The Batman director Matt Reeves created an entirely new vision of the Batman Universe with his 2022 reboot – a universe that’s about to expand in a big way thanks to the upcoming premiere of The Penguin on HBO and Max. While the show will center on the continuing story of mobster Oswald “Oz” Cobb (Colin Farrell), known not-so-affectionately in the streets as “Penguin,” it will also delve deeper into the Gotham City underworld and its infamous history, expanding on plot points that The Batman movie couldn’t, in anticipation of setting up The Batman 2.
In that sense: YES, you do have to watch The Batman before you watch The Penguin. That said, The Batman’s three-hour mystery story is pretty dense, so it will help to know which key plot elements from the film matter for The Penguin, based on what we know about the show.
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Sunken City
The ending of The Batman left Gotham City flooded and destroyed by The Riddler’s terrorist bombings. The movie made a big spectacle (and solemn monologue) out of the climatic flood – but as for what it means to live in Gotham after the flood, and how the people on the lower rungs of society are affected, that’ll be part of The Penguin’s story to tell.
Drug of Choice
The plot of The Batman involves Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) and Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) investigating the underworld empire of mob kingpin Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). It turns out that a major piece of Falcone’s criminal network involves the drug “Drops,” a form of narcotic eye drops that we see being used by partygoers at Oz’s clube, The Iceberg Lounge – and by rich and powerful members of the Gotham elite down in Carmine’s secret private club, 44 Below. The Falcone and Maroni crime families were at war over control of drops when Carmine Falcone died. In the immediate aftermath, that drug trade is the biggest bit of power that’s up for grabs in the underworld.
The Falcone Empire
Carmine Falcone ruled Gotham City’s Underworld after finally besting his mob rival, Sal Maroni, and taking control of all major vice trades in the city (drugs, prostitution, gambling, arms dealing, etc.). Carmine did more than just control the unlawful aspects of the underworld: he collected information on major power players across Gotham: government officials, politicians, law enforcement rank-and-file – anyone with any hint of corruptibility ended up being leaned on by Falcone. That list includes Batman’s father, Dr. Thomas Wayne, who once saved Falcone from a near-fatal gunshot wound. Wayne asked Carmine to stop a press exposé about Martha Wayne’s mental health troubles, which ended with the reporter being killed. When Thomas got angry about the outcome, it’s suspected that Carmine had him and Martha killed, as well.
The big twist in The Batman is the reveal that Carmine Falcone has been the biggest rat in Gotham City, all along. He played both sides of the law (Gotham City Renewal Corp., the drug trade) to create, finance, and maintain his empire. In the climax of The Batman, Carmine is assassinated by The Riddler while being arrested, but his illegal businesses, the relationships he forged with powerful figures – and the blackmail information he had on virtually everyone – are still waiting to be claimed.
The Iceberg Lounge
There was a running (joke? Scene?) in The Batman where Bruce Wayne had to gain entry to Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge nightclub, as well as Carmine Falcone’s super-secret 44 Below club-inside-the-club. The state of the club is currently unknown, following Riddler flooding the city. What we do know is that Oz used it to gather intel on powerful figures, distribute his drugs, and facilitate meetings and deals. Without Carmine Falcone, the future of the Iceberg Lounge seems perilous.
The Mayoral Elect
A subplot of The Batman saw mayoral candidate Bella Reál (Jayme Lawson) running against corrupt mayor Don Mitchell Jr. (Rupert Penry-Jones). By the end of The Batman, it looked like Reál was Gotham’s new mayor – one who was bringing a new era of hope, transparency, and anti-corruption to Gotham City. None of that sounds good for the mob, with the Falcones, Maronis, and Oz all locked in old struggles, during changing times.
The Maroni Bust
Salvatore Maroni was THE don of Gotham City, who created the drops narcotic and controlled its distribution. Maroni hired the reporter to discredit Martha Wayne and ruin Thomas Wayne’s mayoral campaign – and possibly had Wayne killed to keep Falcone from having a mayor in his pocket. After the Waynes died, Maroni was part of the Gotham Renewal Fund scam and seemed to be unchallenged in his rule of the underworld. However, Falcone used his political influence – while having Penguin befriend Maroni personally – to set his rival mob boss up in a sting operation that landed Maroni in prison with a life sentence.
Gotham’s corrupt mayor (Don Mitchell Jr.), District Attorney (Gil Colson), and police commissioner (Pete Savage) all made their careers off the Maroni bust. Riddler made each of them pay with their life, while the truth of the Maroni bust was exposed to the public. Trailers for The Penguin have teased Sal Maroni’s (Clancy Brown) return, and (shocker!) he’s none too happy about the betrayal.
Selina Falcone
Carmine Falcone clearly had a penchant for bastard children – but one of them came back to bite him in the end: Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz). The Batman‘s version of Catwoman is the daughter of Maria Kyle, a waitress at the 44 Below club, and mob boss Carmine Falcone. Selina came seeking vengeance on Carmine for choking her mother to death when she was seven – only to nearly be strangled to death herself by the gangster. Selina left Gotham after the events of The Batman, but her Falcone blood could still be relevant.
