Showrunner Lauren LeFranc Explains the Absence of Joker, Harley, and Other Characters in ‘The Penguin’

As we’ve mentioned several times before, The Penguin is a hit show that has received a lot of praise from both fans and critics. People are really enjoying the fresh take on The Penguin and Sofia Falcone in this spin-off from Matt Reeves’ The Batman, and we’re excited to see how the series wraps up.

While the show mainly focuses on Penguin and Sofia, it also explores other aspects of Batman’s world, including Arkham Asylum, a well-known location in the Batman lore.

In Episode 4 of The Penguin, Arkham plays a significant role, but its influence remains strong throughout the series, leading fans to wonder why other famous inmates, like the Joker and Harley Quinn, are not featured. If you’re curious about the absence of these characters in Arkham, keep reading our report!

Episode 4 gave us Sofia’s origin story and insight into her time in Arkham. While some supporting characters, like Dr. Ventris and Magpie, made appearances, fans were surprised by the absence of major Arkham inmates such as the Joker and Harley Quinn.

Although we don’t know if Harley is already in Reeves’ universe, we do know that the Joker is there. The Riddler was also missing, despite his presence in this storyline.

If you’re curious about why these characters weren’t included, showrunner Lauren LeFranc has the answer. She was asked the same question and here’s what she had to say:

Honestly, for that episode, we thought just about Sophia, like Sophia’s journey. It’s a tricky episode because it’s only about an hour long, and we told a lot of story in it. It’s like, how can you express Arkham? How can you express what this woman goes through, through it? So it was all through the lens of Sophia.

We didn’t want to throw the kitchen sink at us, and we didn’t want to have a character that would detract from her experience or have people be like, Oh, it’s [that villain]!’ Not a casual Joker, not a Harley Quinn. Like, those characters are amazing. But for what we were doing, we’re telling Sophia’s story, and we just want you to be immersed in her perspective, in her world.

Source: The Direct

As you can see, Sofia is the main reason for the absence of other major inmates, and that makes sense. The Penguin centers around Sofia and Oz’s story, so it’s great that the show continues to focus on them rather than bringing in other characters.

Do you have any thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!

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