Sebastian Stan's Mysterious Move into DC's Batman World

A new silhouette has slipped into Gotham—and it's a familiar one. Sebastian Stan, the actor who spent more than a decade as Marvel's Bucky Barnes, has quietly been tapped for an unspecified role in The Batman – Part II, and fans are already reading omens into the casting.

Stan's association with blockbuster superhero storytelling isn't new. Since 2011 he's returned to the Winter Soldier role across film and TV, and this fall he'll reappear in Avengers: Doomsday. Yet this time his entry comes through DC's Elseworlds strand, a creative lane that lets filmmakers bend continuity and take bold character detours.

Asked by Liam Crawley of ScreenRant—while promoting his new film Fjord—whether he might sign on for multiple DC movies the way he did with Marvel, Stan was careful. He said he simply doesn't know. Short answer. Honest one. His Marvel experience, he explained, built project by project: you'd show up, do the work, and wait to see how things evolved.

That pragmatism felt familiar. He recalled how Marvel often moved from idea to screen with plenty of ambition but also plenty of uncertainty. Despite the unknowns, he added, he feels lucky and grateful to have joined another filmmaking family.

Stan won't be the only MCU alum stepping into Gotham. Scarlett Johansson has quietly joined the cast in a secret role, and Brian Tyree Henry—fresh from Eternals—has also boarded the project. Rumors already swirl about who Stan and Johansson might play: names like Harvey Dent (Two-Face), Victor Zsasz and Gilda Dent have been floated online, but Warner Bros. has confirmed only their involvement in the film, not any character details.

Production has hit a temporary pause. Director Matt Reeves stepped away for a family matter, and the studio issued a statement expressing full support while he focuses on that issue. Reeves remains attached and is expected back to resume filming when he can.

This Batman corner of DC has been busy beyond the big screen. Reeves and Lauren LeFranc spun off The Penguin for HBO, where Colin Farrell's take on Oswald Cobblepot won praise. Farrell will reportedly return for the 2028 sequel alongside returning players like Andy Serkis as Alfred and Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon. At the same time, James Gunn continues building a separate, theatrical DC universe—one that will introduce a different Batman in The Brave and the Bold.

Gunn once considered folding Robert Pattinson's Batman into the wider cinematic plan, but ultimately the decision was to keep Reeves' Gotham and Gunn's universe distinct. Still, there are cross-connections: Reeves is producing Clayface, a film centered on one of Gotham's classic foes, keeping his fingerprints in the larger DC conversation.

Fjord opens October 9. The Batman – Part II is slated for February 14, 2028. Who will Stan become under Gotham's mask? That's the mystery everyone wants to unwrap.