THE PENGUIN Showrunner Elaborates On Batman's Absence From The Series: "He Doesn't Have A Spidey-Sense"

THE PENGUIN Showrunner Elaborates On Batman's Absence From The Series: "He Doesn't Have A Spidey-Sense"

The Penguin showrunner Lauren Lefranc has talked more about Batman's distracting absence from the DC Studios TV series, explaining why he didn't get involved with Gotham City's gang war. Check it out...

By JoshWilding - Feb 04, 2025 05:02 AM EST
Filed Under: The Batman
Source: Empire (via The Direct)

During The Penguin's first season, the Falcone family is killed, Crown Point is rocked by an explosion, and Oz Cobb murders his way to the top of Gotham City's underworld.

As for Robert Pattinson's Batman...well, he's nowhere to be seen beyond the Bat-Signal finally lighting up the sky in the movie's closing moments. 

Talking to Empire Magazine, The Penguin showrunner Lauren Lefranc once again addressed the Dark Knight's absence from the hit HBO series. "What Matt reiterated to me early on is that it’s a big city and Batman can't be everywhere," she explained. "He doesn't have a Spidey-sense that tingles.

"But just because we don’t see Batman in our show doesn't mean he's unaware or uncaring," Lefranc continued. "The events that have taken place in Gotham City, and the repercussions that come with them, will carry into the next film."

Reeves has already shared details about a scrapped Batman cameo and last November, The Batman director shared a story reason for the the vigilante's distracting absence from the spin-off TV series.

"This was a time of great turmoil in the city, it's literally the week after what happened," the filmmaker explained. "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."

It appears Batman was simply too busy to get involved with the gang war between Oz and Sofia Falcone; it's a convincing enough explanation, albeit one that it's easy enough to pick holes in should you choose to do so. 

Much has been said about Pattinson's Caped Crusader being integrated into the DCU. However, with at least one of the possibilities being that the actor didn't want to make the leap to television for a cameo in The Penguin, we wouldn't bank on him joining the Justice League quite yet.

Addressing the possibility of merging The Batman with the DCU, Reeves has said, "I mean, it really comes down to whether or not it makes sense. What's been great is there was a story that I wanted to tell that we're calling The Epic Crime Saga which is the thrust of what we wanted to do. It's been important to me to be able to play that out."

"What the future brings, I can't really tell you," he added. "I have no idea right now except that my head is down now about getting The Batman Part II shooting and to make it something special which is, of course, the most important thing."

Pushed on whether he thinks Pattinson's Bruce Wayne will eventually join the DCU, a flustered Reeves replied, "I don't know. We'll have to see where that goes."

The Batman 2 will be released in theaters on October 1, 2027.

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ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 2/4/2025, 5:24 AM
Okay now what about his absence from the DCU.


Just over an hour and a half to lets [frick]ing GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO4444444444444444444444444444444444444!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 2/4/2025, 5:44 AM
@ObserverIO - Fore!
KwisatzHaderach
KwisatzHaderach - 2/4/2025, 5:26 AM
Is this guy for real? If this Batman can’t notice a blatant gang war going on that he inadvertently caused, he’s a shit Batman
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 2/4/2025, 5:43 AM
@KwisatzHaderach - Gang war? nah too busy.. this dude was robbing the deli.
KwisatzHaderach
KwisatzHaderach - 2/4/2025, 5:45 AM
@AgentofSH1ELD - Bodies were being dropped, that was a gang war
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 2/4/2025, 7:03 AM
@KwisatzHaderach - yeah but what about the deli?
GodHercules20
GodHercules20 - 2/4/2025, 5:28 AM
So he's world's shittest detective in this universe
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 2/4/2025, 5:45 AM
@GodHercules20 - The Batman film made that abundantly clear
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 2/4/2025, 5:31 AM
Understandable to an extent, but this gang war got so bad Batman would've caught wind of it sooner or later. All I know is Penguin's got one hell of an ass whooping coming to him hopefully.
BraveNewClunge
BraveNewClunge - 2/4/2025, 5:36 AM
Sometimes it's best to say nothing 🤣

There were gang wars, big explosions etc going on and batman 0 clue.
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 2/4/2025, 5:45 AM
He might not have "known" or been "too busy" at first, but with Sofia being released (definitely would have known that) and then Maroni being killed by Penguin (again, would have known) he should have shown up sooner rather than later. I dont like the excuse that there was just too much going on in Gotham..
MisterBones
MisterBones - 2/4/2025, 5:53 AM
Can’t not notice a massive gang war and the killing of major mob bosses
Songoty
Songoty - 2/4/2025, 7:04 AM
Someone should tell her that's not even how the spider sense works lmao
RealTurner
RealTurner - 2/4/2025, 7:17 AM
Spin it however you like, it makes Batman look like a chump. That simple.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 2/4/2025, 7:41 AM
That’s a fair & valid explanation imo…

Honestly besides the Crown Point explosion in the penultimate episode , the show was small scale enough that I could see Batman dealing with other things and not paying much if any mind to the other goings on.

You could state then that he should/could have shown up in the finale then which is understandable but the closing moment of Oz at the top & Eve telling him there’s no one that can stop him now to the Bat Signal then lighting up was so good that I wouldn’t want to replace that!!.

User Comment Image

The show worked very well regardless!!.

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