Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Penguin episode 1The Penguin introduces Sofia Falcone to Matt Reeves’ version of Gotham City in the DC Universe. Played by Cristin Milioti, Sofia Falcone is the daughter of the major Gotham crime boss Carmine Falcone who died in The Batman. Now, Max’s new Penguin series starring Colin Farrell in the titular role is debuting Sofia as she returns to Gotham, having spent time in Arkham State Hospital thanks to a very dark past.
As revealed in The Penguin episode 1, Sofia Falcone’s return to Gotham and the Falcone Crime Family catches Oswald “Oz” Cobb completely by surprise. Having been given the nickname “The Hangman” by the Gotham Gazzette, it seems Sofia was previously a psychotic serial killer who was turned in by Oz himself, prompting Carmine Falcone to send his daughter to Arkham years prior. While this does mirror elements of Sofia’s arc in the original DC Comics, here’s everything we know about Sofia Falcone in The Penguin, and what she did in her past.
Sofia Falcone’s Hangman Crimes In DC Comics Explained
Targeting Members of the GCPD
In the original DC Comics, Sofia Falcone was first introduced in The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, the daughter of Carmine Falcone. In The Long Haloween, Sofia is one of the few who survived the mass murder spree that killed many of her family members, one that was committed by her brother Alberto who’d become known as the Holiday Killer. In the follow-up story entitled Dark Victory, Sofia herself becomes a serial killer known as “The Hangman”.
As “The Hangman”, DC Comics’ Sofia targeted several officers from the GCPD, many of whom had connections with former District Attorney Harvey Dent aka Two-Face (who killed her father). Hanging her victims and making it look as though Two-Face was the killer, Sofia left clues using case files in the style of the game Hangman. She also avoided suspicion for quite some time, as she had let many believe she was still crippled from her fall during The Long Halloween. However, Sofia ultimately lost her own life at the hands of Two-Face (just like Carmine).
Sofia Falcone Comics Changes In The Penguin Explained
Strangling and Hanging Seven Women
Sofia’s origins have certainly been changed for this new version of Gotham. As seen in The Penguin episode 1, Sofia confirms that she’s already known as “The Hangman”, having strangled and killed seven different women rather than cops as was seen in the original comics. However, Sofia also claims to Oz that she’s since been rehabilitated at Arkham and was allowed to go free.
Thanks to promotional materials for The Penguin such as newspapers from the Gotham Gazzette, it’s been revealed that Sofia was arrested and institutionalized 10 years before The Batman and this new series. As such, it’s going to be darkly fascinating to see what she might do next, especially considering Oz was the one who told Carmine what she’d been up to. That said, the other big change to this version of Sofia is that her brother Alberto is dead, having been secretly killed by Oz himself who pinned the blame on the Maronis by the end of this first episode.
How Sofia Falcone Fits Into The Penguin’s Story
Sofia Seemingly Wants Her Father’s Throne
It seems as though Sofia had plans to run the Falcone Crime Family alongside her brother. Together, they were going to introduce a brand-new drug operation in Gotham that would have completely overtaken the drops epidemic that had long been plaguing the city. Now, she may try to run things herself now that Alberto is gone, though Penguin pretending to be in on the operation will likely turn them into uneasy allies.
DC’s new version of Sofia Falcone could just as easily become a key rival to Penguin going forward. However, the idea of the two of them working together makes sense so long as she never finds out about what Oz did to her brother. Either way, Sofia Falcone has been uniquely positioned to become a major contender for Gotham’s throne beyond The Penguin himself, something that will ultimately make her an enemy in Oz’s eyes.
New episodes of The Penguin will begin streaming Sunday nights on Max.
