9 Possible Reasons The Joker Scene Got Cut Out From The Batman
3. Joker's Presence Takes Away From The Riddler
Everybody knows that The Joker is Batman’s arch-nemesis; an event of his own. If he appears cackling in front of The Dark Knight early on in the movie, we are always going to wonder, "when is The Joker going to appear next?" So what does that make of The Riddler?
When planning Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm realized that writing Luke Skywalker within the narrative took away from the new characters because all the audience was going to think about was when Luke Skywalker was going to appear next. Lucasfilm’s solution was to reserve Luke’s appearance for only a glimpse at the very end. It is wise that Matt Reeves’ The Batman made a similar choice with The Joker.
Never underestimate The Joker’s charisma. If the deleted scene remained in the movie, The Joker might have overshadowed Paul Dano’s wonderful take on The Riddler. The Riddler is a star, he shines brightest alone. An argument can be made that The Joker’s brief glimpse already made the Riddler’s light slightly dimmer.