The Penguin Creator Reveals Why Major Character Death Was Essential in Finale

The Penguin wrapped up its gripping limited series on Sunday night (November 10), leaving DC fans in shock with a pivotal death that cemented Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb fully embracing his villainous persona. Serving as a bridge between The Batman and The Batman II, the DCEU series concluded its eight-episode run with a gut-wrenching twist involving the fate of Rhenzy Feliz’s character, Victor Aguilar.

Throughout the series, viewers saw Oz take Victor under his wing, forming a bond that grew closer as they navigated Gotham’s criminal underbelly. However, that bond came to a brutal end when Oz, in a move that stunned fans, killed Victor. It was a cold and defining moment that showcased Oz’s transformation into The Penguin.

Series creator Lauren LeFranc shared with The Wrap the reasoning behind Victor’s tragic end. “None of our characters are particularly great people,” LeFranc explained. “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… it felt necessary that he take Victor’s life.”

LeFranc emphasized that Victor’s death was not driven by betrayal but rather by Oz’s fear of vulnerability. “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.”

Reflecting on Oz’s tragic reasoning, LeFranc continued, “Oz sees that as a really big problem because he loves his mother so deeply and Sofia took advantage of that love… 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.”

The death scene itself was crafted to be intense and heartbreaking, designed to make the audience feel as if they were yelling at their screens, hoping for a change that never comes. “I knew it needed to be an intimate death. I also wanted it to be a long death. It was really important for me that it felt like the audience could be shouting at their screen ‘just let go!’ ‘stop, let up,’ and that we have maybe inklings of hope that Oz will stop doing this and he doesn’t,” LeFranc revealed.

This brutal act closes the chapter on Victor Aguilar, leaving viewers with a deeper understanding of the darkness within Oz Cobb and setting the stage for what’s to come in The Batman II.

What did you think of Victor Aguilar’s death in The Penguin? Was it a fitting end to Oz Cobb’s story arc? Share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below!