Magpie’s DC Comics Origins Explained

While fans were surely hoping to get a glimpse of Pamela Isley during Sofia Falcone’s Arkham stay, there weren’t any such major Easter eggs in episode four of “The Penguin.” Magpie is really the only notable DC character in this version of Arkham, and she doesn’t even last the entire episode, with Sofia eventually caving to the mental pressure of being incarcerated and taking it out on poor old Margaret. Interestingly enough, however, there is a connection between this character and Ivy.

In the comic books, the character was introduced in 1986’s “The Man of Steel” #3 as a jewel thief who goes insane. She has been featured in various DC comics ever since, at one point being revealed as Poison Ivy’s cellmate at Arkham. Magpie has also appeared in Fox’s TV series “Gotham,” showing up in season 5 episode “13 Stitches”, where she was played by Sarah Schenkkan. This wasn’t her only live-action appearance, either. A version of Magpie played by Rachel Matthews actually showed up in “Batwoman,” where she also ends up in Arkham Asylum.

Now, we’ve had our third live-action Magpie in “The Penguin.” This iteration of the character tells Sofia that her name is “not Margaret, my stepmom used to call me Margaret.” Magpie’s real name in the comics is Margaret Pye, confirming that this is almost certainly the Reeves-verse version of the villain. Interestingly enough, her demise in episode four vaguely mirrors her death in the comics, where Magpie is killed by the Tally Man, Orca, the Ventriloquist, and the KGBeast — all villains working for none other than The Penguin.

Why is this arcane DC villain present in this episode? There’s no way to be sure, but at one point the character says to Sofia, “I bet there’ll be lots of paparazzi at your trial, no one even wrote about mine.” With that in mind, perhaps showrunner Lauren LeFranc wanted to give what she saw as an underserved DC character some shine, though she also doesn’t hesitate to very swiftly kill her off so who knows. 

Once again, then, “The Penguin” not only eschews the more obvious choice of Batman lore to work into its narrative, it quickly dismisses the one Easter egg it does include, suggesting LeFranc never wavered in her determination to secure “The Penguin” as a story more than capable of standing on its own.