This past week was well and truly the week for comic book shows. Not only did Agatha All Along begin to spruce up the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a delightfully creative and playful manner, but the much more hard-boiled The Penguin also made its debut on Max.
It is, of course, exactly as good as you’d expect from an entry into the Reevesverse, packed to the teeth with the ineffable Colin Farrell in the eponymous role, the fascinating blend of comic book fiction and gangster drama which allows us to have a peculiar relationship to the violence in the show, and its overall feat in offering a fantastic character study for one of the greatest villains in comic book history.
Through it all, it’s Cristin Milioti‘s turn as Sofia Falcone that arguably leaves the greatest impression here, as every scene involving her oozes with a danger that feels both unavoidable and unpredictable; an enthralling presence that feels fitting for one of Arkham Asylum’s most dangerous former residents.
The question is, how did she earn such a reputation?
Why was Sofia Falcone in Arkham Asylum?
Warning: Light spoilers for The Penguin ahead.
Sofia Falcone’s stint at Arkham Asylum came courtesy of her gruesome campaign as the serial killer known as The Hangman. Neither The Batman nor The Penguin has given us a first-hand look at Sofia’s pre- and mid-Arkham days just yet, but the trailers have already promised those flashbacks.
The Hangman alias, like Sofia herself, comes straight from the comics, specifically from within the Long Halloween continuity created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale, although she wouldn’t don the Hangman moniker until the sequel miniseries, Dark Victory.
Like in The Penguin, she was introduced in the original Long Halloween 13-issue miniseries as Carmine Falcone’s daughter. Here, she helped her father uncover the identity of a serial killer known as the Holiday Killer, who targeted Gotham citizens on holidays. That murderer happened to be Sofia’s brother, Alberto Falcone, whose iteration in The Penguin was killed by the Penguin, and who Sofia is now seeking vengeance for.
It’s unclear at the moment who Sofia killed as the Hangman in The Penguin, but her targets consisted of the Gotham City Police Department personnel in Dark Victory, wherein her motive was to avenge the death of her father.
However, given that The Penguin takes place just one week after the events of The Batman (a film in which Carmine was alive for most of the runtime), it’s likely that Sofia’s motives and perhaps even her targets were different from those of the comics. Exactly what those motives could be remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure; Oz Cobb has made one hell of an enemy.
The Penguin is currently streaming on Max, with new episodes arriving every Sunday until the series finale on Nov. 10.