By Josh Bate
The Batman featured a large ensemble of classic villains of the Caped Crusader, from Riddler to Penguin, Catwoman, and more. One surprising cameo was that of the Joker, labeled as an unnamed Arkham prisoner in the film. Barry Keoghan plays the Clown Prince of Gotham in a single scene, acting alongside Paul Dano. However, a new deleted scene has been released, showing the Joker interact with Robert Pattinson’s Batman.
Check it out here:
While the directing is purposeful in that it keeps Joker out of focus and covered up, to a certain degree, by the presence of protective glass, fans can notice the distinctive green hair associated with the villain. Keoghan also appears to have scars on his face, reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s iconic performance as the antagonist in The Dark Knight. This also seems to be the subtlest performance of Joker yet, at least in the modern day, with Keoghan refraining from altering his voice in any significant way. It’s this normalcy of sorts that makes this new iteration even more menacing.
Matt Reeves has opened up about the Joker in the weeks since the film’s release, stating that this is still a very early version of the character, just as Batman, Catwoman, Penguin, and others are towards the beginning of their journeys. Reeves stated that, like the Riddler, this version of the Joker is a serial killer, and one that has a condition from birth that makes him unable to stop smiling. This is reminiscent of Joaquin Phoenix’s version of the character, in which he laughed uncontrollably.
The Batman is in theaters now.
Images and video courtesy of DC and Warner Bros.