Warning: This post contains major spoilers for The Batman.
The Riddler made a mess of Gotham City and killed many people throughout The Batman, landing himself in Arkham — here’s who is in the cell next to the villain at the end of the film. Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman did something different with its primary villain, but the ending sets up a potential alliance with someone who is quite familiar to fans of the comics and the live-action DC movies.
The Riddler was working alone throughout The Batman, killing off Gotham City’s elite, including District Attorney Gil Colson and Mayor Don Mitchell, Jr. in a bid to reveal the truth about how deep the corruption went in the city. Batman soon discovered how mob boss Carmine Falcone had the majority of the police department in his pocket. Ahead of Batman solving The Riddler’s final clue, the serial killer is arrested after killing Falcone. He’s sent to Arkham and is visited by Batman shortly after. Just when it seems like it’s the end of the story for The Riddler, the film throws in a penultimate scene that sees the murderer watching the news depicting the flooding facing Gotham City after his bombs eviscerated the flood walls.
While The Riddler seems to have factored in his own arrest, he is far from alone when he is sent to Arkham. In the cell next to The Riddler is none other than the Joker, his face scarred and mostly hidden from view. The Joker, one of Batman's most famous enemies from the comics and live-action adaptations, speaks to Edward Nashton (Riddler’s real name) before offering him a riddle to solve. The scene ends with the Joker laughing maniacally and The Riddler ing in, as though they’re both in on a plan against Batman that no one knows about just yet. At first glance, it’s hard to make out Joker’s face, as it only appears through a slit in the door of his Arkham cell.
Perhaps the facial scars are meant to allude to another member of Batman’s Rogues’ gallery — Two-Face. However, it’s ultimately the laugh that confirms the Joker’s identity, hinting that he will have a much bigger role in a sequel. The Batman teases the Crown Prince of Crime’s appearance in a future film, likely in alliance with The Riddler, but the film doesn’t reveal what Joker did to land in Arkham or even how long he’s been there. The scars on his face suggest Joker has already been turned into the menacing, diabolical villain that he is in the comics, and it’s possible The Batman sequel will elaborate on his backstory further.
The nefarious villain is played by Barry Keoghan (Eternals, The Killing of a Sacred Deer), who presumably ed the cast of The Batman as Stanley Merkel, a GD officer and Jim Gordon’s original partner in the comics. Keeping Keoghan’s actual role under wraps helps to maintain a level of intrigue and mystery when he appears onscreen as Riddler’s Arkham cellmate. While the Joker would have been too obvious a villain to be in The Batman, Reeves likely has a grand plan for the Crown Prince of Crime down the line and it’ll be interesting to see how he’s incorporated into the story and what his relationship will be with the Caped Crusader.
