Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Penguin episode 5Some DC fans think The Penguin has just created a plot hole with The Batman. This is due to Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb and his brand-new base of operations he recently uncovered with his right-hand man, Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz). However, the solution is actually very simple thanks to some key details from The Batman itself.
In The Penguin episode 5, Oz has made some big moves against both the Falcone and Maroni crime families, making himself a major target for both. He’s also gained a significant advantage by the episode’s end, having found an abandoned trolley hub and forgotten tunnel system that’s perfect for his new drug operations. That said, The Penguin’s new lair has created a point of potential confusion considering the existence of another underground secret hideout in Gotham: the Batcave. However, the reason why Penguin and Batman won’t be running into each other underground is easy.
The Penguin’s Tunnel Plot Hole Explained
What If They Bump Into Each Other?
While the existence of an entire underground network of tunnels for Penguin to use is very exciting, it does make sense that some fans are calling into question the possibility of whether Oz might run into Batman himself at some point. After all, The Batman did see Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne traveling through tunnels underground to get to his Batcave. Naturally, this has generated some pretty funny responses online regarding what seems to be a pretty big plot hole, such as a post from Twitter/X user @TrulyTheOneLobo:
Another X user @keileykaiser posted a similar meme from The Umbrella Academy, questioning the same thing about whether there’s a risk for Oz and Batman to bump into each other underground:
The memes are quite funny, presenting a very comedic scenario in which Gotham’s underground seemingly just got a lot more crowded. However, the reason why it’s not the plot hole it initially seems is quite simple, having been established during the release of 2022’s The Batman.
The Batman’s Batcave Has The Answer To The Penguin’s “Plot Hole”
Wayne Terminus Was A Private Train Station
Gotham’s trolley system was meant for public use before it was shut down after politicians got greedy and diverted funds. Conversely, Bruce Wayne built his Batcave at the decommissioned Wayne Terminus, a private train station constructed directly beneath Wayne Tower in the heart of the city. As such, it follows that this train station and its connected access tunnels aren’t connected to those that will now be used by Oz and his men in future episodes of The Penguin.
Related
The Penguin Episode 5: 9 Easter Eggs & DC References
The Penguin episode 5 features some exciting Easter eggs and references as Oz Cobb and Sofia Falcone make major moves in Gotham’s underworld.
Likewise, it’s also worth noting that the trolley hub Oz and Victor discover has to be much closer to the poorer neighborhood of Crown Point than it is to the Batcave which lies beneath the middle of Gotham City proper. As such, the scenario in which Oz and Batman inadvertently run into each other underground is very low. That said, Colin Farrell’s Penguin taking his operations underground does serve as a fun parallel to Danny DeVitos’ Penguin in Batman Returns, seeing as how he also traveled below Gotham (albeit in the sewers).
The Penguin Makes Batman’s Absence Worse
One Would Think Batman Would Be Aware Of What’s Been Happening…
It’s very unlikely that Batman and The Penguin would have run into each other underground by accident, seeing how they’re using completely different tunnel systems. That said, one still has to wonder why Batman isn’t doing anything about the major shifts that are happening to Gotham’s criminal underworld. Both the Maronis and Falcone families have been nearly wiped out, and Oz now has his own power base below the city itself. Surely Batman would be paying attention to activity under Gotham City given the proximity to his own base of operations.
Penguin’s new base of operations is not the plot hole it looks to be at first glance, instead being a darkly exciting sign that Oz’s rise to power in Gotham has well and truly begun…
One would think that Batman would have gotten himself involved in the events of The Penguin by now. However, there are theories that Batman is currently missing (rather than simply not caring), and is potentially facing something far more dangerous behind the scenes (like the Court of Owls). At any rate, Penguin’s new base of operations is not the plot hole it looks to be at first glance, instead being a darkly exciting sign that Oz’s rise to power in Gotham has well and truly begun.
New episodes of The Penguin stream Sunday nights on Max.
Source: Twitter/X
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.
- 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
- Character(s)
- Oz Cobb , Sofia Falcone , Victor Aguilar , Johnny Viti , Nadia Maroni , Francis Cobb , Salvatore Maroni , Milos Grapa , Luca Falcone , Alberto Falcone , Eve Karlo , Julian Rush
- Release Date
- September 19, 2024
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Lauren LeFranc
- Directors
- Craig Zobel
- Showrunner
- Lauren LeFranc
- Prequel
- The Batman (2022)
- Avg Episode Length
- 60 Mins