Why The Penguin Killed This Major Character In the Finale, Explained by Showrunner

WARNING! The following contains Bane-sized spoilers for The Penguin‘s final episode!

The final episode of The Penguin proved that no one is safe. HBO’s smash-hit The Batman spin-off show treated audiences to Oz Cobb’s ( Colin Farrell) rise to power in Gotham City’s criminal underworld. Surprise, surprise, he succeeds by the end of Episode 8, and firmly establishes himself as the malignant Batman villain fans love. But, thanks to showrunner Lauren LeFranc, it came with a few sacrifices.

Oz Cobb strangling Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) in the final episode took the audience’s breath away (pun intended). The moment defined Gotham as a cruel, unforgiving city, and reminded audiences that Oz is a villain in the wider narrative. Speaking to Deadline, Lauren LeFranc, the mastermind behind the show, revealed why Cobb whacked his closest friend, and a person that looked up to him as family. “It’s not because of anything Victor did wrong,” she said, continuing, “I think Oz, in that moment, really chose to kill his own heart and embrace the monster that he is. It is a terrible tragedy, and I’ve always viewed our show as a tragedy.”

In the scene before, Vic witnessed Oz by his mother’s bedside in hospital as he was crying. According to LeFranc, Oz couldn’t have anyone view him as weak. Unfortunately, that included Vic. “In so many ways, he is a broken man. When it comes to Victor, it was really important to me that Oz kill him — not because he has any reason to, and Victor did come through for him,” LeFranc continued. For Oz to become The Penguin, he had to cull any semblance of weakness out of his life. LeFranc explained:

“Victor is like family. Yet Victor saw Oz at his weakest, at his most vulnerable. Oz really feels like he needs a level of power. He can’t have weakness, so he kills Victor.”

Lauren LeFranc Wants Fans to Hate Oz Cobb

While Oz was always the black sheep of the series — fans consistently routed for Vic, and were slowly entranced by Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) — Lauren LeFranc wanted audiences to despise Oz Cobb by the end of The Penguin. After all, he is a villain. “I hope that people are appalled by what Oz chooses to do because there’s no justifiable reason that we’ve been given for him to do it, which is always important,” she said. Painting an unrelenting picture of Gotham City, The Penguin features some truly gruesome and gut-wrenching deaths. For LeFranc, each character’s death had to be meaningful and make sense for the series. She explained:

“I think a lot about who dies and when and what people might think about those deaths. Who has power in that moment? Who mistreats somebody else in that moment to create these dark and terrible justifications?”

Audiences may have been blindsided by Oz’s cruelty, but Rhenzy Feliz knew it was coming from day one. With the end goal in mind, Feliz said he tried to give Vic a fulfilling arc, that would then make Oz’s betrayal so much more impactful. He explained:

“I knew the ultimate point of what it was, so I could try and create an arc that would end and, hopefully, make it as tragic and surprising as possible. Oz doesn’t want any weaknesses. He just experienced what it’s like when someone he cares about is put through pain. I think he doesn’t want to feel that vulnerable again, so he might as well just take Victor out now before someone uses it against him.”

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.

Release Date

September 19, 2024

Cast

Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O’Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi

Seasons

1