While the Joker was teased at the end of The Batman, The Penguin made it clear that he’s a villain worth working up to, and there are plenty of other worthy options that deserve the spotlight. So, hear me out, the DCU is preparing to introduce big heroes like Superman, and the Elseworlds projects are already covering stories around Batman, such as The Penguin, and even the Todd Phillips Joker movies. While the Joker is evidently one of the villains who get the most attention from the Batverse, it isn’t the same as being the only worthy villain whose story is interesting.
The Penguin made it perfectly clear how intriguing those other villains could be, and provided a large-scale backstory for Oz Cobb that saw him engage with several other villains. On top of that, The Batman already played with a couple of villains, with the Riddler being front and center, but it’s clear that Gotham is already in complete turmoil. The Joker is currently locked up in prison with the Riddler, and there is plenty of time for Batman to sharpen his skills, and become a more efficient vigilante for justice. It just doesn’t feel like its the right time to bring in the Joker, when so many other plates are spinning in the air.
The Joker’s Movie History Places The Batman’s Villain In A Complicated Position
The Joker Has Been Appearing A Lot In The Last 20 Years
And on top of that, the Joker has become a saturated and washed out figure in recent years. Since Heath Ledger’s stunning performance in The Dark Knight, the villain’s popularity has soared to incredible new heights. He became a feature in new cartoons, like the adult animated series Harley Quinn. Jared Leto played the character in Suicide Squad, versions of the character were presented in Gotham, and an incredibly popular version rose in Joker, before falling flat in Joker: Folie à Deux. The Joker is a great villain, but he is by no means the only villain.
Even before The Batman was properly established as a franchise, Matt Reeves gave into the Joker hype, casting Barry Keoghan in the role a long time before they would ever actually use the character in a more prominent way. The Joker is now kind of stale, with so many versions and adaptations that the character hasn’t had time to breathe and become fresh once more. If Matt Reeves really wants to capitalize on the Joker when the time is right, then it should be something that is built up, and handled with care. For goodness’ sake, Batman is barely able to solve a case on his own. Pitting him against the Joker too soon could spell disaster.
The Penguin Truly Proved That The Batman Universe Doesn’t Need Joker Front & Center
There Are Plenty More Villains In Gotham
Meanwhile, The Penguin took a character who is evidently not obscure. There have been plenty of versions of Penguin too, but he doesn’t command the same level of praise as the Joker most of the time, and they make him a masterpiece. From beginning to end, The Penguin series was gripping, and learning more about Oz Cobb’s brutality, his manipulation, his greed, and his struggle for power was intoxicating. I couldn’t look away, and that extends to the moment when Penguin commits his terrible act in the finale towards poor young Victor. Penguin is usually a quivering wimp, with a mean evil streak, but it’s rare to be intimidated by him.
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Colin Farrell’s portrayal of the character was honestly a revelation, and that is not simply because of our shared Irish nationality and pride, but the man transformed for this role. Penguin went from a henchman, to a mob boss, and every moment of that journey was believable, powerful, and terrifying. With that in mind, does The Batman Part II really need to bring in the ‘big guns’ right away? If anything, bringing the Joker in too early may be a disservice to the character, and present either too much of a challenge for Batman, or create a story that paints the Joker as being too weak for what he could actually become down the road.
Matt Reeves Understands How To Develop Villains
Fortunately, it appears that Matt Reeves is already considering this, and not planning to rush into using the character. Yes, he did introduce him already, which was probably immature, but Matt Reeves has recently commented about what it takes to create these villains, and it looks promising for the character of the Joker not being quite ready for the sequel. Rather than rush in, and simply go bigger with the character of the Joker, Reeves’ comments suggest that he wants to create a unique version that will stand out, resonate with fans of the character, and still feel fresh. This is exactly what they were able to accomplish with the Penguin, so not doing the same for the Joker would feel like a step down in terms of quality.
Matt Reeves: Anytime you’re going to approach any of these characters, you have to find a fresh way to do it. So that makes it incredibly daunting. At the same time, this version of Penguin is a version of Penguin that no one had ever seen. The only way to do it is to feel like you’re earning your place because otherwise you’re just doing more, and people are going like, “Well, we’ve seen it, so what do you got for us?” So how can it be the thing we love, but also something we haven’t seen? That’s always the challenge. So with a character like that, that would have to be the bar.
Instead, the Penguin is now positioned in a strong place to be an important player in The Batman Part II. Having just taken over organized crime in the city, Penguin has moved up the list of Gotham’s most wanted. If Batman is trying to put a stop to this problem, he could go after Penguin. However, Penguin is careful, and likely to keep his hands clean whenever possible. With that in mind, Batman might have better look at hunting down some other criminals, and dealing with whatever villain is making the most noise. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense to drag the Joker in at this point.
I Want The Batman To Save Its Joker Story For When It Would Have The Most Impact
There Is A Much Better Way To Bring The Joker Into The Batverse
Instead, I think it works out perfectly that the Joker is currently sitting in a jail cell, next to Riddler, and conspiring about how they could shake up Gotham down the road. In the next movie, why not toss the bad guy who gets captured there into another cell in the same row, and start building towards something that could be so much bigger than the sum of its parts. Matt Reeves needs to take his time with the Joker. It’s not clear how long the Reeves Batverse will live for, or how it will continue to compete with the DCU’s version when it arrives, but he could keep the audience hooked if he plays it right.
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Nolan used the Joker in his second entry, and due to the tragic loss of Ledger, he was unable to return for the threequel. If Reeves continues building towards Gotham’s darkest day, with all the most terrifying villains getting prepared to take down Batman, it could be an Avengers-level movie. However, that takes patience and hard work. Fortunately, the groundwork has already been laid with The Batman introducing the character, The Penguin defined the world of Gotham, and The Batman Part II can put the next puzzle pieces in place. After that, it could be the perfect time to get the Joker involved.
The Batman Part II is the sequel to Matt Reeve’s The Batman, released in 2022, and will continue where the original film left off. The film shares a universe with the HBO Max original Penguin series and sees the return of the Riddler and a different incarnation of the Joker.
- Release Date
- October 2, 2026
- Studio(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures , DC Films
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
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