I love that Jason Todd’s origin story from DC Comics has been reimagined forThe Penguin, but I still want to see it in the live-actionDC Universe. As the first spinoff from 2022’sThe Batman, I thinkThe Penguinhas done a fantastic job at expanding Matt Reeves' dark and gritty Gotham, which I now imagine is an even more terrifying and dangerous place to live. After seeing little development inThe Batman,Colin Farrell’s Oswald “Oz” Cobbgets the attention he deserves inThe Penguin, and has even made valuable allies, including something of a sidekick.
The Penguinepisode 1, “After Hours,” introduced us toVictor Aguilar, an original characterportrayed by Rhenzy Feliz. Victor becomes Oswald Cobb’s most trusted ally, driver and personal enforcer, helping him play with the crime families of Gotham City in an effort to establish himself as a major player.While Feliz’s Aguilar isn’t based on any specific character, his origin story does borrow from one of my personal favorites from DC Comics, and this stands as proof that Victor Aguilar is the perfect ally forOswald Cobb’s Penguin.
The Penguin’s Victor Aguilar Origin Story Is The Closest We May Ever Get To Jason Todd’s In Live-Action
Jason Todd Was Introduced To DC Comics In 1983’s Batman #357
Debuting back in the 1980s, Jason Todd was the second character to assume the mantle of Robin, succeeding Dick Grayson, and act as Batman’s sidekick in various adventures. Todd’s original origin story was similar to that of Grayson, but this was revamped shortly after his debut following the establishment of a new DC Universe at the end of 1985-86’sCrisis on Infinite Earthsevent. In the new timeline,Jason Todd is caught by Batman while stealing the tires off the Batmobile, which is exactly how Oswald Cobb meets Victor Aguilar inThe Penguin.
DC Finally Confirms When Robert Pattinson’s The Batman Is Set
DC finally confirms when Robert Pattinson’s The Batman is set, with the new Max series The Penguin providing a specific date and year.
I thought it was fun forThe Penguinto twist the origin story of one of Batman’s most notable allies. While Jason Todd worked alone to steal the wheels from the Batmobile, Victor Aguilar was the last man remaining after Cobb caught his gang stealing his purple car’s rims, with the rest having scattered. With no word on when Jason Todd might appear on the big-screen, especially sinceDamian Wayne is debuting inThe Brave and the Bold, I’m happy this brilliantly simple origin story has been told in live-action in some form.
Why Victor Aguilar’s Backstory Mirroring DC’s Robin Origin Story Is Perfect For The Batman’s World
Victor Aguilar Is Oswald Cobb’s Protégé In The Penguin
In DC Comics, as far as I can remember, the Penguin doesn’t have a protégé and sidekick such as Victor Aguilar inThe Penguin. This meant that there was a lack of backstory to draw from when creating Aguilar for the series, soI think it was a very clever move to borrow from the origin story of a Batman-related hero.Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayneand the Penguin did interact inThe Batman, but the latter was nothing more than a minor annoyance, rather than a full-on antagonist.
Robert Pattinson will reprise the role of Bruce Wayne inThe Batman Part II, which is expected to release on June 03, 2025. It’s unclear whether Colin Farrell, Rhenzy Feliz, Zoë Kravitz, and others, will also reprise their roles fromThe BatmanandThe Penguin.
Victor Aguilar’s association with Oswald Cobb makes him more influential and powerful inThe Penguin, so their meeting may mark the beginning of the Penguin’s rise to power. Similarly, meetingJason Todd in DC Comicsbroadened Batman’s horizons. I appreciate this twist even more asBatman takes Jason Todd under his wing to stop him from becoming a criminal, while the Penguin employs Victor Aguilar for the exact opposite purpose. For me, this highlights the darker and more grounded textures ofThe Batman’suniverse.
Why The DCU Needs To Use Jason Todd’s Robin Origin Story
I Want To See Jason Todd In The New DC Universe
Even though we’ve already seen Jason Todd’s origin story inThe Penguin, I would still love for it to be adapted again for the upcoming live-action DC Universe.The most likely place for this to happen is inThe Brave and the Bold, which will reimagine Bruce Wayne’s Batman, and introduce the rebooted franchise’s Robin. This is expected to be Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s biological son and thefifth character to adopt the Robin monikerin DC Comics. Damian Wayne’s debut means four other Robins may have already come before him, one being Jason Todd.
Batman: Son of the Demon(1987)
Batman #657(2006)
It’s very possible thatflashbacks inThe Brave and the Boldwill explore the origin stories of all Batman’s previous sidekicks, giving us the chance to see Jason Todd steal the wheels off the Batmobile. In the former DCEU, Jason Todd was controversially killed by the Joker off-screen, and while he was a core hero in theTitansseries, it would be great to see him get more focus on the big-screen.The Penguinproved this origin story can work, so DC Studios may be primed to introduce Jason Todd alongside anew Batman inThe Brave and the Bold.
New episodes ofThe Penguinrelease every Sunday at 9pm ET on HBO Max.
The Penguin
Cast
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
