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Joker is easily one of the most fan-favorite villains of the DC Universe of all time, and some of the live-action performances from top-rated A-listers have further added that brilliance to him. Besides Heath Ledger’s all-time best portrayal and Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-winning embodiment of the character, Barry Keoghan has also perfectly outclassed himself as this supervillain.
This happened in one of the deleted scenes of 2022’s The Batman, and Keoghan’s version of Batman’s nemesis was as absolutely horrifying as it could get. But as terrifying of an addition as it could make to Matt Reeves’ upcoming sequel, things might be for the better if the filmmaker decided against bringing him back, for reasons all too understandable.
2022’s The Batman may have been met with a majority of accepting reviews, but it still held back on what could have further elevated the film’s success: Barry Keoghan‘s incredibly terrifying iteration of Joker. With a badly morphed face leveraging to his grotesque appearance, his performance with the Dark Knight was truly outstanding, but the clip ended up on the cutting room floor.
To say the least, be it the way he talked to Robert Pattinson‘s superhero or the mad way he laughed at his enemy’s frustration, Keoghan delivered a truly formidable performance worthy of being commended to the core. However, as horrifying as it was to watch him in the deleted scene of the movie, it wouldn’t quite hurt as much if the filmmaker decided to lose out on him for the sequel.
This stands true for reasons a bit too understandable. For one, the character seems to be given just a bit too much attention from DC as of late. This is because Joaquin Phoenix is already playing the fan-favorite character in his own solo movie series, which will soon be facing an addition as the sequel Folie à Deux hits the theatres later this year.
And, of course, Phoenix’s Oscar-winning performance is proof that fans love him in the role. So bringing about a new iteration of the character right when the previous one is still winning hearts may not be the best of ideas. To say the least, this may even result in fans developing conflicted opinions on the villain before eventually getting tired enough to not even bother acknowledging him.
That said, filmmaker Matt Reeves could instead opt for different and more explorable villains for his 2026-scheduled sequel for the Dark Knight. For instance, delving into the story of the Court of Owls sounds more interesting as this violent cabal renowned for planning assassinations throughout history just to wield political influence could bring a new level of threat for the hero.
Since the Court of Owls has controlled Gotham City for centuries, they won’t hesitate to go to extremes to get rid of the Caped Crusader as well, as long as it means they can continue their political reign in the nearly 400-year-old city. This would result in a battle of wit, intelligence, strength, and power between the hero and the villain, adding that unique streak to Reeves’ saga.
While the chilling scene of Barry Keoghan’s outstanding portrayal of the Dark Knight’s arch-nemesis from the 2022 film was deleted from the final cut of the movie, fans still haven’t stopped wondering if the actor would return as the character or not. During the Toronto Film Festival, Keoghan seems to have somewhat answered those very questions when confronted about the same.
Getting as candid about his comic book role in the DC Universe as he could, the 31-year-old actor played coy and toyed around the matter, telling Variety:
There we go! I can’t say much. The camera is looking right at me. We’ll see where that goes. Again, it was an incredible experience … and yeah, I can’t say…
Of course, even if he was approached to reprise his role, Keoghan won’t be spilling those secrets. But his words haven’t given much away either, so nothing can be said for sure if he will be returning as the character or not.
At the same time, while acknowledging the fact that it’s better if Reeves opts for different villains for his 2026 sequel, Keoghan could still return to his iconic role in the later projects from DC. If anything, those projects could explore his arc further and better without making it seem like the franchise was simply trying to milk a character with tremendous fan attention.
The Batman Part II will make its way to the screens on October 2, 2026, while Joker: Folie à Deux hits the screens on October 4, 2024.
“}]] Despite Barry Keoghan’s chilling Joker performance, Matt Reeves may not need to bring him back for Robert Pattinson’s The Batman sequel. Read More