Summary
The Penguinrevealed the next chapter in Matt Reeves’ Batman universe earlier this year and set up Colin Farrell’s transformative character as the DC villain fans know him to be. With Farrell expected to reprise the role in some capacity inThe Batman Part 2, the movie must ensure it doesn’t waste the character’s potential thatThe Penguinspent a whole season setting up.
The Batman, directed by Reeves, was released in 2022 and established a new version of the iconic Dark Knight, with Robert Pattinson behind the cowl. The movie also introduced several of Batman’s iconic villains, one of which was Oz Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, who at the time was just a mobster working under Carmine Falcone. Then, in a dedicated HBO series, Farrell’s character got time to shine asThe Penguinexplored the aftermath of the events ofThe Batman. The series saw Oz face off againstrival crime bosses Sofia Falconeand Sal Maroni to fill the power vacuum left by Carmine’s death, ultimately leaving Oz victorious, but at great personal cost.
The Penguin Set Oz Cobb Up As A Formidable Villain
The focus ofThe Penguinwas to explore how Oz Cobb rose from a simple gangster who came from a low-level family to become one of Gotham’s most notorious villains. Throughout eight episodes,The Penguinachieved this, showing how Oz outsmarted, outmaneuvered, and sometimes outran his rivals.The Penguin’sgreatest achievement was the way it allowed the audience into Oz’s psyche and spent time understanding the villain’s backstory and his motivations in a way that wouldn’t typically be possible in a feature film runtime. By the end of its run,The Penguinhad firmly established Oz Cobbas a villain, but he earned a fair amount of sympathy from the audience as well.
How Involved is Colin Farrell in The Batman Part 2?
The Penguinwas never intended to be more than a limited series, which means the next time fans can hope to see Colin Farrell back as Oz Cobb is inThe Batman Part 2. It’s still not clear who the major villain of Reeve’s second Batman film will be, but it is expected that Farrell will play a part in the movie. AfterThe Penguin’sfinale, Farrell toldThe Hollywood Reporterhe expected to have “five or six scenes”inThe Batman Part 2. The only other thing known aboutThe Batmansequel that might be relevant is that it will chronologically take place after The Penguin, likely in winter andpossibly around the holiday season. This means the version of Oz Cobb seen inThe Batman Part 2will be the one last seen inThe Penguin, who was no doubt powerful but also psychopathic with his delusion.
The Batman 2 Shouldn’t Waste One of Its Best Characters
While it’s unclear who exactlythe villain ofThe Batman 2will be, the film mustn’t overlook the incredible villain that HBO just spent eight episodes expanding on. Farrell’s comments seem to suggest that he won’t have a major role in the film, but will still be part of it. Audiences are eager to see what some of the otherDC villains look like in Reeves’ grittyThe Batmanuniverse, but it would be remiss of the sequel to not pay off the set-up ofThe Penguinand have him go toe-to-toe with Batman.
Hopefully, the scenes Farrell is in are enough to put the new and improved Oz Cobb to the test against Batman. In the initial film, Oz was easily overpowered by Batman, despite giving him an epic car chase, and was used mainly as a source ofinformation in the Riddler’s game. However, these scenes and Farrell’s performance were enough to earn the character his own standalone series. InThe Batman Part 2it will be important for Oz to use his intelligence and the lessons he learned fromThe Penguinas a weapon in a way that challenges Batman, lest the series’ set-up of the villain go to waste.
InThe Batman Part 2it will be important for Oz to use his intelligence and the lessons he learned fromThe Penguinas a weapon in a way that challenges Batman.
The Batman Sequel Should Pay Off Audience’s Investment in Oz Cobb
There’s also the fact that audiences became invested inOz’s story throughoutThe Penguin, which means any future appearances by the character will bear more weight. That makes it even more vital forThe Batman Part 2not to squander Oz’s potential as a character, as audiences will be excited to see whatever the villain does next on-screen.The Penguinset Oz Cobb up as one of the most formidable villains in Reeve’sThe Batmanuniverse, and hopefully, the sequel will be able to use this to create an even more interesting dynamic on-screen.
The Penguinis streaming now on Max.
The Batman Part II
The Batman Part II is the sequel to Matt Reeve’s The Batman, released in 2022, and will continue where the original film left off. The film shares a universe with the HBO Max original Penguin series and sees the return of the Riddler and a different incarnation of the Joker.
