You might think thatThe Batman - Part II’s release delay to 2027 means only doom and gloom for the sequel, but there’s a big reason to still be excited. FollowingThe Batman, excitement about the iconicDChero continuing inThe Batman - Part IIwas high, andThe Penguin’s2024 release makes the upcoming sequel even more exciting.
The DC TV show cemented itself as one of the franchise’s best releases - as evidenced by the many positivereviews ofThe Penguin- with the story building out the Gotham underworld in a variety of ways thatThe Batmanwasn’t able to. It featured a handful of career performances from Colin Farrell as the titular character, alongside Cristin Milioti as Sofia Gigante (formerly Falcone), with possible Emmy consideration on the horizon.
Now thatThe Penguinis over, Matt Reeves and the rest of the creatives behind his “Batman Epic Crime Saga” look towardsThe Batman Part II, which will now be released in 2027. Colin Farrell will return as Oz Cobb in the sequel, which should see him come face-to-face with the Caped Crusader once again. With everything that happened duringThe Penguin’sending, the anticipation forThe Batman Part IIcouldn’t be higher.
The Penguin Expanded The Batman Universe Incredibly Well
New Villains, And A Bigger, Darker Gotham
One of the greatest aspects ofThe Penguinis how it expands Gotham City not only by showing more of the iconic location, but also by expanding its historyand fleshing out what life is like for those in every corner of the place. The series showed perspectives of those that are less fortunate than someone like Bruce Wayne, highlighting the idea that Gotham City could corrupt anyone if given time. It also retroactively strengthens certain aspects ofThe Batman, like seeing Riddler’s bombings carried out from another perspective.
The classic crime families in Batman’s mythos are present - the Falcones and the Maronis - but it also explores further gangs that help Gotham feel truly lived in, and show the lengths Oz Cobb is willing to go to gain power through his dealings with them. Matt Reeves' Gotham is a beautiful, nasty, and corrupt place, andThe Penguintruly explores it that way, diving into it more than a movie could and primingThe Batman - Part IIto continue to explore it deeper.
The Penguin Makes Oz A Better Villain For The Batman Part II
Colin Farrell’s Supervillain Evolved In 2024
It’s unclear ifThe Penguinseason 2will happen, but Colin Farrell is set to reprise his role as Oz Cobb inThe Batman - Part IIin 2027 and his brilliance is a silver lining that makes the delayed release worth the wait.Farrell has also talked about the possibilities of a second season ofThe Penguin, which could further cement his legacy as one of the best Batman villains ever put to screen. InThe Batman - Part II,Oz will feel more dangerous than ever knowing the events that unfolded duringThe Penguin.
What We Know About The Future Of The Batman Universe After The Penguin
The Penguin ended with teases for The Batman universe, and its future includes Oz Cobb, Batman, and other spinoffs that have been teased or rumored.
The smartest decisionThe Penguinmade was to keep Oz Cobb truly evil. So many comic book projects want to position villains as not as bad as they might seem, or just misunderstood, butThe Penguinlets Oz Cobb earn his supervillain status. Because of this, it will be incredibly exciting to see him square off against Batman in the sequel, and if Batman is able to best him once more, it will make the victory all that more rewarding. There is a lot of rich storytelling that can come from whatThe Penguinset up.
Gotham’s New Corruption Sets Up The Riddler’s Importance In The Batman Sequel
Could We Be Headed To All-Out War For Gotham’s Underworld?
Riddler’s main motivation inThe Batmanwas to expose the corruption in Gotham and ultimately eradicate it. Of course, his messaging gets a little mixed when he purposely floods the city, killing more innocent, under-privileged people than ever, but it is possible his war on corruption is not done even if he is currently in Arkham.The Penguinsets up an interesting plot thread that could make Riddler an important player inThe Batman - Part IIagain.
There are other spin-offs possibly in the works for Reeves' universe, which could further explore government corruption in Gotham.
By the end ofThe Penguin, Oz Cobb has successfully worked his way into aspects of Gotham’s government, mainly through councilman Sebastian Hady. It’s obvious that Oz wants to indirectly control the mayoral office, which would most likely be explored inThe Batman - Part II. This couldpossibly put Oz in the sights of Riddler’s army, and even Riddler himselfif he ever gets out. The mobs have largely taken each other out, and the subsequent vacuum of power could make Gotham’s supervillains even more likely to war against each other to stake their claim to city.
The Penguinis one of the best things that DC has ever made, establishing another high point in the franchise’s cinematic legacy, and paving the way forThe Batman’s universe to grow even stronger. It truly feels like the beginning of a new era for DC in film and television, and Matt Reeves' Batman universe is one of the biggest reasons for that.The Penguinhelped usher in the end of 2024 in spectacular fashion while elevating the excitement forThe Batman - Part IIeven more.
The Batman Part II
Cast
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.
