Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for 'The Penguin' Season 1 Episode 4The latest and possibly the greatest episode of The Penguin delves into the tragic origin story of Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), as she is tortured and manipulated after being framed for the "Hangman" murders. As fans of The Batman already know, the real culprit behind these heinous crimes is Carmine Falcone, who was played by John Turturro in Matt Reeves' critically acclaimed detective story. Turturro was unable to return to the role for The Penguin, so instead, the flashback sequences are played by the upcoming Dune: Prophecy star, Mark Strong.
Mark Strong is no stranger to playing great villain characters in a variety of stories, such as Sherlock Holmes and Kick-Ass. However, his experience of playing villains goes beyond even that, especially when it comes to the many iconic foes from the DC Comics universe. In fact, Strong has already played not one, but two different villains from DC comics.
Mark Strong's First Trip to the DC Universe Was 'Green Lantern'
Mark Strong first joined the DC Universe in one DC's most maligned projects -- 2011's Green Lantern. The critically panned box office bomb tells the origin story of Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), who joins the galaxy-protecting Green Lantern Corps ranks after being given one of their all-powerful rings. In his early days of training, Hal's rebellious nature puts him at odds with some of the Corps' highest ranking members, Sinestro, played by Mark Strong.
Despite his obvious name and his extensive history as Green Lantern's arch-nemesis in the comics, Sinestro actually isn't technically a villain in the 2011 film. He's more of an authority figure who has a deep distrust of Hal for most of the runtime. Sinestro does take a dip into the dark side when Parallax (Clancy Brown) returns, and he suggests to his superiors that they forge a Yellow Ring of Fear to defeat him. Hal convinces him not to go through with it, and Sinestro even finds some newfound respect for the human as a result. However, an end-credits scene does reveal Sinestro falling into temptation and putting on the yellow ring, setting up a sequel that will never release.
Mark Strong Returns to the DC Universe with 'Shazam!'
While Green Lantern failed to produce a sequel, Mark Strong would later get a chance to star in a much better superhero story with Shazam! One of the best films from the now-defunct DCEU, Shazam! follows Billy Batson (Asher Angel) -- a troubled teen who stumbles upon something magical and unexpected while on a subway ride home. Billy is chosen by an immortal wizard (Djimon Hounsou) to become the avatar of Shazam. As soon as he says that word, Billy gains the appearance of a grown adult (Zachary Levi) and gains the abilities of super strength, flight, and more.
Long before Billy was chosen to become a hero, a young boy was rejected by the wizard for nearly falling into temptation. That boy grew up to become Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong), who dedicates his life to returning to the wizard's domain. He succeeds, and when he does, Dr. Sivana forms a pact with seven demons imprisoned there who promise to give him all the power he could possibly desire.
Strangely enough, much like Green Lantern, this is another DC film with an end-credits tease that likely isn't going to happen. The end-credits sequence sees an imprisoned Sivana forming an unlikely alliance with an alien caterpillar named Mister Mind (voiced by the film's director, David F. Sandberg), as they vow vengeance on the world's superheroes. Shazam! did get a sequel with 2023's Shazam! Fury of the Gods, but it's unlikely that we'll see this iteration of these characters return with James Gunn and Peter Safran's new reboot of the DC cinematic continuity.
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Who is Carmine Falcone in 'The Penguin'?
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In a way, John Turturro not appearing in The Penguin actually works out, as the sequences he's in during the show all take place in flashbacks. That's not unexpected given that Carmine is gunned down by The Riddler (Paul Dano) during the events of The Batman. The Carmine we follow in The Penguin is clearly trying to prime his children, Alberto (Michael Zegen) and Sofia, as the new leaders of the notorious crime family.
About ten years prior to the main events of The Penguin, Carmine begins to become a bit suspicious of Sofia, who appears to be an upstanding member of society despite being the daughter of a mob boss. Sofia herself has begun questioning things about her life after a chance meeting with a reporter alleges that her mother's death was a murder rather than a suicide. Death by asphyxiation is Carmine's MO, so as soon as he learns his daughter might reveal his crimes to the world, he frames Sofia for murder and sends her to Arkham. Carmine's meeting with Sofia in his office may have very well been the last time the two saw each other, as Carmine was dead by the time Sofia was let go.
The first four episodes of The Penguin are available to stream on Max.
7 10
The Penguin
TV-MA
Crime
Drama
It follows the transformation of Oswald Cobblepot from a disfigured nobody to a noted Gotham gangster.
Release Date September 19, 2024
Cast Colin Farrell , Cristin Milioti , Rhenzy Feliz , Michael Kelly , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Deirdre O'Connell , Clancy Brown , James Madio , Scott Cohen , Michael Zegen , Carmen Ejogo , Theo Rossi
Seasons 1
Franchise(s) Batman , DC Elseworlds
Showrunner Lauren LeFranc
Watch on Max
