Although The Batman 2 is still a long way away, the ending of The Batman has already set up the perfect twist for the upcoming sequel. Since The Batman series takes place in its own separate universe rather than being part of the DCU, there are a lot of opportunities for future stories and new characters in Matt Reeves' highly anticipated sequels. The Batman has already set up one of these exciting possibilities, with The Batman's final scene between The Riddler and The Joker teasing a major twist in The Batman 2.
There has been a lot of speculation as to who the villain will be in The Batman 2, with Arkham Asylum seemingly being full of already-established villains from Batman's rogues' gallery. Although The Riddler was the main antagonist of The Batman, the film also introduced a new iteration of The Joker, with the unseen character talking to The Riddler at the end of the film. While it's exciting that The Joker seems to already be having an influence on Gotham, what's even more exciting is the potential twist that this introduction has set up.
The Batman Ending's Joker Cameo Hints At A Riddler Twist Turn
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
A scene during The Batman's ending shows Joker talking to The Riddler, with Joker attempting to create a partnership between the two villains. This teases that the two will work together sometime in the future, with Joker even telling a riddle that implies he wants to be friends with The Riddler. However, this scene also hints that this villain team-up will end with Joker betraying The Riddler.
Throughout the scene, Joker is clearly attempting to manipulate The Riddler into working with him. Joker tries relating to the Riddler by asking him a riddle, while also attempting to empathize with him, implying that the two villains are in the right and are simply victims of Gotham's oppressive systems. However, The Joker's and The Riddler's goals clearly do not align, meaning that there will inevitably be a betrayal. In The Batman, The Riddler truly believes that his violence will make Gotham better, while Joker just wants to cause chaos. Someone as unpredictable as Joker can't be trusted, and Riddler will come to discover his mistake in The Batman 2.
Why The Batman 2 Needs Riddler And Joker To Turn Against Each Other
The Batman setting up this villain portrayal twist is good, as Riddler and Joker need to turn against each other for The Batman 2 to work. The Riddler's plan in The Batman is incredibly politically motivated, and it would be completely out of character for him to work with someone as chaotic and unprincipled as Joker. It would also be out of character for Joker to have a genuine partnership with someone, as Joker's team-ups with other villains have almost always ended with betrayal in nearly every Batman adaptation.
Having The Riddler and The Joker turn against each other in The Batman 2 would also be accurate to the comics. Members of Batman's rogues' gallery frequently team up in the comics, but they almost always end up backstabbing each other, as many of them are unstable, evil, and untrustworthy. For all these reasons, it wouldn't feel right for Riddler and Joker to actually work together in The Batman 2, making this team-up twist even better.
