Why The Twins In The Batman Mean More Than You Think
Warning: this article contains spoilers for "The Batman."
A topic that always seems to pop up when new Marvel and DC Comics movies are announced is who will bring the comic book characters to life on screen. Over the history of comic book movies, there have been many hits and misses as far as casting goes. For example, Margot Robbie is an overall pretty well-received Harley Quinn (via Den of Geek), but Robbie's version of the Joker was played by Jared Leto, in a performance that was met with mixed reactions (via The Guardian). With 2022's "The Batman," fans once again got to experience new castings of their favorite comic book characters. Initially, Robert Pattinson was not met with universally open arms when it was announced he would be playing Batman, to which director Matt Reeves responded by noting that this had been the case with every Batman casting to date (per Esquire).
The cast of "The Batman," though, has come to be one of the film's most praised features. The movie is full of heavy hitters, such as Zoё Kravitz playing Catwoman aka Selina Kyle, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, and many more.
However, one seemingly minor casting choice may actually mean more than you'd think. In the film, Charlie and Max Carver play twins who work for the Penguin, and here's why they might mean more going forward.
The Carver Twins might play Tweedledee and Tweedledum
On the IMDb page for the cast and crew of "The Batman," Charlie and Max Carver's character names are both simply "The Twin." Why would "The Batman" need to cast twins? It's entirely possible that this might just be a fun little addition that Reeves added to the film for no particular reason. After all, the twins do offer some comedic breaks in the story, particularly in the moment where an unmasked Bruce Wayne shows up to Penguin's club — and one of the twins shuts the door in his face, only to return with his brother, seemingly just to prove to the other that it really was the Bruce Wayne there.
On the other hand, their inclusion in "The Batman" could mean much more in potential sequels, if Reeves is interested in that avenue. For instance, if one looks for prominent examples of villainous dynamic duos in Batman mythology, one of the first sets that come to mind are the infamous pair of Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
There have been many incarnations of Dumfree Tweed and Deever Tweed in DC Comics (per the DC Database), but they're known for being henchmen of the Mad Hatter, rather than the Penguin (as made apparent by their "Alice in Wonderland"-style monikers). That said, given that Matt Reeves' has already shown a willingness to change characters up to align better with his vision, there's no reason they couldn't be a darker, more realistic version of the characters. That said, the two characters, despite their close resemblance, are usually depicted as cousins, rather than twins (per Channel NerdGasm). There's also the question of whether there would be any purpose to using these characters without embracing their sillier sides.
The Carver Twins may also play the Trigger Twins
If not Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Carver twins may take on the roles of the Trigger Twins. They first appeared in "All-Star Western" #58 in 1951 (via DC Database). The two are actual twin brothers and don a western-inspired aesthetic. Even more interesting is that this pair of villains act alone, so this could see the twins break off on their own in the next film.
Charlie and Max Carver share more of a physical resemblance with the Trigger Twins than the Tweed cousins: the Triggers are muscular in physique, with lighter-colored hair and an attitude that aligns closer to the characters in the movie, vas opposed to the goofy Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
Furthermore, the Carver twins being cast in the film does imply they'll have more to do in the future: The two first appeared together on MTV's "Teen Wolf" and "Desperate Housewives," with solo acting careers as well, so they do have the chops to take on a minor villain role like the Carver twins. That said, there's one more possibility from the comics that Reeves could be setting up.
The Carver Twins could be setting up for Two-Face
Even though the ending of "The Batman" offers a major cameo which teases the Joker, Reeves has clarified that there's no guarantee the Joker would be the bad guy in a proposed sequel (via Variety). "It's not an Easter egg scene," he explained, adding that in fact, "I have no idea when or if we would return to that character in the movies."
It's hard to imagine the Joker won't be coming at some point. However, this does leave leeway for other major Batman bad guys to appear in the sequel to "The Batman," and perhaps the Carver twins being included in the film is actually a subtle indicator that Two-Face could be revving up for a return to the cinema. In "Batman: The Animated Series," a set of redheaded twins named Min and Max are depicted as being Harvey Dent's first henchman when he turns to a life of crime.
It's entirely possible, of course, that Reeves has no intentions for the Carver twins. On the other hand, even if he doesn't, the inclusion of a villain like Two-Face or the Mad Hatter in a sequel might lead him to retroactively set up the twins as henchman for one of these bad guys. Given that, at this point, we know so little about them, it'll be interesting to see what path they might take in the future.