Summary
In the ever-shifting landscape of theDCU, the future ofBatman and Robinstill needs to be discovered, as no casting announcements or plot points other than the film focusing on Batman and his son Damian Wayne have been made public knowledge. As the wait continues, the news surrounding Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’sThe BatmanUniverse keeps fans engaged in the dark, gritty, and realistic world that DC has created.The success of Max’sThe Penguincontinues to keep people involved in this grim reality, and the question surrounding the planned sequel,The Batman 2,is on everyone’s minds. Many fans want to see two villains brought to life: the Joker and Harley Quinn.
A deleted scene and a small appearance at the end of the first film showcased actor Barry Keoghan as the infamous villain Joker inThe Batman, but only enough to establish a previous interaction between the hero and villain in the early days of the Caped Crusader’s career. After the dismal response fans had toJoker: Folie à Deux, starring Joaquín Phoenix and Lady Gaga,The Batman 2would be the perfect place to reestablish the terror these two villains struck in the dark and realistic world that Matt Reeves established in the first book, and an adaption of one of DC’s Black Label graphic novels would be the best way to do this.
Brian Azzarrello’s Joker, EXPLAINED
The 2008 graphic novel explored a much darker, more violent Gotham City. After the famed villain is released from Arkham Asylum, a low-level henchman named Jonny Frost takes on the job of the Joker’s chauffeur. Frost finds himself immersed in the Joker’s world, taking him and Killer Croc to an entertainment club, where the Joker ends the life of one of his former henchmen. Frost discovers that the Joker is, after all, his former gang, who either betrayed or stole from him with thehelp of his girlfriend, Harley Quinn.
When it comes to Joker’sattention that Harvey Dent is avoiding conflictwith him, Joker becomes enraged. Dent also kidnaps Frost, warning him the Joker will eventually turn on the chauffeur, but Frost believes he and Joker are partners in their latest crime spree. As a result of his capture, Frost is late to a meeting with Joker set up with the Riddler, but after the deal goes down, Frost saves Joker from a hit by a gang of crooked cops. This eventually leads to an all-out war between Dent and the Joker to control Gotham’s underworld.
Joker and Dent eventually meet at the Gotham Zoo, where Joker threatens to expose Dent using the briefcase he got from Riddler. The Joker and Harley then attack Dent and his men violently, taking out their rivals. Harvey Dent reaches out to Batman, desperate to stop the Joker’s violent killing spree before it’s too late. Batman can detain Harley Quinn and Killer Croc while Frost and Joker flee, but the world’s greatest detective eventually catches up to the duo.A tense showdown between Batmanand Joker leads to a brutal fight, and the mental breakdown of Jonny Frost leads to his ultimate demise, leaving the fate of Batman and Joker open-ended until the recent 2018 sequel,Batman: Damned.
The Batman 2 Needs this Gritty Joker & Harley Quinn
The dark undertones that the first film, The Batman, set up and the “real world” setting of Gotham City without metahumans or supernatural abilities of any kind leave roomfor a dark story like Jokerto be adapted. The chilling design of The Batman’s Joker leaves room for the interpretation of the character to add elements of this story to the growing world of The Batman.
The graphic novel uses The Penguin, with Oz helping fence stolen money from a bank heist the Joker pulls off upon his release from Arkham. Oz also informs the Joker of Harvey Dent’s hiding from the Joker, which leads to the Joker’s obsession with waging war on the villain. Introducing Dent and Harley Quinn and bringing backPaul Dano’s Riddler would helpput this story into the fabric of Matt Reeve’sThe Batmanuniverse.
The events ofThe Penguincould establish a more villain-centric Gotham City criminal underworld, with the dissolution of the established crime families leading to a war of control between the likes of Penguin, Joker, and Harvey Dent. The characters of Joker and Harley Quinn don’t necessarily need to capture the same essence of previous performances by actors like Heath Ledger or Margot Robbie. However, the same chemistry and terror these characters bring to Gotham City would fit perfectly into the universe thatThe Batmanestablished. A story like Brian Azzarrello’sJokerwould bring the haunting and chilling atmosphere that the first film did such a great job of capturing and give Pattinson’s Batman a new challenge.
The Batman
Cast
Directed by the visionary Matt Reeves, Robert Pattinson plays a dark, gritty and tormented caped crusader, looking to save his home from the corruption that eats at it, and the criminals looking to destroy it. With a stellar cast of Andy Serkis, Zoe Kravitz, Collin Farrell and Jeffrey Wright, The Batman takes a new approach to Gotham’s protector, one not seen since the Nolan trilogy.
