The events of The Batman set us up nicely for a story involving The Penguin, the Maroni crime family, introduction of Harvey Dent, and possibly Hush and the Court Of The Owls. We're dealing with an organized crime power vacuum, a district attorney crisis, widespread instability within city government, and the suggestion of a shady elite ruling over Gotham and probably connected to the Wayne family. I see a rich story easily emerging from all of those elements.

In this story, the heroes are fighting for the soul and salvation of Gotham. They'll be fighting for the integrity of its institutions. It'll be a purging, a purification, and realignment of the sociopolitical architecture framing the city where these stories take place. Rather than stretching that misery into the 3rd film, I say give them a decisive victory. I see, within a redeemed Gotham, a potential for major story innovation following that.

The Batman 3 begins in a reborn Gotham. Something of a renaissance is materializing. Businesses and investors are moving in. Tourism is on the rise. Low crime rates have Bruce primarily focused on Wayne Enterprises, guiding Gotham to regional leadership in the fields of technology and applied sciences. Lots of innovation, lots of innovators. Like the cryogenic research of Dr. Victor Fries. And so, we have Mr. Freeze. I think it would be compelling for Batman and Harvey Dent to have conflicting views on how to deal with him. Detective Batman learns his backstory and, affected by sympathy, advocates an intervention for Freeze that is rehabilitative, conciliatory, and supportive of his goal (to save his sick wife). Dent judges him based on the crimes he's committed and feels he should be subjected the penalties prescribed under the law, with no special regard for his circumstances and motivations. The dilemma pits moral ambiguity against moral certainty. These two characters- Harvey Dent and Mr. Freeze- offer some of the richest moral analysis when it comes to character studies in the Batman universe. That will drive a major rift between Batman and Harvey. With the justice system and Gotham PD on Harvey's side, Batman distances himself from the case. In declaring war against Freeze, Harvey becomes his sworn enemy. This eventually leads to some kind of confrontation where Harvey is attacked and disfigured. I'm not sure where it goes from here, but it would definitely end up with Two Face going on a revenge rampage after Freeze, and Batman in the middle, avoiding getting killed by both of them, trying to stop their war, and minimizing the damage both of them intend to inflict on Gotham.

I have some other ideas, but not sure how they connect yet. Like Harvey somehow summoning Clayface into the plot by seeking experimental cosmetic surgery on his damaged face. Maybe the surgeon refuses to help him, and in a rage Two Face incapacitates him, demanding that he walk him through the procedure. After being told it's not safe, he decides to do a test run on the scientist, and inadvertently turns him into Clayface. Or he could go to the scientist, and find him hiding, having already accidentally turned himself into Clayface. This gives us an opportunity to have a subplot with this scientist throughout the story, working on his research, and then enduring this terrible accident. Two Face could encourage him to partner up and get back at the Gotham science community for it's reckless pursuit of dangerous tech. Perhaps they will be both motivated to go after Wayne Enterprises, if it was funding or facilitating both Freeze's and Clayface's research.

And all of that brings together two villains Matt Reeves has mentioned in the past: Mr. Freeze and Clayface. In a somewhat cohesive and believable way lol. I'd watch these movies.

Hey, it's fun to imagine!