HBO's 8-Part Gangster Crime Drama Completely Changes How You Watch 'The Batman'

Published Sep 6, 2026, 3:41 PM EDT Born on the same day that The Phantom Menace was released into theaters, you can say that Ryan was literally born with a love of fan culture. He graduated summa cum laude from a private college with a degree in Humanities and has a strong passion for writing, whether creatively or analytically. His love for particular franchises has varied widely over the years, from Harry Potter and Star Wars to Marvel and DC to Game of Thrones. This does not mean his interests are restricted to big franchises, however, as some of his biggest inspirations include Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and Christopher Nolan, among others. He also has a passion for awards darlings and independent films, such as Last Night in Soho or Asteroid City, and his love of television ranges wildly, from Yellowjackets to BoJack Horseman. Outside the entertainment industry, Ryan has a strong interest in political science, history, psychology, literature, and philosophy, and is a proud supporter of disability rights as an openly autistic and visually impaired individual. As much as The Penguin focuses on the exploits of the mob in Gotham, it's easy to forget that the HBO series actually takes place in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack. Few scenes serve as a better reminder of this, however, than the tragic revelation that Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) lost his family in the floods, which we see from a much more intimate perspective. More than just a tragic backstory, the events explain the predicament Victor has found himself in at the start of The Penguin. What appears to be a grand disaster in The Batman is reframed as a personal tragedy, which denies Victor a proper source of moral guidance as he dives deeper into Gotham's underbelly. Instead, he finds a mentor in Oz (Colin Farrell) and is drawn down a much darker path. Victor’s Backstory in 'The Penguin' Brings a Whole New Meaning to ‘The Batman’ Many comic book characters, whether heroic or villainous, are defined by the haunting presence of a troubled past or the loss of a loved one, and The Penguin seems to continue this trend. While Victor himself fits this mold, the way his most defining tragedy is presented to viewers makes it far more shocking to witness. The flashback scene feels deceptively written, and one might not even realize when and where things are happening until the explosions occur. What follows might not be wholly unexpected for the audience, but the more intimate portrayal makes it feel overwhelming. The destruction wrought by the flooding of Gotham also speaks to how hypocritical and repulsive The Batman's Riddler (Paul Dano) is as a villain. When he reveals his motivations in the film's climax, he cites his resentment toward the city's elite class, which initially appears justified after witnessing all the entrenched corruption. For this reason, the Riddler idolizes Batman (Robert Pattinson) and is quickly devastated by his rejection, but he also views Bruce Wayne as the embodiment of the rich class that he despises. He cannot comprehend the idea that a person like Bruce Wayne can fight for the poor like Batman, but The Penguin takes this argument further. As the series shows, the people most affected by the floods live in the poorer neighborhoods, leaving people like Victor just as orphaned as the Riddler himself. To make matters so much worse, the Maroni and Falcone crime families remain untouched and move in to exploit the chaos through the drug trade, showing that Riddler has done more damage to the people than the mob or corrupt law enforcement ever could have dreamed. For Better or Worse, Victor's Biggest Loss in 'The Penguin' Defines Him Much like Batman himself, the tragedy that strikes Victor has a dramatic effect on which path he chooses to follow as an adult. However, while Bruce Wayne has a permanent change in worldview after the death of his parents, Victor is more shaped by the absence than the specific manner of their demise. With his parents and sister gone, Victor is even more vulnerable to the allure of the criminal underworld, which his family had already displayed concerns about. At the same time, the tragic demise of Victor's family provides him with a uniquely enticing father figure in Oz, who views Victor as a promising young student and uses charisma and humor to show him how alluring the life of a criminal can be. Of course, Victor quickly finds himself overwhelmed by mob life and remains highly tempted to depart for a new life, and Oz is even willing to let him go without incident. However, he also knows that any attempt to flee with Graciela (Anire Kim Amoda) will leave him struggling with poverty and uncertainty. Had Victor's parents still been alive, it would have been much easier for him to return to his former life and never look back. Instead, without their guidance, he ultimately returns to the fold. He even kills one of the Maroni henchmen, making him an open enemy of the second-biggest crime family. As Victor's ultimate fate in The Penguin proves, there was no turning back once he set off on this path — but the tragic events that shaped him from the beginning are also what give The Batman wholly new meaning on a rewatch.