Sebastian Stan Is Already Training Hard for The Batman 2

Sebastian Stan is putting in the work. A new video from his personal trainer confirms that the Avengers: Doomsday star has begun training for The Batman: Part 2 — and based on what we can already see, Harvey Dent is going to be absolutely jacked.

The clip, shared by trainer Jason Walsh on Instagram, shows Stan mixing up a protein shake with a simple, loaded message overlaid on screen: “And so it begins… Training Sebastian Stan for Batman.” Walsh’s caption left no room for ambiguity either. “Can’t explain just how excited we are to be training Sebastian for Batman,” he wrote. “This is going to be epic! Sebastian is one of the kindest clients we’ve ever had the opportunity to work with.”

Stan hasn’t officially confirmed his role, but multiple reports have placed him as Harvey Dent — Gotham’s idealistic district attorney who, in DC lore, eventually becomes the villainous Two-Face. On paper, a DA doesn’t need to bench press anything. But if Matt Reeves is building toward a version of Two-Face who can actually go toe-to-toe with Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight, the gym time makes a lot of sense. The Batman made relatively short work of The Riddler in the first film — a physical, credible threat in the sequel would be a different kind of challenge for Bruce Wayne entirely.

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A Cast That’s Quietly Become Stacked

Stan won’t be the only Marvel alumnus stepping into Gotham. Scarlett Johansson — the MCU’s Natasha Romanoff — has also joined the sequel, reportedly as Gilda Dent, Harvey’s wife. It’s a fascinating pairing, and the fact that two of Marvel’s most recognizable faces are now headlining a DC project says a lot about where the industry’s walls have fallen.

The returning cast is equally formidable. Pattinson is back as Bruce Wayne, Colin Farrell reprises his scene-stealing turn as Oswald “Oz” Cobb / The Penguin, Jeffrey Wright returns as Commissioner Gordon, and Andy Serkis is back as Alfred. Variety has reported that Barry Keoghan is also likely to return as the Joker. And Game of Thrones legend Charles Dance has joined the fold, reportedly as Charles Dent — Harvey’s father — which adds a whole other layer of intrigue to that storyline.

Reeves is directing again from a script he co-wrote with Mattson Tomlin, and he’s already been teasing the film’s tone. First-look images he shared recently suggested a wintry Gotham — darker, colder, more atmospheric than before.

Pattinson has been candid about how much he loves where the story is going. “I mean, the script is so good,” he’s said. “The first one was like a little bit of a different type of Batman movie, and this is like really a different type of Batman movie. I think hopefully people will be really pleasantly surprised by it. Yeah, I’m really excited.”

Will The Riddler Be Back Too?

One question fans keep asking: what about Paul Dano? The actor played Edward Nashton / The Riddler in the first film, and he’s been coy — but not dismissive — about a possible return. Speaking to Collider, Dano said, “I don’t know. Matt is so caring and obsessive in bringing such a point of view to that film, and I think he is going to again. I could not be more excited to see what he does, and I hope maybe I’ll get to dance again.”

He also revealed he knows just enough to be genuinely intrigued. “I know a very little bit about it, but what I do know, I am excited by, for sure, and I would be surprised if you wouldn’t be as well.”

And when asked about the film existing within DC Studios’ broader DCU, Dano was thoughtful: “I think what’s really interesting about those films from here on out is embracing the point of view within them, rather than trying all be similar and all be the same. So I think I’m in on bringing the point-of-view filmmaking to Gotham.”

For Marvel fans watching all of this unfold, there’s a quietly anxious subplot running underneath the excitement. Stan’s DC commitments have some wondering what that means for Bucky Barnes’ future — specifically whether the Winter Soldier survives Avengers: Doomsday, given that Secret Wars is expected to begin production soon. Nothing’s confirmed either way.

For now, though, Stan is in the gym, the protein shakes are flowing, and Gotham is getting closer. The Batman: Part 2 opens October 1, 2027.