TL;DR
Sebastian Stan rumored to play Harvey Dent in The Batman – Part II after his stylist posted fan-casting art with a wink emoji. Scarlett Johansson may also join as Dent’s wife. Film shoots May 2026, releases October 2027. Not officially confirmed by DC Studios yet.
The rumor mill for The Batman – Part II just received its most credible—and stylish—fuel yet. Is Sebastian Stan trading the Winter Soldier’s vibranium arm for a two-faced coin? An Instagram story from the actor’s personal stylist has the fanbase convinced the Marvel star is set to become Harvey Dent.
Let’s break it down. Michael Fisher, a stylist who has worked with Sebastian Stan, recently shared fan-casting artwork on his Instagram stories depicting Stan as Gotham City’s tragic District Attorney, Harvey Dent. The caption? A simple but loaded “😉.” In the high-stakes game of Hollywood leaks, this isn’t a press release from Warner Bros., but it’s far from a random fan post. This is someone from Stan’s inner circle winking at the camera. Couple that with industry reporter Jeff Sneider also buzzing about Stan’s involvement, and the casting feels less like a “what if” and more like a poorly kept secret.
Sebastian Stan will seemingly play Harvey Dent in ‘THE BATMAN PART II’.
— One Take 🎬 (@OneTakeNews) January 6, 2026
(via @TheInSneider) pic.twitter.com/8Q21e1uIOO
This alleged leak, which DC Studios has not commented on, is a masterclass in how modern casting news breaks. It’s no longer just trade publications; it’s a stylist’s Instagram story that sends forums like Reddit and Twitter into a frenzy. The fan reaction has been a fascinating mix of exhilaration and “of course!” Stan’s brooding intensity and proven ability to portray a character wrestling with a fractured psyche in the MCU make him, on paper, a perfect fit for Dent’s tragic arc. The digital art Fisher shared has already gone viral, proving the audience is not just ready for this—they’re visually prepping for it.
But here’s where Matt Reeves’ grand design gets truly interesting. This isn’t happening in a vacuum. The rumor dovetails perfectly with the persistent chatter that Stan’s Avengers co-star, Scarlett Johansson, is also in talks to join the sequel as Gilda Gold—Harvey Dent’s wife in the comics. DC hasn’t confirmed her role either, but the potential synergy is too compelling to ignore. Reeves isn’t just building a Gotham; he’s potentially reassembling a Marvel dynasty to tell a profoundly DC story. If true, it’s a casting coup that blurs studio lines and shows the draw of Reeves’ grounded, character-driven vision.
So, what does this mean for The Batman – Part II? The sequel, kicking off production this May for its October 1, 2027 release, picks up shortly after the chaos of The Penguin series finale. With Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb rising and Barry Keoghan’s Joker lurking in the shadows, Gotham is a pressure cooker begging for a white-knight politician to try—and fail—to save it. Stan’s Harvey Dent could be that doomed hero.
The bigger narrative question isn’t if Stan is Dent, but how far will his fall go? Will Part II chronicle his transformation into the scarred villain Two-Face, or will Reeves play the long game, saving that iconic moment for a third chapter? Introducing Dent as a charismatic ally to Robert Pattinson’s Batman would create a heartbreaking foundation for a future betrayal, making the eventual flip of the coin all the more devastating. This slow-burn approach would be quintessential Reeves, prioritizing psychological decay over immediate supervillain theatrics.
From a franchise perspective, this move is strategic genius. Sebastian Stan is a massive draw, carrying a built-in audience from over a decade in the MCU. His casting, alongside Johansson, signals that DC Studios is fully backing Reeves’ universe as a major, A-list tentpole. It creates immediate box office insurance and cultural buzz, distinguishing this Gotham from the interconnected DCU that James Gunn is building elsewhere. The Batman saga is firmly its own, prestige universe.
In the end, while we await official confirmation, the pieces align too perfectly. The stylist’s wink, the Johansson synergy, the character’s fit within Reeves’ noir-drenched Gotham—it all points to Stan donning the suit of Gotham’s DA. If the leak holds, Reeves has found his Harvey Dent: an actor capable of embodying both the gleaming hope and the profound tragedy that defines the character. The Batman’s world is about to get a lot more complicated, and a lot more compelling. Gotham’s white knight is on the horizon, and his downfall might be the sequel’s greatest triumph.
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