Was That [SPOILER] in the Last Scene of 'The Batman'? Here's What We Know

A disembodied voice tries to soothe the Riddler (Paul Dano), the evil antagonist whose finely-tuned masterplan turns out to be a major flop, in the last scene of The Batman. His titillating chatter and clever remarks have already had an impact on fans, but it was his trademark laughter that has sparked new conversations. Did the Joker make a brief appearance in the ending of The Batman? Who plays the character?

The Unnamed Arkham Prisoner steps on the scene as a surprisingly wise person who is currently being held at the Arkham Asylum. As luck would have it, he is next-door neighbors with the Riddler. The Unnamed Arkham Prisoner and the Riddler exchange a few words with each other in the last scene of the movie. He reminds the Riddler that the good people of Gotham love nothing more than a comeback story.

"One day you're on top, the next you’re a clown," the Unnamed Arkham Prisoner tells the Riddler. The Unnamed Arkham Prisoner then proceeds to try and cheer him up by reminding him that fable-worthy resurrections are all the rage in Gotham. "Don’t be sad; you did so well! And you know Gotham loves a comeback story," he says.

A mightily talented actor, Barry Keoghan garnered considerable critical acclaim with his portrayal of Wayne in Love/Hate. He played Cormac McDevitt in Rebellion, a historical drama created by Colin Teevan, and Pavel in Chernobyl, Johan Renck's miniseries revisiting the nuclear disaster.

Chloé Zhao's Eternals marked one of the first comic book adaptations the actor ever appeared in. In Eternals, Barry portrayed Druig, a sworn nihilist. His latest role in The Batman is far more intriguing because it could pave the way for something far meatier in the yet-to-be-announced continuation of the story.

Matt Reeves, the director of The Batman, emphasized that the Unnamed Arkham Prisoner has to be clad in an aura of mystery in a recent interview with Digital Spy.

"The scene [isn't] meant to say that's the next movie or that's the character we're going to do. It was more this idea of a tease and a nod to people who love this world to say that, 'Oh my gosh, I think that's that character,'" Matt explained. "He's not even called the character you're referring to, he's the unseen Arkham prisoner because the idea is it's meant to tease you and say, 'Is that what that is?'"

In other words, Matt refused to share further details about where things are headed for the Unnamed Arkham Prisoner, The Batman, and the Riddler. Further news about a sequel has yet to be shared. But fans shouldn't fret too much.

A The Batman spinoff series starring Colin Farrell as Penguin and a series spotlighting the Gotham Police Department have already been announced, according to Digital Spy.

The Batman is out in cinemas now.