The Penguin Episode 1 Features A Batman Villain Death No One Saw Coming

Spoilers for “The Penguin” episode one follow.

“The Penguin” has officially landed (read /Film’s mixed review here). Picking up a week after “The Batman,” Gotham kingpin Carmine Falcone (John Turturro in the film, recast with Mark Strong for this series) is freshly dead. Our lead (not hero) Oz/The Penguin (Colin Farrell), once Falcone’s right hand, is in a power struggle with his boss’ heirs for their father’s underworld empire. 

Oz’s main rival is Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), but her brother Alberto (Michael Zegen, continuing the proud tradition of Jewish actors playing Italian gangsters) was announced to be in the series as well. Would the Penguin be facing a Falcone sibling alliance? Nope, Oz takes Alberto off the board before Sofia even enters the game. 

After a news montage recapping where “The Batman” left Gotham City, “The Penguin” picks up with Oz waddling into the Iceberg Lounge. He digs into Falcone’s safe for his blackmail documents, only to be ambushed by Alberto holding a gun. Oz plays the part of a good soldier, handing over the files, extending congratulations and condolences, and offering Alberto a drink. When Oz shares his dream of being the gangster a neighborhood would love and mourn, Alberto laughs at this “pathetic” dream and that anyone could love Oz’s face. Cue the Penguin putting five slugs in the mob prince’s chest. RIP. 

“The Penguin” transparently takes after “The Sopranos” (Farrell feels like he’s aiming for James Gandolfini’s cadence as Tony, if not an outright impression). Oz’s situation, impulsively murdering a rival then realizing he now has to dispose of the body? It’s a very Tony Soprano situation to be in, one especially reminiscent of season 4 episode “Whoever Did This.” 

Oz and his new hired help Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) leave Alberto’s body in a junkyard trunk, but Sofia instantly suspects that the Penguin had something to do with her brother’s disappearance. So, Oz frames it as a hit from the rival family led by Sal Maroni (Clancy Brown).

In killing off Alberto, were “The Penguin” showrunners as short sighted as Oz was?

Like most of his family, Alberto debuted in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s “Batman: The Long Halloween.” (Carmine first appeared in Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s “Batman: Year One” — “Long Halloween” picks up from there to finish bridging the gap from how Gotham went from mob city to super-villain playground.)

The thirteen issues of “The Long Halloween” focus on a serial killer mystery; the murder is dubbed “Holiday” because they kill mafiosos on holidays. (Each issue corresponds to one holiday, with the first and final both set on Halloween.) Alberto is seemingly killed by Holiday on Christmas (issue #3), but resurfaces near the end of the series, killing mobster Sal Maroni. Alberto takes credit for the Holiday killings, but the story leaves it ambiguous just how responsible he is; the comic’s coda suggests Harvey Dent and/or his wife Gilda may have committed some, if not all, of the murders Alberto is convicted of. Alberto then meets his real end in Loeb & Sale’s sequel mini-series, “Batman: Dark Victory,” shot by Calendar Man (for stealing his gimmick) and then smothered by Sofia.

Zegen’s Falcone doesn’t get much screen time before Oz pops him, but he’s quite different from the comic version. He’s a cocky mafia prince, eager to take his daddy’s throne, whereas comic Alberto was sullen and reserved (with a pale and lean character design reflecting that gloominess) and not a natural fit in the mob.

It remains to be seen how Alberto’s death will factor into “The Penguin” long-term but I don’t think the choice is a handicap for future stories. “The Batman” already did a serial killer mystery like “The Long Halloween,” but with the Riddler instead of Holiday. Since director Matt Reeves intends for a Batman trilogy, I doubt he’d want to repeat himself and bring in Alberto as Holiday in his sequel.

“The Penguin” is streaming on Max.