The Batman ending explained: Everything to remember before The Penguin

Dark, gritty, grim, enigmatic, and yet, hopeful. Matt Reeves' The Batman is an epic superhero tale that dives into the broken streets of Gotham City to showcase its true horrors. The movie explores how far some are willing to go to cover their corrupt actions and the extremes others will reach to uncover the truth. At its core, the story is about The Dark Knight following The Riddler's puzzles and clues in an attempt to stop him. However, other key characters also come into play, setting up big things for the franchise's future.

Now, audiences will get to experience the next chapter in Matt Reeves' Batman saga. The Penguin, an HBO spinoff, has been making headlines for its stellar reviews, which call it a thrilling mafia drama filled with Emmy-worthy performances. But before we finally get to watch the highly anticipated series, it's time to recap everything its predecessor had to offer and explain the ending of The Batman.

Carmine Falcone, head of the city, is gone

- "Falcone works for you guys? The Mayor? The DA?"
- "No. We work for him."

At first glance, Carmine Falcone may seem like a regular gangster in the world of Matt Reeves' The Batman. However, there's much more to him than meets the eye. He controlled the whole city from the shadows, using the Mayor, the District Attorney, and the police as his puppets while eliminating anyone who came close to uncovering the truth behind his power and influence. Even with new elections on the horizon, the result wouldn't have mattered in the slightest. Falcone had the whole city of Gotham in the palm of his hands. But how did he put himself in such a position?

Shockingly enough, it all comes back to Thomas Wayne. The philanthropist created the Gotham Renewal Fund - a program with the objective of giving resources to the people and projects that need them the most while bypassing the "political gridlock". Unfortunately, after Thomas Wayne's passing, many powerful figures tried to get their hands on the one-billion-dollar fund and use it for their own sinister motives. Carmine Falcone, Salvatore Maroni, and the Mayor all got ahold of it and split the money. However, that wasn't enough for the former, who orchestrated a plan to get more for himself.

After ditching Maroni's drug operations, Carmine Falcone became the owner of everything. Furthermore, he boosted the careers of the public servants who assisted in taking down Maroni, putting them all in his pocket. He reigned from the shadows, controlling Gotham and all its key figures. It was a near-flawless plan until the former Mayor, Don Mitchell, spilled the beans to Annika Kosolov, a waitress who worked in the Iceberg Lounge. That eventually led to Batman, Catwoman, and Lieutenant Gordon discovering this great history of corruption.

However, before Carmine Falcone was taken to the Blackgate Penitentiary, he was shot to death by the Riddler. Just like that, a vacuum of power was created in Gotham. So now that Falcone is dead, the question has to be asked: Who will take his place as the new kingpin of the city?

A city flooded in despair

The Riddler's plan had a greater reach than simply exposing the truth behind the Gotham Renewal Fund. He wanted to eliminate the corrupt public servants who took part in it while teaching Gotham a lesson it would never forget. To do so, he parked seven vans along the city's seawall and blew them up simultaneously - flooding the streets, buildings, and alleyways that were once filled with life.

Citizens were quick to seek refuge in Gotham Square Garden, one of the only places that seemed to be safe. Unfortunately, the Riddler was two steps ahead and sent his followers there to shoot everyone on sight - with a greater focus on Mayor Bella Reál. For a brief moment, everything seemed lost, but then the Dark Knight charged into action to prevent the loss of many.

It is then that a symbol of vengeance turns into one of hope, violence gets substituted for salvation, and Batman becomes a true hero in the eyes of the city. Moving forward, it'll be interesting to see if the police will work closer with him, and if he'll realize Bruce Wayne can also be of help to the city. The misuse of the Gotham Renewal Fund is what caused this whole mess in the first place. Unfortunately, that was an issue that Batman couldn't prevent, but one that Bruce could easily oversee from now on.

The Penguin will seize the chance to grab everything he can

While Batman was able to save countless lives, he didn't act as fast to stop the Riddler's plans. The city is flooded, Carmine Falcone is dead, Martial law is in effect, and (in the words of the Dark Knight) things will get worse before they get better. That's where Oswald Cobblepot - or, in this world, Oz Cobb - comes in.

The infamous villain will attempt to make a name for himself in Gotham City. In The Batman, he is presented as "Carmine Falcone's right hand", and owner of the Iceberg Lounge which is home to many illegal operations. However, now that Falcone is out of the picture, it is the Penguin's time to rise to power and take what he believes is his. Where some see tragedy, the supervillain sees opportunity - but he might not be accounting for a new player in town.

As revealed in The Penguin trailers, Sofia Falcone will one of the protagonists in the series. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if she will attempt to keep all of her father's businesses - acting as an antagonist to Oz Cobb.

Will she attempt to control the city from the shadows once again? Well, there's only one way to find out. The Penguin will be released on September 19 on HBO.