The final moments of The Batman introduced a new version of the Joker, played by Barry Keoghan, and he will break a live-action villain tradition in his next appearance. Although not much is known about The Batman 2‘s plot, the sequel will likely not feature Joker as the main antagonist. However, Keoghan is expected to reprise his role as the Joker in some capacity.
The Batman only featured the Joker in a brief scene toward the end, where the character’s face is barely seen. However, one creepy laugh from the Riddler’s Arkham friend was enough to confirm that Barry Keoghan was playing the Clown Prince of Crime after all.
After a deleted Joker scene from The Batman was released online, we got to see more of how Keoghan’s Joker differs from previous versions. Taking place in Arkham, the conversation between Batman and the Joker revealed crucial details concerning their shared history and set up a fresh, exciting take on their relationship.
The Batman 2 Can Explore A Batman And Joker That Already Know Each Other
Both Tim Burton’s Batman and The Dark Knight showed Batman and the Joker meeting for the first time, with the 1989 film even featuring the villain’s origin story. The DCEU had the chance to break this trend, as Affleck’s Caped Crusader had already been around for 20 years, yet Suicide Squad had no scenes where Batman and the Joker actually interacted face-to-face.
The DCEU’s Batman and Joker only referenced their history briefly at the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, during the Knightmare sequence. Now, The Batman 2 and other sequels can explore versions of these characters that already know each other in a way no Batman movie has done before.
Although Matt Reeves has described Barry Keoghan’s version of the Joker as not yet being the DC villain audiences are familiar with, The Batman‘s Clown Prince of Crime already has a longstanding relationship with Gotham’s Dark Knight. The deleted scene saw Batman asking for the villain’s take on the Riddler case, and strongly suggested it was Batman who put Joker in Arkham.
The duo’s verbal sparring gave the impression that Robert Pattinson and Barry Keoghan’s characters already know what to expect from each other, which is one of the best parts about Batman and Joker’s relationship previously missing from the big screen.
The Joker Doesn’t Have To Be The Batman 2’s Main Villain
At the end of The Dark Knight, Joker tells Batman they are destined to do battle forever – a line that perfectly encapsulates the decades-old relationship between Batman and the Joker in the comics. Still, no live-action film ever managed to represent that never-ending rivalry onscreen.
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Batman movies, including the Dark Knight trilogy, have been very episodic, to the point where something like 1992’s Batman Returns does not even feel like a sequel to 1989’s Batman. The Batman and its sequels, despite their grounded approach, have the potential to become the most comic-accurate Batman movie series ever, especially regarding the hero’s long-standing dynamic with his Rogues Gallery.
The Batman 2 doesn’t have to feature Joker as the main villain to continue exploring the relationship between the Dark Knight and his arch-nemesis. The idea of Batman going to Arkham to interrogate or consult with Joker has been done in the comics several times, and is just one example of how much more interesting the Joker can be as a recurring figure in an established universe as opposed to a one-off villain.