Pennyworth featured a major change ahead of its anticipated third season. The upcoming DC series received a new title that has bold Batman ties. The aforementioned new title is Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler. As a result, it has been making headlines due to this change.
In addition, series star Paloma Faith also confirmed that Pennyworth Season 3 will have a major time jump, with the story being set during the 1970s. Given that Season 2 revealed that Martha Kent delivered a baby girl, it is also widely expected that this canon-altering reveal will have massive ramifications for the Batman mythos.
Now, a potential DC crossover for the Batman prequel has been teased in its new trailer.
Pennyworth has a V for Vendetta Reference
In the brand new trailer for Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler released by HBO Max, the new footage revealed an interesting tie-in to V for Vendetta.
At the 1:33 mark of the trailer, the familiar Guy Fawkes mask from V for Vendetta appeared, indicating a potential crossover between the two DC properties.
Another reference to V for Vendetta was revealed at the 0:42 mark of the trailer where a bunch of people can be seen wearing the same Guy Fawkes mask:
For context, V for Vendetta is a British graphic novel from Vertigo Comics about an anarchist revolutionary named V who is dressed in a Guy Fawkes mask and begins a theatrical revolutionist campaign to bring down the fascist state.
In 2005, the story was adapted into a movie by Silver Pictures, featuring Hugo Weaving as the titular character. Natalie Portman portrayed Evey Hammond, V's protégée.
It is unknown if the V in the Pennyworth trailer is actually the main character from the Vertigo Comics series, but DC series showrunner Bruno Heller teased in an interview with CBR that the show "may or may not end up" in the V for Vendetta world:
"The V For Vendetta world conceptually — it's [like] where this world may or may not end up. What [V for Vendetta creators Alan Moore, David Lloyd and Tony Weare] did so well was to create a [Fascist] version of England that felt like England. It wasn't Nazi Germany imposed on that world. It was very much the parochial, familiar world of England transformed into something dark. That's what we've tried to do, and what [Cannon] did so brilliantly with the visuals, particularly in this season. It's England with this shadow across its face."
Alongside the trailer, HBO Max also confirmed that Pennyworth Season 3 will be released on October 6.
The trailer can be seen below:
Why a V for Vendetta Crossover Makes Sense for Pennyworth
Pennyworth's theme and setting fits the V for Vendetta's narrative, thus it would make sense if the Batman prequel will include a reference to the iconic comic storyline from Vertigo Comics.
While it's possible that this could only be a visual reference, the trailer says otherwise.
The new Season 3 footage revealed that Thomas Wayne actually asked Alfred's help to stop an unknown assailant from giving people a mind control drug. It was then confirmed that this individual puts these people in the Guy Fawkes mask to do his bidding.
Based on that evidence, it's clear that this is not in line with the original agenda of V from the DC comics, meaning that this guy is a copycat.
Still, there's still a chance that Pennyworth actually takes place in the world where a vigilante/freedom fighter named V exists, and this copycat wreaking havoc could serve as his signal to come out of the shadows to potentially help Alfred to take down this movement.
