Key Takeaways
- The Penguin’s finale teases the return of Batman, but could the next movie see some other characters return?
- A scene with Sofia Falcone and a letter from Selina Kyle hints at potential team-up but is likely more of an homage to the comics.
- The show’s director and actress suggest the scene was not a tease but a playful nod with no planned future connection.
Now that the first (maybe only) season of The Penguin is over, the post mortems have begun. Chief among the aspects of the finale being discussed on the internet are the perceived clues “A Great or Little Thing” left The Penguin fans who are trying to figure out just what the next project in this timeline, The Batman Part 2, might entail.
Right at the top of the list was the very slight nod right at the end of “A Great or Little Thing” showing the batsignal just in the background of the window shot from Oz’s highrise apartment. The obvious point of that tidbit was that while the Dark Knight didn’t make a single appearance (or get a mention) in The Penguin, he’s on his way back. He’s there and ready to stop Oz, who is now the undisputed Kingpin of Crime in Gotham. The other scene that had quite a few fans thinking it was a nod to what they can expect to see in the next movie probably wasn’t as big a tease as some might think.
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More A Nod Than A Tease In The Penguin
One of the very last moments of The Penguin shows Sofia Falcone back in Arkham Asylum after having The Hangman murders pinned on her by Oz and one of his City Council cronies. She’s not taking the return to the place that effectively created her and looks to be near catatonic. However, when Dr. Julian Rush delivers her a letter and tells her it’s from Selina Kyle, She wakes up. When she reads the letter and is told that Kyle has admitted to being her half-sister (both daughters of Carmine Falcone) a little twinkle returns to her eyes.
|
Showrunner |
Lauren LeFranc |
|---|---|
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Stars |
Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti |
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Release Date |
September 19, 2024 |
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Streaming On |
HBO Max |
Fans of The Penguin have taken the letter from Selina to Sofia and run with it, believing that this was a hint at what the audience can expect to see in The Batman Part 2. While that may be true, while The Hangman and Catwoman might team up, at least for now, it’s clear that scene was more of a nod to the comics than a tease at what’s to come. At least that’s the case if you take the people involved in both projects at their word.
It’s clear that scene was more of a nod to the comics than a tease at what’s to come.
One big clue that this was not a tease of a teammup is what the actress who played Sofia said in an interview not long after the finale aired. Cristin Milioti talked to The Direct about that scene and said that it was “wildest hope” that she’ll be able to revisit the character in The Batman 2. She added that she believed if Sofia and Selina joined forces they would “tear sh– up.”
Milioti could be playing coy of course. But when someone says it’s their wildest hope to be in a movie, the inference is that they have not yet been invited to do so. There’s also the talk about what the pair would do, if they were allowed to form a partnership in The Batman 2. This all sounds like something the actor would love to see, but may not be saying if she thought she was giving anything away.
There is another piece of evidence that this was not meant to be a tease. After “A Great or Little Thing” aired, The Batman and The Batman Part 2 director Matt Reeves was asked about that particular scene. He said that the idea for Sofia to get the letter from Selina was not his idea. Nor was he asked about it before they put it in The Penguin‘s season finale. While he added that he did love the little touch, it seems likely he would have had more input beforehand. That he wasn’t consulted hints at not tie to the immediate future of the franchise.
That Scene Still Matters
Some might hold out hope that Reeves is trying to mislead on the idea of a Selina and Sofia partnership, but it’s worth pointing out that when he said Robert Pattinson wouldn’t appear in The Penguin, he was telling the truth. There’s no reason to believe he’s being cagey now.
That doesn’t mean the inclusion of the scene isn’t important, even if it was nothing more than a nod to the comics, where the two women were also half-sisters. It’s also possible that while the pair aren’t going to partner up or even appear in The Batman Part 2, there is always The Penguin Season 2 as a possibility. Considering how beloved this first season was, it would only make sense for Lauren LeFranc to stage an encore with another go-round. Even if keeping Sofia locked away and out of the action in the next movie makes more sense, the two women wreaking havoc on Gotham in the next season, or even The Batman Part 3 would be well worth everyone’s time.
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.
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