Since the announcement of Keoghan’s role as Merkel over a year ago, his brother Eric has sparked rumors that Keoghan might appear as a different character in The Batman. In the now-deleted post, Eric positively responded to a rumor about Keoghan taking on the Joker, saying that news of his brother’s role was “finally out.”
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The rumors over Keoghan’s role have continued to be just that, but artist m.design34 has imagined Keoghan as the Joker. The created image of Keoghan draws directly from the signature Joker look. Keoghan’s suit jacket has been transformed into the vibrant shade of purple often associated with the Batman villain. Keoghan’s face has also been made-up to fit the role of the infamous Clown Prince of Crime. His face has been paled to match the iconic white paint worn by the Joker and the signature red smile adorns the lower half of Keoghan’s face. To help create the intimidating appearance of the Joker, Keoghan’s eyes are a vibrant shade of green to reflect the shade of his hair.
Whether Keoghan appears in The Batman as the Joker or merely as the role of Merkel, Keoghan is no stranger to superhero films. Over a month ago, Keoghan debuted in Marvel Studios’ Eternals as the cunning and rather daunting character of Druig. If Keoghan does take on the intimidating character of the Joker, it wouldn’t be Keoghan’s first time performing an unnerving role. In 2017, Keoghan starred as Martin, the terrifying opponent of the Murphy family in The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Keoghan’s haunting performance in the film is one piece of evidence that attests to what he could bring to the role of the Joker.
As it currently stands, the Joker isn’t officially listed as a character in The Batman. Instead, Batman villains like The Riddler (Paul Dano) and Penguin (Colin Farrell) have been announced as the Caped Crusader’s main opponents. They will be joined by Zoë Kravitz’s Catwoman, who is known to toe both sides of the moral line. Typically, the Joker is one of the focal villains of any Batman adaptation, meaning that even if he doesn’t appear in The Batman, he may still appear in the future.
The recent release of the Japanese trailer for The Batman has added to rumors that the Joker will appear in Robert Pattinson’s Batman film. A creepy smiling face behind Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne in a photograph has served as a hint to some fans that the Joker will make an appearance. At the end of the new trailer, Batman does visit a prisoner who begins to laugh in a manner similar to the Joker. Since Keoghan has still gone largely unseen in The Batman’s teasers, it doesn’t discredit the fan theories or art about his potential role as the Joker.
The Batman will release in theaters on March 4, 2022.
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Source: m.design34/nstagram
