The Batman’s Sequel Tease Proves Nolan’s TDKR Joker Argument Wrong

The Batman teases a future team-up between The Riddler and Joker, completely disproving a Christopher Nolan theory from The Dark Knight Rises. After the DC dirge of Batman & Robin, few directors could’ve revived the Dark Knight’s cinematic fortunes quite like Christopher Nolan. Stripping away the bells and whistles to reveal an ultra-realistic urban vigilante, Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy delivered the most grounded, menacing Batman movies yet… until Matt Reeves came along with The Batman.

Reinventing what was originally a DCEU project directed by and starring Ben Affleck, Reeves cast Robert Pattinson as a Year Two Batman for the modern generation and completely overhauled the existing script, adding Riddler — played by Paul Dano — as his main villain. Though neither franchise could be described as cheerful, The Batman’s darkness is a different brand of black compared to Nolan’s trilogy — less militaristic, more in touch with the “D” of “DC,” and leaning ever-so-slightly toward the psychological portrait stylings of 2019’s .

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Inevitably, however, parallels can still be drawn between the Nolan and Reeves eras of . Both peddle a grimmer superhero vision, both strive for a realism Tim Burton and Zack Snyder forsook, and Dano’s Riddler embarks on a campaign of guerrilla-style terror rather reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s iconic Joker from The Dark Knight. And it’s this villainous juxtaposition that recalls — then quickly disproves — a Christopher Nolan comparison between Joker and Riddler.

Why Christopher Nolan Didn’t Want Riddler In The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan didn’t begin working on The Dark Knight with a third movie in mind, but when his Batman sequel premiered to stratospheric success, a trilogy become inevitable. Were it not for the tragic passing of Heath Ledger, Joker himself might’ve returned for The Dark Knight Rises, but the bitter reality left no option but to select another rogue from Batman’s gallery. The Dark Knight Rises ultimately shunted Bane into the main antagonist spot, but The Riddler was both heavily rumored and strongly considered, with Warner Bros. especially keen on bringing DC’s Emerald Enigma back to the movies for the first time since Jim Carrey in 1995’s Batman Forever. Media reports even attached Nolan favorite Leonardo DiCaprio to the role, but one major stumbling block stood in the way… Christopher Nolan himself.

For The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan sought to get as far from The Joker as realistically possible, picking Bane on the basis of wanting a “ physical” threat for Christian Bale’s Caped Crusader, rather than a crossword fanatic who never lifted a weight in his life. More infamously, Nolan also suggested Riddler was a watered-down version of The Joker, and that their innate similarity prompted Bane’s selection as the polar opposite to both.

At the most basic level, Nolan may have a point. Joker and Riddler are both dangerous because of their brains, rather than their brawn or weaponry, and both are notoriously kooky souls one bat short of a colony. In a sense, The Batman actually proves Nolan’s point. Though you could hardly say he’s watered-down, Paul Dano’s Riddler undeniably sings from the same hymn sheet as Heath Ledger’s Joker — even if said sheet is upside-down and has question marks where the quavers should be. Both target important figures in Gotham, both enjoy playing games with Bruce/Batman, and both are using the fine(ish) people of Gotham to prove a philosophical point. Just as audiences might be coming around to Christopher Nolan’s way of thinking, however, The Batman’s sequel stinger proves vehemently otherwise.

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The Batman’s Sequel Tease Proves Joker & Riddler CAN Be Distinct

The Batman avoids your stereotypical superhero happy ending, but Robert Pattinson’s Very Dark Knight at least locks up Riddler in Arkham successfully. Alas, Bruce might’ve just doubled his trouble, as The Riddler meets a fellow inmate who, despite Reeves’ aura of ambiguity, is very clearly Batman’s greatest enemy and the most famous comic book villain of all time — the dreaded… Unnamed Arkham Prisoner! Subterfuge aside, The Batman’s ending plainly teases a partnership between Joker and Riddler by having the Clown Prince of Crime drop a riddle with “a friend” as the answer.

