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‘The Penguin’ Ending Explained: Will We See More of Colin Farrell’s Chilling Villain?

‘The Penguin’ Ending Explained: Will We See More of Colin Farrell’s Chilling Villain?

As exciting as it is to watch Bruce Wayne transform into Batman and protect Gotham City, longtime fans of the superhero love learning about the origins of the villains who rise against him. The success of the Joker film franchise (which expanded with a sequel earlier this fall) makes this obvious, but the minds behind DC Comics weren’t ready to stop there. Earlier this week, the final episode of The Penguin arrived on Max, wrapping up the original series following Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) and his descent into villain-hood. The beloved actor appears alongside Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, Rhenz Feliz as Victor and Deirdre O’Connell as his mother, Francis. All of these characters play crucial roles in the final episodes of The Penguin – but not everyone makes it out alive. Beware of spoilers below, mixed in with everything you need to know about the conclusion and future of Oz Cobb.

Oz Cobb’s Complicated Relationship With His Mom

The conflict at the center of The Penguin is Oz Cobb’s relationship with his mother, whose approval means everything to this stone-cold killer. When Francis begins receiving red light therapy from Dr. Julian Rush, it’s confirmed she knew all along about her son’s role in murdering his two brothers, who she seemed to favor. Earlier in the show, she uncovered a yellow torch in his coat and clearly knew he was lying; when Jack and Benny’s bodies were uncovered, police had to “prise open the door.” The shocking revelation leads Francis to take risky action, calling up resident gangster Rex to take out Oz. “I got the devil in my house Rex, what am I supposed to do?” the Cobb family matriarch ponders.

In the finale, we learn that one of Oz’s favorite memories – the night he went dancing with Francis – is when Rex intended to kill him. Ultimately, Mrs. Cobb either decided she wasn’t ready to part with her only living son or was drawn in by his promise to provide for her, so keeping quiet about his crimes to live a comfortable life. When the duo was at odds, Sofia played a key role in reconciling the mother-son duo. She even followed in Penguin’s footsteps, threatening to cut off Francis’ finger (as Oz did to her brother, Alberto) unless he confessed to the murders.

Despite the risks Francis is facing, Oz can’t tell the truth. “I should have had Rex kill you when I had the chance,” she yells out, stabbing her only remaining child with a broken bottle before seeing a vision of her late sons and collapsing on the floor. Penguin takes the opportunity to escape – but not before hauling Francis over his shoulder and carrying her off to an uncomfortable final fate. It seems Mrs. Cobb suffered a stroke that’s severe enough to keep her from walking or communicating, though she is still alive.

Earlier in The Penguin, she told her son about her wishes to be let go of if a time came when she couldn’t take care of herself, but he didn’t respect her wishes. Instead, Oz keeps Francis alive in a vegetative state in his penthouse, a prisoner of her body and her twisted son. Since she can no longer dance with Oz, his mistress, Eve, dresses as Francis on the night they went dancing, allowing him to relive his fantasy. “Tell me you love me. Tell me you’re proud of me… Tell me I did it Ma!,” Farrell’s character begs. “I knew you would, my beautiful boy,” Eve, as Francis says. “Nothing standing in your way now.” He replies, “Goddamn right” as the camera pans out into the night where a Batman sign lights up the night sky in Gotham City.

Sofia and Victor’s Endings Aren’t Easy To Watch

For her part, Sofia responds to the chaos by putting a bounty on Oz’s head, offering her entire empire over to ganglords who can complete the task. At the same time, Oz visits City Hall and convinces Sebastian Hady to blame Sofia for his crimes. “An unhinged angry broad got out of the looney bin and went on a killing spree,” the mastermind declares. Oz then sweetens the deal, reminding Sebastian he could be seen as a hero for exposing the criminal activity in an effort to stop Gotham’s drug and gang wars.

Vic, Oz’s loyal mentee, appears to betray him by working with one of the Triads to arrange a handover, but it turns out to be a setup. During a shoot-out, Oz takes Sofia (after having burnt her family and their home to the ground) to the riverside in an apparent attempt to kill her. Just when it seems he’s going to shoot Sofia, police pop out and take her away back to Arkham. Luckily for the fan-favorite character, Dr. Julian manages to re-secure employment at the hospital, bringing a message from Selina Kyle – also known as Catwoman – who claims to be Sofia’s half-sister. Per Esquire, this detail already has some viewers speculating about the potential of season two.

Later on, Vic and Oz drink from a bottle of alcohol by the river while reflecting on how their time together has made them into a family. “It’s good that we met!” Vic declares before Oz shockingly strangles him to death. “It wasn’t for nothing,” the criminal cooly responds, pickpocketing his young follower and tossing his ID into the river.

Showrunner Lauren LeFranc Breaks Down ‘The Penguin’ Finale

'The Penguin' Ending Explained pictured: Lauren LeFranc
(FilmMagic for HBO)

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Lauren LeFranc reflected on some of The Penguin‘s biggest twists. “I wanted to pay homage to the previous iterations of the Penguin, and our Oz is not the type of guy to wear a top hat and monocle,” she shared of the final dancing scene with Eve dressed as Francis. “But I thought about the movie Top Hat, where all these men are wearing the full penguin suit and dancing. I could imagine Oz as a kid watching that and being fascinated and aspiring to that. He loves old movies because of his mother and his drive is so connected to seeking his mother’s love.”

As for Victor’s death, LeFranc admits it was only a matter of time until the character said goodbye. “When you first meet Victor, you think, ‘This kid isn’t going to last very long.’ And he doesn’t. In a way, he shouldn’t have survived the pilot. I think Oz kills Victor because Victor has seen him at his most vulnerable and because Victor really cares about him and loves him — and because Victor does view him as family,” the executive noted. He learned something from how desperate he was when his mother was threatened. I think Oz believes that for him to achieve the next level of power, he cannot have weakness. And he views love and affection and family as weak.”

Will There Be Another Season?

Despite The Penguin being billed as a limited series, there’s still hope for more to come from the cast and crew. Nothing has been confirmed as of November 2024, although LeFranc shared her thoughts on the future of the franchise. “My task was to make a bridge between The Batman and The Batman: Part II. I love all these characters, and it is been so much fun writing all of them, and it’s such an engaging world. There are endless stories you could tell in this world. I don’t think anything should continue if there are not better stories to tell, or if you can’t one-up yourself creatively,” she said. “I think the only way for something like this to continue is if you feel like you can tell just as rich of a story, if not richer.”

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