It took sixteen years for the Joker’s DC award streak to end, and all thanks to The Penguin. Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise is moving forward at a slow but steady pace ahead of The Batman – Part II‘s 2027 release date, with 2022’s The Batman earning more than $772 million worldwide, as well as an 85% critics score and an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Batman‘s first follow-up, The Penguin, broke viewership records and got a 95% critics score and a 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Lauren LeFranc’s The Penguin received three nominations at the 2025 Golden Globes: The Penguin was nominated for Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film, Sofia Falcone actor Cristin Millioti was nominated for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film, and Colin Farrell was nominated for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. The Penguin main star Colin Farrell won the Golden Globe for Best Actor. Farrell’s Golden Globe doesn’t only mark a momentous landmark for Matt Reeves’ and Lauren LeFranc’s The Batman, but for DC as a whole.
Colin Farrell’s Golden Globe For The Penguin Is A Much-Needed Break From The Joker Movie Trend
The Penguin Proves Joker Isn’t The Only DC Character Worthy Of An Award
Heath Ledger famously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, posthumously for his performance as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. A decade later, Joaquin Phoenix won the Academy Award for Best Actor, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, for his performance as the lead character in Todd Phillips’ Joker. The two most popular big-screen Joker actors have both won major awards for their roles — a feat that no other comic book actor had achieved until the 2025 Golden Globes.
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Colin Farrell’s outstanding performance as Oz Cobb in The Penguin earned the actor a spot among the few award-winning comic book movie & TV actors, breaking the streak. The Joker’s major movie awards had created the conception that the Clown Prince of Crime was the only comic book character with enough potential for serious performances. Now, the Penguin shows that other Batman villains have the same potential. DC characters who have already appeared in previous live-action adaptations like the Riddler and Scarecrow and others who haven’t been adapted yet could get the same treatment.
What Colin Farrell Winning The Golden Globe For The Penguin Says About DC’s Future
Future DC Projects Might Implement The Penguin’s Quality-TV Approach
The main factor in The Penguin‘s success is its focus on telling a standalone story instead of building a franchise. The Penguin centered around Oz Cobb and Sofia Falcone’s battle of wits with the Falcones and the Maronis with an audiovisual style and pacing similar to beloved crime series like The Sopranos. The Penguin‘s standalone nature and high level of detail are also key elements in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and Todd Phillips’ Joker. If DC and Warner want to replicate their success, more self-contained and serious projects could be greenlit.
Joker and The Penguin establish a tried-and-true template for solo villain projects where the protagonist can shine as an individual while retaining their villainous personality
The Penguin‘s success is also a great sign for confirmed DC projects such as the DCU’s Clayface and The Brave and the Bold, not to mention The Batman – Part II, The Batman – Part III, and any of their possible spinoffs. Joker and The Penguin establish a tried-and-true template for solo villain projects where the protagonist can shine as an individual while retaining their villainous personality, and The Penguin proves that this approach can work as effectively on the big screen as on the small screen.
Why Other DC Villain Performances Need To Win As Many Awards As The Joker
Joker Isn’t The Only DC Character Who Can Win Awards
Besides Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix, the Joker has been played by several talented and respected actors throughout the years, including Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson, Academy Award winner Jared Leto, and the Academy Award-nominated Barry Keoghan. The Joker is undeniably an interesting character that provides material for countless different interpretations. However, he isn’t the only one. Batman’s rogue gallery is huge and filled with a wide variety of villains with unique backstories and abilities. There’s more than one award-winning project somewhere in it, ready to be adapted to live-action.
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While the Joker’s ambiguous origin and unpredictable personality are a goldmine for all kinds of adaptations, another reason for actors and directors’ continuous interest in the villain is his decades-long popularity. However, just like the Penguin and the Suicide Squad have become just as recognizable as the Justice League thanks to their recent movie adaptations, lesser-known DC villains like Hush, Man-Bat, and the Mad Hatter could be adapted a thousand different ways. It’s just that no one has taken the first step yet.
