The Batman’s Deleted Joker Scene Has Been Released

Source: The Batman (2022), Warner Bros.

A scene too extraneous for The Batman’s overall story is finally released, via the Rata Alada website hosting many of the film’s secrets, and it shows us how The Joker (Barry Keoghan) fits into the bigger picture of the film’s world.

Source: The Batman (2022), Warner Bros.

RELATED: Midnight’s Edge Founder Andre Einherjar Asserts The Batman Goes Off The Rails By Embracing An Ideopolitical Message

As Matt Reeves described, Batman visits Joker and shows him the criminal file on The Riddler to see if the clown, a la Calendar Man in The Long Halloween, can shed light on the pathology of Gotham’s latest criminal genius.

Unfortunately for the Dark Knight and his limited patience, he reaches the conclusion that The Bat and the Prince of Puzzles have a lot in common deep down, and that the hero secretly thinks Riddler’s victims deserve what they ultimately get.

View the five-minute deleted scene below.

RELATED: Bat In The Sun Stresses the Importance Of Batman Being In Peak Physical Condition

Keoghan’s Joker is mostly blurry, viewed from behind, or glimpsed at in reflections and piecemeal but we still get a good look at him. His hair is clearly green though most of it is shaven, and his skin is clearly pasty and covered in scars from either burns or multiple cuts that put Heath Ledger to shame.

That brings me to his face which is the really odd part. Reeves claimed his design for Joker was going to be based on The Man Who Laughs and would be a congenital condition the character has that results in a permanent grin.

Source: Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child Vol. 1 #1 (2020), DC Comics. Words by Frank Miller, art by Rafael Grampá.

RELATED: Deus Vult And Justified Creator Jon Del Arroz Explains Why The Batman Is “Some Of The WORST Woke Cringe Hollywood’s EVER Released”

The template may be so in the director’s head but it doesn’t translate to the screen with those vibes. What we see of Keoghan’s heavily made-up face far from indicates his Joker was born that way. Rather, he appears to have suffered an accident at some point as Joker did in the comics and most media when he took an acid bath.

Ledger and his scars that were the cause of his smirk are one notable exception and Keoghan’s portrayal takes a few cues from the late Aussie thespian’s turn in The Dark Knight.

Source: The Dark Knight (2008), Warner Bros.

RELATED: Writer Chip Zdarsky and Artist Jorge Jimenez Team Up For Return To Batman in July

The latter certainly has the scars and his voice is remarkably reminiscent of Ledger’s clownish high pitch – nearly as much as he reflects Ledger’s presence in The Dark Knight’s infamous interrogation room scene.

His presence was constant throughout that movie and his face was clear as day in almost every shot. There were even a few without Ledger in face paint.

Source: The Dark Knight (2008), Warner Bros.

RELATED: Rumor: Anya Taylor-Joy In Talks To Become Harley Quinn In The Batman Universe

Keoghan differs in The Batman. It’s hard to believe but we don’t actually get a clear shot of his whole face for more than a millisecond – not that you’d notice if you saw the composite a fan created on Reddit.

Using stills of shots of his eye line and his mouth, u/TheProdigalMaverick shows us what Keoghan’s Joker looks like and he hits the mark for ugliness.

To them, he’s just a freak; but to Matt Reeves, he was unnecessary and this scene was cut. Keoghan was, thus, left with a shadowy cameo as an unnamed Arkham inmate – costing The Batman nothing in terms of plot or tension.

You may feel differently. We invite you to leave your opinion below along with your appraisal of Barry Keoghan’s few minutes of fame as the Jester of Genocide.

NEXT: The Batman Director Matt Reeves Provides Details On Deleted Joker Scene, Dives Into His Idea Of The Joker

Share: 
Mentioned This Article:

More About: