WARNING: This article includes SPOILERS from The Penguin finale.Following the conclusion ofThe PenguinTV show,The Batmanuniverse creator is giving theDCaudience some resolution to the question of why Robert Pattinson didn’t appear in the HBO drama as The Dark Knight.The Batmanuniverse will soon have new trouble to deal with, asThe Penguinsaw Oz Cobb’s criminal power grow increasingly over the course of the show. However, one of the mysteries that fans have been wanting an explanation for is why Batman didn’t interfere with Oz’s activities, as the franchise’s main creative force is offering up new answers on the matter.
In a new interview withDigital Spy,Matt Reeves was directly asked why Pattinson’s Gotham City hero didn’t make an appearance inThe Penguinseries at least once. Reeves gave a detailed response to what kept Batman from getting involved with the overall plot ofThe Penguinseason 1, as he explained the following:
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.
What Matt Reeves' Batman Explanation Means For The Penguin
Even though the beginning ofThe Penguinshow was picking up right whereThe Batmanmovie endingleft off, Reeves' comments about Bruce not having a presence in the series make sense for a number of reasons. To begin with,Oz’s antics were potentially not even on Batman’s radar in comparison to the many people in Gotham City whose lives were ruined and affected by The Riddler. Since Bruce is just one man in a big city like Gotham, he is not going to be able to catch everything that is going on in every corner of the city.
But there is another core reason that Pattinson didn’t show up inThe Penguinfinaleor any other episode:this was never Pattinson’s show, but rather Oz’s story.The Penguinis supposed to expand the world ofThe Batmanby telling it through Oz’s perspective, building up his role further in this universe. It also makes their inevitable encounter inThe Batman - Part IIsomething to look forward to, as they will be at different points in their respective paths.
Our Take On Matt Reeves' Batman Absence Explanation In The Penguin
From everything Reeves stated,the events ofThe Penguinseries, along with where Bruce was left off inThe Batman, naturally put them on very distinct journeys in Gotham City. In a way, Batman’s presence did end up being felt at the very end ofThe Penguinfinale as the Bat-Signal went off, foreshadowing what is beingset up inThe Batman - Part II. Until they cross paths again, the world can relieveThe Penguinseason 1 on Max.
The Penguin
Cast
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
