The following contains spoilers for season 1, episode 1 of The Penguin, now streaming on Max.
The Batman introduced a brand new version of Robert Pattinson’s character in a real-world Gotham City with a story that focused more on the Dark Knight’s detective skills. The 2022 film also introduced several other characters, with one of the most notable being Colin Farrell’s Penguin, who would later receive his own solo series for HBO. The penguin takes place after the events of The Batmanwhere Gotham City is recovering from the city flooding caused by the Riddler and the criminal underworld is in danger after the death of Carmine Falcone.
The penguin will continue to expand the world of Gotham City first introduced in The Batman with new comic book characters. The biggest news is Sofia Falcone, daughter of Carmine. Sofia has appeared in other Batman media over the years, and most notably appeared in Gotham played by Crystal Reed. In that series, Sofia has a relationship with Jim Gordon, wages a war against The Penguin, and at one point allies herself with the Gotham City Sirens. Cristin Milioti plays Sofia in The Batman spin-off and will have a major role in the eight-episode season, so here's some important information to know.
The Origin of Sofia Falcone's Comics in The Long Halloween
- The Batman introduced Carmine Falcone with Oz Cobb as his right-hand man. The penguin The series will explore family more and will see Sofa at the center of it.
- The sofa first appeared in The Long Halloween comic and would appear in the second part of the animated film adaptation, voiced by Laila Berzins.
The Batman borrowed many elements from one of the most iconic stories in the character's lexicon, The Long Halloween. The comic book limited series was created by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale and ran from 1996 to 1997. The comic book story left a lasting legacy on Batman with its detective element and the inclusion of so many iconic villains, new and old. In The Long Halloween, Batman is on the trail of Holiday's killer who is eliminating members of the Falcone family. Sofia grew up to become a key member of the Falcone mafia family, being Carmine's eldest daughter, and married Rocco Gigante, becoming the mother of two children.
“I worked with this incredible acting coach and movement coach Julia Crockett, and I experimented with all these physical things. Sofia has a cauldron boiling inside her at all times, and she's in the most dangerous place she could possibly be. Can she swallow this, sit on this volcano, until it finally erupts?” – Christin Milioti on
playing Sofia Falcone in
The penguin
.
Sofia eventually ends up in prison but is released during the events of The Long Halloween to solve the family murders, as Batman is on the trail of Holiday's killer and the Falcone family. Sofia tries to solve the crimes by getting information from the Riddler, Aunt Carla, and the Gunsmith, but she can't figure out the secret. History reveals that Holiday's killer was Alberto Falcone, son of Carmine and brother of Sofia.The Long Halloween also includes an origin story for Two-Face, similar to The Dark Knightand sees the villain murder Carmine in his penthouse. In response to her father's murder, Sofia chases Two-Face, but Catwoman holds her back, and the two then fight. This causes Sofia to fall out of a window and be presumed dead.
His return as an executioner in Dark Victory
- The Batman Epic Crime Saga has drawn heavily from The Long Halloween AND Dark Victorysome of the greatest Batman comics ever.
- Teenage Wolf star Crystal Reed was the first to play Sofia in a live-action film and debuted in season four of Gotham.
Sofia will return in the sequel of The Long Halloween, Dark Victoryand play a larger role in the story. Despite falling from an attic, Sofia survived, but her injuries left her paralyzed and disfigured. Sofia's bodyguard, Angelo Mirti, finds her and takes her to Italy, where she recuperates for months with her brother Mario at her side.
Sofia becomes the new leader of the Falcone crime family, following in the footsteps of her late brother Alberto, and becomes a serial killer known as Hangman after faking her paralysis. Sofia earns her name after targeting Gotham City cops associated with Harvey Dent, killing them with a noose and leaving messages in the form of the pun Hangman. Sofia continues to kill her brother Alberto and comes close to killing Two-FaceHowever, Batman intervenes and stops her from doing so. Sofia and Batman then fight and Two-Face kills her.
Sofia Falcone's Role in The Penguin So Far
- Sofia bears many similarities to her comic book counterpart, most notably being known as a serial killer who calls herself Hangman.
- Alberto, who in the comics becomes Holiday, dies in the first episode after being shot by Oz.
- Colin Farrell's Oz will return in Batman – Part II.
Sofia appears in the first episode of The penguinwhere he interrogates Oz after his brother Alberto's disappearance. This is after Oz killed Alberto in the Iceberg Lounge at the beginning of the episode. After Carmine's death, Alberto becomes the new leader of the Falcone family, but once Oz kills him, others will try to take over as the new rulers of Gotham City's criminal underworld.
“I thought about Rosemary Kennedy, the Kennedys' long-lost daughter, who they put in an asylum. It's unclear how mentally ill she was or whether she just did things they thought were inappropriate and made the Kennedys look bad. Eventually, she had a lobotomy. It's a very tragic story, but I thought about that for Carmine and Sofia. What if she came from Arkham State Hospital? Did she deserve to go to Arkham?” — The
Penguin
Showrunner and writer Lauren LeFranc on the real-life inspiration for Sofia Falcone.
One of these players will be Soifa, who has just been released from Arkham State Hospital. In the series, Soifa, formerly known as Hangman, has been undergoing rehabilitation. Sofia also appears to be having a history with Oz, who has been working with her family for some time. The two go to lunch and, while Oz lies about his brother's whereabouts, Sofia seems to have discovered it and knows not to underestimate him. With Milioti as a co-star, the two will surely cross paths several times throughout the season, as they try to team up to distribute a new drug in Gotham City that Oz learned about from Alberto before killing him.
Sofia Falcone has only appeared in Loeb's works, and while she isn't the most mainstream Batman villain, she will continue to play a major role in The penguin series and potentially in future stories set in The Batman Epic Crime Saga. Like most comic book adaptations, there will be changes, and this is evident with the portrayal of Sofia in The penguin so far, already being known as the Hanged Man and coming from Arkham.
The Batman Epic Crime Saga also loosely follows Loebs' iconic Batman stories, with Carmine dead and Sofia seemingly intent on taking over the family business. The Falcone crime family has already played a role in other live-action Batman stories, such as Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogybut Reeves is exploring that side of Gotham City much more deeply with the inclusion of Sofia and the rest of the Falcone crime family; not to mention the reveal of Selina Kyle as Carmine's daughter in The Batman. The penguin may focus on Oz Cobb’s rise to power in Gotham City and tell the origin story of how he becomes the city’s kingpin, but Sofia also goes on a major journey in the series that will shape what’s to come.