The Batman’s Joker Has Had His Smile Since Birth, Director Reveals
Warning: This post contains major spoilers for The Batman.
The Batman's surprise character has had his twisted smile since he was born, director Matt Reeves reveals. Last weekend, The Batman arrived and upended the typical Bruce Wayne mythology with a dark detective story that digs into the heart of Gotham City. Robert Pattinson plays Bruce here, and he stars opposite an impressive supporting cast that includes Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Paul Dano, John Turturro, and Jeffrey Wright.
The Batman also has one more major star tucked in its ranks, though Reeves kept him hidden until the end. In the lead up to the movie's release, it was confirmed that Barry Keoghan had a role as an «Unnamed Arkham Prisoner». There were plenty of theories about who he might be playing, but The Batman silenced them all by confirming he's this universe's Joker. Keoghan is glimpsed mainly in shadow as he speaks to the Riddler (Dano) from his cell, but even that doesn't do much to hide his unsettling grin, a surefire sign that he's the future Clown Prince of Crime. Reeves confirmed Keoghan's Batman role as soon as the movie was released, and he's since revealed new details about his version of the Joker.
Related: All 7 Villains The Batman Sets Up
In a conversation with IGN about all the Batman spoilers, Reeves discussed the distinctive design he came up with for Keoghan's Joker. When it came to that typical Joker grin, the director revealed it's actually a result of a congenital disease. The Joker has had that smile since birth, and that's twisted his perception of the world. Reeves explained:
“He's got this congenital disease. He can never stop smiling. And it made Mike and I think about — I was talking about The Elephant Man
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