Spoilers ahead for The Batman.
It’s no secret that comic book movies are everywhere, with various studios crafting their own cinematic universe. And given the massive popularity of Batman, there’s been a number of film adaptations of the Caped Crusader. The most recent is Matt Reeves’ The Batman, with the filmmaker teasing the future for The Joker.
Three iconic Batman villains factored into The Batman’s action: Riddler, Penguin, and Catwoman. But the final moments of the blockbuster also featured the inclusion of The Joker for a possible sequel- played by Barry Keoghan. Matt Reeves has finally opened up about that cryptic scene, teasing where the Clown Prince of Crime is at when we see him. As he put it,
What you're seeing is a pre-Joker Joker, actually. We go back to the Conrad Veidt, The Man Who Laughs inspiration, which is a Bob Kane-Bill Finger reference. Obviously, that guy has a congenital disease. He's sort of like Phantom of the Opera, he can't not smile. Instead of being like the story of the Elephant Man, where his grotesque outward appearance sort of belied the beautiful inside, this would form his nihilistic worldview and he would have an insidious understanding of human nature. That's kind of where this psychology comes from in who this guy would be.
Well, there you have it. It looks like the mysterious figure we met at the end of The Batman isn’t Joker as we know him. Instead, he’s the man who will eventually become the figure that Harley Quinn affectionately calls Mr. J. We’ll just have to wait and see if/when a sequel is officially ordered by Warner Bros..
Matt Reeves’ comments about Joker in The Batman come from the filmmaker’s recent appearance at Den of Geek’s DC Standom (via Comic Book). Joker is arguably the most iconic villain from Batman lore, so the quick tease of his eventually arrival basically broke the internet. And it looks like a possible sequel will see Barry Keoghan’s version of the character transform into the psychotic clown that we know and love.
The scene in question is only a brief moment of The Batman’s 176-minute runtime. After all, Matt Reeves had a ton of world-building to do, and a trio of villains to villains to introduce. But the Planet of the Apes filmmaker clearly has a ton of future ideas, starting with a spinoff series for HBO Max. And smart money says that Joker will be an antagonist in a sequel if it happens.
Of course, The Batman’s sequel does seem likely. After all, Matt Reeves’ first DC movie has been making a ton of money at the box office, and was well received by audiences and critics alike. There’s a new Gotham City on the screen, and the possibilities are seemingly endless.
The Batman is in theaters now. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
