This Deleted The Batman Scene With Robert Pattinson and Barry Keoghan’s Joker Will Give You Chills

The Clown Prince of Crime is here! Robert Pattinson and Barry Keoghan's Joker engage in a battle of wits in an eerie deleted scene from The Batman.

By Emlyn Travis Mar 24, 2022 9:34 PMTags
Watch: "The Batman" Official Trailer: Robert Pattinson Is the Dark Knight

This article contains spoilers for The Batman. 

Sorry Robert Pattinson, but it appears Barry Keoghan got the last laugh in a newly released deleted scene from The Batman.   

On March 24, Warner Bros. dropped a five-minute long clip of Batman (Pattinson) visiting his notorious enemy the Joker (Keoghan) at Arkham State Hospital to ask for his "perspective" in order to better understand the motives of the film's villain, the Riddler (Paul Dano).  

The scene implies that Batman and the Joker already have a shared history, as the Joker notices the hero enter the room and dryly quips, "It's almost our anniversary, isn't it?"

For most of the scene, Keoghan's heavily scarred face is blurred by the glass in front of him, but his unmistakable green hair, crooked grin and insane laughter easily give away his identity. 

Batman appears unnerved as the Joker goes through case files with bloodied hands, before the villain declares that the Riddler is simply "a nobody who wants to be somebody."

When he asks Batman if he has any leads, the hero admits that he doesn't have one yet, which causes the Joker to laugh. "Really?" He teases. "You're normally so ahead of the curve, but something is different this time. This is very upsetting to you." 

Warner Bros./Jonathan Olley & © DC Comics

The hero grows increasingly more uncomfortable at the Joker's ability to see straight through him before the villain unearths a heavy truth.

"I think somewhere, deep down, you're just terrified," the Joker claims. "‘Cause you're not sure [the Riddler is] wrong." As Batman storms out of the room, the Joker's maniacal laughter can be heard ringing behind him.

You can watch the clip, which was released as part of the film's ongoing online augmented reality game, in full here.  

Superhero fans first got their glimpse at the Joker as he befriends the Riddler at the end of the film. While Keoghan was listed as ‘Unnamed Arkham Inmate' in its credits, his character's real identity was later confirmed by director Matt Reeves

So, now that he's finally been unmasked, how does the Clown Prince of Crime himself feel about the scene? 

"No words," Keoghan tweeted. In a follow-up message, he added, "Honestly I am stuck for words but I am very very BLESSED to play this role after the AMAZING AMAZING Actors before me. Here's my version. Enjoy."  

In a recent interview with Variety, Reeves discussed the deleted scene and why it was originally cut. "It wasn't necessary," he told the outlet. "It was one of those scenes where, given how complex the narrative was, by taking it out, it kept the story moving in a way it needed to."