Stan’s casting means he’ll be able to give his take on the classic villain, if for no better reason than the actor is perfect for the role, especially given his recent work. Either way, this news is further confirmation that “The Batman Part II” is shaping up to be just as exciting and special as its predecessor.

It’s true that Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, has, like so many “Batman” characters, including the Caped Crusader himself, been depicted on the big screen many times. However, unlike Batman or the Joker, it feels like the character wasn’t given the right balance each time. Poor Billy Dee Williams never got the chance to turn his suave Harvey Dent from 1989’s “Batman” into a villainous character, while Tommy Lee Jones’ maniacal version of Two-Face in 1995’s “Batman Forever” showed virtually no trace of the good man Harvey was. Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Two-Face in 2008’s “The Dark Knight” comes closest, but even then it felt like his transformation into Two-Face barely happened before the end of the film. Given the amount of time and care Matt Reeves devoted to the Riddler (Paul Dano) and Penguin (Colin Farrell) in “The Batman,” it’s a safe bet that Harvey Dent and Two-Face will be well-represented in “Part II.”

After all, giving equal weight to both sides of the character is part of the reason you’d hire Sebastian Stan, given the actor’s strengths. We know since he played James “Bucky” Barnes in the MCU that he plays conflict very well. We also know that he can play a broad, cartoonish villain (“Hot Tub Time Machine,” anyone?) as well as a more insidious villain (as seen in “Fresh”). His most recent work is even more suited to the character, dealing with issues of facial differences in “A Different Man”, And playing a particularly sociopathic Donald Trump in “The Apprentice”. If Stan can bring even a little of the weight of these excellent performances to Harvey, then we may get the best Two-Face on screen yet, no drawing necessary.