Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Batman.
The official website for Matt Reeves' The Batman teased fans with riddles and now it appears to hint at what might be coming in the sequel.
Fans who visit the website will now be greeted by a message from the Riddler. He says that he is "safe here. With my new friend. We will see you soon," and offers a download of several files. However, if the website is then refreshed, a different message appears, congratulating the visitor and offering a second reward. This is a new Riddler cipher that has been translated by fans. It reads, "Gotham loves a comeback." It also has the words "ha ha" scribbled in the margins, suggesting that the Riddler's comeback might include the Joker.
When The Batman ends, the Riddler is in Arkham Asylum after Batman stops his crime spree. In the cell next to him is an unidentified prisoner that speaks to the Riddler and tells him "Gotham loves a comeback." The mysterious character also laughs in a manner that immediately identifies him as the Joker. The website containing the message was introduced at the very end of the movie's credits and is an in-character website for the Riddler.
Director and writer Matt Reeves has confirmed that this "Unnamed Arkham prisoner" played by Barry Keoghan is indeed the Joker, only not quite the Joker everyone expects. Instead, Reeves considers him a "pre-Joker Joker," and says that the character is in the early stages of his journey. Despite the hints, Reeves refused to confirm that the Joker would appear in any sequel. "I don't know that the Joker would be in the next movie," Reeves explained, "but I can tell you that here's what you're seeing, is an early days version of this character, and trouble, as always, is brewing in Gotham."
This scene in Arkham Asylum is the only scene with Keoghan that made it to the final cut of The Batman, but it wasn't the only one that was filmed. An earlier scene saw Keoghan meet with Robert Pattinson's Batman, as part of the Dark Knight's investigation into the Riddler.
"There was an earlier scene where Batman went to Arkham to try to profile the Riddler, and Barry is in that scene," revealed Reeves. "It's a very cool scene, and I'm sure we'll we'll release the scene after the movie comes out, because it's a really cool deleted scene."
The Batman is available in theaters now.