The Villains We Can Expect in the Pennyworth TV Series

The success of Gotham has convinced the right people that other prequels based on other Batman characters might be able to secure a similar measure of success. For proof, look no further than the fact that there is a new show called Pennyworth that is being worked on at this moment, which is set to start broadcasting in 2019. Based on the name, it should come as no surprise to learn that Pennyworth will be centered on Alfred Pennyworth, who is Bruce Wayne’s butler as well as father figure in most Batman stories.

Who Are the Villains that We Can Expect to See in Pennyworth?

One of the most common questions that is being asked of Pennyworth is who will be showing up as the show’s antagonists. After all, Gotham was focused to a significant extent on the rise of various Batman villains such as the Joker, the Penguin, and Solomon Grundy. As a result, it is natural for people to wonder whether something similar can be expected from Pennyworth.

If so, interested individuals should know that the Pennyworth showrunner Danny Cannon has confirmed that said characters won’t be receiving as much focus in Pennyworth as they did in Gotham. He hasn’t ruled out the potential for them to show up at some point, but even if they do, they won’t be the focuses. This makes sense because Pennyworth is situated in a very different setting, meaning that it needs a very different cast of characters.

Comic book-wise, it has been established for some time that Alfred wasn’t always a butler. Instead, he was both a classically trained actor and a special forces operative. It is clear that Pennyworth will be drawing from this background, as shown by the fact that its Alfred will be a former member of the SAS who has since started up a security company in the London of the 1960s. However, there will be other Batman elements as well, with an excellent example being how Bruce Wayne’s father Thomas Wayne will be a billionaire with connections of some kind to the CIA on the show. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the two will indeed be working together on Pennyworth, thus presumably explaining how Alfred went on to become the butler that he is much better-known as.

Regardless, there has been some information released about Pennyworth antagonists. For example, there will be a pair of siblings named Bet and Peggy Sykes. Bet has been described as being “spirited, sadistic, and sharp-tongued.” In contrast, Peggy has been talked about in terms of “successful” and “resourceful.” On top of this, there will be a man named Lord Harwood, though unfortunately, there has been so little said about him that the most that can be said is that he is the head of a crime organization.

With that said, the most interesting thing that has been said about the villains on Pennyworth is that the show might be using the descendants of infamous figures from English history as well as English literature. In particular, the showrunner has mentioned using the descendants of Jack the Ripper, who will presumably be following in their notorious ancestor’s murderous footsteps. Unfortunately, the descendants of infamous figures from English history as well as English literature isn’t much to go on because there is such a wide range of them even when one rules out anyone and anything that couldn’t be used because of copyright issues.

Final Thoughts

Summed up, it is clear that Pennyworth is going off in its own direction when it comes to its choice of villains. It seems safe to say that the show will still make use of elements from Batman stories when the people behind it feel that it is appropriate, but its choice of setting means that such opportunities will be nowhere near as abundant for Pennyworth as they were for Gotham. On the one hand, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because there is no sense in making a show that will just retread ground that has been trod upon by a very recent predecessor. On the other hand, this is something that may or may not work out very well depending on the implementation by the people working on the show. In other words, there is no telling whether Pennyworth will be worth watching or not, meaning that interested individuals might want to continue keeping a watchful eye out for further information with which to make a judgment.