The fun thing about DC Universe’s Titans is that it definitely takes place in a world in which all of the major DC heroes exist. Though the series focuses on sidekicks like Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), teens like Raven (Teagan Croft) or lesser-known vigilantes like Hawk and Dove (Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly), we’ve still seen glimpses of Bruce Wayne himself in flashbacks as well as nods to other parts of the comic book universe now and then.
Episode 8 of Titans‘s first season was one of the best for this type of stuff yet. As the title suggests, “Donna Troy” saw the first appearance of Conor Leslie as Donna Troy AKA Wonder Girl, the sidekick of Diana Prince. This, of course, meant that Wonder Woman was discussed. That’s not all, though, as the episode also made reference to not one but two of Batman’s greatest enemies.
In a flashback scene, Robin speaks with Donna after he’s left scarred by seeing a certain villain murder a bunch of people, and this villain’s revealed to be none other than the Joker.
While that namecheck comes out in a dramatic scene, the episode’s second nod to a classic character happened in a more comedic context. When Donna encourages him to improve his social skills, Dick attempts and fails at having a conversation with someone. In response, he wonders out loud to himself: “I wonder what the Penguin’s doing right now.”
Circling back to Mr. J though, and it’s set to be a good month for Joker references on TV. In The CW’s upcoming Arrowverse crossover “Elseworlds,” a promo has suggested that the Clown Prince of Crime will be glimpsed escaping from Arkham Asylum, with his iconic laugh being heard. Then, of course, Gotham returns for its final season in January, and promises to see Oswald Cobblepot properly transform into the Penguin.
In the meantime, Titans continues weekly on DC Universe, and if you haven’t been tuning in, you should definitely fix that.
