Now having been in theaters for about a month, The Batman has been one of Warner Bros. and DC's biggest hits in a while. By completely ignoring the DC Extended Universe to tell its own story, it had the time to develop its cast of heroes, villains and everyone in between. However, even with its lengthy runtime, there was still footage taken out.
One such scene involved the Dark Knight meeting one of his greatest foes face to face. Said villain is, of course, The Joker, who fans had already been long suspected of being in The Batman. The deleted scene has now been put online, and it reveals that this version of Batman and The Joker have already met each other. This completely changes their dynamic, and it could have a big impact on the series going forward.
The Joker and the Dark Knight Have Already Met in The Batman
The now released deleted scene for The Batman has Batman going to Arkham Asylum to speak to The Joker. He hopes to get information out of the inmate concerning The Riddler, who he's having trouble catching. The Joker casually mocks Batman, noting that he's seemingly afraid that criminals will no longer be afraid of him with The Riddler around. He also makes an important note about his relationship with the Caped Crusader.
The Joker mentions that it's their "one-year anniversary" and is subsequently let down that all Batman "got him" was the file about The Riddler. This changes a lot of what many had assumed about the two's relationship so far in the ReevesVerse. Many believed that The Joker had yet to meet Batman in this universe and that their meeting and inevitable showdown would be in the next movie or even be used to cap off a trilogy. The deleted scene shows otherwise, however, and in doing so paves the way for a radically different version of their rivalry on the big screen.
Will The Joker Appear in Sequels to The Batman?
In the Tim Burton Batman movies, as well as Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman is already an established vigilante by the time that The Joker comes on the scene. He's certainly not the near-rookie that he is in The Batman, nor is The Joker as young as he appears to be in this new universe. This is radically different because it allows Batman and The Joker to have a multi-film rapport with each other, which they've never had in the previous cinematic universes. This is how their relationship is in the comics, with The Joker's commentary typically lampooning it as a true "romantic" relationship, much like Barry Keoghan's version does in the scene.
It does, however, beg the question of how much Batman and The Joker have clashed before. Batman apparently had The Joker locked away in Arkham a year before, but it's still unknown how active The Joker had been beforehand. Was the Clown Prince of Crime a known threat before Batman made his appearance? Was he simply a sort of copycat that came about both due to Batman's presence and the city's pre-existing crime? This is subtly suggested by the presence of "clown" gangs around Gotham, which somewhat resembles how Clown protesters preceded the real Joker's debut in the 2018 movie Joker. This would also support the idea that Batman has harmed Gotham City, as his crusade against crime caused one would-be gang member to become one of The Riddler's copycats.
The Joker already has many of his ticks when it comes to annoying Batman, so his coming to Arkham to discuss The Riddler likely wasn't the first time for such a favor. Future movies could capitalize on this, having The Joker appear in these Hannibal Lecter-esque scenes instead of having him as a full-time villain. This would be a nice change of pace since previous Batman movies have almost overused The Joker, all while still utilizing the character's immense popularity.
The Batman is currently playing in theaters.