Key Takeaways
- The DCU should resist creating a Joker spinoff due to overexposure concerns.
- Keep Joker in films as his backstory has been well-covered.
- Focus on underrepresented DC characters like Selina Kyle for future spinoffs instead of the Joker.
Now that the first season of The Penguin is all the way out there, it’s time to once again look at just what an accomplishment that spinoff series of The Batman was. There were some who thought that the DCU going in the same direction as the MCU with these spinoff shows that were meant to complement certain characters while also moving the story forward might not be the best idea. After all, the MCU has had some excellent shows here and there, but it’s had plenty of misses, too. And with James Gunn just restarting the DCU once he took over, it seemed a bit fragile.
However, as it turned out, The Penguin was one of the best shows on television this year. It was in fact, one of the best shows on television in quite a few years. And with showrunner Lauren LeFranc’s success with the series and Matt Reeves laying out The Batmanverse, there are bound to be more spinoff shows in the works. While that’s almost certainly a good thing, there is something Gunn and his crew need to be careful about. There is one character that should not get his own spinoff series because it’s simply not needed.
Related
The Penguin Season 2 Gets A Cryptic Update
The final episode of The Penguin has officially aired. Now fans are wondering if a Season 2 is in the cards.
The DCU Needs To Fight This Urge
Not long after it became clear that The Penguin was a big hit, rumors sparked up that there would indeed be another The Batman spinoff series. And while it seems likely there will indeed be another spinoff at some point, the rumors claimed they had nailed down what the focus of the spinoff would be. And that spinoff was supposed to be focused on the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. Luckily, James Gunn eventually shot that talk down. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the pressure to make a series about the character is going to only intensify when The Batman Part 2 hits theaters and the focus on another spinoff heats up.
That pressure might especially ramp up if the talk that The Joker is going to be in the background for a second installment and then will finally be the main villain in The Batman Part 3. There will be some who want to see the character get fleshed out in its own spinoff series before that movie really puts him front and center. But Gunn needs to make sure and not bow down to those demands.
Keep Joker In The Movies
There’s one big reason why Joker simply doesn’t need his own series. The character is one of the most overexposed characters in comic book movies. There have been so many actors who have taken on the role that there’s little that isn’t known about him. And while some might think it would be interesting to do a deep dive in his origin story, or even a kind of rise to power like The Penguin was, it’s worth noting that’s been done before.
While Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker isn’t anywhere close to DCU canon, his story is relatively recent and it has give a sort of backstory that audiences can now attach to any Joker character that’s on the big screen. And then of course, there’s the fact that Joker 2 was a massive financial failure and was deeply unlike by critics. It would make sense if James Gunn wanted to prove he could sort of rejuvenate and rehabilitate the character. He should fight that urge as long as he possibly can. The good news is that it feels like at least for now, he understands that there are plenty of other characters that could get their own spinoffs instead.
Underrepresented Characters Need More Focus
It seems as though Gunn and company aren’t sold on just who is going to get the next spinoff series. There have already been a couple that were axed before they even started production. That might be good news for people who are hoping for the focus to be on more interesting characters than the Joker.
It seems as though Gunn and company aren’t sold on just who is going to get the next spinoff series.
One character that could get herself a The Batman spinoff would be Selina Kyle. She was a prominent character in the original movie and may do so again in The Batman Part 2. She also made a very small appearance in The Penguin and she could end up being the connective tissue of yet another spinoff.
There are other characters in the Batverse that could be quite interesting as well. Mr. Freeze but more realistic would be quite interesting. King Shark but far more human could be worth a go as well. Bane is getting his own movie, but a series focusing on him would be worth a shot too. There are plenty of characters in the DC Comics universe that would make a great spinoff in the vein of The Penguin and Gunn can stay away from the Joker until the movies.
Created by Lauren LeFranc and starring Colin Farrell, The Penguin builds on 2022’s The Batman. The Max series chronicles the eponymous villain’s attempt to reach Gotham’s criminal peak, rising through the underworld in the middle of a power struggle.
More
The Penguin Doesn’t Need A Season 2
With The Penguin season 2 being discussed by showrunner Lauren LeFranc, there’s a strong argument for HBO leaving the show as a miniseries.