Will The Batman 2 Feature The Joker?

Fans of Batman who have already seen DC’s newest entry into film are likely left with one particular question after seeing the end. Will The Joker be in the sequel?

Be warned, for anyone who hasn’t already seen The Batman, there will be spoilers ahead.

Towards the end of the film, Batman captures The Riddler and places him in Arkham. Batman later finds out that The Riddler orchestrated his own capture to avoid the fallout of his eventual plan. The Riddler has flooded Gotham, and The Riddler is safe on Arkham Island while the rest of the city is sent into panic.

It’s here where The Riddler meats someone that we are all familiar with: The Joker. The film never explicitly tells us that it’s The Joker, but the context clues and dialogue between the unnamed resident of Arkham and The Riddler is enough to clue us in. This led to many people to assume that The Joker will be the primary villain in any planned upcoming sequels.

Now there is even more evidence that DC has plans for The Joker in the future.

 A Deleted Scene

The Batman was a side of Bruce Wayne that public had never seen on the big screen before. He was a calmer, more calculated version of Batman, and the film itself bordered on the detective noir genre in place of being a simple superhero film.

It comes as no surprise that the mystery wasn’t over once the final credits rolled. DC comics kept the plot going with a series of riddles released online, with each solved riddle revealing a secret about the future plans for any sequel.

One of the riddles revealed plans for a comic book tie-in. The comic was later revealed to be an origin story for the movie’s version of The Riddler.

Now, with the latest riddle solved, fans of the film got their hands on a never-before-seen deleted scene. In the scene, Batman stops by Arkham Asylum to have a discussion with his most notorious villain.

Played by Barry Keoghan, The Joker is questioned by Batman about the identity and whereabouts of The Riddler with The Joker. Batman also asks The Joker to help him with some riddles. Ultimately, The Joker is unhelpful, often mocking Batman and belittling him. Batman eventually tells Joker that he is wasting his time and leaves the building.

While this deleted scene doesn’t confirm that The Joker will be the primary villain in any future film, it does confirm the identity of the man talking to The Riddler at the end of the film. It also confirms that Batman and Joker are already well-acquainted.