With Matt Reeves' The Batman taking a decidedly grounded approach to the titular hero and delivering a mystery that served, in part, as a deep dive into the lore of Gotham City. There's one particular Batman comic that could be adapted into the perfect sequel. Scott Snyder's The Gates of Gotham deals with very similar themes surrounding the history of Gotham and its hierarchy that dates back to the early days of the city. Snyder's story takes things even deeper than a plot revolving around the city's appetite for organized crime, peeling back its layers and making the setting a character in of itself.

The Gates of Gotham is a clever play on words, as it not only refers to the landmark bridges that lead to and from Gotham City, but also to the Gate family -- a prominent fixture in Gotham's history. Through an exploration into the largely unknown Zachary Gate's ancestry, audiences would be invited to learn more about Gotham's most prominent families -- the Waynes, Cobblepots, Kanes and Elliots. Considering this city history was covered in a 5-issue miniseries intertwined with its own unique mystery, there's no doubt that a talented filmmaker like Matt Reeves would be able to deliver a great film adaptation of the story to fit cleanly with the world he established in 2022.

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The Gates of Gotham Expands Upon What The Batman Reveals About Gotham

In The Batman, Bruce learns that his family may not be as squeaky clean as he had been taught growing up. In The Gates of Gotham, it’s revealed that even more prominent families of Gotham were tied up in questionable business tactics that motivate the events of the comic's modern day story. While the miniseries features Dick Grayson in the Batman role, it’d be simple enough to keep Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne as the protagonist of the story in order to continue Reeves’ narrative. In making this change, it would result in a much more personal story than what the source material presents -- which is very rarely the case when adaptations recontextualize events.

By placing Bruce into the plot, The Gates of Gotham would go a long way toward validating his apprehension of embracing Gotham as anything more than a den of villainy despite his intense commitment to protecting it. Were he to learn of his ancestors Alan and Solomon Wayne's involvement in bringing prominence -- and eventual ruin -- to the Gate brothers, Nicholas and Bradley, it would force Bruce to battle with his own legacy even further. Commissioning the Gates to design Wayne Tower is one of the inciting incidents that lead to the brothers having a falling out which ultimately resulted in Bradley's death and Nicholas' descent into madness. This madness was then transmitted to the Gates' modern day descendant Zachary via the decompression suit the brothers used while working. With this suit and the decompression sickness brought on by its use, the villainous Architect was born.

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A Gates of Gotham Adaptation Would Introduce A Brand New Villain

One of the main issues audiences have had throughout Batman's numerous film iterations is how often the same villains are used. The most notable offender of this is the Joker, who has now appeared in six theatrical Batman films in one form or another — seven if you count Jared Leto's cameo in Zack Snyder’s Justice League -- and was the primary antagonist in four of them. Even The Batman's main villain, The Riddler, had been featured in two previous high-profile Batman films, 1966's Batman and 1995's Batman Forever.

The Architect is a truly unique character in Batman’s rogues’ gallery, and the way his backstory is explored in great detail throughout The Gates of Gotham would make him a fascinating villain to see play out in live action. Driven mad by the aforementioned decompression sickness that plagued he and his family for generations, the Architect carries out terroristic plots -- such as the bombing of the titular Gates of Gotham themselves. Much like Paul Dano's Riddler played off modern day anxieties in The Batman by operating from society's fringe via the dark web, the Architect would represent a similarly chaotic nature of madness not properly treated.

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Retelling The Gates of Gotham Would Allow for Natural Character Inclusions

In The Gates of Gotham, Bat-family members Red Robin, Blackbat and Damian Wayne's Robin make their presence known. However, with no inkling of a Bat-family in 2022's The Batman, a sequel would first need to introduce the original iconic sidekick into the mix. With rumblings of The Batman 2 finally introducing Dick Grayson's Robin, the plot found in The Gates of Gotham would provide the perfect scenario for Bruce to earn his trust. As another orphan left to fend for himself, Dick learning of Gotham's shady past while simultaneously watching Bruce Wayne risk his life for the city that rejects him would serve as the perfect inspiration to take up the Robin mantle.

Though avoiding the Joker in any leading capacity would be ideal, Barry Keoghan’s take on the character could still return in a role similar to the one he played in The Batman's popular deleted scene. In the comics, Hush plays a secondary role in the story, inadvertently getting caught up in the Architect’s plot. While Hush's family plays a role in the flashback portion of the story, the character himself wouldn't be essential to a film adaptation. Instead, giving the Joker Hush's purpose in the story -- to know just a bit more than Batman without ever revealing the extent of his knowledge -- would be the perfect way to offer more of Keoghan’s haunting performance without making the Clown Prince of Crime the focus for yet another live action film.

While it's most likely that Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II will be yet another original story from the talented director's own mind, it never hurts to imagine what possibilities are out there. Scott Snyder's The Gates of Gotham is a vastly underrated Batman story, especially when compared to Snyder's wildly popular New 52 Batman run, but that doesn't mean it's not one worth revisiting. Whether it's in Matt Reeves' Batman series or James Gunn's upcoming connected DC Universe, hopefully audiences are treated to watching as Zachary Gate's Architect dons his madness-inducing decompression suit to terrorize Gotham City in a live action film eventually.