With The Penguin finale now having been released, the series' showrunner revealed the real reason why Robert Pattinson's Batman did not appear in the HBO series.
Taking place in Matt Reeves' The Batman universe, some had thought the Colin Farrell-led TV spin-off was a shoo-in to feature at least a cameo from Pattinson's brooding billionaire (as well as several other characters from Reeves' 2022 DC blockbuster), but that did not end up being the case.
The series featured ties to The Batman, like centering around Gotham in the wake of the deadly explosion that flooded the city at the end of that film as well as a brief appearance from Con O'Neill as Gotham Police Chief Mackenzie Brock. Yet, for some reason, Batman was not seen or heard from.
Batman's The Penguin Absence Explained
Following weeks of fan questioning about Batman's whereabouts in The Penguin, series showrunner Lauren Lefranc has finally provided an answer.
Speaking in a recent of Empire magazine, Lefranc detailed the thinking that went into leaving Robert Pattinson's DC hero out of the critically acclaimed HBO series.
She said that The Batman director Matt Reeves explained to her early on that "[Gotham is] a big city and Batman can’t be everywhere:"
"What Matt reiterated to me early on is that it’s a big city and Batman can't be everywhere. He doesn't have a Spidey-sense that tingles. But just because we don’t see Batman in our show doesn't mean he's unaware or uncaring."
Lefranc was very clear though, that does not mean Pattinson's Batman and Colin Farrell's Penguin will never clash again.
She reiterated that "the repercussions" will very clearly "carry into the next film:"
"The events that have taken place in Gotham City, and the repercussions that come with them, will carry into the next film."
Work on The Batman - Part II is currently ongoing, with no real plot details having been made public.
The last fans heard about the project, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn revealed in a post on Threads that previous reports Reeves had finished the script for the sequel were "mistaken:"
"I think that report was well-intentioned but it was mistaken. We are very much looking forward to it."
Production on The Batman - Part II is expected to get underway sometime in 2025.
Where Will Robert Pattinson's Batman Show Up Next?
As The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc said, just because Robert Pattinson's Batman did not appear in the DC HBO spin-off does not mean his story (and even his story pertaining to Colin Farrell's Penguin) is over yet.
The character will once again take center stage in October 2026's The Batman - Part II, where he has been confirmed to at least go up against the Penguin (among other threats in Gotham).
According to The Penguin star Colin Farrell, his character will play a part in the new movie, as he told The Hollywood Reporter in the wake of The Penguin finale, "I signed up for three Batman films:"
"I signed up for three 'Batman' films, but I didn’t know if I’d be in the second film. Matt Reeves is a brilliant writer and an extraordinary filmmaker, and what I’m most excited-slash-nervous about in the second film is not what Oz does — or what predicaments he finds himself in, or what moments of success he gets to experience — but what his voice is. How is his personality? It was forming and changing in the limited series, and, by the end of the eight episodes, it’s concretized into something else."
He also confirmed the last he had heard he has "five or six scenes" in The Batman sequel, so, surely at least one will be opposite Robert Pattinson's titular hero.
Pattinson's Dark Knight may also appear elsewhere in the franchise before then.
In a September 2024 interview with The Direct, it was confirmed that at least one more spin-off set in The Batman universe is in development. So, who is to say that Batman/Bruce Wayne could not also appear there when it eventually sees the light of day?
The Penguin is now streaming on Max.
