Surprisingly, Matt Reeves“The adolescent sidekick in the Batman saga will not be Bruce Wayne/Batman.”Robert Pattinson) himself, but Oswald “Oz” Cobb (Colin Farrell) also known as penguinIn the first episode of the HBO spinoff series of Oz, an ambitious gangster named Victor “Vic” Aguilar (Rhenzy FerrisVic has already been useful, helping Oz with his plan to turn the Falcones and Maronis against each other, and while Oz seems to genuinely like Vic, or at least finds him entertaining to be around, scenes featuring Vic make his future look bleak and, at the same time, A tribute to one of Bruce’s most famous partners in DC Comics.
Vic’s ‘Penguin’ appearance mirrors Jason Todd’s origins
In the first episode penguinAfter impulsively murdering Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), Oz was in a hurry to dispose of the body, He encounters a group of teenagers attempting to steal tires from a flashy sports car. Oz fires his gun at the kids, only hitting his own car, but he manages to catch one of the would-be thieves, Vic. Oz takes Vic’s ID and tries to get him to help cover up the murder, but when he’s done, Oz tries to kill Vic. Pleading for his life, Vic claims to be ambitious and promises to help Oz in his quest to rise through the ranks of Gotham City’s underworld if Oz spares him. Oz seems impressed by Vic’s tenacity and resourcefulness, and agrees, but makes it clear that if Vic becomes dissatisfied with his work, he will still kill him. The tire heist and the conversation that follows are well-known. A totally creepy reference to Jason ToddVic is only the second main DC Universe character to become Batman’s sidekick Robin, and the evocation of that particular Boy Wonder has terrifying implications for Vic’s future.
Author Gerry Conway and Don NewtonJason Todd is Batman In 1983’s #357, he was portrayed as a character very similar to the original Robin, Richard “Dick” Grayson, with a nearly identical background as the orphaned son of a murdered circus performer. This was likely because Dick maintained the familiar tone and symbolism of the Batman & Robin stories, but by that time had become a more mature and independent character in his role as Batman. New Teen TitansAfter DC’s main comic series was rebooted by the original Crisis on Infinite Earths For this event, Jason was redesigned as a more distinctive character: although again an orphan, this Jason was the first street kid Bruce meets. While Jason tries to steal tires (or sometimes just hubcaps) Jason jumps from the Batmobile while it is parked in Crime Alley, the same street where Bruce’s parents were murdered years earlier. Bruce initially enrolls Jason in a school for troubled kids, but later discovers that it is a front for a criminal organisation. After shutting down the school with Jason’s help, Bruce takes Jason in personally and begins training him to become the new Robin. Most subsequent versions of the character have used variations of this origin.
“Penguin” may be heading for his own death in the family
His background also gave Jason a completely different personality than Dick. Despite suffering many tragedies, Dick is ultimately portrayed as an optimistic and upbeat character, and is often credited with bringing much-needed brightness and hope back into both Bruce’s crime-fighting crusade and his personal life. Bruce and Jason share a similar father-son bond, but Jason is also a more confused character than either his master or predecessor. As Robin, he is often ruthless and reckless, disobeying Bruce’s orders, using harsh violence against criminals, and it has even been suggested that he may have broken the Bat-Family’s famous no-killing rule at least once. In hindsight, these qualities are often seen as flaws that made for an interesting character, but When he was first given the title of Robin, it angered many readers. And the character became very unpopular.
This led to the famous “Death of the Family” storyline, in which the character is brutally attacked by the Joker and left in a warehouse rigged to explode. After the issue ended with this shocking cliffhanger, readers were given the opportunity to vote whether the character should live or die, and the creators were to develop the next issue according to the results of the vote. The option to kill off the character received the majority of votes (though the legitimacy of the vote has often been questioned), and Jason did indeed die, solidifying “A Death of the Family” as a key storyline in Batman and comic book history as a whole. After subsequently appearing through storytelling means such as dreams and time travel, Jason was resurrected and re-entered into the main DC Universe in the “Under the Hood” story arc.about 20 years later, he becomes the anti-hero known as the Red Hood.
Vic’s group tries to steal Oz’s tires. penguinWhile this is the most direct reference to Jason, the allusions extend further into the scene where Oz agrees to help Vic, threatening the boy: Oz has the crowbar that was used to open the trunk. A second car was prepared to hide Alberto’s body. The Joker famously used a crowbar to hit Jason. Jason then locks the Joker in a warehouse, and the footage of the encounter has become one of DC’s most iconic and terrifying. Shortly after his debut as the Red Hood, Jason does the same to the Joker. He also occasionally uses a crowbar as a crime-fighting weapon, seemingly trying to gain control over some of the traumatic aspects of his past.
Oz’s use of the crowbar is practical given what is happening in the scene, but when viewed in conjunction with the attempted tire heist it seems like a deliberate attempt to connect Vic’s character with Jason’s, one of many aspects of the series that Vic seems headed for a tragic fate. By the end of the season, he’ll likely follow through on his threat, regardless of any affection Oz may have for him. The dynamic between the two suggests that the teen buddy concept could work for the gritty version of Gotham Reeves and company have created, so it’s possible Pattinson’s Bruce could face off against one or more of the character’s comic book sidekicks, even if it’s more likely to be someone darker like Jason rather than someone mercurial like Dick.
The first episode of Penguins is available to stream now on Max, and new episodes will premiere Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and Max.
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