Warning: contains spoilers for The Batman.
Barry Keoghan’s second Joker scene from The Batman has been released, and his laugh already beats Heath Ledger’s. Although he only appears fleetingly in the movie, a five-minute deleted scene sees the Joker interact with Robert Pattinson’s Batman. While it’s too early to tell how Keoghan will perform in a larger story arc, his creepy laugh is superior to The Dark Knight’s Joker.
The Batman is set during the vigilante’s second year of crimefighting and revolves around the Riddler (Paul Dano) murdering corrupt Gotham officials. Barry Keoghan’s role was shrouded in secrecy leading up to The Batman’s release. Although originally listed as playing GCPD officer Stanley Merkel, Keoghan was absent from all promotional materials. Rumors swirled that he was actually playing the Clown Prince of Crime, which the movie confirmed via a late reveal in Arkham.
Although he appears only briefly in the final cut, The Batman’s deleted Joker scene depicts a tense conversation between the archenemies. Pattinson’s Dark Knight visits the Joker in Arkham, seeking his expertise to uncover the Riddler’s identity. During the scene, Keoghan unleashes a sinister hyena-like Joker laugh that perfectly fits the character. This taunting laugh is even better than Heath Ledger’s, its higher pitch making it more unique. As small a thing as it seems, the Joker's laugh is part of his identity, and an actor being able to nail it is important.
The Joker laugh each actor has chosen to adopt reveals a lot about their interpretation, and Barry Keoghan’s giggling could really get under Batman’s skin. It feels like he’s truly mocking the Dark Knight, unable to contain his excitement about the killing spree plaguing Gotham. His normal speaking voice sounds unusually young. Although this fits Pattinson’s Year Two-era Batman, it doesn't boast the most chilling or magnetic tone. However, Keoghan’s performance gets more interesting when he erupts in laughter. Keoghan’s deranged giggling helps set The Batman’s Joker apart from previous versions. His appearance is already drastically different, his extensive scars the result of a congenital disease. However, the presence of scars automatically draws comparisons to Heath Leader’s Oscar-winning turn in The Dark Knight. Ledger’s Joker is rightfully acclaimed, but his laugh arguably wasn’t the most memorable. He switched between a whole-body laugh and a slight, low-key one. Although this worked well, it wasn’t dissimilar to Jack Nicholson’s Joker laugh in Batman 1989.
Nicholson used a similar technique, albeit he reached more cartoonish heights to match Tim Burton’s macabre vision. Ledger’s Joker was terrifying, but his laugh isn’t what the interpretation is most remembered for – his scars and unsettling habit of licking his lips being particularly haunting. Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker also had a piercing laugh, but his sounded tortured to embody his version's anguish, whereas Keoghan seems positively gleeful. Of course, every Joker actor has developed a range of laughs to reflect the clown’s ever-changing mood. Jared Leto went in the opposite direction to his predecessors, opting for a far raspier laugh. This proved controversial, and his slow, croaky laugh didn't fare any better, recalling his performance as the 118-year-old Nemo in Mr. Nobody. However, his faster cackle felt much more in tune with the Joker. Regardless of the mixed reaction to Phoenix and Leto’s choices, they were bigger talking points than Ledger’s Joker laugh.
Every Joker actor will inevitably be compared to the late Heath Ledger, but Barry Keoghan’s unique laugh helps distinguish The Batman’s iteration of the villain, especially since both have scars around the mouth. Mark Hamill’s animated Joker laugh is perhaps still the benchmark for capturing the clown’s full spectrum of emotions. However, Keoghan’s inventive interpretation shows promise. His high-pitched laugh provides a compelling contrast to his grounded appearance, sounding like a sinister circus clown as opposed to Ledger’s sadistic terrorist.
