When it comes to comic book adaptations, Marvel has dominated the big screen, but DC has quietly ruled television. From the groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series to the ambitious Arrowverse and the politically charged Watchmen, DC has consistently delivered small-screen excellence. Now, HBO's The Penguin has raised the bar even higher, emerging as the best comic book show ever made.
Set in the aftermath of Matt Reeves' The Batman, the series follows Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell), a low-level criminal who sees an opportunity to seize power in Gotham's underworld after the death of crime boss Carmine Falcone. Partnering with a troubled teenager named Vic Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz), Oz begins to monopolize the drug trade. But his past haunts him—he's responsible for manipulating Falcone's daughter, Sofia (Cristin Milioti), and harbors dark secrets known only to his mother, Francis (Deirdre O'Connell).
A Brilliant Villain Origin Story
What makes The Penguin so exceptional is its refusal to turn Oz into a sympathetic anti-hero. Instead, it depicts true villainy, showing how his manipulative nature makes him genuinely terrifying. The series traces Oz's transformation from a ruthless survivor into a full-fledged supervillain, stripping away his vulnerabilities one by one. This leads to emotionally devastating confrontations with Vic, Sofia, and Francis—characters he once seemed to care about.
Flashbacks are crucial to understanding Oz's psyche. In the episode "Top Hat," we learn that as a child, he was jealous of the love his mother gave his brothers, so he lured them into the sewers where they drowned. These disturbing moments reveal Oz's childlike attachment to his mother, making his eventual betrayal of her all the more heartbreaking. Similarly, Sofia's backstory shows her initial innocence, which was shattered by false imprisonment and electroshock therapy at Arkham Asylum, turning her into a darker figure.
Enriching the DC Universe
The Penguin expands on the grounded Gotham seen in The Batman, but focuses on the city's slums and criminal underbelly rather than high society. This grittier tone feels closer to Bob Kane's original comic vision, painting Gotham as a place where poverty forces good people to compromise their morals. Yet the show never lets Oz off the hook—his choices are his own, and he embraces evil fully.
Even for viewers unfamiliar with The Batman or DC lore, The Penguin works as a standalone crime drama. It shares more DNA with The Sopranos—another story about a narcissistic gangster with a complex mother relationship—than with typical superhero fare. Farrell's transformative performance never feels like a caricature, and Milioti earned a well-deserved Primetime Emmy for her portrayal of one of TV's greatest female anti-heroes. For fans of the genre, this is a must-watch alongside other recent crime gems like 'When No One Sees Us' on HBO Max.
In a landscape crowded with comic book adaptations, The Penguin stands out as a masterful crime drama that transcends its source material. It's a testament to how the genre can be elevated when creators focus on character and storytelling over spectacle.
