The Batman's Spin-Off Was Right To Avoid Its Best Villain Reveal Opportunity

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The Batman's spin-off, The Penguin, could have easily introduced several villains to the overall universe, yet was wise not to. As of The Penguin episode 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 Penguin takes place after 2022's The Batman, further fleshing out the universe and teeing up the story of The Batman - Part II.

With The Batman 2 being one of the most anticipated upcoming Batman movies, many have tuned into The Penguin to see exactly how this version of Gotham has been further developed. As it turns out, this more grounded, realistic iteration of Batman's expansive timeline has 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 ways The Penguin could have tied to The Batman was not capitalized on, with this decision proving to be the correct one.

The Batman's Spin-Off Had A Perfect Chance To Focus On More DC Villains

Sofia Falcone's Story Gave The Penguin Several Villains To Play With

Via the story of DC Comics villain Sofia Falcone, The Penguin could have introduced - or even re-introduced - several villains from The Batman's universe. Sofia Falcone was quickly established as one of the best-written live-action Batman villains in recent years thanks to The Penguin episode 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 Penguin episode 4 centered almost entirely on Sofia's time in Arkham Asylum. Herein lies the scenario through which The Penguin could have established some of The Batman franchise's core villains. Two antagonists have already been confirmed to be in Arkham in The 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 in The Penguin would 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 of The Penguin was dramatically improved as a result. If a cameo of one of the aforementioned villains had been included to simply tease The Batman 2 or other upcoming DC movies and shows, it would have served no purpose to Sofia's storyline.

Gratefully, this is something that the showrunners of The Penguin also understood. At New York Comic-Con 2024, The Penguin's creator, Lauren LeFrance, spoke to The Direct about Sofia's journey through Arkham Asylum. During this interview, LeFranc was asked about whether other characters from The Batman or wider figures from DC Comics yet to debut in the franchise were considered for The Penguin episode 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 of The Penguin echo the sentiments that cameos of other Batman characters 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 of The Penguin's best characters and 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 of The Penguin omitting big villain cameos from Arkham Asylum is that it makes The Batman - Part II, and any other films beyond that, more interesting. If a DC Comics character had appeared in The Penguin, audiences would have likely begun thinking of that character as The Batman 2's villain. However, in leaving them absent, there is more intrigue, interest, and mystery over who The 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 in The Penguin...

This mystery will make the marketing of The Batman 2 even better; audiences will not know who is coming as the Caped Crusader's next enemy, as it was not spoiled beforehand in The Penguin. With this in mind, The Penguin avoiding the admittedly tempting chance it had to set up a future villain for The 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.

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.

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

Release Date September 19, 2024

Writers Lauren LeFranc

Directors Craig Zobel

Showrunner Lauren LeFranc