Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Penguin episode 8.The Penguinmight have come to an end, butThe Batmanuniverse still has a lot more to do, and theDCseries set up some interesting possibilities. Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb started as a side player inThe Batman. However, Carmine Falcone’s death left a power vacuum, and throughoutThe Penguin’s eight episodes, Oz fought with everything he had to get to the top. After many betrayals, some more shocking than others, Oz manages to achieve his dreams and becomethe new head of Gotham City’s organized crime, withThe Penguin’s finaleteasing his future.
That future will include Robert Pattinson’s Batman. The Dark Knight was strangely absent from the HBO hit series.Batman not appearing on the show has become one ofThe Penguin’s most talked about aspects, as Sofia Falcone’s mob war with Oz left a trail of blood and destruction all over Gotham. WhileThe Penguindid not answerwhere Batman was during the series, it did end with a tease of his future. Besides Oz Cobb and Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, director Matt Reeves has more plans forThe Batmanuniverse, andThe Penguinsets up at least one potential spinoff.
The Batman Part II Continues Batman’s (& Penguin’s) Story
Oz Cobb Is Coming Back Stronger Than Ever
Before the show was announced,The Batmanuniverse’s mastermind, Matt Reeves, revealed thatThe Penguinwould bridge the gap between Robert Pattinson’sThe BatmanandThe Batman - Part II’s events. The finer details of the latter have yet to be revealed, butThe Penguin’s endingteased a new meeting between Oz Cobb and Batman. The DC series ended with Oz finally getting control of Gotham’s criminal underworld, dancing with Eve in his penthouse. However, just as things seem to settle down for Oz,the Bat-Signal lights up in the sky, teasing that the Penguin will have to deal with Batman.
Since Pattinson’s Batman did not appear inThe Penguin,The Batman - Part IIcould explain why that happened. Pattinson’s first Batman movie ended with a version of DC Comics' No Man’s Land story, with Gotham’s bridges being blown up. In that story, Bruce Wayne stayed away from Gotham for months to attempt to get the government to help the city.The Batman - Part IIcould show that, allowing Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne to slowly become more like he is in the comics, as the character was mostly in Batman mode in his debut when wearing the Batsuit or not.
I’m Convinced That Robert Pattinson’s Batman Has Quit Gotham City For 1 Major Reason & The Batman’s Spinoff Is Better For It
Robert Pattinson’s Batman has not appeared in The Penguin despite the violence Gotham has endured, and The Batman spinoff series already revealed why.
It had already been confirmed that Oz Cobb would appear inThe Batman’s sequel after rising to power in his own series. Now, following the final episode of HBO’sThe Penguin,Colin Farrell has revealed how much the Penguin is inThe Batman - Part II. According to the actor, he was told thatOz Cobb appears in “five or six scenes.“Based on Farrell’s comments, it is now clear that despite becoming Gotham’s new criminal overlord, Oz will not beThe Batman - Part II’s main villain. However, his appearance could set up a bigger role down the line.
Matt Reeves Is Making 3 Batman Movies
Robert Pattinson’s Batman Still Has Plenty To Do
The reason the Penguin could still become the main villain of a movie in Matt Reeves' The Batman Epic Crime Saga is becausethe director has always planned to make three Batman films.The Batman - Part IIwill take longer to get to the big screen than expected, as the movie was delayed a full year, now being released on August 08, 2025. That delay, with no story updates or casting besides Jeffrey Wright, Pattinson, and Farrell’s confirmed returns, has led to many rumors emerging about the future of the franchise.
DC Studios co-CEOJames Gunn even had to debunk rumors thatThe Batmantrilogy would be canceled. Thankfully, that will not be the case, andThe Penguinshows how there is so much yet to be explored in the franchise. In September, Matt Reeves spoke toColliderabout his plans for Pattinson’s Batman universe, revealing that a movie trilogy is still the plan. While more spinoffs likeThe Penguincould pop up along the way, Reeves eased fans' concerns about any issues with Pattinson’s planned trilogy, claiming, “It’s sticking very closely to the path we envisioned.”
A Joker Spin-Off Is Now Rumored
The Penguin Showed The Potential Of A Joker Series
Recently, a rumor emerged about a newThe Batmanspinoff series focused on Barry Keoghan’s Joker. According to the report fromThe InSneider, the project would be set between the next two movies in Robert Pattinson’sThe Batmanfranchise, with the Joker playing a small role inThe Batman - Part IIbefore leading his own series. However,DC Studios' James Gunn did not take long to shoot down the rumor. On Threads,Gunnclaimed that there was no truth to the rumor, as a Barry Keoghan Joker series “is not being discussed nor has even come up at this time.”
While a Joker series is not currently in the works after all, that does not mean that such a project is completely off the cards. Barry Keoghan’s Joker had a brief appearance at the end ofThe Batman, which showed him at Arkham with the Riddler.The Penguinexplored the location, with Sofia Falcone’s terrible experience at Arkham being one of the show’s biggest events. SinceSofia is back in Arkham, the character could appear in a possible Joker series.The Penguinfocused on a major Batman villain and was a success, so the Joker leading a series makes sense.
What We Know About Other Spin-Off Plans
Matt Reeves Has Other The Batman TV Show Ideas
The Penguinis far from the only TV expansion planned forThe Batmanfranchise. Two other series already went through some time in development before being ultimately scrapped. One of the canceled shows would have focused on the Gotham City Police Department, while the other was set at Arkham Asylum. Elements of both shows could eventually make their way into the franchise, as there are otherThe Batmanspinoffs in the works, and that is not even counting a possibleThe Penguinseason 2, which is in preliminary talks.
Speaking withThe Batman’s Alfred Pennyworth actor Andy Serkis forInterview Magazine, Matt Reeves touched on future spinoffs. While he did not directly comment on what characters could get their own series in the world ofThe Batman, Reeves confirmed that more shows are planned, saying,“We have been talking about doing other shows.“WhileThe Penguinshould be the only TV series in the universe beforeThe Batman - Part IIcomes around, one or more shows are likely to be made between that film and Robert Pattinson’s Batman trilogy finale, in huge part due toThe Penguin’s success.
The Penguin
Cast
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.
