Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Penguin episode 1The Penguin’spremiere is now on Max, featuring a collection of exciting Easter eggs, references, and new versions of classicDC Comicscharacters from the Batman mythos. Starring Colin Farrell who returns to the role of Oswald “Oz” Cobb,The Penguinis set in the immediate aftermath of Matt Reeves’The Batman. As such, the premiere firmly establishes that Oz has great ambition for the future of Gotham’s underworld ahead ofThe Batman Part II.
InThe Penguinepisode 1, Oz Cobb finds himself caught between the surviving members of the Falcone Crime Family as well as the Maronis. Professing loyalty to all but truly only working toward his own rise to power, this new DC series has very exciting beginnings, while also establishing some incredibly high stakes as Penguin plans his next moves.To that end, here are 14 of the biggest Easter eggs and DC references to be found inThe Penguinepisode 1.
14Bella Reál On The News
Gotham’s New Mayor-Elect
Opening with news coverage ofThe Batman’sending,The Penguinepisode 1immediately establishes the tragic and chaotic state of Gotham City following the Riddler’s flood and his attack on Gotham Square Garden.New footage also reveals mayor-elect Bella Reál giving a press conference, promising Gotham’s citizens that they will one day be able to believe in their city again. She’s also seen with her arm in a sling, seeing how she was shot by one of the Riddler’s followers as seen inThe Batman.
13Oz Cobb Using An Umbrella
A Classic Piece of Penguin’s Iconography
Walking through the heavy rain, Oz is featured using an umbrella as he heads to what remains of the Iceberg Lounge and its secret underground club, 44 Below. While it’s not uncommon for people to use umbrellas in the rain,an umbrella is a signature piece of The Penguin’s iconography from the original DC Comics. That said, it’s highly unlikely that Cobb’s umbrella can shoot bullets or fire toxic gas such as with the arsenal of umbrellas often used by the comics' Oswald Cobblepott.
12Alberto Falcone
Carmine’s Son (The Holiday Killer)
In the Iceberg Lounge,Oz is taken by surprise by Alberto Falcone, the new head of the Falcone Crime Family following the death of Carmine Falcone at the hands of the Riddler inThe Batman. Played by Michael Zegen, Alberto is Carmine’s son, though he seems unsure if he can gain the same levels of respect his father once commanded. However, his biggest mistake was insulting Oz after The Penguin told him about his own aspirations.
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In the original comics,Alberto becomes the “Holiday Killer” in the iconic Batman storyThe Long Halloween. Having been the self-perceived outcast, Alberto begins killing members of both his own family and the Maronis. As such, his murders are a very big reason why Gotham starts drifting away from organized crime as it slowly gets turned over to the “freaks” and more individual members of Batman’s rogues gallery. However, this does not appear to be the case for this version of Gotham’s Alberto, seeing as how Penguin shockingly shoots and kills Alberto within he first few minutes ofThe Penguin’spremiere.
11Salvatore Maroni’s Ring
Once Worn By Carmine Falcone
Alberto had been wearing his father’s ring, and he revealed to Penguin that the ring itself was originally Salvatore Maroni’s. Carmine took the ring after Maroni was arrested for the massive drug bust that led to Carmine’s vast amount of control overGotham via the city’s “Renewal Fund”(in truth a major source of money for laundering, bribes, and more). The ring can be seen on Carmine’s hand throughoutThe Batman. Penguin also takes the ring off of Alberto’s body.
10Rex Calabrese
Also Known As The Lion
Before he killed him, Oz had told Alberto about Rex Calabrese, a gangster operating in Gotham back when Cobb was a kid who did quite a bit to help his neighbors and those living in Gotham’s lesser-developed neighborhoods. Rex was a man Oswald idolized as a kid and sought to emulate.Also known as The Lion, Calabrese is also a classic gangster from the original DC Comicswho operated in Gotham before the Falcones and Maronis (Calabrese is also Selina Kyle’s father in the DC Comics canon).
9Penguin’s Purple Maserati
A Primary Color From DC Comics
Oz is seen driving a purple Maserati inThe Penguin’spremiere.This is the same kind of car Oz drove inThe Batmanwhen The Dark Knight was pursuing him in hismuscle car version of the Batmobile, which was ultimately flipped over. However, it seems as though Cobb was able to buy a new model in the aftermath. The extravagant car also helps prove that Alberto’s claims were correct: Penguin had been skimming money off the top of Carmine’s operations for years, though not enough for Falcone to no longer value Oz’s loyalty. Purple is also one of Penguins' signature colors in the original comics.
8Burgess Jewelry
Named After The First Live-Action Penguin
The Penguinepisode 1 reveals that Oz lives above a couple of jewelry stores and pawn shops, one of which is named Burgess Jewelry. This is undoubtedly a reference to Burgess Meredith who played The Penguin in 1966’sBatmantelevision series starring Adam West as the Caped Crusader. Meredith was also the very first actor to play Penguin in live-action, so the homage here in this new DC series is very nice to see.
7Johnny Viti
The First Holiday Victim
Meeting with the Falcone Crime Family who want to relocate Oz’s drug operations, Cobb speaks with Milos Grapa, one of Carmine’s capos who served as Carmine’s bodyguard in the original comics..Oz also talks with Johnny Viti, another underboss of the Falcone Crime Family.Viti was notably one of the first members of the Family who was killed by Holiday inThe Long Halloween,a fate he seems to have avoided in this universe thanks to Alberto’s death.
6Sofia Falcone
Carmine’s Daughter (The Hangman)
Oz also reunites withSofia Falcone, Carmine’s daughter and Alberto’s sister. Played by Cristin Milioti, Sofia Falcone is worried about her brother who’s gone missing. In the original comics,Sofia Falcone becomes known as The Hangman inDark Victory, a follow-up toThe Long Halloweenwhere she targeted and killed various members of the GCPD.
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However, it seems as though this version of Sofia is already known as The Hangman and has recently been exonerated from her time at Arkham State Hospital. It’s been reported that Sofia killed and hung seven different women before her arrest and her father who sent her to Arkham. InThe Penguin’spremiere, Sofia is highly suspicious of Oz regarding Alberto’s disappearance, at least until he pins the murder on the Maronis by the episode’s end.
5Crown Point
One of Gotham’s Worst Neighborhoods
Having recruited young Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) to be his right-hand man after catching him trying to still the wheels off his car, Oz learns that both he and Victor grew up in Crown Point.Crown Point is a neighborhood in East Gotham and the Bowery that was hit the hardest by the Riddler’s flood. It also exists in the original DC Comics as well and is not too far from Crime Alley where Bruce Wayne lost his parents.
