Credit: DC / Warner Bros.Now that Michael Keaton has officially returned as Bruce Wayne/Batman, it has presumably opened the door for many past actors to return to their respective DC roles. One is Danny DeVito, who arguably played the best version of The Penguin in live-action (sorry, Colin Farrell). DeVito also revealed he would be up for reprising his role as the villain.
Related: Danny DeVito Says His Penguin Is “Better” Than Colin Farrell’s
Batman Returns (1992) may have ruffled the feather of critics, but the Tim Burton-led Batman feature has become iconic for fans of The Dark Knight. Its macabre theme allowed for a style not previously seen in the superhero genre and arguably paved the way for further darker superhero films to follow.
One of the most significant aspects of the expertly delivered macabre style was Danny DeVito, who took on the role of Oswald Cobbepot, AKA The Penguin. Tim Burton’s character iteration offered a more tortured and monster-esque look at one of Batman’s biggest villains. Though the character has appeared to be a high society mobster throughout the shows and comics, Batman Returns showcased him more as a sewer-dwelling outcast hellbent on punishing Gotham.
Danny DeVito played the character to perfection, and had Batman Returns been released in more contemporary times; we believe he would have been up for an Academy Award. Though his portrayal was far too early on, it appears the beloved actor is primed for a return to the world of DC.
Danny DeVito Would “Definitely Consider” Being The Penguin
Danny DeVito spoke to SFX Magazine when he was asked about possibly returning as the iconic Batman villain. In typical fashion, the actor responded honestly about his thoughts on the role. According to DeVito:
“I would definitely consider doing it, yeah. Batman Returns was a great part, it was operatic. You could just pull out all the stops. There were so many motivating things, so many things churning up inside of him. Being the odd man out – the odd bird out – brought the character out of me. It was an emotional experience for me because I felt it was an opportunity of a lifetime to play Oswald Cobblepot with Tim’s vision and design. Tim is a genius to me.”
Even more impressive is DeVito ran off camera during the interview to showcase that he still owns the original umbrella The Penguin uses in Batman Returns. He twirled it and immediately dove into his voice as Oswald Cobbeplot, which we imagine was terrific.
We must agree that the film is operatic, and his portrayal of the brooding Oswald Cobblebot showcased how deeply a villain could be portrayed. DeVito was excellent, though it would be strange for him to appear right when we are meant to see even more from Colin Farrell.
Colin Farrell is currently Oswald “Oz” Cobbeplot in the Matt Reeves-built Batman universe. Funny enough, Danny DeVito was interviewed about his most iconic roles and admitted he likes his portrayal more. Though the jury is still out about who is the better Penguin, Farrell has still been a fantastic version of the character.
Farrell completely transformed himself and his voice into Oz in The Batman, leading to his own solo series. However, The Penguin is on the back burner to honor the WGA strike, and an in-production teaser was released, showcasing the character’s rise in power.
The new series is meant to continue the events of The Batman, bridging the gap between what happens in Gotham until The Batman 2 takes place. We love Colin Farrell in the role, but seeing Danny DeVito suit up again would be amazing. We highly doubt Farrell and DeVito would appear in the same film. However, the Multiverse can be a surprising thing.
Related: ‘The Penguin’ Spinoff Releases First Teaser Showcasing a World Dominated By Batman Villains
Danny DeVito would likely have a massive shot at returning as The Penguin in the DCU film, The Brave and the Bold. James Gunn, if you are reading this, make it happen. We don’t want to say outright that DeVito is better than Farrell, as they are both vastly different character iterations, but we would love to see DeVito return.
Would you want to see Danny DeVito return as The Penguin? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!