You: 4 Batman villains that Penn Badgley could play
By Mark Lynch
![NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 09: Actor Penn Badgley attends the Build Series to discuss his show "You" at Build Studio on January 09, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 09: Actor Penn Badgley attends the Build Series to discuss his show "You" at Build Studio on January 09, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/40b94bb2285944ee71b8908bc97843370c2f8ea27c2cb26383ae5df78ff6cf8d.jpg)
These four Batman villains are perfect for You star Penn Badgley to play in a movie or TV show.
Netflix’s You has had people talking about the character Joe Goldberg since its very first episode. It’s actually shocking how some people have responded to him. Joe is dishonest, creepy, and a certified stalker – and that’s on top of all the needless killing. Nonetheless, he’s a character that viewers are talking about – and that’s all down to actor Penn Badgley’s captivating performance.
Badgley has shown a great amount of range. He hasn’t done anything over the top, but he’s done more than enough to keep people interested. If we’re being honest, You wasn’t good after the first season. Nonetheless, we keep tuning in to see Joe.
On that note, Badgley’s villainous performance in You has shown us all that he could be a terrific Batman villain, conveying many qualities of someone who could still challenge the Dark Knight.
Victor Zsasz
This was an easy choice. Victor Zsasz is a psychopath. He kills people and then cuts a scar into himself as a representation and reminder. Sure, casting Badgley in a role like this would be a bit like typecasting, but that isn’t a bad thing in this case. As we saw in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), Zsasz can be a great character and he can be portrayed in ways entirely unlike his comic book counterpart.
Badgley is committed to his villainy in You but Zsasz would take that to a whole new level – something he would definitely be capable of pulling off.
Clayface
This could also be a good test of what Penn Badgley can do. Basil Karlo can be an overly dramatic person. Maybe not quite as dramatic as the animated Harley Quinn series depicts Clayface, but he’s had some moments. He wouldn’t be as bad as, say, the next person on this list, but he’s dramatic to say the least.
A lot of Clayface’s style is him morphing into weapons and such as a living malleable creature so you would expect a lot of CGI to bring him to life. However, that doesn’t mean Badgley wouldn’t have the opportunity to pull off some great acting. Like we said, Karlo is a dramatic individual and it would show people a completely different side to him.
Professor Pyg
If this writer could pick one Batman villain for Penn Badgely to play, it would definitely be Professor Pyg. One of the most demented characters in all of comic books, Pyg is a sick individual who tries to alter people surgically to make them what he deems to be “physically perfect”. Badgely could transform the villain in new ways while also maintaining much of what makes him such a terrifying entity.
The beauty of this is that Professor Pyg is an underrated villain capable of headlining a film or TV project but he would also make a great supporting villain too. Either way, Pyg would shine with Penn Badgely playing him. The You star could take this role and make him the monster that nightmares are made of. We haven’t seen a comic book villain like that in years.
Cluemaster
The villain community in Gotham City sees Cluemaster as a joke. Even his daughter, Spoiler/Batgirl, feels the same way, seeing him as someone who’s constantly beaten by Batman and looked at as only being a little bit more formidable than a henchman. Some of that is true. There is one moment where Cluemaster almost did the unthinkable though. He almost defeated Batman and the rest of the Bat-Family. This is the Cluemaster Penn Badgley should play.
The Cluemaster from the Batman Eternal comic would be capable of leading an entire series with Badgley in the role. Let him look like an intelligent fool and a clueless villain until the very end. The reveal – for those who haven’t read the comic book – would be shocking. For those who have read the source material, we’ll be watching to see how well he can make himself look weak, then suddenly become the strongest and smartest person in Gotham. Penn Badgley could make Batman fans finally respect Cluemaster.
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What do you think? What Batman villain would you like to see Penn Badgely play? Let us know in the comments below.