The Ominous Detail In Joker's Deleted Scene From The Batman You Probably Missed

Upon watching "The Batman," it's understandable if there were fans out there wanting more of Barry Keoghan's mysterious Arkham prisoner. Granted, it was fairly obvious right out of the gate that he was supposed to be the latest iteration of Joker by his terrifying laugh. Fortunately, fans wanting more were in luck when director Matt Reeves released a deleted scene featuring an interaction between the Dark Knight, played by Robert Pattinson, and this prisoner he clearly has a history with. 

The scene spans five minutes and plays like a sequence out of "Silence of the Lambs." Batman wants more information on Riddler (Paul Dano), finding himself at an impasse about what route to pursue next. Joker understands the psyche of a madman better than most, and he's able to give Batman some clues as to Riddler's true identity. It's just one in a long line of great Batman/Joker interactions, and similarly to what's come before, there are plenty of Easter eggs in the scene if you know where to look. And fans have picked up on one such detail that's bound to send shivers down your spine.

"The Batman" establishes that its titular vigilante still has a thing or two to learn about being a superhero. He's only in his second year doing this, and apparently, he needs a refresher on how you shouldn't hand madmen potential weapons. 

The deleted sequence entails Batman handing over an envelope filled with files on Riddler to Joker. Joker pores over these papers, offering his twisted brand of insight into the matter. After a bit of back and forth, Joker hands the files back to Batman, and in a quick blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, we see the file Joker has handed back. Some eagle-eyed fans noticed that when Joker handed the folder back, one of the paper clips holding the front photo in place was missing. Namely, Twitter user @Hawkmansworld pointed it out, and it's a chilling Easter egg that hints at how Joker could make his grand escape from Arkham.

It's certainly not out of the question that Joker pocketed a paper clip, which he could easily fashion into a weapon if he wanted. It remains to be seen if this development will pay off in the upcoming "Arkham Asylum" series coming to HBO Max or if it will remain an intriguing "What if" question.