‘The Batman’ debuted in theaters three weeks ago and it’s already one of the biggest films of the year. In the United States, it has grossed over $300 million, being only the second film to do so during the pandemic after ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. With such numbers, a sequel it’s probably in the plans for Warner Brothers and a possible villain has been already hinted (spoilers ahead).
The film, starring Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz, follows Bruce Wayne in his second year as Batman, while he’s trying to stop the Riddler, who’s targeting the most influential people in Gotham. Detective Jim Gordon and Selina Kyle are also involved in the case.
If you haven’t seen the movie, again, spoilers ahead: after Batman solves crime and the Riddler ends in jail, he has a conversation with another prisoner. Which, while the audience can’t see him clearly, seems to be the Joker, specially for the creepy laughter. And director Matt Reeves confirmed this theory and talked about the possibilities for a sequel.
Matt Reeves confirms the Joker was in the prison with the Riddler
For this movie, the Joker was played by Eternals actor Barry Keoghan, who also has appeared in other films such as The Killing of a Sacred Deer' and 'Dunkirk'. While he’s credited as “unnamed Arkham prisoner,” Reeves confirmed to Jim Vejvoda of IGN that he would be “a proto-Joker.” However, if this means that he would be the definitive villain for a sequel, that isn’t established yet.
Talking to IGN, Reeves admitted that the “pre-Joker” had initially another scene, which was ultimately deleted. However, he said that he kept the prison conversation because he thinks that not only “finished the Riddler’s arc” but it’s also “one example of how trouble in Gotham is never going to subside” and so “it changed the movie dramatically.”
However, the director also said that “the scene is not meant to be there to say, ‘Oh, here's an Easter egg. The next movie is X.’ I don't know that the Joker would be in the next movie, but I can tell you that here's what you're seeing, is an early days version of this character, and trouble, as always, is brewing in Gotham," he said to the outlet.
