Zack Snyder’s first image of Batman Vs Superman’s Ben Affleck as Batman alongside his Batmobile was lapped up eagerly by moviegoers on Tuesday, but this was only exacerbated when eagle-eyed film fans insisted that they’d spotted The Joker in the midst of the image.
Snyder’s picture instantly went viral after it was unveiled by the director, but conspiracy theorists immediately leapt upon a face that they thought they saw in the smoke alongside the Batmobile.
Twitter soon became awash with posts about the spotting:
Does anyone else see a face in the smoke behind #Batfleck ? Joker? Deathstroke? #BatmanvsSuperman #Batmobile pic.twitter.com/FVWseIDmfm
— SuperHeroStuff.com (@SuperHeroStuff) May 13, 2014
Did anyone else see the Joker in the smoke in the new batman image?
@denofgeek Someone must have mentioned it, but is that the face of the joker to the left of him? Around where the wheel would be.
— Chris James (@Chris_James08) May 13, 2014
— geezus (@geezusHTX) May 13, 2014
That’s totally the Joker. #Batman @ZackSnyder pic.twitter.com/up0v2V59XC — Bill Schultz (@iamBillSchultz) May 13, 2014
Just behind Batman. The Joker’s face? pic.twitter.com/C0UCfrFSHH
— Bad Wilf (@BadWilf) May 13, 2014
Umm what is that on Batfleck’s right? A Joker figurine? — Bradley Russell (@1BradleyRussell) May 13, 2014
Unfortunately for Batman vs Superman fans who are dying to see the return of the iconic villain, who was previously played by Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger in 1989’s Batman and 2008’s The Dark Knight , there’s just one slight problem… the supposed face in the smoke is actually just the Batmobile’s wheel.
It looks as though comic-book aficionados are just seeing what they want to see. Or maybe they’re not. Maybe this is Snyder’s way of informing the public that The Joker will join Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor as one of Batman vs Superman’s foes in the 2016 blockbuster. However, it seems highly unlikely that Warner Bros would allow Snyder to make such a huge revelation in such a peculiar manner.
Those of you who really want to get their Joker fix should tune into FOX’s upcoming show Gotham , which will tell the tale of how a young, orphaned, Bruce Wayne turned into Batman.
A new cast image for the hugely anticipated adaptation has teased the popular foe’s appearance as it featured the Clown Prince of Crime’s calling card. Previously, Bruno Heller confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that The Joker would feature in Gotham at some point, explaining, “He’s the crown jewel of the Batman villains. He will be brought in with great care and a lot of thought.”
[Images via DC & @ZackSnyder]
