The Batman cast adds The Eternals' Barry Keoghan as Officer James Gordon's first partner in crime

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The role hints that Barry Keoghan could have a major role in The Batman spin-off, Gotham PD

We learnt a lot about The Batman from DC Fandome. Not only were there first-look images and a stunning new trailer, but director Matt Reeves was on hand to explain how his take on The Dark Knight will be different from what we've seen before.

However, one piece of news that didn't make the FanDome panel, but has since appeared online, was a new casting. According to the official The Batman trailer, Barry Keoghan will appear in the movie as Officer Stanley Merkel.

Now, that's quite an interesting casting. Having broken into the mainstream thanks to a role in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, Keoghan will next appear in Marvel's The Eternals. That's another actor crossing superhero streams!

His character, Officer Stanley Merkel, was James Gordon's first partner in the comics. Merkel is eventually found dead, having been killed by the Hangman on St. Patrick's Day. Keoghan's an Irish actor, which ties in with St. Patrick's Day... Could he be The Riddler's victim in the upcoming Batman movie? We'll have to wait and see.

Should Keoghan's role be a minor one, we can perhaps expect to see him expanded on in the spin-off HBO series, Gotham PD, which will take a closer look at the corruption within the department. Reeves said during FanDome that the series will follow one officer in particular – and there's a serious chance that could be Keoghan's Merkel.

Also at DC Fandome, we got a behind-the-scenes featurette on James Gunn's upcoming The Suicide Squad, a trailer for Zack Snyder's Justice League, and a new teaser for Wonder Woman 1984. It really all went down.

Jack Shepherd
Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.