How The Batman Sets Up The Penguin HBO Max Series

The Batman finally hit theatres this weekend, and it featured some big stars playing iconic DC villains, including Colin Farrell as Oswald 'Oz' Cobblepot AKA The Penguin. Before the movie was released, it was announced that The Batman already had a spin-off in development for HBO Max which is set to follow Farrell's Penguin. Producer Dylan Clark has teased that the show will be like a "Scarface story" as it follows Penguin's rise to power in Gotham's criminal underworld. Now that The Batman is finally out, here's how it sets up the spin-off. Warning: The Batman spoilers ahead...

While Penguin has some power in The Batman, he's still very much a lackey of Carmine Falcone, the mob boss played by John Turturro. Throughout the film, it's revealed that Falcone essentially runs all of Gotham and has everyone from the mayor to the DA and most of the Gotham police force in his pocket. As the movie unfolds, clues from The Riddler (Paul Dano) uncover the truth of Falcone's doings, which ultimately leads to the mob boss' death.

It's revealed in the film that Falcone is the father of Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) and she attempts to kill him for all of his wrongdoings, including being responsible for the death of her friend, Annika. When Batman (Robert Pattinson) stops her, he tries to take Falcone into custody for the police. There's a confrontation outside of Falcone's club in which Penguin makes it clear that he's going to make a play for Falcone's business now that he might be going to jail. The two mobsters argue and Penguin pulls out a gun. For a moment, it appears as though Farrell's character is the one who kills Falcone, but it's actually Riddler from a nearby building, who shoots Falcone as Batman "brings him out into the light." Falcone dies instantly, which officially leaves space for Penguin to swoop in and take over. 

"We have to get into what made him the man he is," Farrell recently told Entertainment Tonight. "And also, it will pick up where this film finished off, I think. I think it'll pick up a little short time after the last frame of this film," he explained. "We'll get to go on a little kind of left turn off to the world of Oz and how he's beginning to kind of dream of filling a potential power vacuum that may exist."

Are you excited for HBO Max's Penguin series? Tell us in the comments! If you haven't signed up for HBO Max yet, you can try it out here. 

The Batman is now playing in theaters.