The news dropped yesterday that Marvel veteran Sebastian Stan is either in talks or has officially been offered a role in rival studio DCs upcoming 2027 film from Matt Reeves, The Batman Part 2. Stan isn’t the only Marvel vet rumored to be in the film as last month it was reported that fellow MCU star Scarlett Johansson is also either in talks (or has officially joined the film) as well.

As it stands now, neither actor has received official confirmation from the studio of their hiring but with so many top-tier entertainment outlets reporting it as fact we can’t help but think there is some sort of truth to both reports. We already have our ideas on who Johansson is playing based on initial casting reports, but as it stands now Stan’s role is still under complete speculation as there are numerous characters the actor could be playing in the franchise. We have put together a list of five characters that the actor could be playing, and with this list keep in mind that based on Johansson’s rumored character we think that Part 2 could be heavily influenced by The Long Halloween story arc from the comics, and our list does reflect that to some degree. Without further ado, here are the five characters we’d like to see Sebastian Stan play in The Batman Part 2:

5) Harvey Dent / Two-Face

Judging by the amount of posts claiming that Stan should be playing Harvey Dent (Two-Face) after the news had been released, we feel like this is the overwhelming fan favorite pick for the actor. However, we’re not so sure this is the route DC will go so while we respect the thought and we agree Stan would make an excellent Two-Face, we still have this in spot #5 because there are doubts in my mind surrounding it. If the movie does follow The Long Halloween, then there is no doubt Harvey Dent will be in the film just based on the fact he is a main player in the original story-arc. We think that’s too easy though.

Two-Face has been in every Batman trilogy since the 90s being portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever and then again by Aaron Eckhart in the infamous Dark Knight from Christopher Nolan. While the film may take inspiration from The Long Halloween, we’re hard pressed to assume it won’t just be a theatrical remake because they kind of already did a lot of the aspects of the story in The Dark Knight. If Stan were to be in the new film, I personally don’t want to see him rehash a villain we’ve already seen multiple times in theaters and since it’s already been reported that Part 2 will have a main villain that’s never been done on the big screen before then it eliminates Harvey Dent from that spot. We’d personally love to see Stan as the main big bad of the film, therefore he couldn’t be Harvey Dent if rumors are true. Also, it’s rumored that Marvel costar Johansson will be playing Gilda Dent, Harvey’s wife, and having the two Marvel stars play the power couple in the film is just way too on the nose. Therefore while we’re not ruling it out and believe there is a large chance he could be playing Dent, Two-Face sits in the fifth spot because we think there are other better characters that the actor could explore.

4) Julian Gregory Day / Calendar Man

Calendar Man is on this list because of his importance to The Long Halloween. The character is not an A-List Batman villain by any means but plays a role in this particular story because it follows Batman trying to stop murders that happen once a month at certain times. Batman visits Calendar Man in prison because he is known for committing crimes himself on certain dates or holidays, much like the “mystery” antagonist in the story. Initially starting out as a joke villain like Polka Dot Man and Condiment King, he has evolved into his own dark and brooding villain that fits much more into the mold of Reeves’ universe. He doesn’t have superpowers and would work very well in the universe established by Reeves and Robert Pattinson. The villain also has many other minor appearances throughout the years including the Arkham video games.

The only caveat to this role is that Stan doesn’t exactly fit the established look. In the comics, the characters is bald and has calendar marks tattooed to his head and it’s pretty synonymous with his overall characterization. While Stan could probably pull off the bald look, we have to admit the dude has great hair and it would be a shame to not utilize that in some way. While that’s a very shallow caveat, we think that this is the only drawback to Stan playing this character as most Batman villains have some sort of identifying physical attribute that makes them memorable and Reeves would most likely go for someone else who is already bald. Otherwise, we could 100% see Stan as a brooding, dark version of the character locked away in prison whom Batman goes to for information. It would for sure be interesting to see his transformation if they do end up going this route though.

3) Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow

While Scarecrow falls under the same veil as Two-Face in terms on a villain that has already been on the big screen, portrayed by Cillain Murphy in the Dark Knight trilogy, I just think Stan’s look exudes Jonathan Crane. If Stan ends up playing a minor villain, then this is our pick without question because of just how perfect he would look in the role. Scarecrow has a minor role in The Long Halloween and would probably only be in a small portion of the movie, so he wouldn’t be the main big bad or anything like that, but if they wanted to go for an actor who just looks capable of exuding fear out of people Sebastian Stan would be a great choice. We ultimately still want to see him play a larger role, but would not be disappointed if Reeves went this route instead. He could also be set up for a future installment in the franchise as well, and with an established name to comic book movie fans like Stan already has, would be a great way to keep people interested in future installments.

2) Jervis Tetch / The Mad Hatter

Mad Hatter is a villain who has never been on the big screen in any capacity before, and Jervis Tetch has a small role in The Long Halloween just like Scarecrow that Stan would be prefect for. Stan’s already proven acting range could serve him very well for this character, and we think this is also another role just like Scarecrow that Stan fits the look of almost perfectly. Just pop a hat on his head and call it a day. Mad Hatter is a character that causes chaos with mind control, and while isn’t the main villain of the story has a significant role that Stan would be perfect for. Not to mention that I truly believe if they want to utilize Stan for marketing, this is the way to do it based on the fact that Stan fits the look so perfectly and the villain is a well known Batman nemesis that has never been films before.

Scarecrow and Mad Hatter are two sides of the same coin for who we think Stan would do best at for a story inspired by The Long Halloween, I just think that the Mad Hatter would have more diverse range as a character, putting him in the second spot opposed to Jonathan Crane in the third. Also, with Mad Hatter never being done on the big screen before Stan could ultimately make the character his own and be remembered for over the long term as being the first actor to portray the villain in a movie. If he ends up playing someone like Dent or Scarecrow, he will be one of a few. A character like Mad Hatter would be unique to the actor.

1) Thomas Elliott / Hush

While Hush isn’t in The Long Halloween, we don’t think Part 2 will end up being a shot for hot remake of the story and will have some breathing room for originality. Hush would make a great villain for a potential Part 3, and setting up Stan early as Bruce Wayne’s opposite Thomas Elliott would be a fantastic way to go about it. Elliott was Bruce’s best friend growing up, and while the pair faced similar privileged backgrounds he becomes cynical and spiteful because of the differences due to Bruce’s inheritance and fame after his parents were murdered. While Stan could play Thomas Elliott in this film as Bruce’s long time friend, they could use Part 2 to develop the character into the villain Hush to be utilized in a potential third film. Once again, Stan’s acting range could easily take him from Bruce’s cynical long time friend to full blown villain by the end of the film.

Fans have been wanting to see Hush as a main villain for Batman in a film for a decade and a half now, and the character would fit perfectly in the grounded version of Gotham that Reeves has created. The news reports are calling Stan’s rumored role as ‘opposite’ Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, and in my mind there is no other character better than Hush to portray the inverse of Bruce (besides maybe the Joker, but that is for other already well established reasons). It also bodes well that Hush has never been done in a film before because like the Mad Hatter, Stan would have a chance to pioneer the character and make him his own. It would be interesting to see Stan be the big bad of Part 2, but at the same time we think it would be as interesting or even more so to see him develop over this film for an eventual transformation in Part 3. The actor has proven he has name power and carrying him over two different films would also be a great marketing tactic. So, with that, Hush is officially my top pick for the character I’d personally like to see Stan play to some capacity in Part 2.