‘The Penguin’ gives Colin Farrell his own Batman-like superpower

Matt Reeves’ “Batman Epic Crime Saga” takes a grounded approach to the Dark Knight mythos. In this context, a simple gangster such as The Penguin might seem harmless. However, Colin Farrell shows why he can go toe-to-toe with the World’s Greatest Detective.

Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers for episode 2 of The Penguin, “Inside Man.”

In DC Comics, The Penguin is a gangster with a penchant for bird-related crimes and high-tech umbrellas he uses as weapons. So, while he might not be a great martial artist, there have been countless confrontations between him and Batman. 

After The Batman premiere, it was hard to imagine how the new live-action Oswald Cobblepot could become one of the Dark Knight’s greatest foes. Robert Pattinson’s Batman is a punching machine, while Farrell’s Penguin struggles to move around. Furthermore, since Reeves is taking his “grounded” approach to its limit by even changing the Penguin’s surname to Cobb, we shouldn’t hold our breaths for quasi-magic umbrella guns. As such, The Penguin lacked the tools he needed to cause Batman more than a light headache.

Fortunately, Max’s The Penguin changes the playing field by showing how dangerous Oswald Cobb can be.

The Penguin’s biggest power is his superhuman ability to lie

In the absence of his umbrellas or senseless love for birds, Reeves’ “Batman Epic Crime Saga” highlights The Penguin’s other distinct traits: opportunism and sociopathy.

The first two episodes already follow Oz as he navigates Gotham’s criminal underworld, changing allegiances faster than Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) can follow. He tells the Falcones what they want to hear while working with Sal Maroni (Clancy Brown) in Blackgate Penitentiary. Meanwhile, he tries to convince Sofia (Cristin Milioti) to trust him with her revolutionary new drug.

Watching Farrell lie through his teeth and change his narrative with each new sentence is mesmerizing. That’s because The Penguin is not only tricking everyone around him, but he ends up believing his own words. It’s so easy to fall for The Penguin’s schemes because he doesn’t see the difference between truth and falsity. He only lives in the moment and does what’s best for him. 

At one moment, he full-heartedly believes that he’s helping Maroni take his revenge because the Falcones mistreated him, and he deserves respect. Next, he is willing to forge partnerships with Sofia as she’s the rightful ruler of the Falcones. As the perfect sociopath, The Penguin believes his lies, which help him conquer the hearts and minds of people on every side of the war raging in Gotham City’s streets.

The Penguin’s relationship with Victor is also symbolic of his opportunism. The gangster took the young man under his crooked wings and taught him how to become an essential player in the drug business. However, Oz can flip a switch, point a gun at Victor, and force him to lie with dead bodies for daring to make a mistake. 

Oz thinks he owns Victor and has the right to use him as a tool. Simultaneously, the Penguin genuinely believes he’s taking care of Victor and giving him the opportunities life took from the young man. It’s Orwell’s doublethink in its purest form, as The Penguin doesn’t lose a second worrying about contradictions if he gets what he wants. This doublethinking approach is also Oz’s primary instrument to inspire loyalty from everyone.

For now, The Penguin is busy with Gotham City’s underworld. Nevertheless, what happens once The Penguin becomes kingpin? Nothing can satiate the gangster’s greed, so he will most certainly stretch his wings elsewhere. With the people of Gotham rightfully mistrusting politicians and public institutions, there’s a lot of room for Penguin to seize power beyond the drug business. If he does, Batman won’t be able just to punch his problems away.