Sebastian Stan Officially Joins 'The Batman: Part II,' Debuts Training Footage

After months of speculation, Sebastian Stan has made it official: he's heading to Gotham City.

The actor, best known for his years as Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is now transitioning to DC Comics territory with a role in The Batman: Part II. Speaking to Deadline, Stan expressed his enthusiasm for the project and his collaboration with director Matt Reeves.

"It's a challenge, like everything else," Stan explained. "I feel like it's a really ambitious movie and I think if we do it all right — and obviously I'm so excited about Matt Reeves directing because he's been one of my favorites for a long, long time — I really think it's going to blow people away. It's going to surprise a lot of people, I think, too."

While not officially confirmed by studio sources, industry reports indicate Stan will portray Harvey Dent, appearing alongside Robert Pattinson in the title role.

To mark the occasion, Stan's trainer Jason Walsh shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the actor's preparation process on Instagram. Walsh posted a video from early in Stan's training regimen, writing: "Can't explain just how excited we are to be training Sebastian for Batman. This is going to be epic! Sebastian is one of the kindest clients we've ever had the opportunity to work with. In this clip I introduced him to @rise.311 protein to start recovering from training."

Stan also reflected on the broader significance of the Batman character and superhero storytelling. "Obviously there's a reason why Batman's been re-occurring for so many years, and why so many kids love Spider-Man," he said. "When you're thinking of, honestly, just anything positive for young men. If you're a teenager and you're growing up and you're watching that, it's about a kid being odd and figuring his way into things. And it works in very subtle ways."