Matt Reeves, the director of Batman, teased it, and now it’s official. A deleted sequence starring Batman and his greatest enemy was revealed in the most recent Riddler website update.
Warner Bros. has been releasing fresh content on its ARG website rataalada.com for weeks, after the debut of The Batman in theaters. The website has previously teased the release of a new Riddler comic by Paul Dano, but today was the big day.
The five-minute deleted scene in Arkham Asylum in which Batman meets Barry Keoghan’s Joker has been released. The sequence is evocative of The Silence of the Lambs, in which the detective seeks assistance from a serial murderer; in this instance, it’s The Batman asking Joker who the Riddler could be.
While we never get a complete picture of Keoghan’s Joker in Reeves’ portrayal of Gotham, he certainly seems tougher. He has scars on his face and bald spots on his head, as well as scabs on his hands. It’s unknown if he’s hurt or sick.
And, in true Hannibal Lecter fashion, Joker takes advantage of the chance to play Batman’s psychiatrist rather than assisting him in his search for the Riddler.