Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Penguin season 1 finale.

After the incredible exploration of Oz Cobb in The Penguin, Matt Reeves' Batverse just set the bar higher than ever for their Joker introduction. In 2022, Matt Reeves delivered a new take on the age-old Batman story on the outskirts of the DCU, with Robert Pattinson donning the cowl and patrolling the cesspit that is Gotham City. Along with Pattinson's Bruce Wayne, a handful of villains were introduced, with Paul Dano's Riddler set up as the central antagonist. However, characters like Oz Cobb, aka the Penguin, and Falcone's were also introduced.

While the debut of these characters was tantalizing and profound, the spin-off show, The Penguin, took things to a whole other level. Without Batman to rein things in, villains like Oz ran wild and free, reshaping the criminal underworld in Gotham, and things got incredibly dark. With Colin Farrell's take on Oz Cobb's eventually descending to the point of no return, performing unspeakable acts, it makes things more challenging for the Joker introduction in The Batman Part II.

The Penguin's Villain Depiction Sets A Higher Bar For The Batman's Joker

The Joker Needs To Step Up His Game

While there are plenty of Rogues in Gotham, Joker is on another level in of his violence, cruelty, anarchy, and criminal behavior. In pretty much every depiction of the character, he is the most heinous and terrifying person to appear in any given setting. This makes him a tremendous rival for Batman, as it pushes The Dark Knight to the edge of his moral code, forcing him to question the ethics of keeping the Joker alive. But with Reeves' Batverse already establishing Penguin as an absolutely despicable villain with no real moral code, it will be a challenge to make the Joker a more intimidating villain.

In the final episode of The Penguin season 1, Penguin achieves his goal of taking over Gotham, and becoming the new kingpin of crime. However, he didn't achieve this goal alone. Oz stabbed people in the back, set up innocent parties, and manipulated people into getting his way, but the entire time, he relied on and trusted a young man named Victor Aguilar. But in the final episode, Penguin strangles the boy, making him one of the most despicable villains ever seen to interact with Batman on the big screen.

The Batman Already Set Up The Perfect Backstory For A Truly Twisted Joker

The Batman's Joker Is Already Kind Of Terrifying

Now, it remains to be seen how the Joker can compare to Oz, but considering where he popped up first in The Batman, he clearly has a dark past. At the end of The Batman, Barry Keoghan's Joker is seen in a cell near the Riddler at Arkham State Hospital. Then, in a deleted scene from the film which lasts for around five minutes, Batman and Joker have a face-to-face meeting where Bats tries to pick his brain for insight into another serial killer's murders in Gotham. This shows that the pair have a pre-existing relationship, and that Joker has already done things to get locked up.

This version of the Joker is ominous, terrifying, and a dark reflection of the hero, with a key difference being his willingness to give in to his dark side. Matt Reeves' The Batman universe is already proving to be one of the darkest representations of these characters ever created, so it makes sense that his version of the Joker will be grotesque and horrifying on several levels. However, whether he can sur the truly disturbing actions of characters like Oz Cobb in The Penguin is yet to be seen.

DC Movie Releases

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  Superman

  Release Date

  July 11, 2025

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  Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

  Release Date

  June 26, 2026

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  The Batman Part II

  Release Date

  October 1, 2027

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