Absolute Penguin.
Joseph Watkins: Da Watcha
Cold-blooded maestro, chaos whisperer, and now, the newest kingpin of Gotham City, worthy of the Bat-Signal in Gotham’s dreaded night skies is finally here for 2024!!!
Ladies and gentlemen let’s welcome...The Penguin.
The Rise of a Legend
The Penguin has captivated audiences with Colin Farrell’s amazing portrayal of Oswald Cobb and his rise to power. In the beginning, we witnessed him suffer defeat at the hands of Batman (2024) and, even more so, The Riddler. Yet, this fantastic series, created by Lauren LeFranc, allowed us, for the first time, to truly understand Oz and the relationships he cultivated within Gotham’s underworld as he rose to power.
Alone and defeated, Oswald truly embodied the role of “stepped-on excrement” in the presence of the fallen don’s son, Alberto Falcone (played by Michael Zegen). Here, we witness the mysterious energy of Colin Farrell’s character, along with his ego-driven ambition to rise to the top and become, as he puts it, “a man of the people.” This moment marks the beginning of his transformation—not as “Oz” or Oswald, but as the mighty Penguin, the flightless bird clawing his way to the top penthouse, leaving viewers amazed at how he got there..
Colin Farrell: A Man of the People
In my opinion, Colin Farrell has always been “a man of the people” in his roles. From his standout performances in Tigerland, S.W.A.T., The Banshees of Inisherin, and many others, Farrell has consistently portrayed everyday characters and made them both iconic and memorable. Real ones never falter.
Gotham’s Meyer Lansky
Matt Reeves has transformed one of the most overlooked and often comical villains in the Batman universe into one of Batman’s most powerful and respected adversaries. No superpowers, no super-powered parents, no special privilege. The Penguin is Gotham’s Meyer Lansky—but deadlier. His superiority doesn’t come from brute strength; it comes from street hustle and cunning, always finding opportunities to secure the bag and seize control of every situation. Honestly, I found myself rooting for him as he climbed his way up. With every loss, he learned the lesson and kept pushing forward. At pivotal moments, he went into demon mode, ensuring his moves stayed unpredictable, making him, for some, a true crime lord in every sense of the word.
Revisiting Oz’s Origins
Let’s be honest—when it comes to The Penguin, we’ve only seen his traumatic origins twice. In Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992), baby Oz is confined to a grim, cage-like crib, vile, rampant, and menacing. After grabbing a cat and tearing it apart in his confined space, his wealthy parents decided to “abort their situation.”
Now, 32 years later, the vile grotesqueness that was once external has shifted inward, making his appearance easier on the eyes but highlighting his internal nature. Reeves amplifies the evil, digging deeper into his psychological nature. He’s like a bird in a nest—slower, weaker, and hungrier—competing against others who are bigger, stronger, more powerful, and deadlier, all with the ultimate goal of eliminating his competition, family or otherwise.
Gotham’s Street Hustler
Oz is the perfect villainous rabble-rouser for Batman. Every speech, every moment he had to sell his skills, abilities, and vision to public officials, enemies, and peers showcased his relentless drive to be a man of the people. His motivation to become Gotham’s kingpin came at the ultimate price: killing his past to claim his future. Here, we see Cobb’s modus operandi—The Penguin is the ultimate street hustler, an emotionless puppeteer who sows chaos and destroys everything he touches, except his dreams of becoming the king of Gotham’s criminal underworld.
Final Thoughts
I found myself appreciating the direction this series took, driven by LeFranc’s decision-making. Here, we witnessed the villain’s growth, struggles, emotions, and moments of vulnerability---With many rooting for him in the process.
It’s only fitting that we chant that High Valyrian phrase that came from the city of Braavos in Game of Thrones; Valar dohaeris, Valar morghulis – All men must serve, All men must die. Ozzy certainly knew the reference. For him, It was always chess, not checkers, and we saw checkmate at the very end.
What The Penguin did to become a villain in Batman’s eyes was no easy feat. Over eight weeks, we saw how a simple mob driver, dismissed as incompetent by those in power, transformed into something so dangerous that Gotham deemed it necessary to activate the bat-signal. He earned his place as one of Gotham’s most respected members of the rogues' gallery, a medal of honor in its own right. This was Absolute Penguin.
Respect.
