THE PENGUIN Showrunner Lauren LeFranc & Star Rhenzy Feliz On Victor's Fate - SPOILERS

THE PENGUIN Showrunner Lauren LeFranc & Star Rhenzy Feliz On Victor's Fate - SPOILERS

The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc and star Rhenzy Feliz have weighed-in on the fate of Oz Cobb's young protégé Victor in last night's season finale...

By MarkCassidy - Nov 11, 2024 01:11 PM EST
Filed Under: The Batman

HBO's The Penguin limited series concluded (though there is talk of a second season) last night with a shocking finale that saw Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) establish himself as the new kingpin of Gotham's criminal underworld - but at great cost to those around him and whatever hope of redemption he may have had left.

After first getting Sofia Falcone Gigante (Cristin Milioti) out of his way by arranging for her to be arrested and sent back to Arkham, Oz decided that he couldn't leave any more room for vulnerability and risk his enemies exploiting a weakness, murdering his young protégé Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) in chillingly brutal fashion.

While speaking to Collider, Feliz revealed that he was told about his character's fate right from the very beginning.

"Honestly, from the moment that I heard it, I just found it awesome. I would hope that it’s such a twist for people that it’s surprising. It’s a limited series, so you might as well have the biggest splash you can. [Lauren] explained to me, story wise, why she felt like it needed to happen. There is a turn that needs to be had with Oz. As an audience member, you’re rooting for him the entire time. At least, I found myself rooting for him when I was reading the script. And then, to see him, in the last 20 minutes of the show, make all these decisions where he makes a villain out of himself, as a story device, it works, but it’s also an emotional thing that you can give to an audience. It’s that shock factor of, 'Wow, my goodness.' You keep people excited and keep people on their toes. Nobody’s safe, which is exciting too."

In a separate interview with The Wrap, showrunner Lauren LeFranc discussed Oz's mindset prior to his evil act and explained why she felt Victor needed to die.

"None of our characters are particularly great people. I think Victor is the most innocent and the one that we can more emotionally connect with without being worried for our own selves. I always knew he needed to die and I always knew he needed to die by Oz’s hand. That’s because, really, this is an examination of Oz Cobb, and for you to understand him — and to sort of understand the darkness within him — it felt necessary that he take Victor’s life. I say that meaning that Oz didn’t need to do that like it wasn’t actually necessary. In that moment, Victor did not betray him. He did nothing wrong. In fact, the thing that he did “wrong” in Oz’s eyes is that he loves him and that he cares about him and Oz actually cares about Victor.

I think by the end Oz sees that as a really big problem because he loves his mother so deeply and Sofia took advantage of that love, and then it became sort of a weakness in his eyes. Victor saw him at his most vulnerable and for Oz to achieve the power that he thinks he needs, he can’t have that level of humanity. He can’t have that heart with him anymore. So he stifles his own heart. He kills it."

Max has released a rather heartbreaking new poster, which you can check out below.

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The Penguin stars Colin Farrell (Oz Cobb), Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Nadia Maroni), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Clancy Brown (Salvatore Maroni), James Madio (Milos Grapa), Scott Cohen (Luca Falcone), Michael Zegen (Alberto Falcone), Carmen Ejogo (Eve Karlo), and Theo Rossi (Dr. Julian Rush).

The eight-episode DC Studios drama series continues The Batman epic crime saga that filmmaker Matt Reeves began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster The Batman, and centers on the character played by Farrell in the film.

The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, who directs the first three episodes, and Bill Carraro. Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, the show is produced by Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, where Reeves and 6th & Idaho are under an overall deal. Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer.

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IAmAHoot
IAmAHoot - 11/11/2024, 1:32 PM
That headline is just teetering on the spoiler-front just by implying "fate".
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 11/11/2024, 1:33 PM
This scene was so good despite how unsettling it was, I understand why they did it, but man I was hoping Vic would've at least have made it to the sequel.
BruceWayng
BruceWayng - 11/11/2024, 1:37 PM
“Oz decided that he couldn't leave any more room for vulnerability and risk his enemies exploiting a weakness, murdering his young protégé Victor“

