Spoilers for The Batman follow.
The Batman director Matt Reeves has taken to social media to share (via CBM) a deleted scene from the movie, and it gives us a much better look at Barry Keoghan (Eternals) as a grotesque new incarnation of The Joker.
The iconic villain made a brief appearance in the theatrical cut (you can check out our review here) as "Unseen Arkham Prisoner," and while his full visage is still mostly obscured here, we can make out enough to conclude that this latest version of The Clown Prince of Crime is the most twisted, monstrous live-action take on the character yet.
In the scene, The Dark Knight (Robert Pattinson) pays a visit to an old enemy in Arkham to ask for his help with The Riddler (Paul Dano) killings. It's a chilling sequence, and many feel it really should have been left in the film.
Check it out below, and let us know what you think.
"Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies — Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) — amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens."
“When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.”
The Batman is still playing in theaters, and is set to hit HBO Max in April.