5 The Batman characters we hope to see in The Penguin

The Batman released in 2022 became yet another iteration of the popular DC superhero Batman and the story of how Bruce Wayne's childhood trauma changed his life forever. Businessman and bachelor by day and superhero by night, Batman cleans up the consistently messy streets of crime-ridden Gotham City thus facing a plethora of foes like The Penguin.

The Penguin or Oswald "Oz" Cobb, was one of several classic Batman villains to appear in the film portrayed by Hollywood icon Colin Farrell. Although he was designated to being one of Carmine Falcone's henchmen, all of that is about to change in the upcoming HBO and Max miniseries titled, The Penguin.

In anticipation of this addition to The Batman lore, we've compiled a list of 5 characters from the film we hope to see in the show.

1. Lieutenant Jim Gordon

Jim Gordon has always been Batman's ally and friend. In The Batman, he is known as Lieutenant Jim Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department.

But many Batman fans know him better as Commissioner Jim Gordon. Could he become Commissioner during The Penguin television show?

Outside of that possibility, we'd be foolish to think that the GCPD will not be involved in some way during the upcoming show. How many police officers are working directly with Oz?

How many will be trying to stop him? How many were still loyal to Carmine Falcone and would thus support his daughter Sofia?

Considering the trailer for The Penguin does not make light of the dark, cruel, and violent mafia world, we'd be surprised if at the very least Gordon isn't mentioned by name at some point.

2. Bella Reál

We're thinking Bella Reál could become a real key player in The Penguin all due to her new role as Mayor of Gotham City. In The Batman, she promised to clean up Gotham City and now she'll have to make do to keep her promise.

This may become more difficult than she anticipates, considering Oz's ambition to become the new crime boss. Will she find herself at odds with the GCPD in this mission?

Will she make her own underhanded deals with Oz or Sofia or both for the sake of a better Gotham City? We'd really love to see more of her character before The Batman - Part II premieres in 2026.

3. Carmine Falcone

Although the powerful crime boss Carmine Falcone meets his demise in The Batman at the hands of The Riddler, that doesn't mean we can't expect to see him once more via flashbacks. As one of the most influential men in Gotham, his death would, of course, mean a free-for-all for those seeking such power.

As predicted, Oz is one of those men, dreaming of the means to move up from henchman to kingpin. We expect there could be moments where Oz will reflect on his times with Carmine, whether it be moments from The Batman film or moments audiences have yet to learn of.

Perhaps these flashbacks will coincide with Sofia's arrival. Perhaps Oz and Sofia were always aware of each other thus making their fight for power all the more relevant and personal.

4. Officer Martinez

Much like Lieutenant Jim Gordon, we'd be foolish to think the GCPD will not have any involvement in The Penguin. This is going to be a trying time for Gotham City as a whole, which could mean a big mess at the police department.

If we recall from The Batman, Martinez is one of Gotham's police officers who becomes one of Batman's allies. But will he and others shift loyalties with the death of Falcone and the rise of Cobb?

Nearly every Batman franchise has Gotham police officers both loyal to the job and to the mobs. Considering Falcone's influence, the show would be remiss to ignore such plot devices.

Will Martinez work with Gordon and stop Cobb's reign before it even begins? Will they have to decide whether to aid him or Sofia?

We could be seeing a civil war within the GCPD equal to that of Penguin vs. Sofia. Regardless we hope to see Martinez involved in some matter and that he survives this crime war.

5. Batman

Last but never least is the Caped Crusader himself. Let's be honest, The Penguin has always been one of the top villains in Batman lore.

He's been featured in multiple Batman television shows and films and now comes into the game as a growing power in the Gotham mafia. Therefore, it should be no surprise that Batman makes at least one appearance in the upcoming television show.

We don't expect Batman to swoop in and commandeer the show as this is meant to focus solely on The Penguin, taking a more dark, realistic, and almost Soprano-like approach. But we'd be silly to think that Batman isn't somehow involved.

Could he be investigating a murder left behind by The Penguin? Could he be watching from behind the scenes leading up to The Batman - Part II? Matt Reeves says we shouldn't expect to see Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight, but they did consider it at one point. We'll have to wait and see if there are any references to him.

As much as we're hoping for Batman to have some involvement in the television show, the Penguin himself should be the one planning for their next reunion and it probably won't be a good one.

The Penguin premieres on HBO and Max on Thursday, September 19.

Which characters do you want to see in The Penguin?