“The Batman” is shaping up to be quite the film. In every “Batman” movie, the villains are usually the highlight. I love the caped crusader as much as the next guy, but without his signature rogues’ gallery, the man is just a dude dressed as a bat fighting crime. You really need there to be another colorful villain or two to make the whole thing work.
Well, “The Batman” has got a bit more than two it seems. Three villains have been confirmed to appear in “The Batman.” We have Riddler as the main baddie with Penguin and Catwoman as the backups. To be fair to Catwoman, she’s more of an anti-hero, but she’s still another counterweight to Batman in the upcoming film.
Now, what if I told you there’s a secret, fourth villain that may appear. According to rumors, Warner Bros has been showing test audiences two different versions of “The Batman.” One with a character included and one without. That character is rumored to be none other than the Joker.
According to casting, “Eternals” star Barry Keoghan is playing a GCPD officer named Stanley Merkel. In the comics, Stanley is the first partner of Commissioner Jim Gordon but is later murdered by the mob.
Director Matt Reeves has suggested that he took inspiration from the comic story Batman: The Long Halloween. In this storyline, a host of Batman’s Rogues’ Gallery takes on the Caped Crusader. The villains included in the comic are The Riddler, Catwoman, The Penguin, Poison Ivy and, of course, The Joker.
So, why do fans think Barry Keoghan is the Joker exactly? Other than hearsay, the only piece of concrete evidence we have is a very interesting looking screenshot from a teaser promo.
That smile sure looks familiar. I can’t deny that Barry Keoghan would not make for a good theoretical Joker. (I thought the same about Leto, so I’m not holding my breath.) Still, the theory does grasp a bit. If the rumors are true, then fans are in for a pleasant surprise. If not, then they still get a new “Batman” movie and really that should be more than enough.
