WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for "Bat Girl Magic," the latest episode of Batwoman, which aired Sunday on The CW.
Batwoman's latest episode just casually namedropped the Joker -- or one of his aliases, anyway. In "Bat Girl Magic," Crow Commander Jacob Kane hacked into his daughter Kate's phone, only to discover she was investigating a painting by none other than Jack Napier before she disappeared.
At the start of the episode, Jacob came into possession of Kate's phone, which was discovered in the wreckage of her flight home from National City. He attempted to reach Sophie and Mary for help with the passcode, but they were both unavailable. After all, Sophie had been abducted and brought to Coryana, while Mary was busy with her clinic and escaping hitman Victor Zsasz. As such, he turned to the Crows' tech crew, who unlocked it by the end of the episode.
As he scrolled through her photos, Jacob glimpsed a few sunsets and idyllic skylines. However, he paused when he came to a photo of an abstract, purple painting reminiscent of Jackson Pollock's work. Kate had written "Safiyah?" over it, but provided no other clues about her thinking or how the two were linked.
So, when Sophie burst into his office to share the news that Kate might be alive, Jacob brought it up to her. "Do you have any idea what in the hell Kate was doing, looking into a painting by Jack Napier?" he asked with a frown. However, Sophie ignored the question to tell him about her eventful trip to Coryana and Alice's revelation about Kate.
The name "Jack Napier" will sound familiar to fans of Tim Burton's Batman movie. In the 1989 film, Napier is the name of a Gotham mobster who has a falling out with his boss. During the subsequent confrontation between the gangsters, Gotham Police and Batman, Napier fell into a vat of chemicals, which transformed him into the Joker -- permanent smile and all. Although Joker does not have a true origin in the comics, he has occasionally used "Jack Napier" as an alias, in homage to the '89 film.
Of course, the Joker is believed dead in the Arrowverse. Last season, Luke heavily implied Batman had killed the Joker. "Ever wonder why the Joker hasn't reared his head in five years? He's not in Arkham, Kate. Both you and Bruce stared into the abyss. The question is: how long are you going to let it stare back at you?" he said at the time. He also suggested this was the reason Bruce Wayne left Gotham, because he had a crossed a line he could not return from by killing the Joker.
By namedropping Napier, Batwoman brings Joker back into viewers' consciousness. While this may certainly be just a fun reference to previous Batman adaptations, it could also offer a hint of what's to come. Kate had discovered two pieces of a puzzle, which linked Napier to Safiyah. Then, her plane was blown out of the sky, with Safiyah later insisting she had nothing to do with the accident. She also suggested to Alice that it was part of a machination by another, as-yet unseen party, who hoped to pit Safiyah and Alice against one another.
While this is mere speculation, this simple mention could set Batwoman up to bring in the Arrowverse's version of the Joker, or at least someone associated with him. Since it is unclear when the painting was created, it could have been made prior to Joker's "death." On the other hand, this may indicate that tales of Joker's death have been greatly exaggerated. Perhaps he has been lying in wait, biding his time until such time that Gotham is more vulnerable than ever. Joker's return could even pave the way for Bruce Wayne to come back, as Warren Christie played the character's lookalike in the Season 1 finale and Season 2 premiere.
RELATED: Batwoman Drops a Major Twist in Kate's Disappearance
The painting may also be a red herring. After all, Batwoman is gearing up to introduce Black Mask, so he could very well be gearing up to eliminate his competition by having them destroy each other, while getting rid of Batwoman in the process. It is unclear how or why his plans would involve the Joker's painting; however, as a crime lord in Gotham, he is sure to have at least some familiarity with the Clown Prince of Crime. He could certainly be using Joker's notoriety to distract from himself.
Batwoman's Jack Napier reference is probably more than an offhand mention. Despite that, we're unlikely to find out just what it means until later on in the season, as Ryan Wilder and the other members of Team Batwoman continue to unravel Safiyah's plans and the mystery that left Kate missing in action.
Airing Sundays at 8 pm ET/PT on The CW, Batwoman stars Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, Rachel Skarsten as Alice, Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore, Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox, Dougray Scott as Jacob Kane and Nicole Kang as Mary Hamilton-Kane.
0 Comments