While comic book capers are in a bit of a funk right now, there’s a glimmer of hope in the form of Lauren LeFranc’s The Penguin, a spinoff of director Matt Reeves' 2022 film The Batman. Joker: Folie à Deux might not have lived up to the impressive standard set by 2019’s Joker, but The Penguin is being praised as one of the best TV shows around.
It feels like only yesterday that Colin Farrell’s portly Penguin waddled into our lives in The Batman, and although some were originally skeptical of spinning Reeves’ world out into more live-action projects, this gritty crime drama with nods to The Godfather and The Sopranos has rightly earned its place as one of Gotham’s greatest.
More than just stellar performances from Farrell and Cristin Milioti (playing Sofia Falcone), The Penguin has turned into an Easter egg hunt worthy of the Dark Knight himself. We know Reeves is coming back to direct The Batman Part II, and while details about who Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader will be going up against are being kept under wraps, The Penguin has given us some tantalizing teases of other villains on their way up in Gotham City.
Doctor Hugo Strange or Scarecrow?
One of The Penguin's big mysteries is the real motives behind Doctor Julian Rush (Theo Rossi), a doctor at Arkham State Hospital who helped Sofia Falcone survive after she was committed against her will. There’s no character of the same name in DC Comics. However, much like Reeves reimagined Oswald Cobblepott as Oz Cobb and Edward Nigma as Edward Nashton, eagle-eyed fans think Dr. Rush is a famous Batman foe waiting in the wings.
Due to Rush’s connections to Arkham State Hospital, there are theories that he could be the maniacal Doctor Hugo Strange or Doctor Jonathan Crane, aka the Scarecrow. We first met Rush as Sofia Falcone's psychiatrist, and given that Rush bombarded her with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, we know he’s not averse to using experimental techniques akin to both Strange and Crane.
Rush also seemingly has ties to the new drug known as Bliss. Sofia confirmed that these mystery mushrooms came from Arkham, and with their psychedelic effects, some think they could be used to make Scarecrow’s infamous Fear Toxin.
Remembering how something like this plotline was used in Christopher Nolan’s 2005 film Batman Begins, we don’t see Reeves trying to give us another take on Scarecrow so (relatively) soon after Cillian Murphy played the character in those movies. But Doctor Hugo Strange isn't as popular a villain, so perhaps Julian Rush will take on his role from the comics.
Mister Bloom and Poison Ivy
Bliss’ floral properties could hint at another famous enemy from Batman’s rogues gallery: Episode 3 debuted Tyler Bunch as Trey Bloom, who seems like a more grounded take on Mister Bloom from the comics. Created for 2015’s Batman #43, Mister Bloom tried to destroy Gotham through the creation of a league of metahumans. "Trey Bloom" could be a reference to this character.
Others have noted the idea of growing mushrooms and using them to drug the people of Gotham could be connected to the villain Poison Ivy. Doctor Pamela Isley, who's crimes are often themed around plants, is about as iconic as they come in terms of Batman villains, and after Uma Thurman’s campy take on the character for 1997’s Batman & Robin, there are calls to redeem her via another live-action adventure.
Two versions of Poison Ivy appeared in the TV show Batwoman, while she was reimagined as a plucky street kid in the show Gotham. The character has found a whole new fans thanks to her appearance in the Harley Quinn animated series. She could be anything from a potential love interest to a full-blown adversary of Pattinson’s Batman.
It's even possible Poison Ivy could get a TV spinoff of her own. The Penguin director Craig Zobel speculated as much while talking to Inverse: "Which other rogue would I like? I think that I would love to see Matt Reeves' universe version of Poison Ivy," he said. "I think that would be cool."
Clayface
The high-profile casting of Carmen Ejogo as a sex worker named Eve Karlo has led fans to think The Penguin is hiding another major player in plain sight. Even though we’ve seen relatively little of her as Oz’s girlfriend, the name "Eve Karlo" has fans looking to the comics.
Over the years, there have been several characters who take on the mantle of the villain Clayface. But of them all, Boris Karlo is the most famous. Introduced all the way back in 1940s Detective Comics #40, Karlo was a washed-up actor who eventually became the shapeshifting villain. Could Eve Karlo be his daughter or an altogether reimagined version of Clayface?
The Hollywood Handle has even picked up on the potential link between Eve Karlo and Boris Karlo, with director Craig Zobel saying he’d like to see a grounded take on Clayface as a makeup artist. After Clayface appeared in minor live-action roles in the likes of Birds of Prey and Gotham, he’s grown in popularity thanks to Harley Quinn. Even if he's not the main villain in The Batman Part II, a gender-flipped take on Clayface feels made for this world.
Summer Gleeson and the Gotham Gazette
Someone we know won’t be back for more is Nadine Malouf as Summer Gleeson. Back when the Batman movies were still riding high on the success of Tim Burton’s outings, there were plans for Batman: The Animated Series to tie closer to these live-action movies. First appearing in the beloved episode “Heart of Ice,” Summer Gleeson was a reporter working for the Gotham Gazette.
Gleeson was created as an in-world replacement for journalist Vicki Vale, who was played by Kim Basinger in 1989’s Batman. The Gotham Gazette featured numerous times in Matt Reeves The Batman, and although Gleeson was new to The Penguin, she was sadly killed off as soon as we met her. Gleeson was one of the women killed by Carmine Falcone (Mark Strong) and became the victim used to wrongly frame Sofia as The Hangman.
Reeves has already said he wants more grounded villains in his Batman universe, telling SFX Magazine (via Variety) how Gentleman Ghost is unlikely to make an appearance. The current rumors are that The Batman Part II could be facing a cold snap, presumably setting up Mister Freeze for the sequel. Arnold Schwarzenegger's iteration of the character in Batman & Robin was as laughable as Thurman’s Poison Ivy, and with fans calling for redemption, we’d love to see Reeves reimagine a more realistic version of him.
There’s still more to come from The Penguin, with theories that Pattinson’s Batman will pop up before the final credits roll. Many of the potential villains we've mentioned above could have a part to play in The Batman Part II, but if we’ve learned anything from the likes of Spider-Man 3 and Batman & Robin, it’s that villain overkill can ruin a sequel. While we're confident that Reeves can deliver another realistic take on the brooding Batman, it’s anyone’s guess about who’ll be giving the Dark Knight a run for his money next time around.
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