Commentary: The Batman’s Absence Is Felt Throughout ‘The Penguin’

It was made clear from the beginning by creator Matt Reeves that the Batman (Robert Pattinson) wasn’t going to be a focus of The Penguin spin-off series. There was probably a multitude of reasons for this, and it makes a lot of sense. This isn’t a show about Batman. It’s about Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) and his rise to power in the aftermath of the Riddler’s (Paul Dano) attack as depicted in The Batman. But Batman’s absence from the show is extremely notable, and it doesn’t come without consequences.

The Penguin picks off a few weeks after The Batman. Riddler’s attack on the city left large portions of Gotham in ruins. Carmine Falcone (John Turturro in the film, Mark Strong in the series) was killed, so there’s a huge power vacuum in the Falcone crime family that Oz hopes to take advantage of for his own benefit. He visits Sal Maroni (Clancy Brown) in prison and tries to set both sides against each other. Penguin’s plans are intricate and constantly shifting as these gangsters betray each other through paranoia and power grabs. There’s even a huge explosion in the middle of Gotham, bringing the gang war into the public spotlight.

The show does a great job highlighting Oz’s ability not just to plan far in advance, but also think quick on his feet. The fact that he’s the main focus of the show gives him time to shine. Including the Batman in a prominent role would take away from that. However, Batman is a massive presence in Gotham, especially since the film ended with him becoming a hero in the eyes of the public. Gotham needs Batman more than ever now. So the fact that all of these gangsters are entering a mob war without Batman even being discussed is a bit odd, especially since an explosion rocked the city and Batman wasn’t there to help with the recovery. Fans of Batman know just how much he keeps close tabs on the inner workings of the crime families. It’s his job to know who is in power and who is trying to make a move. He doesn’t have to appear at all, but the sheer fact Batman hasn’t been mentioned among low-level goons — fearful of his presence — does feel off, especially since the Bat Signal was shining in the program’s final image.

The Penguin is available in its entirety on Max.