HasThe Batmanspinoff seriesThe Penguinfinally confirmed who the villain, or villains, will be inThe Batman Part II? Fans of The Dark Knight have taken to social media to share aninteresting theory about what could happen in the sequel following the reveal that The Penguin’s real name, which is traditionally Oswald Cobblepot, has now been changed to the simpler, and apparently more grounded, Oswald Cobb.But, has this change accidentally revealed who Batman will face when he returns to the big screen in 2026?
While the name change has been met with some criticism from DC fans, many have been left wondering if it connectsthe character to The Court of Owls, an organized crime group and secret society of wealthy Gothamites who have manipulated the citizens of Gotham for their own gain for centuries. The reason this theory has taken hold is that William Cobb is the name of one of the high-ranking Talons, a highly-skilled group of Court of Owls assassins. Surely, giving The Penguin the surname “Cobb” can’t just be a coincidence? Can it?
The Penguin
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.
This theory has now even been addressed byThe Penguindirector, Craig Zobel. And, while some have taken it as a rejection, it’s just as easily argued that he is merely keeping things close to his chest. Check out what Zobel had to say below, courtesy ofThe Hollywood Handle.
“I can’t 100% answer that because I don’t know everything in Matt Reeves’ mind… largely we all kinda felt like Cobblepot wasn’t a real person’s name… the goal was to just find a real rooted more grounded name.”
The Penguin Bridges the Gap Between The Batman & The Batman 2
So, how likely is it that The Court of Owls will finally make its big screen debut inThe Batman Part 2? It has already been revealed byThe Penguinshowrunner Lauren LeFranc that thespinoff will “bridge” the gapbetween Matt Reeves’ Batman movies. Meaning that, if Oz Cobb really is a link to the clandestine organization, it’s very likely that this is who Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader will do battle with in the follow-up.
Not only that, directorMatt Reeves recently hintedthat it is indeed The Court of Owls who will make Batman’s life hell whenThe Batman Part 2lands in theaters. He revealed toSFX magazine:
“We’ve shared [the script] as we’ve been going along with DC, and they’re super excited… The seeds of where this goes are all in the first movie & it expands in a way that will show you aspects of the character you never got to see. Batman is constantly battling these forces. But those forces can’t be entirely exorcised. So the next movie delves deeper into that.”
Matt Reeves Reveals How ‘Fantastical’ The Batman Franchise Will Become
The Batman director reveals whether we will see the more outlandish DC supervillains face-off against Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight.
Starring Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobb / Penguin, as well as Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Mark Strong, and Clancy Brown,The Penguintells the next chapter inThe Batmansaga, and follows Oz Cobb’s quest for power and control in Gotham City.
The Penguinis scheduled to premiere on HBO on July 05, 2025.The Batman Part II, meanwhile, is scheduled to be released on July 12, 2025.
