The Batman Part II has assembled a dazzling lineup of Hollywood heavyweights, with newcomers like Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, and Charles Dance joining Gotham's dark corners. No wonder why Matt Reeves has locked away their character secrets with more care than a Gotham villain hides a master plan, choosing cryptic GIF reveals over ordinary announcements. With production underway and a snow-covered Gotham teased, the mystery surrounding the sequel only grows deeper.

Naturally, a film wrapped in this much secrecy has sparked countless theories, including one claiming Sebastian Stan is secretly portraying Victor Zsasz, the notorious Gotham villain everyone wants to know more about.

Victor Zsasz is one of Gotham City's most disturbing killers, a Batman adversary who does not need superpowers, elaborate schemes, or a theatrical costume to terrify his victims. Armed only with a knife and a warped philosophy, Zsasz believes he is 'freeing' people from meaningless lives. Every murder leaves behind his most horrifying signature: a tally mark carved into his own skin.

Long before becoming Gotham's human nightmare, Victor Zsasz lived as a wealthy businessman whose life collapsed after losing his fortune to Oswald Cobblepot in a dangerous gambling game. Grief over his parents' deaths and a failed suicide attempt pushed him toward a twisted revelation. He emerged believing murder was an act of mercy rather than cruelty.

The latest speculation surrounding Sebastian Stan's role comes from industry insider Jeff Sneider, who reported through The Insneider that multiple sources identified the actor as Victor Zsasz in The Batman Part II. The report overturned earlier theories that connected Stan to Harvey Dent, while newer updates suggested Brian Tyree Henry would actually portray Gotham's future district attorney.

The theory also fits with Matt Reeves' earlier promise that the sequel's central threat would be a character never truly explored in a major theatrical Batman story. Although Victor Zsasz appeared briefly in Batman Begins and Birds of Prey, he has never been given the spotlight as the primary villain in a big-screen detective thriller. He does make quite the terrifying villain to haunt the shadows of The Batman Part II, maybe even enough to bag a role that is bigger than Penguin's smaller but scarier role in the sequel.

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If Sebastian Stan is indeed stepping into Victor Zsasz's bloodstained shoes, it would not be entirely surprising. After all, the actor has already explored the mind of a disturbed murderer who spent time imprisoned, although in Bucky's defense, he was under a hallucination.

Sebastian Stan would be a fascinating choice for Victor Zsasz because his career already contains the exact shades of darkness the Gotham killer requires. As Bucky Barnes, also known as the Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stan portrayed a man scarred by manipulation, brainwashing, and a fractured identity. Victor Zsasz may not be a controlled assassin, but his twisted philosophy and damaged psyche require a performer capable of exploring unsettling emotional depths.

Stan also proved his ability to be genuinely frightening in Fresh, where his charming exterior concealed a cannibalistic serial killer with a complete absence of empathy. Combined with his willingness to undergo dramatic physical transformations, from makeup to altered appearances, the actor could easily embody Zsasz's bald head and horrifying tally-mark scars. If the rumors are true, Gotham may have found a villain who is disturbing precisely because he looks frighteningly human.

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Do you think Sebastian Stan will be portraying Victor Zsasz in The Batman Part II? Let us know in the comments!