The Batman trailer revealed much about the upcoming reboot, and it may have also secretly confirmed the identity of Riddler's second victim. Matt Reeves is gearing up to deliver a suitably moody take on the Dark Knight, and the trailer has revealed numerous details about the movie. Information about The Batman had been sparse until the trailer debuted at DC Fandome, which lifted the lid on this noir-inspired thriller.

Alongside the trailer, Reeves himself appeared at DC's event to reveal a surprising amount about the movie – confirming Paul Dano's Riddler will be the main villain and will carry out a string of murders in order to expose the deep-rooted corruption in Gotham City. In fact, the trailer opens on the scene of one such murder, with the enigmatic villain duct-taping the face of what appears to be Gotham mayor Don Mitchell Jr. before leaving a cryptic missive for Robert Pattinson's Batman. Later in the teaser, another unfortunate Gothamite is seen during the funeral of the aforementioned mayor holding yet another message for the Dark Knight, before being blown to pieces.

Related: The Biggest Characters & Moments Missing From The Batman Trailer

Until now, the identity of that second victim has remained its own riddle, but it seems the trailer may have been giving viewers clues as to his identity this whole time. It now seems this mystery victim could be Peter Sarsgaard's Gil Colson. An original character created by Reeves for The Batman, Colson is Gotham's District Attorney and was conspicuously absent from the trailer – at least, that's how it appeared. But there's some compelling evidence to suggest that Colson is actually Riddler's second victim.

Peter Sarsgaard Appears In The Batman Trailer

Peter Sarsgaard in The Killing alongside a screenshot from The Batman trailer

Prior to the Batman trailer's release, Sarsgaard confirmed he had completed shooting roughly 80 percent of his role in The Batman before production was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But once the teaser debuted, there appeared to be no sign of Gil Colson. Audiences were given first looks at Zoe Kravitz's Catwoman and Colin Farrell's Penguin, and even saw Jeffrey Wright's Jim Gordon in action. But the District Attorney seemingly didn't show up once. In fact, it was one of the biggest unanswered questions from The Batman trailer.

However, it now seems Colson could have been hiding in plain sight – as Riddler's second victim. In the funeral scene a black truck careens into the church with the letters "DA" and "DOA" scrawled on the side – District Attorney, Dead On Arrival – very likely referring to District Attorney Gil Colson and demonstrating just the kind of wordplay for which The Riddler would likely have an affinity. After the truck crashes, a terrified man shuffles forward to reveal what is presumably an explosive device strapped round his neck, a phone taped to his hand, and a shaved head. Sarsgaard's wife, Maggie Gyllenhaal, posted a photo on Instagram which show her shaving her husband's head in December 2019 - the month before The Batman started filming. All of which seems to point towards Gil Colson being the unfortunate second victim of Paul Dano's Riddler's machinations in this funeral scene.

Everything We Know About Sarsgaard's Gil Colson

The Batman Peter Sarsgaard

When Sarsgaard was cast, there was much speculation about his character. It was confirmed he would be playing Gotham's DA, naturally prompting fans to wonder if Reeves was intentionally steering clear of including Harvey Dent – the infamous Gotham DA who transforms into iconic Batman foe Two-Face after being scarred by mobster Sal Maroni in the comic books (or has his face half burnt off by Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight). Soon came the theories that Colson could become a new version of Two-Face, or even that he could be there merely to set up the arrival of Dent.

Related: The Batman Trailer Hints The Riddler Knows Bruce Wayne Is The Dark Knight

Whatever the case, Sarsgaard has revealed some small details about his character, saying that Colson is a "politician who has trouble telling the truth" and is a "pretty distasteful person". Beyond that, there's not a lot of information to go on. It seems likely based on Sarsgaard's brief remarks that Colson will be well and truly enmeshed with Gotham's corruption that Reeves has spoken so much about. What's more, considering the director revealed the film has only been 25-to-30 percent shot, and Sarsgaard has said he's almost finished shooting his role, that would make his part a fairly small one – which fits with the idea of him being killed off by Riddler early on.

Why Gil Colson Is The Riddler's Second Victim

The Riddler in The Batman Movie

The Batman will showcase a version of the Dark Knight who is relatively new to the whole vigilante thing, picking things up in year two of his crime-fighting career. Reeves has spoken about how, in his universe, the public are still "afraid of" Batman, and that this version of the anti-hero finds that "what he's doing doesn't seem to have any effect." With Batman struggling to establish himself as a worthy guardian of Gotham, it seems likely The Riddler could be on a mission to be a better vigilante than Batman. Reeves has already confirmed the central antagonist, whose real name will evidently be Edward Nashton, is killing off corrupt Gothamites, leaving cryptic clues for Pattinson's Dark Knight that will, over the course of the film, reveal a vast history of corruption in Gotham, that may even include Bruce Wayne's parents.

Considering Sarsgaard's comments on his character being a "distasteful person", it seems highly likely that Gil Colson will be exactly the kind of corrupt politician Paul Dano's Riddler would have on his hit list. The trailer opens with the words "no more lies" scrawled across the duct-taped face of Riddler's first victim, and with Sarsgaard saying that his character has "trouble telling the truth," even if the funeral victim isn't Colson, it seems almost certain The Riddler – who could have a military past – will be looking to put an end to Colson's untruthful stint as DA. In fact, the same phrase "no more lies" can be seen written on the duct tape that covers the funeral victim's mouth. If Riddler is on a mission to take out the most corrupt, high-profile liars in Gotham, there's little chance Sarsgaard's mendacious District Attorney will make it out alive. And if the explosion in the church that's shown in the trailer is any indication, Gil Colson meets a very gruesome end very quickly.

Colson's Death Could Set Up Harvey Dent

The Batman Funeral Explosion

If Gil Colson does meet his end at the hands of the Riddler, that would mean Gotham would be without a District Attorney. And who better to fill this role than Harvey Dent? Dent as a character is missing from official cast list, suggesting he won't be appearing in The Batman, but that doesn't mean Reeves doesn't have something up his sleeve. It's unclear at this point who would play Harvey Dent, but with a DA spot open in Gotham, it seems almost certain Dent will fill the role, allowing The Batman to set up Two-Face for a sequel.

The film is already laden with rogues, so it's unlikely Two-Face will show up in The Batman, but that doesn't mean Reeves – who is said to be working on a trilogy of Batman movies – won't lay the groundwork for Two-Face's appearance in subsequent films. In the comic books, Dent has been an ally of Batman, helping to prosecute Gotham's degenerates and clean up the city, before he's transformed into the dual-personality villain fans are familiar with. Introducing such a character would make sense in Reeves' Gotham, with the murder of Sarsgaard's corrupt DA making way for a more noble replacement to usher in a new chapter in Gotham's history.

The alternative is that the bomb goes off and scars Colson, creating a new version of Two-Face, but judging by the substantial explosion from the trailer that throws Batman across the pews, Colson almost certainly perishes. There's already a theory that Riddler kills Colson to set up Dent, and it seems the trailer has just confirmed its accuracy.

Next: The Batman Trailer Breakdown: 15 Story & Character Reveals

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