On Dec. 3, 2025, news broke that Scarlett Johansson was in talks to star in The Batman – Part II. While nothing is official yet and plans could change, this was a big deal for several reasons. The first is that Johansson is best known for playing Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was one of the faces of the franchise for a decade, so her move to the DC Universe feels monumental. The other is that this is the first real news regarding The Batman – Part II that fans have gotten. While the character Johansson is being eyed to play was not revealed, it has certainly led to plenty of speculation.
We’ve theorized a few possibilities, from Vicki Vale to Poison Ivy. However, one name that seems to have become the fan-favorite for Scarlett Johansson to play is Andrea Beaumont / The Phantasm. This character originates not from the comics but from an animated movie, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. If Scarlett Johansson is set to play Andrea Beaumont / The Phantasm, is The Batman – Part II about to be a reimagination of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm? And could that risk running into a similar problem that befell Star Trek Into Darkness’ attempt to remake Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan?
What Is ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm?’
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was a 1993 animated Batman movie set in the universe of the critically acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series. The film both took place in the series’ present day while also flashing back and revealing the origins of the animated Batman, offering the most detailed on-screen depiction of Batman’s origins 12 years before Batman Begins. With Batman-fever at an all-time high following Tim Burton’s two Batman movies, Warner Bros. opted to release Batman: Mask of the Phantasm to theaters instead of straight to video like originally intended. However, Warner Bros. didn’t fully commit to a marketing campaign, and the film flopped at the box office when it opened on Dec. 25, 1993. In the years since, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm has gained a cult following. The movie is critically acclaimed and is not only considered one of the best Batman movies ever made, but one of the best movies based on a DC Comic, live-action or animated.
A significant part of this is the film’s decision to create an original villain, the Phantasm, and tie it into Bruce Wayne’s origins. Andrea Beaumont is revealed to have been Bruce Wayne’s fiancée. She arrived at a pivotal moment in Bruce Wayne’s crime-fighting career, as he began training to become Batman to avenge his parents. After falling in love with Andrea, he finds happiness and almost a sense of peace, only to have it ripped away when she is forced to flee the country to save her father from the Gotham City mob. Having lost his last grasp on a normal life, Bruce Wayne fully commits himself to becoming Batman. Yet fate would intertwine Bruce and Andrea years later when she adopted the mantle of the Phantasm, a ruthless vigilante who killed criminals.
The Phantasm is a dark reflection of Batman. Both Bruce Wayne and Andrea Beaumont are motivated by the deaths of their parents, but while the Phantasm kills her victims, Batman adopts his famous no-killing policy. The fact that the Phantasm turns out to be Bruce Wayne’s former love interest is a twist that also hearkens back to the femme fatale trope of 1930s and 1940s pulp detective fiction that informed both the original Batman comics and Batman: The Animated Series. Bruce Wayne feels a strong sense of conflict, as Andrea Beaumont is no ordinary foe to him, one whose path cuts deeper than that of many of his classic foes.
The Phantasm became a cult-favorite character. She would later have a cameo in the Batman Beyond-themed Justice League Unlimited episode “Epilogue.” Twenty-seven years after her feature film debut, Andrea Beaumont / The Phantasm made their DC Comics debut in Tom King’s Batman / Catwoman #1 from December 2020. Given her popularity, it certainly would not be shocking to see Matt Reeves decide to bring The Phantasm to the big screen. It would be a rather significant moment, as a live-action Batman movie would be headlined by a villain not created for the comics but instead originated in an animated film. But is that the right decision?
Hints that Scarlett Johansson is Playing The Phantasm…And is That A Good Idea?
Given that The Batman – Part II’s development has been rather secretive, there isn’t much to go on that could indicate Scarlett Johansson is playing the Phantasm. She could be playing Mrs. Freeze or Man-Bat’s wife, for all we know. However, Matt Reeves did give one specific quote that both illuminates and hinders the Phantasm theory. In September 2025, Reeves said, “Picking the right villain that digs into what that does, and sort of goes into [Bruce’s] past and his life, that was what drove that discussion. I won’t tell you where we ended up, but we’re super excited about it.” and that the villain had “never really been done in a movie before.”
Now digging into Bruce’s past feels like a strong indicator that the villain could be the Phantasm. However, Reeves’ statement about “never really being done in a movie before” would theoretically throw that out, since not only was Andrea Bauemont in a theatrically released Batman film, but she was also the titular villain. Reeves might have meant to say live-action movie before, which, by that definition, could still be Andrea Beaumont.
Given that Andrea Beaumont / The Phantasm are primarily only linked to one specific story, this might lead some to believe that Matt Reeves might be doing a loose remake of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm for The Batman – Part II. That feels unlikely, given that both The Batman and the spin-off series The Penguin drew inspiration from the comics but largely crafted original stories, so it seems like Reeves is not interested in remaking Batman: Mask of the Phantasm in live-action. Given how beloved the animated film is, it is somewhat hallowed ground to attempt to translate one-to-one, or even draw most of the story from, in a way that feels similar to Disney’s live-action remakes and that would disrespect animation as a medium by “making it real.”
Reimagining a beloved iconic story so closely is also what hurt Star Trek Into Darkness. Following the successful 2009 Star Trek reboot with a fresh new timeline to explore new stories or even remake lesser-known stories from The Original Series that could have used a fresh update, its follow-up attempted to do a loose remake of both “Space Seed” and the iconic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Remaking what is arguably the most beloved Star Trek movie of all time was always going to invite unfavorable comparisons. The result is an entertaining film that also fails to match the movie it wants to draw inspiration from. The movie looks worse when it openly invites comparisons to Wrath of Khan. Is that a risk Matt Reeves wants to take with The Batman – Part II? Reeves has earned some benefit of the doubt, given how acclaimed both The Batman and The Penguin were, but why retread what has already been done perfectly?
Could The Phantasm Be Tied to The Court of Owls?
If Scarlett Johansson is playing Andrea Beaumont / The Phantasm in The Batman – Part II, it will likely be under entirely different circumstances from the character’s animated counterpart. Reeves has already drastically changed the Riddler and The Penguin from their comic counterparts. Reeves could keep the broad strokes of Andrea Beaumont being a figure from Bruce Wayne’s past who now emerges as a serial killer vigilante, but change many of the details to feel like a fresh spin on the idea.
The Phantasm might be a smaller piece in a much larger story, particularly if the rumor that the movie’s villain, the Court of Owls, holds true. Given that the Phantasm design looks like the Court of Owls foot soldiers, the Talons, it’s not hard to see how Reeves could reimagine Andrea Beaumont as a former member of the organization who either is one of their top lieutenants or a rogue agent who is seeking vengeance on the Court of Owls with Gotham in their crossfire, and Batman needing to stop both.
The Batman – Part II is still a little under two years away from hitting theaters. More details about the movie are set to arrive in the coming months, with possible confirmation of Scarlett Johansson’s involvement and whether she is playing The Phantasm. If she does, in fact, play the villain, fans should be prepared not to expect a live-action remake of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, but instead a reworking of the character like past Batman villains. After all, despite both Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan’s take on the Joker being inspired by The Killing Joke, neither Batman nor The Dark Knight adapted the comic, so why would Phantasm be any different?
- Release Date
-
December 25, 1993
- Runtime
-
76 minutes
- Writers
-
Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Bob Kane, Martin Pasko, Michael Reaves, Jerry Robinson
