Key Takeaways
- Matt Reeves explained Batman’s absence in The Penguin finale due to avoiding forced cameos.
- The series did not shoehorn Pattinson’s Batman into the show.
- The finale hinted at storylines for The Batman 2, but unexpected story developments may occur.
The Penguin finale set the stage for director Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part 2. However, Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight didn’t appear as some fans expected, and Reeves explained why.
The Penguin concluded with Colin Farrell’s Oswald “Oz” Cobb cementing his reign as Gotham City’s criminal kingpin after emerging the victor in a brutal gang war. The finale episode included nods to The Batman movie with a brief appearance by Jayme Lawson as Gotham City Mayor Bella Reál and a scene in which Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone receives a letter from Zoë Kravitz’s Selina Kyle / Catwoman. To the disappointment of some fans, the closest thing to an appearance by Batman was in the final shot, when the Bat Signal is shown lighting up the sky in the distance.
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During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Reeves, who serves as an executive producer on the HBO series, explained why Batman didn’t appear in The Penguin season 1 finale. As Reeves noted, there were discussions about how to bring Pattinson’s Batman on the show. However, none of those ideas moved past the ‘idea’ phase because they felt forced:
Over the course of writing the season, we discussed many times whether or not there might be some cross-through that would feel earned. […] We tried a few different ideas conceptually, nothing that was ever written ultimately, but nothing seemed to quite gel in a way that felt earned.
Reeves revealed that one idea they came up with was having Bruce Wayne appear with Oz’s right-hand man, Vic, but they scrapped that concept because they felt it was “throwing things off too much.” The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc added that they wanted viewers to focus on The Penguin‘s main characters and refrained from including anything that would “detract from that.” LeFranc did, however, want The Penguin to conclude with the Bat Signal to pave the way for Reeves’ The Batman Part 2.
very much liked the idea of the Batman undercutting the strange, delusional scenario that Oz created for himself at the end, to merit all of his previous actions and to say, ‘I finally made it.’ And then for us to say, ‘Maybe not. Maybe you haven’t.’
Some fans may be disappointed by Batman’s absence in The Penguin, but it may be for the best. Comic book movies and TV shows are often criticized for shoehorning cameos, as these are often seen as nothing more than forced attempts to promote separate projects from the same franchise. The Penguin has been praised for its storytelling, and forcing Pattinson’s Batman into the show, even for a brief appearance, could have come across as a low point for an otherwise stellar series.
That said, it appears even The Penguin finale scenes that seemingly set up storylines for The Batman 2 may not unfold how fans expect. The Penguin ending for Sofia Falcone may seem like it will pay off in The Batman 2, but Reeves never requested this particular conclusion for the character. Instead, LeFranc said it was up to Reeves to decide if he wanted to continue that story thread. So, fans must wait until October 2, 2026, to see Pattinson’s Batman on screen again, and to learn if and how Reeves plans to use Sofia Falcone.
The Penguin is available on Max.
Created by Lauren LeFranc and starring Colin Farrell, The Penguin builds on 2022’s The Batman. The Max series chronicles the eponymous villain’s attempt to reach Gotham’s criminal peak, rising through the underworld in the middle of a power struggle.
- Release Date
- September 19, 2024
- Cast
- Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O’Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi
- Seasons
- 1
- Prequel
- The Batman (2022)
- Story By
- Bill Finger, Bob Kane
- Writers
- Lauren LeFranc
- Franchise(s)
- Batman , DC Elseworlds
- Directors
- Craig Zobel
- Showrunner
- Lauren LeFranc
- Character(s)
- Oz Cobb , Sofia Falcone , Victor Aguilar , Johnny Viti , Nadia Maroni , Francis Cobb , Salvatore Maroni , Milos Grapa , Luca Falcone , Alberto Falcone , Eve Karlo , Julian Rush
- Avg Episode Length
- 60 Mins
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Source: Entertainment Weekly