Victor actually was dead the first time he choose to leave Oz for his girlfriend in The Penguin

In The Penguin, Victor didn't die till the season finale, but it always felt like he had it coming. His death was shocking, but not a surprise, considering everything he witnessed while staying under Oz's wings. However, he continued ignoring Oz's red flags, while naively believing his loyalty would help him survive and thrive.

The show, created by Lauren LeFranc, dropped clues about Victor's eventual fate throughout the season. The first clue may have been when Victor thought of leaving his quasi-internship for Oz to be with his girlfriend, Graciela. He had planned to leave Gotham to spend the rest of his life with her, away from his haunting past.

Eventually, Victor stayed back, choosing Oz, who had hitherto established a strong bond with this young lad, treating him almost like a friend and a son, while sharing how their outsider identities connect them. Rhenzy Feliz, who plays Vic, then spoke with TheWrap about that change in Vic's arc, marking a major turning point for him. Referring to the third episode, Feliz said,

“Oz says it at the end of the episode, ‘We’re really in it now, kid.’ You can see it on his face, it’s, ‘Oh my god, what have I done? Did I make the right decision?’ I think ultimately he decides he did. This is the right thing to do, and I see that now.”

Eventually, it didn't turn out to be the right thing for Vic. Let's discuss how his initial willingness to be with his girlfriend over Oz almost foreshadowed his death.

The Penguin: Victor may have made his first mistake when he decided to flee town with his girlfriend

Victor and Oz Cobb had almost a mentor/mentee relationship in The Penguin, which takes place shortly after the events of Matt Reeves's 2022 neo-noir film, The Batman. So, to better understand Vic's fate, one must look back at the past.

The Batman introduced the Riddler as the central villain standing against the Gotham authorities with a threat. That's when the Caped Crusader steps in, trying to pacify the villain and put an end to his destructive plans. In this pursuit, the anti-hero kills the Falcone patriarch, but the Riddler goes ahead with a plan that ruins several lives.

Among the affected victims were Vic's parents, who couldn't survive the man-made flood. Vic survived because he was at a friend's place. In the wake of this tragedy, he is left with no family. That's when The Penguin takes him under his wing and teaches him the ropes of Gotham's criminal operations. He offers it as a way for Vic to escape his dreadful life.

Vic, however, seems forced into this relationship. He doesn't willingly participate in Oz's crimes and hopes to be with Graciela, whom he considers his only family left. Oz introduces a way to make life by bonding with him over their shared traumas of being ignored or undervalued as outsiders in their own worlds.

Yet, the moment Vic decides to leave this role, The Penguin seemingly takes it as an insult, considering how kind he was to the kid until then (or at least he believed he was). He continued killing his closest allies, whether they did or didn't betray him. So, it wasn't really a surprise when he killed his newest and one of his closest allies, Vic.

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Also read: Matt Reeves confirms The Penguin Season 2 is in discussions after Season 1’s massive success

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