The mystery surrounding Scarlett Johansson‘s Batman role just got a little more interesting, even though the actress still isn’t revealing who she plays. Johansson is one of several major newcomers joining Robert Pattinson in “The Batman Part II,” but director Matt Reeves has kept her character firmly under wraps.
Now, Johansson has offered an intriguing glimpse into what playing the mystery character was actually like, and apparently, figuring her out was far more difficult than expected. When asked whether her upcoming work in “The Batman Part II” or “Exorcist: Martyrs” pushed her further outside her comfort zone, Johansson surprisingly chose Gotham.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the actress described the Batman character as “very hard to figure out.” For a performer who spent more than a decade playing Black Widow, that admission makes her still-secret DC role even more intriguing.
Scarlett Johansson’s Batman Role Was Harder to Crack Than Her Horror Part
Johansson didn’t reveal anything concrete about her character’s identity, but she was candid about struggling to understand the performance. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the actress said the role caused “a lot of existential angst.”
“I don’t know if it’s because of where I am in my life or if it’s the part itself,” she explained. What makes the admission especially interesting is what she compared it with. Johansson is also starring in Mike Flanagan’s “Exorcist: Martyrs,” another major franchise project that would seemingly offer plenty of unfamiliar territory.
EntertainmentNow previously reported on Johansson joining the new “Exorcist” movie, which Flanagan has described as a fresh story within the iconic horror universe rather than a continuation of 2023’s “The Exorcist: Believer.” Yet when asked which project was more challenging to figure out, Johansson pointed to Batman.
That does not tell audiences whether she is playing a hero, villain or someone somewhere in between. But it does suggest there may be considerably more going on with the character than her still-secret casting initially revealed.
Matt Reeves Still Isn’t Saying Who Johansson Plays
Johansson’s involvement in “The Batman Part II” was officially confirmed in May. Reeves announced her addition by sharing an image from her 2013 film “Under the Skin” and writing, “Next exit, Gotham… Welcome,” according to Variety. That was about as revealing as he got.
Neither Reeves nor Warner Bros. has officially identified Johansson’s character. Sebastian Stan, Brian Tyree Henry, Charles Dance and Sebastian Koch are also among the newcomers joining Pattinson, while Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis return from the first film.
Several of the new characters remain closely guarded secrets. That secrecy has naturally generated online theories about Johansson’s role, but no character identity has been officially confirmed. That makes her latest comments noteworthy because they offer insight into the character without actually revealing the character.
Johansson Is No Stranger to Superhero Franchises
The difficulty is also surprising considering Johansson’s history with comic-book movies. She debuted as Natasha Romanoff, better known as Black Widow, in 2010’s “Iron Man 2” and played the Marvel hero for more than a decade across multiple MCU films.
Her run included several “Avengers” movies before she finally received the standalone “Black Widow” film in 2021. So Johansson is hardly stepping onto a sprawling superhero production for the first time. Her move to Gotham instead places her in a very different kind of comic-book world.
Reeves’ 2022 “The Batman” leaned heavily into crime, mystery and psychological drama rather than the large-scale superhero spectacle associated with many of Johansson’s Marvel appearances. And Pattinson has suggested that the sequel pushes that approach somewhere unexpected.
Robert Pattinson Already Teased a ‘Real Left Turn’
Johansson isn’t the only cast member hinting that “The Batman Part II” may surprise audiences. Pattinson previously called the sequel “so ambitious” and told Collider that it takes a “real left turn” from the first movie.
He said the sequel maintains elements of the first movie’s atmosphere while offering another different take on Batman. Johansson’s description of her own character as unusually difficult to understand adds another layer of mystery to Pattinson’s tease.
The secrecy is particularly effective because the sequel has spent years in development and almost every major plot detail remains protected.
‘The Batman Part II’ Is Nearing the End of Filming
The film has also experienced some unexpected developments behind the camera. Production was temporarily paused in October when Reeves stepped away to deal with a private family matter.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh subsequently offered to help Reeves complete the final weeks of principal photography. EntertainmentNow previously reported that production resumed with Soderbergh’s help, with Pattinson emphasizing that Reeves remains the movie’s director.
Reeves also made clear that he had not left the project and would oversee post-production. “The Batman Part II” is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on Feb. 18, 2028, nearly six years after the first film.
By then, audiences will finally know exactly who Johansson has been struggling so hard to figure out. Until then, the fact that she has not named the character, combined with the admission that the part challenged even a veteran of the superhero genre, gives fans one more reason to keep guessing.
Scarlett Johansson Just Made Her Secret ‘Batman 2’ Role More Intriguing