The Batman has been an undeniable success with both long-time comic book fans and professional movie critics. The film also generated much discussion online, much of it revolving around a particular scene with the Riddler in Arkham and a mysterious unseen Arkham inmate.
Batman fans everywhere were in for a treat recently when Matt Reeves circulated a deleted scene from his new film which saw the caped crusader come face to face with this enigmatic prisoner. To fans’ delight, it was none other than the Joker, and despite being a short 4-minute sequence, it left fans with a lot to talk about.
8 Learned: Barry Keoghan Is Officially The Joker
The Batman had many twists and turns and many fans were quick to theorize about possible events online. During a cast release, it was revealed that Irish actor Barry Keoghan would be playing GCPD ally and the small peripheral role of Stanley Merkel.
Fans of Keoghan though were quick to raise their eyebrows; a young rising star famous for playing troubled or psychotic roles was cast as an obscure comic book cop? However, both the film and the deleted scene confirm that actor Barry Keoghan is indeed the Joker, and people were very happy with this decision.
7 Mystery: How Did He End Up In Arkham?
Unlike previous iterations of the Joker who typically go through some origin story or development, in this universe, fans see the Joker fully formed. He is already a criminal Gothamite, as viewers see him in his cell in Arkham from the jump. Fans everywhere were quick to speculate about how this came about.
Did he commit some previous crime? As of now, audiences don’t know. However, if we see more of Keoghan’s crime prince of crime, it’s possible viewers will see firsthand how he wound up in Arkham State Hospital.
6 Learned: Joker & Bats Have A History
One great detail fans did find out was that this Joker has already had a previous Bat-encounter. Both Batman 1989 and The Dark Knight made it clear that the caped crusader and the Joker’s relationship was new and Bruce was unsure of how to deal with this new threat.
In this world though, Joker is very familiar with Batman, and he has some great dialogue that implies they have an existing history. He compares Batman’s visit to that of an anniversary, and he laughs at Batman’s ‘present’. It’s very apparent that Joker is familiar with this Batman and the implication is that Batman captured Joker in some off-screen adventure, so the fact they already have some sordid past together is a great idea.
5 Mystery: Joker’s Origins?
The Joker has had many origins over the years. Traditionally in the comics, he was a wannabe criminal who fell into a vat of green acid; an iconic scene that Batman 1989 and Suicide Squad adopted in their stories. More recently in more realistic interpretations, the Joker is depicted as a dangerous loner alienated by society.
Fans were clambering to debate how Matt Reeves would adapt the iconic villain’s origins. Some viewers were quick to point out that Barry’s Joker appears to have scarring, and they were logically drawn to the idea that he fell into acid. However, others believe that the movie’s realistic tone indicates perhaps a more grounded backstory akin to The Dark Knight or Joker 2019.
4 Learned: Resembles New 52 Joker
The Joker is a character with both a very iconic appearance and a very diverse roster of looks in the past. Traditionally, Joker wears a colorful formal suit of purple and green, with a pale face, a big red smile, and green hair. The movies have always mixed this up in one way or another adapting different takes on the long-running rogue.
The deleted scene contains no hint at a costume, but fans were quick to notice the Joker’s appearance and how much it resembles Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Joker from the New 52. For most of the scene, the Joker is out of focus. However the final moments offer a brief glimpse of the Joker’s face, and as well as the inevitable comparisons to Heath Ledger, there were comparisons to the New 52 Joker; and it will be interesting to see if this is a hint to where the rogue could go in future films.
3 Mystery: Joker/Riddler Friendship?
In the deleted scene, Batman goes to the Joker in an attempt to understand a new serial killer terrifying Gotham dubbed the Riddler. The Joker looks over the case files and seems very excited about the Riddler’s work, praising the precision of his bloody crimes. Moreover, the scene in The Batman film reveals that the Joker and the Riddler do meet, and a friendship seems to be brewing.
One final hint towards a possible Nashton/Joker team-up comes in the form of a cipher released by the Rataalada website which, once decoded, reads ‘Gotham loves a comeback story. Haha haha ha’. A line spoken by Joker at the end of the Batman film.
2 Learned: Joker & Batman’s Connection
Matt Reeves has said that his Joker is great at getting into people’s heads, and in the deleted scene they do a great job of showing that he knows exactly what to say to get under Batman’s cowl.
After they discuss the Riddler, the Joker starts to taunt Batman that he is no stranger to Riddler’s brand of justice. The moment that pleased the most fans was the ending of the scene in which Joker takes pleasure in revealing Batman’s biggest fear; that on some level, he thinks the corrupt officials murdered by the Riddler deserved it. Fans are excited at the prospect of future meetings between Pattinson and Keoghan, and how this Joker will continue to haunt Batman’s psyche.
1 Mystery: Joker’s Future?
Bat-fans reacted very positively to this scene, but the biggest question they had on their minds was “will the Joker return? If so, when?” The Joker has dominated Batman media, and he even got his own movie in 2019 starring Joaquin Phoenix. This has left many more casual Batman viewers tired of the clown prince of crime.
Matt Reeves himself teased future villains, saying that he’s keen to look into new rogues for his Batman films. However, that doesn’t mean the Joker will play no role in Pattinson’s Gotham City. It’s believed that he may return in some form in one of the new upcoming HBO spin-offs; most likely one set in Arkham State Hospital. That being said, many have spotted a small detail in the scene that could imply his imminent escape from Arkham.