The Batman’s spin-off,The Penguin, could have easily introduced several villains to the overall universe, yet was wise not to. As ofThe Penguinepisode 7’s ending, the titular character is closer than ever to taking over Gotham’s underworld and becoming more like his DC Comics counterpart.The Penguintakes place after 2022’sThe Batman, further fleshing out the universe and teeing up thestory ofThe Batman - Part II.
WithThe Batman 2being one of the most anticipatedupcomingBatmanmovies, many have tuned intoThe Penguinto see exactly how this version of Gotham has been further developed. As it turns out, this more grounded, realistic iteration ofBatman’s expansive timelinehas proven to be just as good on TV as it is on film, with DC Easter eggs and ties to Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight aplenty. However, one of the key waysThe Penguincould have tied toThe Batmanwas not capitalized on, with this decision proving to be the correct one.
Sofia Falcone’s Story Gave The Penguin Several Villains To Play With
Via the story ofDC Comics villain Sofia Falcone,The Penguincould have introduced - or even re-introduced - several villains fromThe Batman’s universe. Sofia Falcone was quickly established as one of the best-written live-actionBatmanvillains in recent years thanks toThe Penguinepisode 4. This storyline established Sofia’s tragic backstory, specifically how she became aware of her father Carmine Falcone’s murder of multiple women. Carmine, seeking to keep hold of his power, framed Sofia for these murders and had her sentenced to Arkham Asylum for years.
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The Penguinepisode 4 centered almost entirely on Sofia’s time in Arkham Asylum. Herein lies the scenario through whichThe Penguincould have established some ofThe Batmanfranchise’s core villains. Two antagonists have already been confirmed to be in Arkham inThe Batman: The Joker and The Riddler. The show could have included cameos centering on either of these characters or even debuted other villains like Hugo Strange, The Scarecrow, or Harley Quinn, all of whom are tied to Arkham in DC Comics.
The Penguin’s Showrunner Is Right About Why The Batman Spin-Off Needed To Avoid An Arkham Reveal
The Penguin Is Better Without Gratuitous Cameos
Although seeing one of these cameos inThe Penguinwould have been great from a fan-service perspective, there is no denying that the showrunners made the right choice in leaving them absent.In focusing entirely on Sofia’s story and character arc, the narrative ofThe Penguinwas dramatically improvedas a result. If a cameo of one of the aforementioned villains had been included to simply teaseThe Batman 2or otherupcoming DC moviesand shows, it would have served no purpose to Sofia’s storyline.
Gratefully, this is something that the showrunners ofThe Penguinalso understood. At New York Comic-Con 2024,The Penguin’s creator, Lauren LeFrance, spoke toThe Directabout Sofia’s journey through Arkham Asylum. During this interview, LeFranc was asked about whether other characters fromThe Batmanor wider figures from DC Comics yet to debut in the franchise were considered forThe Penguinepisode 4. In response, LeFranc stated:
“Honestly, for that episode, we thought just about Sophia, like Sophia’s journey… we didn’t want to have a character that would detract from her experience or have people be like, Oh, it’s [that villain]!' Not a casual Joker, not a Harley Quinn. Like, those characters are amazing. But for what we were doing, we’re telling Sophia’s story, and we just want you to be immersed in her perspective…”
As evident by LeFranc’s comments,the creators ofThe Penguinecho the sentiments that cameos of otherBatmancharacters would be great, but detrimental to the story at hand. The focus being positioned solely on Sofia allowed the true tragedy and heartbreak of her story to be delivered without the breaking of immersion that would undoubtedly be present had The Joker, for example, appeared. This decision made Sofia’s story better, allowing her to shine as one ofThe Penguin’s best charactersand one of the best live-action DC characters in a long time.
The Batman 2 Is More Interesting Without Using Arkham To Set Up Its Sequel Villain
The Batman’s Sequels Now Have More Mystery
Another added benefit ofThe Penguinomitting big villain cameos from Arkham Asylum is that it makesThe Batman - Part II, and any other films beyond that, more interesting. If a DC Comics character had appeared inThe Penguin, audiences would have likely begun thinking of that character asThe Batman 2’s villain. However, in leaving them absent, there is more intrigue, interest, and mystery over whoThe Batman - Part II’s antagonist will be.
Audiences will not know who is coming as the Caped Crusader’s next enemy, as it was not spoiled beforehand inThe Penguin…
This mystery will make the marketing ofThe Batman 2even better; audiences will not know who is coming as the Caped Crusader’s next enemy, as it was not spoiled beforehand inThe Penguin. With this in mind,The Penguinavoiding the admittedly tempting chance it had to set up a future villain forThe Batman’s universe was the best choice, not only for solidifying it as a fantastic DC TV show that stands on its own with brilliant characters but also for making any future installments in Matt Reeves' Elseworlds sect of the DCU even more intriguing.
The Penguin
Cast
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
