Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Penguin episode 6.The Penguin has just shown how Oz Cobb sees himself as the perfect solution to a problem that has plagued Batman for many years. While Robert Pattinson's Batman will not appear in the DC series, The Penguin's cast of characters features more than enough interesting players to follow without the Dark Knight's absence negatively impacting the plot. Colin Farrell's Oz Cobb continues from where director Matt Reeves left him in The Batman's ending, seeing the opportunity to take over Gotham City's criminal underworld now that Carmine Falcone is dead.
One of the key reasons behind the success of the DC series is related to how The Penguin allows its character to truthfully be a villain. Oz commits many crimes throughout the course of the show, including burning Sal Maroni's wife and son alive, but the series also reveals the reasons that are driving Oz to do things in such a brutal manner. Sure, the Penguin wants to be powerful and respected, but there is another special reason behind his mission to take over as Gotham's new crime boss, and that connects him with Batman in a way.
Batman Has Long Been Accused Of Failing Gotham
This Is True Not Only To Matt Reeves' The Batman Epic Crime Saga
It is hard to deny that without Batman, Gotham City would be worse off. However, despite the character having a lasting positive impact on the city, it has never been enough. Something that rings true about the Dark Knight's DC Comics stories, animated adventures, live-action Batman appearances, and more is that no matter how much good Bruce Wayne sets out to do as Batman, he can never completely save Gotham. The iconic DC location is known for being a place where crime is always present, even with Batman frightening criminals.
The Batman's spinoff, The Penguin, has been met with praise, and there are many reasons why the DC show works as a villain story where Joker 2 failed.
Batman alone cannot save Gotham from the cycle of violence that has been perpetuated in the city. The Penguin's story is all about that vicious cycle that keeps putting Gotham's citizens down. Batman has often been accused of not solving Gotham's crime problem and, at times, been said to have contributed to it himself, as crazy costumed villains started to emerge after Bruce became Batman, trying to measure up to the DC hero. The Penguin touches on that aspect of Batman, as the show reveals that crime went up by more than 40% after Riddler flooded Gotham, with poverty rising.
The Penguin's Power Is Based On Giving Gotham What Batman Can't
Oz Cobb Has A Role Model That Serves As His Inspiration
While Oz Cobb is a villain in The Penguin, he is not completely evil. The character's driving force is that he wants to be loved by others. While this leads the Penguin to commit brutal acts to earn the respect of fellow criminals, Oz has a different approach when it comes to Gotham City's inhabitants. Coming from a poor family himself, Oz understands the reality of those living in Crown Point, the forgotten part of Gotham. Inspired by Rex Calabrese, the local crime boss who helped the community when Oz was a kid, the Penguin wants to do the same.
Oz Cobb notes to Victor Aguilar how they are helping Crown Point in
The Penguin
episode 6, saying,
"
Do you know how meaningful that is, Vic? To be the guy in the neighborhood who protects people
."
In The Penguin episode 6, it is revealed that Oz has already started doing what Rex did, building a relationship with those living in Crown Point. The reason Sal Maroni and Sofia Gigante cannot find Oz's drug operation is that it is underground, and Crown Point's citizens protect him. In return for keeping his secrets, Oz is giving back to the community through the form of jobs, money, and support, like Oz managing to get the power back on in Crown Point. As one of the elite, Bruce Wayne will never have the same understanding of Gotham that Oz has.
The Penguin Admits A Harsh Truth About Batman
Bruce Wayne And Oz Cobb Connect To Gotham In Different Ways
The Batman was all about Gotham City's darkness, its corruption, and how the powerful elite just let that happen. This drove the Riddler to act. The same relates to the Penguin's motivations. Villains like Colin Farrell's Oz Cobb and Paul Dano's Edward Nashton have experienced a different Gotham — perhaps what might be defined as the true version of the iconic DC location — than the one Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne lived in. Living among the many poor citizens of Gotham, pushed down by the system, the villains know what makes the city tick.
The Penguin Cast & Characters
Actor
Character
Colin Farrell
Oz Cobb / The Penguin
Cristin Milioti
Sofia Falcone
Rhenzy Feliz
Victor Aguilar
Michael Zegen
Alberto Falcone
Clancy Brown
Salvatore Maroni
Michael Kelly
Johnny Vito
Deirdre O'Connel
Francis Cobb
Theo Rossi
Dr. Julian Rush
As a rich and powerful figure in Gotham, Bruce Wayne lives a life that is completely disconnected from the reality of the city. Perhaps that is why it was easier for him to let his rage out on others as "Vengeance," though The Batman's ending showed how Pattinson's Dark Knight is becoming a hopeful figure for the city, despite the disconnect between Bruce and Gotham's citizens. While he has to work to get there, Oz Cobb in The Penguin is already on the same level with those Gotham forgot, and The Penguin shows Oz wants the community to thrive.
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.
CastColin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O'Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi
Custom image by Felipe Rangel
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