- Primary Subject: The Batman: Part II
- Key Update: Clues across viral teasers, set leaks, and spinoff series heavily suggest the secret society Court of Owls will serve as the primary villain.
- Status: Unconfirmed / Rumored
- Last Verified: September 3, 2026
- Quick Answer: The Batman: Part II may feature the Court of Owls as antagonists, hinted at through owl imagery, circular mazes, and reported mask leaks.
Details about the main antagonist for The Batman: Part II remain a mystery, but there are strong rumors that the ancient secret society known as the Court of Owls will make its way into the movie.
Sure, the mystery roles of Sebastian Stan and Scarlett Johansson are believed to be significant, and they may even play antagonists in the sequel.
However, the DC Elseworlds universe seems to be dropping hints pointing to the Court of Owls as The Batman: Part II’s big bad. So, what are those hints?
The Owl Card
Talks about the arrival of the Court of Owls wouldn’t have begun if the marketing for the first The Batman movie hadn’t featured an owl card.
In its 2020 DC FanDome trailer, Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) found an envelope addressed “to the Batman” at a crime scene left behind by the Riddler (Paul Dano).
Inside was a greeting card featuring an image of a wide-eyed owl that read, “From your secret friend.” It also came with a mysterious cipher. This led to several theories that the Riddler was connected to the Court of Owls.
While this side of the story wasn’t explored in the movie, its version of Gotham was evidently built around the city’s structural corruption, with the card likely serving as an Easter egg pointing toward the arrival of the criminal organization in the franchise.
Owl Designs in The Penguin
As a spinoff series set in the same cinematic universe, owl designs also appear in The Penguin. In the finale of the HBO limited series, Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) visits Gotham City Hall’s courtroom to pressure a councilman into restoring power to Crown Point.
As he enters the chamber, the background shows a row of curtains hanging along the courtroom walls, each featuring a distinct owl design. Fans saw this as a hint that the Court of Owls was lurking nearby.
But while this could simply be a random design choice, it’s worth noting that The Batman: Part II was delayed in part because Matt Reeves is a perfectionist who pays attention to even the smallest details. So, the addition of the owl silhouettes may actually mean something.
The Circular Maze Structure
Production designer Luke Hall, known for his work on Andor and Chernobyl and who is also working on The Batman: Part II, shared a photo of an intriguing circular maze-like structure on Instagram.
While he didn’t reveal anything about the prop, providing no caption or explanation for it, the design’s tangled corridors reminded fans of the maze the Court of Owls used to trap and disorient Bruce Wayne in Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo’s original storyline in Batman (Vol. 2) #6, where the group made its debut.
As the Court of Owls wanted to break the Caped Crusader physically and psychologically without harming him, the DC hero ended up roaming the maze’s corridors for weeks.
So, with rumors that the Court of Owls will be part of the film and Hall revealing this image, theories about their arrival have become stronger than ever.
Alleged Owl Masks on Set
The most evident hint that the Court of Owls will appear in The Batman: Part II came from YouTuber Mr. Sunday Movies, who revealed that viewers had sent them information claiming to have seen people moving between sets while wearing owl-like masks complete with round eyes and beak-like points at the nose.
This is the exact same design that members of the Court of Owls wear in the comics to hide their identities. There’s also reportedly a junkyard and ballroom setup on the set, which set photos have also revealed.
As all of these details support the theory that the Court of Owls will appear in The Batman: Part II, it looks like the clues are all pointing toward their arrival in the film.
The Batman: Part II is scheduled to be released in theaters on February 18, 2028.
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