Spoiler for The Batman
The Batman is finally here and it has truly blown everyone away with its brilliant and grounded storytelling. But one cameo just at the end of the film got the fans even more excited for the upcoming The Batman sequels. The identity of The Batman’s unnamed Arkham prisoner has been officially confirmed by the director Matt Reeves, as he introduces Joker to his Batman’s world. Reeves has decided to reboot Batman’s greatest foe for the big screen once again, and while we don’t know much anything about this version of the Clown Prince of Crime, we do know that he has not named himself the Joker yet.
The Batman is jam-packed with familiar Batman characters but at the same time, they all feel new and more grounded into reality. Reeves’ take on Batman is hands down the most grounded and most gritty Batman film ever made, and it truly works in the favor of the film. The Batman sees iconic Batman character Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, Alfred Pennyworth, Jim Gordon, Penguin, and Carmine Falcone, but the main antagonist of the film is the Riddler. Rumors of Reeves introducing a new version of the Joker played by Barry Keoghan (Eternals) has been flooding the internet for months now and even though the film is now playing in theaters, Keoghan’s character is still credited in the film as unnamed Arkham prisoner.
The Batman is finally out in theaters and the audience is absolutely loving it now the director Reeves has finally taken some time to explain and confirm that Keoghan is in fact playing the role of the Joker. During an interview with IGN, Reeves confirmed that the unnamed Arkham prisoner is Joker. While in the film it is not made absolutely clear that he is the Joker, it is made pretty apparent with reference to Clowns, obvious facial scars, and Joker’s iconic maniacal laugh. Reeves also revealed that Joker was in other scenes in the film that were taken out in the post. Read the full quote below:
“What’s interesting is that the reason that Joker’s in the movie is there was actually another scene that was earlier. And because the movie is not an origin tale for Batman, but it’s his early days, it really is an origin tale for the Rogue’s Gallery’s characters. And for me, I think [it’s] this idea that the Joker is not yet the Joker, but they already have this relationship.”
The confirmation by Reeves that Keoghan is actually the unnamed Arkham prisoner has added a lot more excitement to the franchise, which seemed impossible before because everyone was already so hyped about the film. Previously, Keoghan was announced to be in the cast as GCPD officer Stanley Merkel, and Reeves even shot fake scenes with Keoghan as Merkel to throw people off from speculating but the internet is a speculation machine and it did exactly what Reeves didn’t want, but still, the reveal of Keoghan as Joker is pretty impressive and enjoyable for everyone who is watching the film in theaters.
Reeves also revealed that he had shot some more shots with Keoghan as Joker but he decided to take them out and he even took the scene in the film with Joker out for some time but at the end decided to put it in, because as he said that it changes the whole stakes for Gotham’s future. Reeves also explained that just like the Batman is in his early days of crime-fighting, Joker is also not the Joker yet. He is also in his early days and unlike the previous versions of the Clown Prince of Crime, Reeves’s version of Joker didn’t fall into a vat of toxins or get mysterious scars on his face, but his version of Joker has a congenital disease that makes him smile constantly and he has been that since birth and his darkness actually comes from it. Reeves has also pointed out this is not a setup for upcoming movies or prequel shows because he still hasn’t decided if he wants to show Joker as the villain in the upcoming film but it is also true that if you cast a new Joker and show him to the fans, the fans will speculate and many times especially with Warner Bros. they get what they want.