The scene flies in the face of Christopher Nolan’s assertion that Joker and Riddler share too much DNA to coexist from one movie to the next. Whereas Nolan refused Warner Bros’ hopes of following up Joker in The Dark Knight with Riddler in The Dark Knight Rises, Matt Reeves seems confident hopping straight from Riddler in The Batman to Joker in The Batman 2. Indeed, he’s going one better — if the team-up tease bears fruit, they’ll be pestering Robert Pattinson in Reeves’ sequel together.

If Matt Reeves subscribed to Nolan’s belief that Riddler and Joker were two birds of an especially dastardly feather, he wouldn’t be teaming them in The Batman 2. Moreover, there wouldn’t be such excitement surrounding this terrible tandem’s potential (nor would Reeves bother attempting it) if Riddler was just The Joker with greener clothes. Instead, The Batman proves individual interpretations of comic book villains are more important than the villains themselves. In other words, it’s not who the characters are, but what each interpretation does that defines them…

Christopher Nolan is correct in the sense that Riddler and Joker can be presented in very similar lights — eccentric, cerebral, ideology-driven oddballs who go down like soggy cardboard boxes after one punch from Batman. The crossover between Paul Dano and Heath Ledger confirms this. But by uniting the two villains, The Batman also confirms Riddler and Joker are two malleable creations blessed with such a diverse range of comic characterizations, they can coexist within the same movie franchise (within the same individual movie, even) without treading on each other’s toes.

Related: Every Riddle In The Batman Explained

How Riddler & Joker Could Coexist In The Batman 2 (And In Nolan’s Trilogy)

With Matt Reeves staking his claim that Riddler and Joker can work together onscreen, The Batman 2 needs to create a formidable partnership where one side isn’t interchangeable with the other. Paul Dano’s Riddler is already established in The Batman’s mythos, so the onus falls squarely upon Barry Keoghan’s Joker to do something different. Tonal parallels between Dano and Heath Ledger’s respective villain performances mean Keoghan’s Joker can’t fall too close to his counterpart from The Dark Knight, but Riddler’s Zodiac Killer inspirations mean “serial killer Joker” isn’t an option either.

However, Dano’s Riddler and Ledger’s Joker both thrive as lonely, lost vagabonds on a personal crusade. Other incarnations of Joker rely on their charm and uncanny ability to manipulate others into doing their bidding. By tapping up his new Arkham ally, The Batman’s Joker is already pointing toward that direction, and Barry Keoghan’s 5-minute deleted scene continues to push the idea of a Joker brimming with interpersonal magnetism and dark confidence. In The Batman 2, we could see Joker as the outward-facing mouthpiece, while Riddler plays the mastermind loner, with both trying their damnedest to avoid being betrayed by the other. Dano and Keoghan would then feel tangibly distinct in a way Christopher Nolan’s reason for passing on Riddler suggested wasn’t possible.

If The Batman 2 can juggle Riddler and Joker successfully, could The Dark Knight Rises have pulled the same trick, rather than taking a punt on Bane? Is there a version of Riddler in DC’s considerable comic lore that wouldn’t have triggered flashbacks to Heath Ledger? One of DC’s best Riddler depictions comes in Detective Comics #822, where an amnesic Ed Nigma reforms, channeling his immense intelligence as a consulting detective. More flamboyant than Batman and always teetering on a return to crime, Nigma is like Sherlock Holmes gone wrong. This version of Riddler is a million miles from Heath Ledger’s Joker, and maybe could’ve given Christopher Nolan food for thought ahead of The Dark Knight Rises — Riddler as an amateur, celebrity sleuth who begins committing his own crimes when solving them isn’t enough.

Many DC followers always believed Christopher Nolan’s Riddler dismissal was somewhat unwarranted. By daring to bring the perilous pair together in a future sequel, The Batman finally proves it.

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Originally published at https://screenrant.com on April 12, 2022.