A Japanese trailer for The Batman has been released. It not only includes more scenes involving Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne suiting up as Batman, but also heavily hints at a certain Clown Prince of Crime rocking up to Gotham.
The Batman trailer focuses on Riddler’s war on Gotham (and Batman), with the Caped Crusader seen swinging into action, as well as one new set-piece taking place on a clock tower.
Much like the Riddler mystery, though, there’s something hidden in plain sight. Director Matt Reeves, it seems, is putting down some breadcrumbs for a grand Joker reveal.
Exhibit A: newspaper clippings involving Bruce Wayne. Behind him, there’s a man with a sinister, clown-like smile. Is this our first look at the Joker? If nothing else, it’s eerily similar to the cover art for the seminal '80s Batman-and-Joker graphic novel, The Killing Joke.
pic.twitter.com/c47cJYdhdHDecember 13, 2021
Then, there’s the final shot – a man in prison saying he’s been "trying to reach" Bruce Wayne, before bursting into laughter. We don’t see his face, so it could very well be Paul Dano’s Riddler, but the added obfuscation means it could be hiding something even more sinister.
Some fans think that’s clearly the case, especially with previous rumors tying the new iteration of the character to Eternals actor Barry Keoghan.
"Is this Barry Keoghan's Joker laugh?" asks one fan, while another is adamant that the person behind Bruce Wayne "looks like Barry Keoghan."
This potential Joker ‘reveal’ also lines up nicely with a report from The Hollywood Reporter that suggests a "certain character" played by Barry Keoghan has been tested in one cut for The Batman. Whether that’s Joker remains to be seen – but it’s clear The Batman has one more mystery for us to solve.
The Batman is set for release on March 4, 2022. Find out what else DC has in store with our guide to new superhero movies.
