Why did Oz kill Victor in The Penguin? Explained

The last episode of The Penguin was released on Sunday, November 10, 2024. It set up the story for its progression and connection to the possible upcoming Batman films and the DC extended cinematic universe. The series brought a chilling close to the story of Oswald 'Oz' Cobb, one of Gotham City's villains.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Penguin.

In the final episode of The Penguin, Oz kills his former protege, Victor, whom he had once mentored. Victor's confession that he considered Oz family pushed Oz to the breaking point, as he views love and kinship as weaknesses. This led to Oz killing Victor despite their close bond.

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What happened between Oz and Victor in the series finale of The Penguin?

Oz and Victor's story in The Penguin began with Oz mentoring Victor as they fought against Sofia Falcone and Salvatore Maroni. Victor became a ruthless killer, taking out enemies for Oz. In the series finale, they reflected on their journey. Oz admitted to having tough moments, with Victor supporting him through them. Victor acknowledged Oz's rise from being an underling to a powerful criminal, and confessed that despite the challenges, he considered Oz family.

At that moment, Oz realized that love would be his weakness if he allowed it to continue. He had just seen how family could be used against him, in the case of his mother. For Oz, nothing could stand between him and his ambition to take Gotham over, not even family. Despite having an obedient mentee, it was always clear that Oz was his own top priority, and his only goal at the end was to reach the top of Gotham's criminal underworld.

It was at this point that Oz decided to kill Victor himself, instead of having him used as a pawn against him. The scene might even be reminiscent of the flashback sequence at the beginning of episode 7, when Oz left his own brothers Jack and Benny to drown in the tunnels.

The showrunner of the series Lauren LeFranc discussed Victor's death in an interview with Deadline. She mentioned that Oz was a villain at the end of the day and chose to embrace the monster within him while killing a treasured loved one. She went on to explain that it was a difficult decision to kill off the character but it had to happen.

In an interview for Collider published on November 11, 2024, actor Colin Farrell also discussed his character Oz and the way The Penguin ended for him:

"I mean, part of me didn't want to do it, you know? I knew that the general sentiment was that, by the end, they kind of wanted to, in a way, kill the Oz that we met ... I felt that there was a sense of creative responsibility that leaned towards, 'We cannot have this man as a likable character.'"

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Audiences can watch The Penguin streaming online via HBO.