The BatmanspinoffThe Penguinnot containing the Dark Knight actually looks to be a good thing for both theDCshow and the larger franchise. The positive reception forThe Batmanhas blossomed into not one but two successors, withThe Batman - Part IImoviecoming out in 2026, and TV spinoffThe Penguinreleasing throughout the later part of 2024. With the prospect of more releases in the franchise on the horizon, both of these successors hold important roles in terms of building whatDC’s movie and show futurelooks like.
This makes it all the more interesting thatThe Penguindoesn’t include Batman himself, as explained by franchise creator Matt Reeves. With expectations previously having been high for at least a glimpse of the Dark Knight during the spinoff series, this reveal is one that is sure to have shocked some viewers. That said, it’s also a decision I think is ultimately for the best, especially with the specific reasoning for Batman’s absence being taken into account.
Matt Reeves' Comments On Batman Not Being In The Penguin Proves It’s The Right Movie For The DC Spinoff
The Penguin Doesn’t Need Batman To Work
In an interview withTV Insider,Matt Reeves discussed the lack of Batman inThe Penguin, explaining that, “we just wanted to make sure that, if we did have him cross, that he didn’t - Batman is such a powerful figure, that if he comes in he could mess with the narrative in a way… it would suddenly in a way be taken over by Batman, and we wanted this to be Oz’s moment, Sofia’s moment, Francis' moment, Vic’s moment, and let this story be told”. Given the spinoff story doesn’t strictly need Batman, this perspective certainly makes sense.
It also appears Batman hasn’t been left out of the series for a lack of trying, but rather because there wasn’t a way to naturally include the character into the overarching narrative ofThe Penguin. Reeves mentioned efforts were gone to in order to try and place Batman in the show, and that “we toyed with it,we tried to find the moment, but we could never quite find the moment that didn’t step on what was important, which was telling their stories”.
Though there was much anticipation about the prospect of seeing Robert Pattinson’s DC hero in the show, doing so at the detriment ofThe Penguin’s central story and characters ultimately isn’t worth the cost. Indeed, approaching things in this way means that Batman’s return can be at its most central and dramatic, and that the Penguin himself also gets his due time in the spotlight without it being undermined.
Including Batman In The Penguin For The Sake Of It Would Have Been A Waste
Batman Deserves Better Than An Obligatory Cameo
Batman is unsurprisingly the core focal character ofThe Batmanfranchise - and thus, logically, including him inThe Penguinwould’ve ensured the universe remained tied together by the Dark Knight’s presence. However, I don’t think it would have ever been worth including the character solely to bring the world together with a big cameo in the series.
The story of Oz’s rise in Gotham’s underworld and the complicated relationships he has with those around him during this time is one that works on its own, andbringing Batman back without clear plot intentions would waste the intrigue audiences have about his personal arc followingThe Batman’s ending. The prospect of teasing his story forThe Batman - Part IIis an appealing one, but it’s also one thatThe Penguinis already doing without needing a direct appearance, since the state of Gotham inherently sets up what Batman will have to contend with later down the line.
In an era where cameos in superhero movies under a more critical lens than usual - following a range of very different receptions to the selection of actor returns that DC and Marvel’s multiverse stories have allowed to take place - being careful with something as big as where and when Batman appears in a franchise is a wise move. SinceThe Batmanwent to great lengths to carve out its own distinct version of the Caped Crusader with careful intent, it only makes sense to continue this as the franchise unfolds, even if that actively involves seeing less of the character.
Leaving Batman Out Of The Penguin Makes The Batman 2 Even More Exciting
The Batman 2 Follows Up On A Major Real-World & In-Universe Dark Knight Gap
Knowing Batman won’t be inThe Penguinaccording to Matt Reeves himself actually only makes me more excited forThe Batman - Part II- in no small part because it’ll be the next time we see Pattinson’s Batman after a 4 year wait for his on-screen return. Having Batman inThe Penguinwould’ve allowed audiences to at least know the character is still in Gotham, whereas now we only havepromotional materials for The Penguinto go off, with a fictional in-world newspaper appearing to suggest the Dark Knight hasn’t responded to the bat-signal “in weeks”, keeping things even more uncertain.
The Penguincovering the aftermath ofThe Batmanwithout directly showing its main character means the questions we have about what the hero is up to and how his story has evolved following Bruce’s character development are all the more pressing, since there’s now a larger period of in-universe time for changes and new events to have taken place. Though it seemsThe Batman - Part IImay be setting up to loosely adapt DC’s No Man’s Land story - especially sinceThe Penguinepisode 2 references No Man’s Land- this leaves things pleasantly open story-wise for the sequel.
As one of the biggest figures in pop culture even decades after his inception, Batman is a character who is worth his weight in gold. However, that doesn’t mean every DC property is inherently enhanced by his mere appearance, and many of the best comics, movies, and shows featuring the character have this status because they have used him sparingly, and picked their moments to do so. Hopefully, bothThe PenguinandThe Batman - Part IIbenefit from the decision made for this universe in much the same way.
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.
