Matt Reeves' The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson in the titular role, has been the talk of the town ever since it was released earlier this month. The film put a spin on the superhero genre and reminded us that it does not have to be extravagant all the time in order for it to work. That was well-defined in the plot of The Batman as its characters were simple, fleshed out and grounded, and managed to drag everyone into the theatres. It is also because of a number of other factors such as its screenplay, performances, little teases here and there, and most importantly, for the Bat!
Paul Dano's The Riddler as the antagonist in The Batman was everything but bad. He was perfect in it and set the tone for the big baddie in the film. It was great to see the villain's return to Gotham after many years of Jim Carrey's take on the riddle master in the 1995 Batman Forever. But one of the most memorable scenes (other than "I'm Vengeance") from The Batman comes towards the end when we get a little glimpse of The Joker. Barry Keoghan of Eternals fame famously played the Clown Prince of Crime in an unseen cameo role in the film where he and the Riddler become inmates at Arkham Asylum. Everyone speculated that it was a little sign that the Joker will appear in the sequel. Little did we know that it was more than that.
There was an entire scene shot between Pattinson's Batman and Keoghan's Joker where the two get a lot closer for a classic interrogation, which was not included in the final theatrical cut. The deleted Arkham scene shows Batman seeking Joker's help regarding a profile on The Riddler. Matt Reeves revealed that his version of the Joker has not fully embraced the Joker persona and is just a man who has a hideously scarred face and a medical condition that makes him incapable of controlling his laughter, similar to the 2019 version of the character essayed by Joaquin Phoenix. Reeves also said that this was a criminal Batman had captured during his first year in Gotham City, so fans can now stop with the fan theories and put their minds to rest.
Watch The Batman deleted Arkham scene below:
