HBO’s The Penguin showcases the rise of Oz Cobb as a crime lord in Gotham City. Oz, played by Colin Farrell, does not step back from taking down anyone on his journey to rise up the ladder of power.
Throughout the eight episodes, the series features several gruesome deaths, killing off some important characters, and leading to the notion that nobody is safe in Gotham. There are also some surprising deaths that the audience does not see coming.
As Oz’s gang war with Sofia Falcone heats up, even the main characters’ lives get in danger. From Alberto Falcone in the first episode to Victor Aguilar in the finale, let’s take a look at all the major characters killed in The Penguin.
All the major deaths in The Penguin
1) Alberto Falcone
The Penguin sets a dark tone from the word go as Alberto Falcone, played by Michael Zegen, dies at the beginning of the premiere episode, After Hours. Alberto, the heir to the Falcone crime family, has a drink with Oz, who convinces him to try some drugs.
Before Alberto walks in, Oz steals photos from Carmine’s apartment, including those of Johnny Viti and Luca Falcone’s wife. As they talk, Alberto mocks Oz for being close to gangster Rex Calibrisi.
The insult pushes Oz over the edge, and he shoots Alberto multiple times in anger. Only afterward does Oz regret the deadly mistake he has made.
2) Summer Gleeson
In The Penguin episode Cent'anni, Summer Gleeson, a reporter for the Gotham Gazette, is killed after she uncovers a dark secret. Summer, played by Nadine Malouf, finds a disturbing pattern in the deaths of six women who worked at 44 Below, a hidden club under the Iceberg Lounge.
Although these deaths are called suicides, Summer suspects the women were strangled, not hanged. She shares her findings with Sofia, the daughter of crime boss Carmine Falcone.
When Carmine finds out, he kills Summer to keep his crimes hidden. To protect himself, he frames Sofia for Summer and other women's murders.
3) Magpie
Magpie is a longtime DC villain known as a jewel thief, who also meets with her end in The Penguin. Played by Marié Botha, she is an inmate at Arkham State Hospital and tries to befriend Sofia Falcone, who does not want her friendship.
Magpie’s cell is next to Sofia’s, so she hears all of Sofia’s conversations. When Sofia finds out she will not get a trial, she is shocked and upset.
Magpie takes this moment to cheerfully tell Sofia she can now get the red pills from the doctors, the same pills that will later be turned into ‘Bliss.’ Thinking Magpie has been spying on her for drugs, Sofia snaps in anger and beats Magpie to death.
4) The Falcone family
Cent'anni features a number of brutal deaths as Sofia Falcone decides to take revenge on her family for betraying her. She shows up at their family dinner unannounced, pretending to go along with their plan to send her to Italy.
Sofia lets her uncle Luca start his speech, then interrupts him to confront her family members. She accuses her relatives of deceiving her by siding with her father and signing papers that claimed she was mentally unstable.
She takes her young cousin Gia out to the greenhouse for safety, while the rest of her family dies from carbon monoxide poisoning. Meanwhile, she leaves Viti alive by keeping his window open and plans to deal with him separately.
5) Nadia Maroni
In episode 5, Homecoming, Oz kidnaps Salvatore “Sal” Maroni’s son Taj, played by Aria Shahghasemi, and plans to trade him for the stolen mushrooms that make Bliss. He tricks Salvatore’s wife, Nadia, played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, into thinking she has won and she ends up bringing just one guard with her.
What Nadia doesn’t know is Oz and his crew are waiting for her. Taj is covered in flammable liquid and when he gets close to Nadia, Oz lights the liquid on fire, burning both Taj and Nadia alive.
6) Johnny Viti
Another death takes place in The Penguin episode 5 as Johnny Viti, played by Michael Kelly, dies at the hands of Sofia Falcone. After Sofia takes control of the Falcone crime family, she locks Viti in the family mausoleum and tortures him to find out where her father’s hidden money is.
During their talk, Viti admits he tried to help Sofia’s mother, Isabella, escape from Carmine, but she never made it. Sofia gets frustrated with Viti constantly interrupting her as she talks to her new crew and shoots him in the head.
7) Sal Maroni
In episode 7, Top Hat, Sal, played by Clancy Brown, tries to take over Oz’s drug business, and the two get engaged in a fight. During the chaos, Sal has a heart attack. Oz is angry because he wants to kill Sal himself.
To make it look like he did, Oz shoots Sal several times in the chest. Even though Sal’s death was not what Oz planned, it still makes him seem like he is in control. By shooting Sal, Oz wants everyone to see him as a dangerous and powerful crime boss in Gotham.
8) Marcus Wise
The Penguin finale episode features several deaths, starting with the drug addict Detective Marcus Wise, played by Craig Walker. After Sofia kidnaps Oz's mother, Francis, and takes her to Monroe’s nightclub, Oz manages to escape the chaos while carrying her.
As he tries to get away, corrupt detective Wise, who had been working with Sofia, gets high on drugs in the street. Oz shoots him in the eye while carrying his unconscious mother.
9) Feng Zhao
Feng Zhao, the leader of the Triad, is killed by his own men in the final episode. Played by François Chau, Zhao has a falling out with his crew, and his lieutenant, Link, turns against him.
Link and the other members of Zhao's crew kill him to take control of the Triad’s operations. They want to move up in Gotham’s criminal world, something Zhao never allowed them to do. Feng’s death marks a shift in power in Gotham City as other gang members also begin to kill their leaders.
10) Victor Aguilar
Victor “Vic” Aguilar’s death is one of the most saddening moments of The Penguin. After helping Oz Cobb rise to power, Victor, played by Rhenzy Feliz, is killed by him in the finale. Victor thanks Oz for giving him a chance and calls him family.
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But Oz sees family as a weakness and decides to kill Victor so the boy can not be used against him. Oz strangles Victor and explains that family makes him weak. Afterward, Oz takes money from his wallet and throws his ID into the river, leaving his body behind.
All eight episodes of The Penguin are available to stream on Max.
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