The Penguin is a fantastic freakin’ show that takes fans on a dark journey into the criminal underworld of Gotham City. While there’s a lot of crap going on, Batman never shows up to intervene.
You’ve got to remember Batman is one guy, and he’s dealing with a lot of other shit in Gotham. During a recent interview with Digital Spy, director and producer Matt Reeves explained what Batman is doing during the events of The Penguin and what is going on in his head.
Revees revealed: “This was a time of great turmoil in the city, it’s literally the week after what happened. Much of the city is in desperation, so police can’t get everywhere, there’s crime everywhere, it’s a very, very dangerous time.
“[Batman’s] out there trying to grapple with the aftermath of everything that happened, which to some degree he blames himself for.”
The Batman ended with The Riddler flooding Gotham City, and, it was a pretty catastrophic event. So, it makes sense that Batman would have his hands full, and what was going on with The Penguin never got on Batman’s radar.
A cameo for Batman was considered, though. Reeves said of that: “Over the course of writing the season, we discussed many times whether or not there might be some cross-through that would feel earned.
“We tried a few different ideas conceptually, nothing that was ever written ultimately, but nothing seemed to quite gel in a way that felt earned.”
One idea that was floated was having Batman meet Vic, Oz’s young right-hand man, but Reeves said: “But even that ended up throwing things off too much.”
The Penguin was such a well-made show, though, that it didn’t need Batman to show up. Batman and Oz will eventually face off in one of the future film projects.
The Batman: Part II will hit theaters on October 2, 2026.
