After some roadblocks, Matt Reeves has been covering more ground in Batman movie.
Some posters put up seem to hint at the possible existence of two supervillains in this universe: Anarky and Mr. Freeze. Perhaps these two could be set up for later in this planned trilogy. The former could fit like a glove given the context of this soon-to-be Batman universe, though the latter will be more of a stretch, but not impossible--and the payoff could be great.
Anarky Fits The Planned Themes
Beginning with Anarky, the complicated character seems like he would be a great conflicting force within this world due to the meta themes of political/systematic corruption planned to be tackled. This character is complicated because he's often wandered along the spectrum of morality by being a hero, supervillain, and anti-villain.
Under those archetypes, it's always under the assertion he's trying to help the downtrodden and disenfranchised. In some cases, he's portrayed as a misunderstood hero and other times actually acting like a supervillain. That fluctuating state of morality could fit well in a story revolving around uprooting the deep-rooted, systematic corruption eating away at Gotham City.
Anarky Vs. GothCorp
The reason Anarky seems to be getting hinted at is because of the stylized "A" in the prop poster. The "A" is written in a way that seems to be Anarky's signature logo. In that same poster, it calls for the destruction of GothCorp. Since the introduction of the business in an animated work, Batman: The Animated Series, it seems the perfect entity to tackle a part of Gotham's corruption narratively, specifically in this case for Anarky.
The company and its head, Ferris Boyle, are great ways to present antagonistic forces that perfectly embody the essence of corporate greed and evil. Setting up a conflict between Anarky and GothCorp/Boyle would be well within character, and throwing Batman into the mix trying to deal with the problems of both forces could make for a thrilling moral plot.
Mr. Freeze's Origins
GothCorp, though, is best known for playing a pivotal role in revolutionizing Mr. Freeze as a fascinating, compelling, dark, and empathetic supervillain after spending so many years as a joke/gimmicky character. In The Animated Series, Victor Fries is a scientist working for GothCorp and tries to utilize his research to cryogenically freeze his wife in a state of suspended animation while he tries to cure her terminal disease.
But Boyle interrupts and forces Fries to stop this, claiming its unauthorized and a waste of company funds, essentially sentencing Nora Fries to death by trying to cut off her cryogenic stasis. This results in the accident that turns Victor Fries into Mr. Freeze. Anarky and Freeze seem like perfect pieces to a potential narrative puzzle for a sequel, essentially allowing Matt Reeves to effectively weave two otherwise-unrelated, unassociated ing characters in one plot. Fries' fate could be the catalyst for Anarky's crusade.
Toned-Down Sci-Fi Elements
Complications for Mr. Freeze being in a live-action Batman film is that he's too comic book-y for Hollywood. Freeze is a fantastic supervillain, thanks to his reinvention, but the sci-fi elements that form his fundamentals are certainly farfetched. But a potential movie with him could tone down the sci-fi elements--somewhat.
Keep the cryo-suit, though a toned-down, but sleeker--almost a leaner astronaut-like--suit like the one pictured above. Frankly, a live-action Mr. Freeze doesn't need ice-themed guns; as long as the suit captures the essence of the design and character without being too jarring, real/realistic weapons could suffice.
Exposure For Anarky And More
As a sort of culmination of points for Anarky, the inclusion of such a character would do well with positive exposure for him as a compelling--fluctuating--member of Batman's rogues' gallery. He's a perfectly grounded antagonist/supervillain/anti-villain, making him a great candidate for leading opposite of Batman himself in the realistic universe Reeves plans on building.
Plus, there's the added point of the foundations of his character having strong potential for resonating in a meta way given the premise of the universe. All this could influence Anarky to be taken more seriously as an antagonist and given more emphasis on the grandest stage for Batman films, and he opens up so many thematic opportunities narratively and for other characters.
Freeze As Morally Gray
Given Anarky's shifting behavior--depending on the continuity--that straddles the line between hero and supervillain, he's also 'morally gray.' But for Mr. Freeze, he tackles a certain angle that could qualify as morally gray in part, despite him very rarely appearing in comics as anything other than a supervillain.
He's an empathetic villain in that his whole purpose for the violence he instigates is to save his wife at all costs. Given the immense success this revitalization/motivation BTAS provided him, Freeze could strike a compelling moral conflict within fans watching: how much can/cannot be forgiven given his origins/cause?
Anarky & Freeze Vs. Gotham
A tantalizing hypothetical for the first or second sequel to The Batman is not just having Anarky and Mr. Freeze as on-screen antagonists, but have them unite against a common enemy. That common enemy could be Gotham City as a whole--or at least the systematic disease that's caused them misery.
This common enemy of Gotham's corruption could include Batman or have him be a roadblock for the two antagonists, but either way, it presents an interesting narrative point. Batman could be placed in one of the most difficult, uncomfortable positions in of how to tackle the conflict.
Prime For Freeze's Redemption
Somewhat similar to Anarky, all the reasons in favor of Mr. Freeze working in this universe could redeem the supervillain theatrically by redefining him from his last big-screen appearance. That last appearance came in the form of the widely-critically-panned Batman & Robin in 1997.
A theatrical redemption for Mr. Freeze in the vein of Bane's from The Dark Knight Rises--and what Riddler seems poised to do in The Batman--would mean seeing an effective use of the character on this stage for the first time that'll prove a compelling threat and moral dilemma (more on that later) to the characters involved and fans watching, thanks to the grounded, meta-universe Reeves looks to build.
Moral Dilemma
The heaviest moral dilemma would be coming from Mr. Freeze and being imparted onto Batman. The Caped Crusader began his crusade on Gotham's perpetual state of crime and corruption once he, as a young Bruce Wayne, was given a rude awakening to what the world is truly like around him outside of the safety of Wayne Manor.
With immense psychological issues, the trauma of watching his parents get murdered pushing him to don the cape and cowl, having to deal with Freeze would present him and fans with a tense problem forcing him to think much more empathetically than usual. Riddler and Penguin aren't supervillains that challenge that part of Batman, but Freeze certainly will.
Philosophical Dilemma
Anarky would certainly inject a degree of moral conflict for Batman and himself, but given that the character claims to be heavily entrenched in, well, anarchism, the dilemma here would be largely philosophical. Batman is a superhero, but both him and Anarky are vigilantes, making them extremes in regards to legality. And while Anarky isn't always a supervillain, he's not a superhero, making his approach notably different from Batman's.
Anarky in Arkham Origins was inspired by the Dark Knight and even wanted to team up, though the latter deemed his methods dangerously out of control--which says something coming from an Origins-era Batman. While a movie may not see them team up, it could give Batman a new perspective on how to fight systematic corruption more effectively.
