In Matt Reeves’ Batman saga, the first character to get a young sidekick is not Bruce Wayne/Batman (played by Robert Pattinson), but Oswald “Oz” Cobb (played by Colin Farrell), known as The Penguin.
In the first episode of Oz’s HBO spin-off series, he meets Victor “Vic” Aguilar (played by Rhenzy Feliz), a desperate teenager who turns to crime to survive.
Oz takes Vic under his wing as an apprentice of sorts. Although Vic helps Oz carry out his plans against the Falcone and Maroni crime families, the way Vic is introduced gives a gloomy hint about his future. This introduction also pays tribute to one of Batman’s most famous partners from DC Comics.
Vic’s Introduction Reflects Jason Todd’s Story
In the first episode of The Penguin, after impulsively killing Alberto Falcone (played by Michael Zegen), Oz is in a hurry to get rid of the body. He comes across a group of teenagers trying to steal the tires from his flashy sports car. Oz starts shooting wildly at the kids and, although he hits his own car, he catches Vic.
Oz takes Vic’s ID to blackmail him into helping cover up the murder. After they finish, Oz prepares to kill Vic. While begging for his life, Vic tells Oz that he has ambition and promises to assist him in climbing the Gotham City crime world if he spares him.
Oz seems impressed by Vic’s determination and agrees, but he warns Vic that he will still kill him if he is not satisfied with Vic’s work.
This robbery scene and their conversation create a chilling connection to Jason Todd, the second character to become Batman’s sidekick, Robin, in the main DC Universe. This link has dark implications for Vic’s future.
Jason Todd’s Origin Story
Created by Gerry Conway and Don Newton, Jason Todd first appeared in Batman #357 in 1983. He was initially portrayed similarly to the original Robin, Richard “Dick” Grayson, as the orphaned son of murdered circus performers.
This similarity helped maintain the familiar themes of Batman and Robin stories, even as Dick became more mature through his role in The New Teen Titans. After the original Crisis on Infinite Earths event rebooted the main DC comics continuity, Jason was redesigned as a more unique character.
This version of Jason is also an orphan, but he is a street kid whom Bruce first meets while Jason is trying to steal tires (sometimes just the hubcaps) from the Batmobile. This theft happens in Crime Alley, where Bruce’s parents were killed years earlier.
Bruce initially sends Jason to a school for troubled youths, only to later find out that the school is a cover for criminal activity. After Jason helps Bruce shut it down, Bruce decides to take Jason in and begins training him to be the new Robin. Many later versions of Jason Todd use parts of this origin story.
Jason’s Dark Path and the Iconic Storyline
Jason’s background gives him a personality that is quite different from Dick’s. Even though he deals with many tragedies, Dick is usually seen as optimistic and upbeat. He brings much-needed hope and light into Bruce’s life and crime-fighting.
Bruce and Jason share a close father/son relationship, but Jason has a more troubled character than either Bruce or Dick. As Robin, Jason is both ruthless and reckless. He often ignores Bruce’s orders and uses extreme force against criminals, even breaking the Bat Family’s well-known no-kill rule at least once.
These qualities make Jason an interesting character, but when he was first introduced as Robin, many readers disliked him. This led to the famous storyline “A Death in the Family,” where the Joker brutally attacks Jason and leaves him for dead in a warehouse that is set to explode.
After this shocking cliffhanger, readers were given the chance to vote on whether Jason should live or die. The option to kill him received more votes (though the legitimacy of the vote has been questioned), and Jason dies, making A Death in the Family a key story in both Batman’s and comic book history.
After appearing in stories through dreams and time travel, Jason returns to the main DC Universe in the “Under the Hood” story arc, where he becomes the anti-hero known as the Red Hood nearly twenty years later.
The Penguin’s Ominous Links to Jason
Vic’s group trying to steal Oz’s tires is the most direct reference to Jason, but the connection continues when Oz decides to spare Vic’s life. While threatening Vic, Oz holds a crowbar he used to open the trunk of another car to hide Alberto’s body.
In A Death in the Family, the Joker famously uses a crowbar to attack Jason before locking him in the warehouse. Those images are among DC’s most iconic and terrifying. After becoming the Red Hood, Jason uses the same weapon against the Joker and often includes a crowbar in his crime-fighting tools to regain control over his traumatic past.
Oz’s use of the crowbar is practical for the scene, but when seen alongside the attempted tire theft, it seems like a deliberate attempt to connect Vic’s character with Jason’s.
This link suggests that Vic might face a tragic end by the season’s conclusion, with Oz likely following through on his threats, regardless of any feelings he may develop for Vic.
The relationship between Oz and Vic shows that the idea of a teenage sidekick can fit even in the dark Gotham created by Reeves and his team. This means that Pattinson’s Bruce might take on one or more comic book partners, but they would likely have to be darker characters like Jason rather than lighter ones like Dick.
The first episode of The Penguin is now available to stream on Max. New episodes are released every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
