From the time The Penguin was first announced, it was clear that the gritty crime drama was going to be a key cog in the on-screen machine of Gotham City that Matt Reeves has been building. Leading out of the events of The Batman, the goal of the series has been to show how the underworld of Gotham evolved in the wake of the Riddler’s explosions, setting the stage for The Batman: Part II. Now that The Penguin has told its entire story, we have a much better idea of what to expect from Reeves’ highly anticipated Batman sequel.
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WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for The Penguin! Continue reading at your own risk…
When it comes to The Penguin‘s role in the overall world of Reeves’ Batman franchise, the series has been all about creating a new world order. In The Batman, Bruce Wayne had to deal with the likes of Carmine Falcone, who was essentially the head honcho of Gotham’s criminal underworld. The rival Maroni family also had skin in the game, even though Salvatore Maroni was in prison.
Heading into The Batman: Part II, all of that has been changed. Oz Cobb, aka the Penguin, wasn’t any kind of real decision-maker in The Batman. He ran his club and was responsible or a lot of deals going down in Gotham City, but he ultimately answered to Falcone. There was an order to things when it came to organized crime, but that has all changed.
By the end of The Penguin, Oswald has flipped the script on Gotham City. He has introduced a brand new drug onto the streets, removed every other major crime boss from their position of power, and inserted himself as the sole kingpin of Gotham City. Carmine Falcone is dead. Salvatore Maroni is dead. Sofia Falcone has been sent back to Arkham. To top it all off, Oz essentially orchestrated a changing of the guard for every lower level gang. All of the people who were second-in-command have risen up and taken out their bosses. That leaves Oz to command an army of gangs, all run by people just like him. He helped “free them” from their positions and gave them more power, creating a loyalty to him that few outside of the Falcone family ever had for Carmine.
Not only does Oz have the underworld of Gotham City eating out of his palm, but he’s also planted the seeds to get cozy with the politicians. The Penguin now has his hands everywhere, and it will be a lot harder for Batman to do anything without Oswald knowing — or getting in the way.
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The final shot of The Penguin also confirms that Batman is very much still active around the city since the bridges blew. At least, the Gotham City P.D. wants to make sure people think that’s the case. The Bat-Signal is seen shooting into the sky over the Gotham skyline, just past the windows of Oswald’s new penthouse.
Selina Kyle, a fixture of The Batman, gets a big addition to her story in the sequel as well. In The Penguin finale, Sofia Falcone is shown back in Arkham after Oz used his newfound friendships in city hall to get her locked up once again. She receives a letter and is told it’s from someone named Selina Kyle, who claims to be her sister.
We know from the events of The Batman that Selina is a daughter of Carmine Falcone, meaning that there’s truth to that letter she sends Sofia. Selina’s also an expert at breaking into places she isn’t necessarily supposed to be. If she’s planning some kind of attack on organized crime in Gotham, or working to expose more corruption, she has a potential ally in her half-sister.
