We know The CWVerse's Joker died at the hands of Batman before the Dark Knight disappeared, but it seems Batwoman is setting the stage for its own take on the Clown Prince of Crime.
Ryan Wilder's brother, Marquis, has proven himself quite an intense, potentially dangerous presence in Gotham City since first being introduced, but we learned even more about him in last night's mid-season finale. It turns out that, as a child, he was left brain-damaged when The Joker used his joy buzzer on him, and that led to Marquis developing various sociopathic tendencies.
After brutally killing Professor Pyg, Marquis - who had been kidnapped by the villain - returns home and at first appears horrified by the blood covering his hands. However, he then uses that to paint a frown on his face, later donning an orange suit and dying his hair purple to complete the look.
Talking to TV Line, actor Nick Creegan revealed how he learned about his role as The Joker. "I had a FaceTime meeting with [showrunner] Caroline Dries, and she was like, ‘Hey, Nick...there’s really no other way to say this, but you become the new Joker.’ My face was frozen, and my jaw literally dropped. I was immediately shocked, excited, scared, intimidated. I had all of the feelings all at once. So I knew right before I flew out to Vancouver to start shooting."
Adding that Joker star Joaquin Phoenix has inspired his take on the villain, the actor promised that fans of the source material will be pleased. "There are going to be certain situations, items, stories brought into the mix that the original Joker from the comic books has always had his hand on. Marquis will be tapping into certain things that will remind people of the original Joker."
This is a weird direction to take the iconic Batman baddie in, but season 3 of Batwoman appears to be all about reinventing and reimagining the Caped Crusader's greatest foes. It sounds like this Joker will make his presence felt in the mid-season premiere next year, so we'll keep you updated.