The secret message in The Batman credits that you missed

The Batman is hiding a secret message in its post-credits tease. The film sees Robert Pattinson's titular Caped Crusader matching wits with Paul Dano's villainous Riddler – and, as it turns out, you can put yourself to the test, too.

That's because this secret message will lead to you communicating directly with the Riddler himself. Yes, really.

Read on to discover just what that message is and how to access it – and while the below itself isn't strictly spoilery, you might want to hold off if you haven't seen the movie yet anyway. 

The Batman post-credits hidden message

While The Batman doesn't have a traditional post-credits scene, there is one tease at the end: the URL to the Riddler's Rata Alada website (that's the winged rat in English) flashes up onscreen, after a goodbye message from the villain. Head on over to that site (https://www.rataalada.com/) and you'll find yourself face to virtual face with the Riddler.

There have been multiple versions of the website. The first saw the Riddler ask three questions:

• "It's more than just a game. Fear he who hides behind one," is answered with "mask."
•  "What was new, is new again. Rebirth. Restoration. Reformation," is answered with "renewal."
• "I am first a fraud or a trick, or perhaps a blend of the two. That's up to your misinterpretation," is answered with "confusion."

Once those were cracked, the Riddler prompted you to enter a password – the word "promise". Then, a 33-second clip from Thomas Wayne's mayoral campaign played, but something isn't quite right. The words "hush" and "the truth about Gotham" are scrawled over the video at certain points, and Riddler's symbol appears at the end. Plus, listen closely, and you'll hear something very unnerving indeed: Riddler's heavy breathing. Creepy. If you missed this version of the website, you can watch it below.

Following The Batman's release in cinemas, the Rataalada website changed. The Riddler no longer prompts you to answer any questions on the website. Instead, some Matrix-esque code shows up on screen, quickly disappearing, and then a hyperlink to another page shows up. On the page, titled "It's Not Over Yet," there's an image that needs deciphering.

What does it mean? Spoilers for the answer:

"You think I'm finished, but perhaps you don't know the full truth. Every ending is a new beginning. Something is coming."

The question we have now: what is coming? Presumably, Riddler's teaming up with Joker for a plan to cause havoc in Gotham. But there's also another clue on the Rataalada website. That green text that showed up at the beginning may actually be a hint towards what's next for Robert Pattinson's Bats.

Those numbers aren't random. As pointed out by Reddit, they each point to a key moment in Bat-History.

27.05.19.39 is May 27, 1939 – which is the day the real-life comic-book Detective Comics #27 was released. That was not-so-coincidently the first-ever appearance of Batman. The rest refer to, in order: the introduction of Catwoman and Joker; Penguin’s first appearance; Riddler’s first appearance; Falcone’s first appearance, and Alfred’s first appearance.

Those characters are all key players through The Batman, but it's the last piece of code that's particularly interesting – and teases a sequel. October 1974 saw the release of Batman #258, which featured Two-Face breaking out of Arkham. Don't be too surprised if Harvey Dent shows up soon.

Following that screen, there was a countdown towards something. That countdown has now ended, and the website gives you a chance to download a reward. Click on the link and a Zip file will begin downloading with numerous images inside. There's also a message from the Riddler, reading: "You’ve come this far. Now, let’s see if you’re willing to discover more. While you unmask everything that has yet to be revealed, I’m safe here. With my new friend. We will see you soon."

It's safe to say that Riddler's going to be in Arkham alongside his new friend – yes, it's the Joker – for some time. Until then, we can have fun deciphering the images in that Zip file. Good luck with that, internet! (For what it's worth, the image labeled "maze-1" seems to be a cipher that ends up being: "You are el rata alada.")

Want more on The Batman? Then check out our guides to:

• The Batman Easter eggs and references
• The Batman ending explained
• Are there any The Batman post-credits?
• Was Joaquin Phoenix's Joker meant to be in The Batman?
• When is The Batman on HBO Max?
• Who plays Joker in The Batman?
• The best Batman movies, ranked!
• How to watch the DC movies in order