Warning: Spoilers Ahead For The Batman
As The Batman hits theaters across the globe with riveting reviews as the best Batman outing since The Dark Knight (2008), talks of a potential sequel have flooded the internet. Though director Matt Reeves had earlier confirmed that he has planned a trilogy with various spin-offs based on the shared Bat-Verse, the ending of The Batman has left fans excited for what’s coming next. As Robert Pattinson’s iteration of the Caped Crusader had his first real match against the Riddler (Paul Dano) in The Batman, the ending introduced us to an unknown Arkham Asylum inmate who has now befriended the captive Riddler. While both fans and critics have lauded praise on Paul Dano’s portrayal of the Riddler, it’s inevitable that the Dark Knight has to face his arch-nemesis; the Clown Prince of Crime. Now, director Matt Reeves has finally revealed the future of the Joker in the upcoming sequel.
In the movie, Pattinson’s Batman is in his second year of the crime-fighting crusade. An amateur, the Caped Crusader is still learning as he moves through the cesspool of Gotham that has been a center of moral decadence. With the city falling prey to the criminally rich, it’s up to Batman to live up to his family’s legacy. However, not everything seems as it is as a new serial killer enters the scene and targets high-profile individuals, leaving a trail of clues in form of riddles for the GCPD and the Dark Knight to solve. As the Dark Knight gets entangled in a web of ciphers and codes, he unravels a dark secret of his own father, Thomas Wayne, in his crusade to stop the Riddler from murdering more people. As Pattinson’s Batman finally faces Paul Dano’s terrifying Riddler, he also understands that the Riddler is not entirely different from himself.
Despite Riddler’s best attempts to seek revenge for the crimes committed by the ‘white knights’ of Gotham, Batman saves the day with his superior intellect and unyielding hope to make Gotham a better place. Ultimately, the Riddler is captured and sent to Arkham Asylum. But interestingly, he strikes up a conversation with an unknown inmate with green hair and an unmistakable laugh. Barry Keoghan, who was finally confirmed by Matt Reeves to be portraying the Joker, can now potentially appear in the sequel.
The Joker As The Next Villain In The Batman 2
In a recent interview with IGN, Matt Reeves has finally revealed his plans for the sequel and how he wishes to incorporate the Clown Prince of Crime against the Dark Knight. Here’s the full statement:
“The scene is not meant to be there to say, like, ‘Oh, there’s an easter egg, the next movie is X.’. Like, I don’t know that the Joker would be in the next movie, but I can tell you is that here’s what you’re seeing is an early days version of the character, and trouble, as always, is brewing in Gotham.”
Interestingly, both Reeves and the studio went to great lengths to keep Keoghan’s involvement a secret. To throw off fans, Reeves had put a red herring as reports had earlier come out citing that Keoghan is playing GCPD Officer Stanley Merkel. Reeves had even directed fake scenes to keep it a secret. However, the director has now confirmed that there exists a deleted scene where Pattinson’s Batman interacts with Keoghan’s Joker.
Though it is yet to be confirmed if Keoghan’s Joker will indeed be the next main antagonist in the sequel, it is inevitable that the Dark Knight has to face his arch-nemesis at some point. With Matt Reeves having confirmed that his Bat-Verse will serve as an origin story for both Batman and his famous rogue gallery, the future seems exciting for fans of the Dark Knight.
The Batman is now playing in theaters.
