Matt Reeves took a massive gamble with The Batman. He gave us a detective story that felt more like Se7en than a traditional superhero flick, but the biggest shock didn't even make the final theatrical cut. If you've seen the movie, you know there’s a brief, blurry glimpse of an inmate at Arkham State Hospital talking to Paul Dano’s Riddler. But for months, rumors swirled about a much longer interaction. Then, Reeves dropped the bomb: The Batman Joker deleted scene.
It’s five minutes of pure, unadulterated tension. It’s not your typical "clown prince of crime" routine. Honestly, it’s kinda gross. Barry Keoghan’s Joker isn't wearing purple suits or doing magic tricks with pencils. He looks like a walking medical malpractice suit. His hair is thinning, his scalp is a mess of scabs, and his hands are raw.
When this scene hit the internet via a reward for a viral marketing website (Rataalada), it changed how everyone viewed the future of this specific DC universe.
What actually happens in the scene?
Robert Pattinson’s Batman goes to Arkham. He’s desperate. The Riddler is winning, and Batman doesn't understand the "why" behind the killings. So, he does the unthinkable. He visits an old enemy to get a psychological profile on a new one. It’s a total homage to The Silence of the Lambs. Batman slides a file through the glass. Joker flips through the photos of the crime scenes with a twisted sort of glee.
The dialogue is sharp. Joker tells Batman that the Riddler is a "nobody who wants to be somebody." But the real kicker? Joker sees right through the cowl. He tells Batman that he’s actually terrified because he thinks the victims deserved it. "I think you're just terrified because you're not sure he's wrong," Keoghan whispers. It's chilling. It's the kind of psychological warfare that makes this version of the character feel dangerous without even leaving his cell.
Why Barry Keoghan’s look is so divisive
Let’s talk about the face. Or what’s left of it.
Most Jokers have a "look." Jack Nicholson had the permanent grin from the chemicals. Heath Ledger had the Glasgow smile scars. Joaquin Phoenix had the greasepaint. Barry Keoghan has a congenital disease. Matt Reeves has gone on record—specifically in interviews with Variety and IGN—explaining that this Joker was born with a permanent smile that he views as a cruel joke from the universe.
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He’s not a guy who fell into a vat of acid. He’s a guy who has been decaying from the inside out since birth. His skin is translucent in spots. The makeup, designed by the legendary Mike Marino, took four hours to apply. Some fans think it's too much. They say he looks like a "horror movie monster" rather than a comic book villain.
But that's the point.
In the context of the The Batman Joker deleted scene, the gore is meant to reflect the rot of Gotham itself. He isn't a cartoon. He's a nightmare. If you look closely at the blurry footage in the theatrical cut, you can't see the detail. But in the 4K deleted scene, you see every ridge of scar tissue. It’s visceral. It’s repulsive. It makes you realize why Batman would be so hesitant to ever speak to this man again.
The reason it was cut (and why that was the right call)
You might be wondering: if the scene is so good, why did it end up on the cutting room floor?
Pacing is a beast. The Batman already runs nearly three hours long. Reeves realized that adding another heavy, five-minute dialogue scene in the middle of the second act slowed the momentum of the Riddler investigation. Also, it felt a bit like "Easter egg bait."
Reeves told Collider that he didn't want the movie to feel like it was just a setup for a sequel. By removing the scene, the Joker remains a background presence—a shadow in the corner of Arkham—rather than a distraction from the main plot. It keeps the focus on the Riddler’s puzzle.
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Honestly? The movie works better without it. Seeing the Joker that early would have shifted the stakes. Every time Batman struggled with a clue, the audience would just be thinking, "Go back and talk to the clown again." By cutting it, Reeves preserved the mystery.
Connecting the dots to the larger Bat-verse
This wasn't just a random deleted scene for the sake of a Blu-ray extra. It establishes a history. In this universe, Batman and Joker have already met. This isn't their first rodeo. Batman mentions it’s their "anniversary."
This implies that Year One of Batman’s career involved catching this version of the Joker. It bypasses the origin story we’ve seen a thousand times. We don't need to see him fall into the chemicals. We just need to know he's there, rotting in a cell, waiting for his chance to get back at the guy who put him there.
The impact on the sequel
Now that The Batman Part II is in development, everyone is asking: is Keoghan the main villain?
Probably not.
Reeves has hinted that he wants to explore other rogues. We’ve heard names like Clayface or Professor Pyg thrown around in the rumor mill. But the The Batman Joker deleted scene proves that the Joker is the "Endgame." He’s the Hannibal Lecter of this world. He’s the guy who will eventually tear everything down once the city feels safe again.
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Analyzing the performance: Is it too much?
Some critics argue that Keoghan is "doing too much." He has a high-pitched, wheezing laugh that sounds like he's struggling for air. He fidgets. He’s erratic.
Compare that to Ledger’s controlled chaos or Phoenix’s melancholic tragedy. Keoghan is playing a man who is physically uncomfortable in his own skin. It’s a very different vibe. It’s twitchy. If you watch the scene again, notice his eyes. They never stop moving. He’s scanning Batman for weaknesses like a predator.
It’s a bold choice. Whether it's "the best" Joker is subjective, but it’s definitely the most grotesque version we've ever seen on screen.
What you should do next
If you haven't watched the The Batman Joker deleted scene in full 4K, go find it on the official Warner Bros. YouTube channel or the Rataalada archive. Don't just watch it for the "wow" factor; watch the body language.
- Pay attention to the hands. The way he scratches at the table tells you more about his mental state than the dialogue does.
- Listen to the score. Michael Giacchino’s subtle cues in this scene are vastly different from the main Batman theme.
- Look at the lighting. The way the red lights of Arkham hit the scars makes the makeup look three-dimensional.
For those tracking the development of the sequel, keep an eye on production updates regarding the "Arkham" series that was originally planned for Max. While that project has shifted shapes several times, the DNA of this deleted scene is likely where the horror elements of that show will come from. This scene is the blueprint for how Matt Reeves views the inmates of Gotham’s most famous asylum: not as "supervillains," but as broken, terrifying people.
The most actionable thing you can do as a fan is to treat this scene as "canon" regardless of its deleted status. It informs every interaction Batman has in the movie. It explains his cynicism. He’s already seen the worst of humanity in that cell, which makes his fight for hope at the end of the film even more significant. If he can face that version of the Joker and still choose to be a hero, there might be hope for Gotham after all.