In case you've been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, the internet is abuzz with the news that The Batman star Barry Keoghan is expected to return as The Joker in his own TV series.
Made in the same vein as The Penguin, it will bridge the gap between The Batman Part II and The Batman Part III. The latter movie will reportedly feature the Clown Prince of Crime taking centre stage for a rematch with the Caped Crusader after it was established they crossed paths during the vigilante's first year operating in Gotham City.
There are many comic books Matt Reeves can pull inspiration from. In this feature, we're taking a deep dive into the stories we'd like to see the filmmaker pull inspiration from, both in the rumoured TV series and The Batman threequel.
Even if it's just the odd idea or character, there's a lot here which would be a good fit for the "Bat-verse."
To find out which stories we want to see factor into The Joker and The Batman Part III, click on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
8. Five-Way Revenge
"Five Way Revenge" came at a time when Batman comics desperately needed to move away from the campy tone established by the 1960s TV series.
The story revolved around The Joker’s attempt to take out five henchmen who had displeased him in various ways, leaving the Dark Knight with no choice but to protect those he normally wouldn't think twice about beating up and putting behind bars.
As well as showing The Joker’s disregard for those in his employ, the story examined the complexity of Batman and The Joker’s relationship. After ambushing a tired and weakened Batman, the villain decided that his victory was a case of luck rather than being the better man, so he chose to leave his foe alive.
Seeing as this world's Batman and Joker have a history, this feels like a great basis for a potential "reunion."
7. Death Of The Family
In this story, when The Joker once again escaped captivity, he left something behind; his face! Months later, the villain resurfaced and stole it back from the GCPD, spending this arc with the decomposing skin strapped to his face with a belt and fishing hooks.
Things got even more twisted than that when he started targeting each of Batman’s closest allies, and this is a storyline that's begging for a big screen adaptation.
It’s revealed that Bruce has always suspected that The Joker knows his secret identity after he found a playing card left for him in the Batcave, while he also admits to visiting The Joker in Arkham Asylum (out of costume) to see if the villain would acknowledge him.
Given how horribly scarred Barry Keoghan's Joker already is, this may be the logical next step for his monstrous serial killer.
6. The Man Who Laughs
Ed Brubaker and Doug Mahnke's "The Man Who Laughs" was a modern retelling of the Clown Prince of Crime's origin story and a loose sequel to "Batman: Year One."
In case it wasn't obvious, this would be a good place for the Joker TV series to begin, delving into the villain's past before he crossed paths with the Dark Knight in flashbacks.
Reeves has said this Joker, who has yet to take on that moniker, was a killer captured by Batman during his first year in Gotham, but there's no reason the original Red Hood and ACE Chemicals couldn't be introduced in an exciting new way.
"The Man Who Laughs" offered an in-depth, layered take on The Joker, and there are lots of ideas here that could help differentiate this version from the many we've seen on screen before.
5. The Killing Joke
Arguably the most well-known and iconic Batman/Joker story of all time, The Killing Joke is just begging to be adapted.
While The Joker’s treatment of Barbara Gordon/Batgirl has always been mired in controversy (he shoots her, then proceeds to take nude photos of the young hero to taunt her father with), there are ways to approach that in a far more tasteful manner.
Regardless, after attempting to mentally break Commissioner Jim Gordon, an epic showdown with Batman ensues, but ends in a surprising way. The two share a laugh as they wait for the police to arrive, but there are those who speculate that the sudden end of The Joker’s laughter is because Batman kills him.
We don't need a completely faithful adaptation but there are ideas and moments here we're sure Reeves could put an exciting new spin on.
4. Endgame
A follow-up of sorts to "Death of the Family," this story saw The Joker return to Gotham City more powerful than ever, poisoning the entire city with a formula which drives them insane.
The only way to cure them is for Batman to extract a mysterious chemical from The Joker’s spine, and there are hints along the way that the villain is actually hundreds of years old and possibly some sort of immortal who has been causing chaos in the city for centuries.
It's later debunked when it’s revealed that he found a chemical which healed his face and gave him enhanced strength, and after a battle which sees both Batman and The Joker left bloodied and maimed, they’re buried underground.
This has all the makings of an epic movie, and could be a great way to reinvent Keoghan's Clown Prince of Crime for a new story which explores Gotham City's past...and perhaps the Court of Owls too?
3. The Dark Knight Returns
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice paid homage to The Dark Knight Returns in a lot of ways, but The Joker was nowhere to be seen. As a result, the iconic villain's role in that famed Frank Miller story could very easily be used to influence The Batman Part III.
Faking a recovery after years of being institutionalised, The Joker ends up poisoning an entire TV studio during an interview and soon finds himself on a collision course with Batman as a result.
However, the aged Batman in this story is in no mood to play games with his old foe, blinding him with a Batarang to the eye and breaking his neck after a vicious beating in a fairground's Tunnel of Love.
Unable to kill his paralysed enemy, The Joker laughs as he finishes the job, framing Batman for his murder in the process. The Joker's supposed recovery could be documented in his series, with that mass murder - which we'd change to avoid comparisons to Joker - leading directly into the threequel.
2. Death In The Family
This iconic tale saw readers vote to kill off Robin, and the youngster died after a brutal beating from The Joker with a crowbar. The image of Batman cradling his sidekick is iconic, and a moment that both changed the Caped Crusader forever.
Robert Pattinson would like to introduce Robin, and there's something to be said about a story exploring why Batman would take a child into battle.
The DC Extended Universe hinted at Robin's fate in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Zack Snyder later revealed that the defaced costume belonged to Dick Grayson. We'd rather this franchise not head the same route, but the rise, fall, and resurrection of Robin is a story worth telling.
If Reeves doesn't want to go down the Robin route, perhaps Jason can be someone who Batman befriends, only for the kid to be killed by the Clown Prince of Crime (minus him suiting up, of course).
1. Under The Hood
"Under the Hood" told the story of Jason Todd’s return to Gotham City as a murderous vigilante. He had been believed dead after being murdered by The Joker, but took on the identity originally held by the Clown Prince of Crime to get revenge on both the unhinged killer and his former mentor.
This story revolved mostly around the relationship between Batman and his former Robin, with The Joker more on the periphery, but that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. Fans have been crying out for this for years, and Warner Bros. and Reeves would be smart to make it happen.
The filmmaker has already taken some liberties with the source material. As we mentioned above, Jason could be named as one of The Joker's early victims during Batman's first year in Gotham who the Dark Knight failed to save.
In the threequel, we'd learn that he did survive, returning as a self-styled vigilante who may not have been Robin but still has a good reason to take aim at both Batman and The Joker.