The Batman as a film had a lot to do. Not the least of which was establish a whole new dynamic in terms of Batman, Gotham City, the major players, and the villains that were there, and were to come. And being that this was a “Year Two” story, many were curious who would show up. One of the biggest questions wasn’t about the main villain in The Riddler, but rather, about The Joker. He was heavily teased for the movie via a “secret casting” of Barry Keoghan.
Then, in the theatrical version of the film, one of the final scenes revealed the “Joker” as he was already in Arkham Asylum and struck up a “friendship” with the Riddler after his plan failed. But that was just a taste of what was almost in the movie.
Because Warner Bros today released a 5-minute deleted scene of Batman interacting with Joker. It’s set early in the movie when Batman doesn’t fully grasp The Riddler, and thus asks the Joker for his insight because “he felt he would be curious”. The banter between the two is obviously the big get here, as we see a different Joker in certain elements.
Matt Reeves, the director of the film, revealed that technically speaking, who we see in the movie (and this clip) is that of a “Proto-Joker”, meaning that he hasn’t fully gone “Clown Prince of Crime” but was indeed caught by Batman and has a connection with him as a result.
The website used in the film is a real thing too, and in it the Riddler notes that he is with his “new friend” (meaning Joker) and that “everyone loves a comeback story”.
Whether we’ll see a true Joker in the sequel (which hasn’t been confirmed yet) remains to be seen though.
Source: YouTube