Matt Reeves didn’t just make another superhero flick. When people talk about The Batman movie with Penguin, they aren't usually picturing a guy in a top hat with exploding umbrellas anymore. They’re thinking of Colin Farrell buried under pounds of silicon and glue, looking less like a bird and more like a mid-level mobster who’s seen too many sunrises from the wrong side of a pier. It’s gritty. It’s damp. Honestly, it’s probably the most grounded version of the character we’ve ever seen on a big screen.
The 2022 film The Batman shifted the needle. It moved away from the campy vibes of Danny DeVito’s 1992 portrayal—which, let's be real, was a masterpiece of weirdness—and leaned heavily into the "Iceberg Lounge" era of the comics. This Penguin, aka Oswald "Oz" Cobblepot, is a lieutenant. He’s a guy who wants more. He’s the operator of a club where the city’s elite go to pretend they aren't corrupt.
How The Batman Movie With Penguin Redefined the Villain
If you look back at the history of the character, he’s often played for laughs or high-concept horror. But Reeves and Farrell did something different. They made him a blue-collar criminal with aspirations. He’s got that heavy, waddling gait, sure, but it’s explained by a physical deformity that feels lived-in rather than magical. He’s a survivor.
The chemistry between Robert Pattinson’s Batman and Farrell’s Penguin is basically a high-stakes comedy of errors where nobody is laughing. Think about that chase scene. The Batmobile stalling out, the roar of the engine, and then the absolute chaos on the highway. When Batman finally flips Penguin’s car and walks toward him through the flames, it’s one of the most iconic shots in modern cinema. And Penguin? He’s just sitting there upside down, terrified but still talking trash. That’s the core of the character. He’s a cockroach. You can’t kill him, and he’s always going to find a way to climb back up the ranks.
The Transformation of Colin Farrell
It took roughly four hours in the makeup chair every single day. Mike Marino, the prosthetic designer, basically erased one of the most handsome men in Hollywood and replaced him with a scarred, pockmarked face that looks like a map of Gotham’s worst neighborhoods. Farrell has mentioned in various interviews that the suit changed his voice. It changed how he moved. He wasn't just acting; he was inhabiting a completely different skeleton.
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Most people didn't even recognize him. Seriously. When the first trailer dropped, the internet spent three days arguing about whether it was actually him or some character actor they’d forgotten about. That level of immersion is rare in comic book movies these days, where CGI usually does the heavy lifting.
The Iceberg Lounge and the Falcone Connection
You can't talk about The Batman movie with Penguin without talking about Carmine Falcone. In this universe, Oz is the right-hand man to John Turturro’s Falcone. It’s a precarious position. He’s the guy who knows where the bodies are buried but isn't allowed to hold the shovel yet.
The Iceberg Lounge serves as the setting for some of the film's most tense moments. It’s a tiered ecosystem. You have the main floor for the common criminals and the "44 Below" club for the real power players. This is where Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) enters the fray. The way the movie uses the Penguin as a gateway to the larger conspiracy involving the Riddler is brilliant. He’s the bridge between the street-level crime and the high-level political rot.
- He isn't the primary antagonist, which is a smart move.
- He provides the perspective of the "working" criminal.
- His survival at the end of the film sets up the entire future of the franchise.
Why This Version Ranks Above the Rest
For a long time, Burgess Meredith was the definitive Penguin for his "waak-waak" laugh and the 1960s charm. Then DeVito gave us the Tim Burton fever dream version—black bile, circus gangs, and a giant rubber ducky. Both were great for their time. But the 2022 The Batman movie with Penguin offers something more sustainable for a long-form story.
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It feels real.
The stakes are higher when the villain is someone who could actually exist. Someone who uses information as a weapon rather than trick gadgets. When Oz corrects Batman’s Spanish grammar regarding "El Rata Alada," it’s a moment of levity, but it also shows that he’s smarter than everyone gives him credit for. He’s underestimated. That’s his greatest strength.
The Legacy of the 2022 Film
The success of this portrayal didn't just stop when the credits rolled. It led directly to the HBO spin-off series, The Penguin. This is where we see the vacuum left by Falcone’s death. It’s a Sopranos-esque look at Gotham’s underbelly. We’re seeing the rise of a kingpin in real-time.
Without the foundation laid in the movie, the show wouldn't work. We needed to see Oz as the underdog first. We needed to see him being chased down and interrogated by the world’s greatest detective to understand why he’s so desperate to never be in that position again.
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What to Watch Next if You Loved the Penguin's Role
If you’re obsessed with this specific vibe of Gotham, you should definitely branch out into the source material that inspired it. Batman: The Long Halloween is a big one. It captures that transition from the "freaks" taking over from the mob. Also, check out Penguin: Pain and Prejudice by Gregg Hurwitz. It dives deep into the psyche of Oswald Cobblepot and why he’s so driven by resentment.
The reality is that The Batman movie with Penguin was a gamble that paid off. Taking a guy known for being a bit of a joke and turning him into a menacing, tragic, and occasionally hilarious figure is no easy feat.
Moving Forward in Gotham
Next time you rewatch it, pay attention to the background noise in the Iceberg Lounge. Listen to the way Farrell breathes through the prosthetics. It’s a masterclass in character acting. As we head toward The Batman Part II, the landscape of Gotham has changed. The seawall is gone. The city is flooded. And the Penguin? He’s finally sitting in the big chair.
To truly understand the trajectory of the franchise, focus on the power vacuum. The Penguin is no longer just a henchman. He is the new face of Gotham's crime. For fans, this means a shift toward more noir-inspired storytelling where the villains are just as complex as the hero. Keep an eye on the subtle shifts in his wardrobe in the upcoming sequels; as he gains power, his appearance usually becomes more refined, moving closer to that classic comic book look while staying rooted in the gritty reality Matt Reeves created.
The best way to prep for the future of this series is to revisit the 2022 film with an eye for the "little guy" politics. Look at how Oz interacts with the twins at the door. Observe how he reacts when he's not the center of attention. These small details are what build a legendary cinematic villain.