(SPOILERS) While he does appear opposite Paul Dano‘s Riddler near the end of The Batman, Barry Keoghan‘s Joker also had a face-off with Robert Pattinson‘s Caped Crusader in a scene that was deleted from the film.
Director Matt Reeves has just released that scene online.
You can see the segment either by solving some riddles on the ripped-from-the-movie website rataalada.com, or, if you’re not up to the challenge, on YouTube.
In the segment, Batman visits the Clown Prince of Crime imprisoned at Arkham Asylum to try to get some clues about Dano’s character, who at this point is still on the loose, serial killing Gotham City officials.
Batman slides photos of Riddler’s bloody handiwork through a partition into Joker’s cell.
“I thought you’d be curious,” Batman tells the baddie through the glass.
“You think I get off on this stuff?” Keoghan’s villain responds. “Don’t you?” Bats quips back.
“His violence is so baroque,” Joker purrs, as he admires the crime-scene photos.
“He’s a nobody who wants to be somebody,” he declares. “This is very, very personal.”
“Why is he writing to me?” Pattinson’s character asks of Riddler’s hints to him.
“Maybe he’s a fan?” Joker says, giggling.
Joker accuses Batman of dragging his feet, saying of the victims, “You think they deserved it!” before letting loose with a chilling cackle.
Keoghan’s out-of-focus face becomes clearer as the conversation reaches its climax. His face and head are heavily scarred, and his fingers bloodied. A shock of green hair remains, sprouting from his burned scalp.
The scene is intentionally reminiscent of some of Reeves’ inspirations for his hit: David Fincher‘s Netflix series Manhunter, in which a pair of FBI agents interviewed notorious murderers, as well as Clarice and Hannibal Lecter’s exchanges in The Silence of the Lambs.
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