I’m I the only one who read that sentence and thought of moiderin instead of murdering…
MCUKnight11
MCUKnight11 - 11/11/2024, 1:39 PM
Glad they didn't do Sony's BS and actually kept Oz as a villain.
fanboy03191
fanboy03191 - 11/12/2024, 7:09 AM
@MCUKnight11 - To be fair Venom and Morbius were always sorta anti-heroes in the comics. I’m still hoping they pull a twist at the end of Kraven and show that he is an actual monster, like here. But again it’s Sony were talking about and I don’t expect that.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 11/11/2024, 1:41 PM
Vic got jonkled 😢
Nomis929
Nomis929 - 11/11/2024, 1:58 PM
#VengenceforVic
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/11/2024, 1:59 PM
This version of Penguin is by far the most evil character we've gotten in live action Batman. Characters like Joker had insanity to fall back on, while the likes of Ra's thought they were doing the right thing. This version of Penguin is just evil for the sake of being evil. There's no insanity, misunderstanding, or tragic backstory. He's simply a bad person, and I can't tell you how refreshing it is to get this type of villain.
Forthas
Forthas - 11/11/2024, 2:18 PM
@TheJok3r - I actually don't think that the Joker (at least in The Dark Knight) is actually crazy. That is a ruse and representative of his philosophy of chaos - not to take anything seriously and not rely on social order. The fact he acts (emphasis on acts) crazy does not mean he actually is. In one scene a gangster says he is crazy and Joker responds "No I am not!
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/11/2024, 2:27 PM
@Forthas - That's a fair assessment, but Penguin is still more clear in the head compared to Nolan's Joker. Something bad clearly happened to Joker to make him like that (such as the scars), which can't be said about Oz. Oz was just born evil. He was an evil child, and now he's an evil adult with government officials in his pocket.
Forthas
Forthas - 11/11/2024, 2:00 PM
Victor! You will be remembered for the faithful, resourceful and dedicated friend you were to Penguin...

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Sucker!

Just kidding!

Wow! What can be said about that development? Truly one of the more despicable acts ever seen in a comic book film. I am now afraid for Oz mother. Oz has shown that family bounds are not enough to prevent him from offing someone he deems not useful. Will go down as one of the most sinister fictional supervillains of all time. Evil has a new face!
LilJimmy
LilJimmy - 11/11/2024, 2:02 PM
Kills Vic but keeps him mom (who stabbed him with a broken bottle) and his woman (who gave him up to Sofia) alive.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/11/2024, 2:04 PM
@LilJimmy - He has an unhealthy obsession with his mother, and he doesn't know about that woman giving him up. With that said, I have no doubt he'll sell both of them down the river the second he believes it'll benefit him somehow.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 11/11/2024, 5:22 PM
@LilJimmy - Did you notice how Eve KARLO used costume and make-up to become a different person? Clayface.
HermanM
HermanM - 11/11/2024, 2:03 PM
That was awesome. Stellar writing to follow through.

User Comment Image

Can't wait to see what he does next.
Nomis929
Nomis929 - 11/11/2024, 2:04 PM
OZ looked Totally evil trying to explain to Vic why he has to kill him!

User Comment Image
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/11/2024, 2:06 PM
@Nomis929 - For a minute O thought maybe the story about his brothers was somehow made up by his mom, at least based on his reaction to what she was saying. But this scene pretty much removed any doubt I had about him killing them. What gets me is how good this man is at lying. He could convince anyone the sky was purple and 1+1=3.
TheLobster
TheLobster - 11/11/2024, 2:09 PM
@Nomis929 - that shot was menacing as hell
Nomis929
Nomis929 - 11/11/2024, 2:17 PM
@TheJok3r - One of the things I liked a lot about the series was that they made him an unredeemable Villian!

The made us feel for him and even sympathized for Oz a bit, but in the end they gut punched us shwoing he just cares only for himslef and is pure evil!
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 11/11/2024, 2:23 PM
@Nomis929 - They did this multiple times throughout the show, where it seems like we can sympathize with him, but he turns around and does something terrible to remind us we shouldn't. I have no doubt that his poor mom is going to be next on his list, I just don't know how. Come to think of it, him just keeping her around in that state while pretending that other woman is a young version of her is screwed up as it is.
Nomis929
Nomis929 - 11/11/2024, 2:29 PM
@TheJok3r - Some seriously warped oedipus complex stuff going on there.
TheLobster
TheLobster - 11/11/2024, 2:12 PM
I liked the series but didn’t love it like most. There were moments when it felt borderline CW vibes with some of the dialogue and didn’t feel (for lack of a better word) as cinematic as The Batman did but I assume that’s due to budget.

My jaw did drop when he killed Vic and with his own bare hands… oof. It makes sense and I thought it was coming but by the finale episode - I thought he was in the clear. Guess not. Oz really is an evil son of a bitch lol
Nomis929
Nomis929 - 11/11/2024, 3:06 PM
Rhenzy Feliz for Mile Morales?
BraveNewClunge
BraveNewClunge - 11/11/2024, 3:32 PM
@Nomis929 - he doesn't seem to age so it could work. He still looks the same age as he was when he was in the runaways
Mortagon1978
Mortagon1978 - 11/12/2024, 11:57 AM
@Nomis929 - I'd be up for that. I think he's a great actorr. Maybe a bit old though, although with the multiverse I guess anything can happen.

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