‘The Penguin’s Backstory for Victor Turns Riddler Into an Even Worse Villain

As much as The Penguin focuses on the exploits of the mob in Gotham, it’s easy to forget that the series actually takes place in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack. Few scenes serve as a better reminder of this, however, than the tragic revelation that Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) lost his family in the floods, which we see from a much more intimate perspective. More than just a tragic backstory, the events explain the predicament Victor has found himself in at the start of the series. What appears like a grand disaster in The Batman is reframed as a personal tragedy, which denies Victor a proper source of moral guidance as he dives deeper into the underbelly of Gotham. Instead, he finds that mentor in Oz (Colin Farrell) and is drawn down a much darker path that could redefine the criminal landscape.

Victor’s Backstory Brings a Whole New Meaning to ‘The Batman’

Many comic book characters, whether heroic or villainous, are defined by the haunting presence of a troubled past or the tragic loss of a loved one, and The Penguin seems to continue this trend. While Victor himself does fit this mold, the way it’s presented to us as viewers makes it far more shocking to witness. The flashback scene feels deceptively written, and one might not even realize when and where things are happening until the explosions occur. What follows might not be wholly unexpected for the audience, but the more intimate portrayal makes it feel overwhelming.

The destruction wrought by the flooding of Gotham also speaks to how hypocritical and repulsive the Riddler (Paul Dano) is as a villain. When he reveals his motivations in the film’s climax, he cites his resentment toward the city’s elite class, which initially appears justified after witnessing all the entrenched corruption. For this reason, the Riddler idolizes Batman (Robert Pattinson) and is quickly devastated by his rejection, but he also views Bruce Wayne as the embodiment of the rich class that he despises. He cannot comprehend the idea that a person like Bruce Wayne can fight for the poor like Batman, but The Penguin takes this argument further. As the series shows, the people most affected by the floods are the poorer neighborhoods, leaving people like Victor just as orphaned as the Riddler himself. To make matters so much worse, the Maroni and Falcone crime families remain untouched and move in to exploit the chaos through the drug trade, showing that Riddler had done more damage to the people than the mob or corrupt law enforcement ever could have dreamed.

For Better or Worse, the Death of His Family Defines Victor

Much like Batman himself, the tragedy that strikes Victor has a dramatic effect on which path he chooses to follow as an adult. However, while Bruce Wayne has a permanent change in worldview after the death of his parents, Victor is more shaped by the absence than the specific manner of their demise. With his parents and sister gone, Victor is even more vulnerable to the allure of the criminal underworld, which his family had already displayed concerns about. All he has left now is his girlfriend, who remains possibly the last person who can bring him back to something resembling a normal life.

At the same time, the tragic demise of his family provides him with a uniquely enticing father figure in Oz, who views Victor as a promising young student and uses charisma and humor to show him how alluring the life of a criminal can be. Of course, Victor quickly finds himself overwhelmed with the mob life and remains highly tempted to depart for a new life, and Oz is even willing to let him go without incident. However, he also knows that any attempt to flee with Graciela (Anire Kim Amoda) will leave him struggling with poverty and uncertainty. Had his parents still been alive, it would have been much easier for him to return to his former life and never look back. Instead, without their guidance, he ultimately returns to the fold. He even kills one of the Maroni henchmen, making him an open enemy of the second-biggest crime family. Now, there is no turning back, and Victor appears set to become Oz’s personal enforcer and eventually a major crime figure in his own right.

It follows the transformation of Oswald Cobblepot from a disfigured nobody to a noted Gotham gangster.

Release Date

September 19, 2024

Cast

Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O’Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi

Seasons

1

Story By

Bill Finger, Bob Kane

The Penguin airs every Sunday at 9:00 PM EST on Max in the US.

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