Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito took the stage at the 2024 Academy Awards, and if you missed that magical moment, you can probably guess why. Wait, you thought it was another stop on the “Let’s make Twins 2” tour after the Super Bowl commercial? Nah, it was nothing like that, but instead, the fact they could bond over their hatred of DC Superheroes as high-profile Batman villains.
DeVito, who played Penguin in Batman Returns, and Schwarzenegger, Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin, both immediately subverted audience expectations when they launched into a whole skit dedicated to hate of the caped crusader. Take a look at the full skit below via Variety’s Twitter, and make sure to watch the whole thing:
“Twins” co-stars and former Batman villains Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito jokingly berate Michael Keaton from the #Oscars stage. https://t.co/UNgGySGz3r pic.twitter.com/bPLTrLlcNkMarch 11, 2024
How can you not love these two or their Batman villains? This is especially true for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze, who absolutely makes his character one of the few things to love about Batman & Robin. Danny DeVito had the privilege of working on the superior Batman Returns and worked with one of the best Batman actors of all time, Michael Keaton. By the way, can we all just take a moment to appreciate this screenshot of of Keaton “getting nuts” during that sketch?:
One thing I’ll also say about this Oscars moment is it made me realize the sheer awesomeness that could happen if we ever had Danny DeVito’s Penguin cross paths with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze. With Oswald Cobblepot running the Iceberg Lounge, it just feels like a natural fit that he’d be in league with Victor Fries.
That said, Cobblepot isn’t necessarily beloved in the crime world, and Fries seems a little to introverted and focused on saving his frozen wife to hang out in a club. Who knows, though? Opposites can attract, and with the whole cold theme going on, they’d have a lot to talk about.
Still if James Gunn happens to be scanning the web looking for new ideas on how to shape the new DCU, please take note now, sir. Schwarzenegger and DeVito just showed that they’re a natural pairing and ripe for a reprisal in the Batman world. Granted, they may be a little too old now for the action bits, but that’s why we have stuntmen in Hollywood.
With The Batman: Part II and Joker: Folie à Deux chugging along the Hollywood production pipeline, I can understand some viewer frustration that there wasn’t more love shown to Twins during the Oscars 2024 segment. It seems like the movie is brought up every time Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito reunite, so it wouldn’t have been a bad bit to do. That said, Batman is Batman, and I know I enjoyed this much more than something related to Twins.
The 2024 Oscars are on ABC, and we’re all much better for the fact that Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger were a part of it. Keep with CinemaBlend for all of the fun of the big award show and all the chaos that might unfold when the dust settles.