Amidst the deluge of superhero media, Matt Reeves’ The Batman stood out as a pioneering entry that perfectly imbued comic-book authenticity into more realism-oriented gritty crime drama. The wait for the much-awaited upcoming sequel has been extended to 2025, and to keep fans satiated till then, Matt Reeves and the creative minds at the helm of the Batman Epic Crime Saga universe have brought the spin-off series, The Penguin. With Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobb, aka Penguin, the Gentleman of Crime, making strides to take over the criminal underworld of Gotham, the series is going to be one of this year’s most exciting small-screen releases, which we cannot wait to dive into. Before the series premieres, we would like to discuss the character’s role and significance as shown in The Batman, briefly go through the background of the character by using references from various media appearances and comics, and let the viewers know what they can expect from the series itself.
A Brief Introduction to Penguin
As one of the original prime antagonists of the Caped Crusader, along with Riddler, Joker, Scarecrow, and Catwoman, the Penguin has been an integral part of Batman’s prolific rogue gallery since the golden age. What sets Cobblepot apart is the fact that, unlike Batman and his major supervillains, Cobblepot’s mental faculty is in a better state, and he comes from wealth. The only parental figure in Oswald’s life, his mother Francis, had a bittersweet relationship with her son, as her controlling, overbearing, extremely protective attitude towards Oswald did more harm than good. A young Oz used to get bullied for his appearance, resulting in his extreme self-consciousness, until his pent-up frustration grew into bitterness, turning Oz into a cruel, sadistic person. After Francis’ demise, Oz gets swindled out of his inheritance by Gotham’s high society, and Cobblepot resorts to villainy, connecting with the underworld to take revenge upon the ones who wanted him out of the picture. Occasionally, Penguin is likened to the mirror image of Bruce Wayne, and his intellect, resourcefulness, and absolute ruthless streak as a criminal mastermind made him one of Batmam’s most formidable opponents. Oz’s high society background is hinted at through his appearance, his penchant for dressing like aristocracy, adorning himself with top hats and tuxedos, and the iconic umbrella, which often hides weapons of various sorts—his attempt to mock Gotham’s elites. Setting his base of operation in his nightclub, the “Iceberg Lounge,” Penguin keeps a tab on every major and minor shady business taking place across Gotham.
In a sense, Oswald embodies the ever-pervading corruption caused by the people in power, something that Batman struggles to root out time and again. Oswald’s strong political connections make him a kind of threat Batman cannot simply overcome by using just his brawn, and with his extensive network spread across Gotham’s underbellies, Oz is much more of a cerebral threat to the Bats. Depending on which adaptation is being discussed, Penguin’s appreciation as a character changes. In Batman 1966, actor Burgess Meredith’s campy, goofy version of Penguin was closer to the character’s golden age origin; in Batman Returns, Danny DeVito’s iconic, outlandish Penguin, who went too far to prove the significance of his name, presented a tragic, broken version of the character. Again, actor Robin Lord Taylor’s version of Oswald Cobblepot in Fox’s Gotham series was a memorable act, something that the upcoming The Penguin would like to replicate as well.
Oswald’s Role in ‘The Batman’
In the movie The Batman, we find Penguin working as an enforcer for kingpin Carmine Falcone, using his Iceberg Lounge as a cover for the illegal operations of the crime family boss. The Riddler, the maniac serial killer, inspired by the vigilante justice of the Caped Crusader, begins to eliminate the corrupt administrative chiefs, starting with Gotham City’s mayor, Don Mitchell Jr. Clues left by Riddler regarding Mitchell’s mistress, Annika Kosolov, being connected with the conspiracy lead Batman to Iceberg Lounge, where he comes into contact with Oz but fails to squeeze information out of him. In reality, Annika had learned about the truth of one of the major crime busts against mob boss Sal Maroni, which allowed the city’s administrative and legislative sectors a major facelift—it was a simple ploy that saw Falcone eliminating his competition by acting as an informant and securing his dominance by having leverage against Gotham’s entire governing body. Riddler tried to direct Bats to a communication thread on a website called ‘Rataalada’ using his cypher to lead him to Falcone, the informant, but mistakenly translating it to a Spanish phrase, “El Rata Alada,” which means rat with wings, Batman and Gordon consider Penguin to be the secret informant. Annika is found murdered—later revealed to be killed by Falcone himself—and Bats engages in a prolonged, fiery chase with Penguin, which ends in his capture. However, Penguin was not the person of interest to begin with, and realizing the mistake, Batman rectifies his investigation, which finally results in Falcone’s capture.
Realizing that Falcone has become powerless, Oz, who so long had to satisfy himself by staying under the shadows of the big shots, decides to crawl up top to flex his muscles. As Bats and GCPD drag Falcone out of his secure hideout in Iceberg Lounge’s inner circle, 44 Below, Oz threatens Falcone, mentioning the night might very well be his last night at Blackgate prison. However, Oz doesn’t have to wait much longer and doesn’t even need to take matters into his own hands, as Riddler kills Falcone the moment he steps out of the nightclub.
What Can Viewers Expect From the Penguin Series?
With two major mob family chiefs, Sal Maroni and Carmine Falcone, out of the picture, there is a power vacuum in Gotham’s underworld, and an ambitious Oz is going to go to any length to seize the opportunity to take the high seat. However, key contenders for the seat are emerging from the shadows, who can jeopardize Oswald’s dream of becoming the main man. The most notable one is Sofia Falcone, played by Cristin Milioti, Carmine’s daughter, who has a rather notorious rep, and viewers might remember Sofia from the acclaimed comic series The Long Halloween. Joining her is her brother, Alberto, who is not in quite the right state of mind, and the duo will prove to be a formidable challenge to Oz as they make their attempt to reclaim Carmine’s empire as their birthright. The tone of the series is supposedly even darker and bloodier than The Batman itself, which promises a gritty crime thriller that will not pull its punches while exploring the dark recesses of Gotham’s violent underworld. Don’t expect bird puns or weaponized umbrellas, as the treatment tries to differentiate itself from Oz’s more popular showboat appearance in comics, but the makings of Penguin as a character—his ambition, sadistic, unpredictable nature, and sharpness—will be translated into the titular character. Batman probably is not going to appear in the series, but Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, might play a role, given it was revealed that she was Carmine‘s illegitimate daughter, which makes her fit into the underworld family feud just fine.
