Batwoman Name-Drops The Joker and The Penguin in “I’ll Be Judge, I’ll Be Jury”

Batwoman has gone to some pretty interesting territory in the month-long time it has spent on air, as Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) has transformed into Gotham City’s newest protector. This week’s installment was no exception, pitting Kate against an unsettling foe in the form of The Executioner. In the process, the series dropped some pretty significant references to DC Comics lore, including naming a fictional street in Gotham after comic writer Greg Rucka, who co-created the modern day take on Kate Kane. In addition, there were nods to some of Gotham’s other antagonists — including two major Batman villains. Spoilers for this week’s episode of Batwoman, “I’ll Be Judge, I’ll Be Jury” below! Only look if you want to know!

The episode opened with the death of Angus Stanton, a District Attorney who was violently electrocuted to death by The Executioner. Despite the murder being in their jurisdiction, The Crows didn’t hear about Stanton’s murder until it was reported on television. During the report, a newscaster began to list Stanton’s resume as a city official, which included putting a wide array of criminals behind bars — including Jack Napier, the alias of The Joker.

While The Joker’s real name is usually an ambiguous fixture of DC Comics lore (something that the recent Joker movie acknowledges), several iterations of the character have used the name “Jack Napier” as some sort of alias. The name, which is a tribute to actors Jack Nicholson and Alan Napier, was originally created for Tim Burton’s Batman movie and has since been used in Batman: The Animated Series, Gotham Noir, and Batman: White Knight.

This isn’t the first time that The Joker has factored into Batwoman thus far, as the car accident that broke apart Kate’s family as a child was set in motion by the villain driving a bus Speed-style. Still, this name-drop adds an interesting layer to the Arrowverse’s version of Gotham City, as well as to the universe’s Clown Prince of Crime.

Later on in the episode, Kate and Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson) are investigating a potential identity for The Executioner, and realize that he is killing his victims using various forms of capital punishment. Luke begins to research the three kinds of punishment used — one of which was implemented in Gotham under “Mayor Cobblepot”. For an array of DC fans, that reference will surely raise some eyebrows, as it confirms that Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin exists to some degree within the Arrowverse.

Beginning in the New 52 era, Cobblepot was elected the Mayor of Gotham City, and used his power to benefit himself and his fellow supervillains. This idea of Cobblepot being mayor has extended into Batman: Earth One, Gotham, and Danny DeVito’s portrayal of The Penguin in Batman Returns. Although it’s unclear if Cobblepot actually operated as The Penguin during his time in the city, the notion that he became a prominent figure at all is certainly interesting.

Batwoman airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.