The Penguin will be continuing Matt Reeves’s depiction of Gotham City as shown in the 2022 film The Batman. The show will be focusing on Oswald "Oz" Cobb (Colin Farrell), who is known as ‘Penguin’ on the streets. However, despite Oswald being the center of the storyline, The Penguin will also delve deeper into the streets of Gotham city and its intriguing history.
In The Batman, there were several plot points that were not explored. The Penguin will be developing those plot points as well. Therefore, it is kind of important to watch the film before getting started with the show as it will help one understand the plot better.
However, since The Batman came out almost 2 years back, here are some key points that the viewers need to remember to ensure that they understand the happenings in The Penguin seamlessly.
1.Gotham was flooded at the end of The Batman
Gotham was left flooded and destroyed at the end of The Batman by the terrorist bombings of The Riddler. However, how the city grappled with this or what happened there after the bombings were not depicted in the film. The aftermath of Riddler’s attack therefore will be a plot point in The Penguin.
2.The Iceberg Lounge is owned by Penguin
One of Gotham’s most prominent nightclubs, The Iceberg Lounge, serves as the base operation center for Oswald Cobb. Situated on the Gotham waterfront, the club serves as a famous venue for both high-profile politicians and hardcore criminals.
Since the club had been highlighted in The Batman, it is very likely to play an important role in The Penguin. As Oswald will now be stepping up as Gotham’s criminal mastermind following Falcone’s demise, it is very likely that the Iceberg Lounge will keep serving as the hub for criminal activities.
3.Carmine Falcone’s empire awaits to be claimed
Carmine Falcone ruled Gotham’s underworld scene while playing at both sides of the law. However, at the end of The Batman, Carmine was killed by The Riddler while being arrested.
However, all of his empire, including drug trades, prostitution, arms dealing, gambling etc await to be claimed by the next mob boss. Since The Penguin will be showing the rise of Oswald in the underworld, the claiming of Falcone’s empire might serve as a major plot point of the show.
4.Falcone was possibly involved in the Waynes’ murder
The Batman revealed Falcone’s potential connection to he murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne. While the Waynes have always been depicted as philanthropists throughout Gotham’s history, the film showed that Thoman Wayne, while running for Mayor, sought Falcone’s help to deal with a journalist who was about to expose Martha’s mental health condition.
However, Thomas probably did not want to get the journalist killed; but, Falcone’s intervention gave things a tragic turn. Thomas was riddled with guilt and wanted to go to the police. Unfortunately he, along with Martha, was killed before he could do that.
As The Penguin will explore Gotham’s crime scene post-Falcone, there is a solid chance of Falcone’s involvement in the murder of the Waynes being explored.
5.Falcone had several Gotham policemen under his wing
The theme of corruption within the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) was one of the major themes of The Batman. It was also revealed that a lot of the high ranking police officers were under Falcone’s payroll, which helped Falcone to establish his criminal empire without any difficulty.
While Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon had discovered the extent to which Falcone’s influence ran in the department, The Penguin will very likely show how Oswald will navigate this system that Falcone partially owned.
6.Falcone was GCPD’s informant
One of the major twists in The Batman was the revelation that it was not Penguin but Falcone who served as the informant of GCPD. While this significantly shifted the focus from Penguin to Falcone in the movie, it also highlighted Falcone’s absolute power in Gotham city.
Now, with Falcone dead, The Penguin is very likely to show how Oswald now tries to manipulate the system and perhaps tries to become the new informant of GCPD to rise the ranks of the criminal underworld.
7.Gotham elected Bella Reál as the President
Towards the end of The Batman, it is shown that Bella Reál is elected as the new President, promising a new direction to the city; one that is free from corruption and influence of criminals.
It is very likely that The Penguin will be showing her leadership skills and how she deals with the challenges of running a city so riddled with criminals. Since she stands for a corruption free Gotham, she will essentially be at cross with Penguin. The tension between the new system and Penguin’s endeavor to tighten his criminal grip on Gotham will be a major storyline in the show.
8.Sal Maroni was busted in The Batman
While being the ultimate boss of the criminal underworld in Gotham, Sal Maroni’s story did not end on a happy note in The Batman. He probably had hands behind killing the Waynes and if it was not for Falcone’s master plan with Penguin, Maroni would not have landed in prison.
However, The Penguin trailers have teased at the possibility of Sal Maroni's return and of course he is not happy about the betrayal. If he does return in the show, it would be a very interesting plot point to see how his story is further developed.
9.Selina Falcone is Carmine Falcone’s daughter
Among the numerous bastard children of Carmine Falcone, Selina AKA The Catwoman was the one who came back to seek her revenge. Falcone had killed Selina’s mother when she was just seven and nearly killed Selina herself as well.
Though Selina leaves at the end of The Batman, her Falcone blood might prove important in the events of The Penguin.
10.The Riddler makes an important friend in Arkham
The Batman ends with The Riddler being imprisoned at Arkham Asylum after Batman captures him. While being there, we are shown that he befriends The Joker, another inmate at Arkham.
Though The Penguin will focus on Oswald’s rise in the Gotham underworld, the meeting of the two major villains of the Batman universe can significantly impact the show’s storyline.
The Penguin will premiere on September 19, 2024 on HBO.
Stay tuned to Soap Central for more exciting updates on shows!
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