A tiny detail inThe Penguinepisode 8 creates a dark parallel between Oz Cobb and Carmine Falcone, suggesting thatDC’s Hangman lives on.The Penguinreveals thatSofia Falcone’s “Hangman” infamyis the work of her own father, Carmine Falcone, who murdered several women and pinned the blame on his own daughter.The Penguinepisode 4’s flashbacks to Sofia Falcone’s time at Arkhamestablishes how Sofia only became a ruthless murderer after being imprisoned, andThe Batmanshows how Carmine escaped from any repercussions from his Hangman crimes once the Riddler assassinates him.
Despite his genuine care for his mother Francis and his ally Victor Aguilar, Oz Cobb can’t shake off his villainous nature by the end ofThe Penguin. Oz kills Victor Aguilar inThe Penguinepisode 8’s ending, and he keeps his ill mother as a living trophy after she suffers a stroke. Oz also begins working with Gotham’s politicians, setting up a political-themed plot forThe Batman - Part II, where Oz will likely be less compassionate with innocent characters and more dangerous to heroes like Batman and James Gordon. In short,Oz Cobb is a villain by nature, and the proof is in the details.
Oz Cobb Became A New Hangman By The End Of The Penguin
Oz Uses The Same Killing Method As Carmine Falcone In The Penguin Finale
InThe Penguinfinale, Oz Cobb decides to murder Victor Aguilar as a way to get rid of him before Vic could become a target for his enemies. Oz hugs Victor and praises his loyalty before strangling him to death. Victor begs Oz to stop and asks him why he’s doing it, scratching his hands in the process. Later on, when Oz celebrates his victory by dancing with Eve Karlo, several scratches can be seen on his hands.The scratches on Oz’s hands are the same kind of injury that Carmine Falcone sustained while murdering his victims, as strangulation was also Carmine’s preferred murder method.
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Consciously or unconsciously, Oz Cobb inherits Carmine Falcone’s “Hangman” legacy once he decides to kill an innocent man who trusted him by choking him to death, ignoring his pleas. While Oz has always been a cold-hearted criminal with no true allegiances, the quality that used to separate him from other criminals likeMark Strong’s Carmine Falconeand Paul Dano’s Edward Nashton was his empathy for people like Victor and Francis. However, every last speck of humanity left in Oz’s heart disappeared as Oz strangled Victor.
The Penguin Finale Proves Batman’s Point
Unlike The Penguin, Batman Will Never Choose The Easy Way
Oz Cobb displayed his nice side throughoutThe Penguin, but he ultimately became more ruthless than he was at the beginning of his solo series. Francis and Victor’s ending prove Oz is simply irredeemable, as he chooses the easiest way to satisfy himself and himself only. Oz spared Sofia Gigante’s life, but only because he knew that sending Sofia to prison was a fate worse than death, otherwiseOz wouldn’t have hesitated to kill Sofia just like he killed Victor.
Batman will not kill, nor will he sacrifice lives in order to apprehend criminals
Whereas Oz is ready to kill and torture his closest allies if it benefits him, Batman goes the extra mile to deliver justice to Gotham, regardless of the sacrifice it entails. Although Batman overstepped the line with his violent treatment of low-level criminals at the beginning of Matt Reeves’The Batman, he has always retained a fair idea of what true justice means. Batman will not kill, nor will he sacrifice lives in order to apprehend criminals. That’s the only reason why the Riddler, the Joker, and the Penguin are still aliveas of the events ofThe PenguinandThe Batman - Part II.
