Major spoilers for The Batman from beginning to end lie ahead, so turn back if you don’t want to find out.
Blockbuster comic book adaptations throwing in Easter Eggs, winks, nods, references, and surprise cameos has been part and parcel of the genre since Kevin Feige first changed the game with the advent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe almost fifteen years ago, but it never seemed like something we’d be getting from The Batman.
Matt Reeves had grounded his take on Gotham City as much as possible within the parameters of a superhero story, with Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight still a relative rookie. During his second year on the job, the vigilante encounters Selina Kyle, Oswald Cobblepot, and Edward Nashton, but it’s a surprise guest that didn’t even get a name who ended up seizing the headlines once fans had a chance to see the movie for themselves.
After much speculation, Barry Keoghan was confirmed as the Joker of Reeves’ universe, and it wasn’t just a last-minute decision designed to drum up sequel buzz. In fact, the filmmaker revealed to Variety that the latest iteration of Batman’s arch-nemesis already has his backstory and origins in place for when the trigger really gets pulled.
“I said, ‘The shape of his hair, the shape of his mouth, it’s all going to read, but it’s going to be soft’. So he knew that was the canvas he had to deal with. It’s like Phantom of the Opera. He has a congenital disease where he can’t stop smiling and it’s horrific. His face is half-covered through most of the film. It’s not about some version where he falls into a vat of chemicals and his face is distorted, or what Nolan did, where there’s some mystery to how he got these scars carved into his face.
What if this guy from birth had this disease and he was cursed? He had this smile that people stared at that was grotesque and terrifying. Even as a child, people looked at him with horror, and his response was to say, ‘Okay, so a joke was played on me,’ and this was his nihilistic take on the world.”
Every reinvention of the Batman mythos is virtually obligated to feature the Joker eventually, but it was still a surprise to see Reeves introduce the Jester of Genocide so early. The scene did feel a little out of place, but at least we know it’s set to lead to much bigger and better things further down the line.