Having garnered critical acclaim for his outstanding performance as Oswald “Oz” Cobb in the first season of The Penguin, Colin Farrell has recently explained Batman’s absence in the series that takes place a week after the events of the 2022 movie, starring Robert Pattinson as the titular Dark Knight. Speaking to Collider, Farrell explained that Batman’s absence from the gritty series was intentional, adding that the change of guard in Gotham’s underbelly had not made flashy waves for the caped crusader to notice.
“I get people’s concerns of, ‘Where is Batman when all this sh*t is happening?’ But this sh*t hasn’t reached the news yet. It really hasn’t reached the news yet,” said Farrell.
“Batman himself, the way I remember it at the end of the film, he’s having a moment of existential shift in regards to what he feels his purpose is and how he’s going to go forth, as a dispirited sense of right in a city that needs an extraordinary amount of help to fix the moral wrongs of what is constantly at play,” he added.
However, the lighting up of the Bat-Signal at the end of The Penguin suggested that Oz’s scheming and meteoric rise to the top had not gone unnoticed. Reflecting on the same, Farrell said it was a thrilling end to the series.
“I would have hated the show to finish and end up with the final credits and Batman not be addressed at all. And it’s right down to the wire, but when that signal came up, I mean, it’s so iconic,” said Farrell.
Batman-Penguin square off
Matt Reeves, director of The Batman echoed the sentiments shared by Farrell, adding that the Dark Knight was taking a moment to step back and reflect on how he wants to preserve Gotham’s broken soul.
“This was a time of great turmoil in the city, it’s literally the week after what happened [in The Batman]. 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.”
Pattinson will be returning to action in The Batman – Part II, slated to release in 2026 with Farell’s Penguin confirmed to square up against the protector of Gotham City.