Joker fans realise villain’s real name could be a sly dig at Ben Affleck’s Batman

This would be typically unsubtle of the iconic DC villain

For years, fans of the comic book villain Joker have looked for clues about the true identity of Batman's arch nemesis, and the protagonist of the upcoming feature-length film has given us an intriguing new take on that. Previously given the name Jack Napier in the 1989 Batman movie, Joker's identity in comic books has remained hidden. In the new release, coming out later this year on 4 October, Joker reveals his name to be Arthur Fleck. With the shortened version A. Fleck, fans have been quick to consider this a sly dig at former Batman actor Ben Affleck. The actor left DC's Justice League franchise earlier this year and admitted that he simply "couldn't crack it" having been targeted by critics of the film series, which failed to be a box office success amid mixed reviews. Would a film producer really toy with an iconic character's back story and history to make a cheap joke about a former actor from another film? Okay, maybe there is something in this... In Joker, Joaquin Phoenix plays the villain with Robert De Niro also appearing alongside Atlanta pair Brian Tyree Henry and Zazie Beetz, who recently appeared in Deadpool 2. The first trailer shows Phoenix engaging in Joker's characteristic creepiness and certainly not fitting in with regular society. Check it out below. https://youtu.be/t433PEQGErc