Matt Reeves Answers Whether Joker Will Be The Villain of The Batman 2
The Batman is a completely different spin on the character with elements that have not been explored before. Fans got to see the character being brought to the screen in a much more grounded manner than we have seen before. It clearly goes to show how much differently the caped crusader can be when being dealt with onscreen. The movie features a completely different take on The Riddler than we might have seen before. It became an interesting topic to wonder about the possible villain in the sequel for the franchise. As The Batman teased the presence of Joker, director Matt Reeves explains whether he could be the villain of The Batman 2.
The Batman
This interpretation of the caped crusader actually takes some liberty with the arcs of certain characters. The Riddler is completely different from what we have seen or read in the comics over the years. At the same time, the movie also gave us a different design for Batman’s costume and his Batmobile. It actually adds a certain layer to the way that we look at the character of the caped crusader. The movie gives a chance to explore the more detective nature of Batman that has been explored quite less in the past adaptations for the character.
The most exciting bit about the movie has to be the references it sets up regarding the future of the franchise. It has been long teased that the Court of Owls might be something we might get a chance to see in the future of the franchise. This was something indicated by Robert Pattinson himself with the director also stating that he would like to keep the narrative grounded. We actually got to see another popular villain in the movie appearing right around the end in the cell next to the Riddler. This is none other than the Clown Prince of crime, Joker himself. Fans are left wondering if this was a setup for the future of the franchise.
Joker as the Villain of The Batman 2?
Director Matt Reeves has now been quite vocal about Barry Keoghan’s appearance as Joker in The Batman. In an interview with IGN, he stated:
What you’re really seeing is a pre-Joker Joker. And the idea for me, why I kept that scene in the movie, even though I cut the first scene that I’m describing, is because it was important for me at the end. I actually took the scene that’s in the movie still out for a brief time. And we tested it, and I realized that for me, on the one hand, it finishes the Riddler’s arc, because you know the way his story plays out and you see him in the wake of what’s happened and how Batman has been able to thwart what he was doing.
The director further added:
But it was also this idea that in this moment, now that the stranglehold of Falcone has been broken, it means that there is a moment of not only hope, but it’s also the moment of greatest danger in the city in a long time because it means that everyone is going to grab for power. And when Selina [Kyle] is talking to Batman at the end of the movie and they’re having their very poignant goodbye because they’re always going to be on the opposite sides of things, she says to him, ‘You know this place isn’t going to change.’ And when I took the scene out, the stakes of the scene changed, because that scene shows you that, when she says that, you’ve just seen it and you see the two of them [Joker and Riddler] next to each other. And that’s just one example of how trouble in Gotham is never going to subside. There’s always going to be somebody with a plan afoot.
When talking about what this scene could mean for the future of the character in the Franchise, he stated:
And so it changed the movie dramatically. So the scene is not meant to be there to say, ‘Oh, here’s an Easter egg. The next movie is X.’ I don’t know that the Joker would be in the next movie, 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.
The success of The Batman clearly indicates that we will get to see a sequel for the movie. It is a whole new take on the world of Batman and it will be interesting to see how the arc is further explored. Joker is an essential Batman villain and his presence only ensures that things are going to get a lot more interesting in the future of the narrative. Since the movie will be a grounded take on the characters, it would be interesting to see Joker’s madness unfold next to the Riddler who has already given us a hint of his work.
The Batman is now playing in theaters near you.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter for more content.
Also Watch:
