Ever since I was a little kid, I have been fascinated by superheroes. From Saturdays in front of the TV watching cartoons to collecting action figures of my favorite characters (Captain America and Green Lantern), I was hooked. I have been lucky to grow up with an abundance of masked vigilantes populating the small and big screens. However, none of these other characters are quite the same as Oz Cobb, also known by his criminal alias, the Penguin. 

General audiences might be familiar with the character of the Penguin from Danny DeVito’s campier portrayal of the supervillain character in 1992’s “Batman Returns,” with Michael Keaton as the caped crusader. In the new TV show “The Penguin,” however, Oz Cobb feels less like a supervillain and more like a typical Hollywood mobster. 

Created by Lauren LeFranc for HBO and starring Colin Farrel as Oz, the show is set after the events of 2022’s “The Batman.” That film, featuring Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz and directed by Matt Reeves, follows a young and angsty Batman as he takes on the Riddler in a city on the verge of chaos. “The Penguin” focuses on Oz, who was only a minor character in the earlier film. Oz is a mid-level member of the Falcone crime family, looking to seize power over the city’s drug trade following the death of the family’s patriarch, Carmine Falcone, at the end of the 2022 film. 

“The Penguin” recently won eight Emmys of the “costumes and makeup” variety” and has been nominated for several more higher profile Emmy awards this weekend. These include Farrell’s star turn in the title role.

Farrell, whom you may remember from films like 2022’s “Banshees of Inisherin,” is unrecognizable in makeup that transforms him from a handsome and charismatic leading man into the nefarious and chilling Oz Cobb. Leading the cast along with Farrell’s Penguin is Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone, the daughter of the Falcone patriarch. 

Like Oz, Sofia also attempts to gain control of the city’s drug trade, leading to multiple clashes between the two characters. 

As the show continues, Oz sinks himself deeper into the criminal underworld with each choice he makes. He goes from ally to enemy back to ally with almost everyone he encounters. Interestingly, Batman never makes an appearance in the show; his actions are only offhandedly referenced by the cast. The show makes it clear that there are no traditional heroes around to break the complex and dark criminal web Sofia and Oz are stuck in.

Oz and Sofia are almost always morally indefensible in each of their actions. Yet I found myself hoping, with each decision presented to the characters, that eventually someone would make the right choice and break free from the criminal system. I rooted for the characters even though the show gave me plenty of reasons not to.

To put it plainly, Oz is no Batman. He is a part of the anti-hero movement popularized by Walter White in “Breaking Bad” and Tony Soprano in “The Sopranos.” At the same time, he appears even less ethical as he isn’t looking out for anyone aside from himself. Both Tony and Walter are guided (at least nominally) by loyalty to their family, which serves as a foundation that grounds the characters even in their most despicable moments. Oz does not have this. Some of the most shocking moments in the show come from the way Oz uses the people he allies himself with. 

In just the first few episodes, Oz allies himself with Clancy Brown’s Sal Moroni, then, just one episode later, allies himself temporarily with Sofia. Sal and Sofia represent rival mob families, so it becomes clear that Oz’s true loyalty is only to himself. 

That makes the one person Oz does seem to trust all the more interesting. This is Rhenzy Feliz’s Vic Aguilar, a young boy alone on the streets of Gotham. Like Oz, Vic does not have anyone and is stuck looking for a path forward. He is on the streets without a home or any strong community to rely on. In the show’s first episode, Oz recruits Vic to do his dirty work. Vic plants evidence, digs graves and even takes out Oz’s enemies. Oz develops a paternal relationship with Vic, and it seems that the boy is the only one safe from Oz’s constant betrayals. 

Vic is an easy character to relate to. His inexperience with the criminal underworld as well as his desire to find belonging make him feel more grounded than the other characters. Like the audience, he is brought into the criminal underbelly of the city and to Oz’s side. He brings out the best in Oz, which satisfies the audience’s expectation that even villainous characters have some redeeming qualities. His relationship with Vic makes Oz feel more human.

In a tender moment, Vic tells Oz, “You’re family to me, ya know.” It appeared as if Oz was finally emerging from the darkness with a character we grow to love and appreciate throughout the series. Even if he is not able to escape the criminal world fully, there might still be a chance for Oz.

Ironically, this gritty and nuanced take on the sidekick sparked parallels for me from one of the least likely places: 1995’s often panned “Batman Forever” directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Val Kilmer as Batman and Chris O’Donnell as Robin. That film, although campy, places Batman and Robin’s relationship at its center. Like Vic, Robin is on a dark path, yet through the mentorship of Batman throughout the movie, he is able to overcome his darkness and use the tragedy to inspire hope. Oz does the opposite for Vic. Vic is plunged deeper and deeper into the criminal world, coming to view Oz as some sort of twisted father. 

“The Penguin” does suggest there is still hope to be found in society, but that it is much more common for deep rooted cycles of corruption to beat down or trap those on the margins. Oz gets very close to escaping and doing the right thing on a multitude of occasions, but his yearning for power blinds him. He ends the show exactly where he started: more powerful, maybe, but still yearning for more. 

In the end, the audience, like the characters, is left stuck in a cycle, forced to check its own expectations of criminal characters. The story is meant to feel unfinished. Despite the fact that Gotham has a hero in Batman, the problems in the city take more than a crimefighter to solve.

Indeed, the show forced me to re-evaluate my own idea of a protagonist. Oz is not a typical “hero” in any sense, but you cannot help learning something from his story and his inability to escape from the darkness that surrounds him.

“The Penguin” may leave you wrestling with its unhappy conclusion. There are no defined bookends or perfect wrap-ups to the various characters’ stories. But I found myself recalling the final moments of the show for weeks after it ended—a sure sign of a great finish.

William Gualtiere is an O'Hare Fellow at America.