I fully think The Penguin has so far proven itself to be one of the best movie-to-TV spinoffs of all time, as it has fully humanized Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb and made him arguably more fun to watch than Robert Pattinson’s Batman himself. The show doesn’t even need tons of connective tissue to The Batman movie to be a winner, though fans are still eating up all the Riddler-related easter eggs and “No Man’s Land” namedrops. So let’s discuss those potential Hush references.
Okay, it’s maybe presumptuous to call them Hush references specifically, but The Penguin has twice now made reference to the supervillain’s alter ego surname, which coincides with the biggest comic news for Hush since the original arc. So is this all happening as build-up for Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II?
Elliot Bridge Spotted In Episode 3
The third episode, "Bliss," kicks off with a flashback to the night the Riddler's bombs went off, but told through Victor's perspective as he was enjoying a night on the roof with friends, his love interest, and his soon-to-be victim. Beyond all the future implications that were laid out in the scene, the biggest Batman-related moment came when Victor peered over the edge of the building to see the raging floodwaters from the unnatural disaster.
That's when the sign could be seen for Elliot Bridge, next to one for Midtown, as seen below.
The likely takeaway there is that an ancestor of Thomas Elliot was one of the founding fathers of Gotham City, as it went in the comics, and was important enough to have a city-connecting bridge named after him. It's unclear if the Edward Elliot who was murdered in The Batman would be related, but I doubt it'd be a coincidence, considering Edward is the ancestral name used in the comics.
Elliot Bridge Mentioned By Oz In Episode 6
In an episode that also mentioned Byrne Street, very likely a reference to the comic book behemoth John Byrne, The Penguin's Colin Farrell spoke the landmark's name aloud during the scene where Oz gave his grand speech to all the other mob leaders and their second bananas. Here's how he put it while making Gotham City's wealthiest families out to be the true villains:
You want revenge? What the fuck is stoppin’ ya? They’re right over there, across the Elliot Bridge! A bridge that was built by your ancestors, Donny Boy, but it ain't named Sullivan. Huh? No, it's named for the rich crooks who took credit for your family's hard work.
Another indicator that the Elliots were a powerful family at the point in which the bridge was built. And it should be stated that the Cobblepot family was also in that higher class of citizen, only to have later lost their wealth in one way or another. So perhaps there's room for The Batman: Part II or another chapter in this universe to dig into Oz having specific issues with those who did his family wrong in previous generations.
Hush 2 Is Happening At DC Comics
With larger details still kept under wraps, DC icons Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb announced at NYCC that they'll be working on a sequel to Batman: Hush, the seminal 2002 story arc that introduced one of the greatest villains in the vigilante's rogues gallery. HUSH 2 will take place in the pages of DC's Batman monthly series in 2025 following the exit of current writer Chip Zdarsky, whose final issue is set to be published in February. (A prelude story will be part of Justice League Unlimited #1.)
To be clear, Hush was already being rumored and speculated as a potential villain for Matt Reeves' highly anticipated sequel due to Edward Elliot showing up in the first film. So expectations have already been locked in place, meaning any seemingly related name-drop in The Penguin would be leapt upon by viewers.
So there's no way anyone in the world can convince me that Lee and Loeb's HUSH 2 announcement, even the timing of it, is 100% unrelated to The Penguin and The Batman's sequel. Even if we don't get to see the big bad's full arc on the big screen just yet, I am faithful that these are indeed narrative crumbs that could eventually lead to something larger in another upcoming Batman-centric series or movie.
And that's assuming the rest of the Fall TV schedule goes by without Hush showing up in The Penguin's final two episodes, which will be airing over the next two Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET.
