Barry Keoghan is easily one of our biggest actors right now. The star brought Druig to life in Chloé Zhao’s Eternals for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and after a filmography that includes The Green Knight, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, and more, he’s got a bright future ahead of him—which might include the upcoming DC Comics film The Batman.
Warner Bros. has done a pretty great job keeping secrets about the film under wraps, and now, many want to know whether or not Keoghan is actually in The Batman, and while there is a lot about the film we don’t know, the quick answer is simple: seems like it!
According to all pages like Letterboxd and IMDb, yes, he Is. And the theory is that he’s briefly in the movie as an unnamed villain (like the Joker), even though he has been labeled as an “Unseen Arkham prisoner.” We don’t know for sure who he is, but Keoghan is a big enough name that having him labeled in this way means that they’re probably trying to keep something hidden. But it is a pretty good clue to his involvement of the film.
We also know he’s in the movie because Keoghan posted about it on his Instagram page, writing “Proud of this one…” under a picture of The Batman logo without any other information about the film.
What Arkham prisoner?
The current theory going around the internet is that Keoghan is playing Joker, and while I am very much Jokered out, I do think that he’d have a great take on the role. We don’t need more of the king of chaos, but having Barry Keoghan take on the Clown Prince of Crime might be the fresh take on the character that many fans need (myself included).
He could simply be a prisoner, or he could be some other villain we’re not thinking of, but whoever Keoghan ends up playing, fans should be excited to see his take on the characters in the world of Gotham. Keoghan’s energy is, honestly, a perfect fit for it.
The power of Keoghan
There’s something about Barry Keoghan that both intrigues and frightens you as an audience member. The reason he worked so well as Druig in Eternals is that he brought balance to the darker parts of Druig’s power and showed the turmoil that exists within him. If Keoghan is playing one of Batman’s Rogues’ Gallery (whether in this film or a future one in this same universe), we’re in for quite a ride. Both Eternals and The Green Knight gave us a look into Keoghan’s ability to play a darker role, and still, he was charming—a dangerous combination for any role but especially in the world of Gotham.
So, whether he’s actually playing Joker or another of Batman’s bigger foes is unknown. What we do know is that we can expect to see Barry Keoghan in The Batman, and that should delight fans of both him and the Batman series as a whole.
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
