Carmine Falcone is a key antagonist in The Batman, both in the film directed by Matt Reeves and the comics on which the film is based. A mob leader and supervillain, his murder kicks off the events depicted in HBO‘s gritty drama The Penguin—and sets up a power struggle between the families of Gotham’s underworld, just ripe for Oswald Cobb (not Cobblepot as he’s known in the comics because that would be far too whimsical) to take advantage of.
Episode 1 of the limited series is set a week after Carmine’s death. Oz (Colin Farrell, yes, it’s him) eyes young Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) as a potential recruit; and Sofia (Cristin Milioti) and Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen) work to unite their family and find new, ahem, revenue streams after their father’s death.
Who killed Carmine Falcone?
In the closing scenes of The Batman, Carmine Falcone is arrested and escorted by Batman and Commissioner Gordon. Oz confronts Carmine, accusing him of being a rat and threatening him, saying, “Enjoy your night at Blackgate Carmine, it’ll probably be your last.” (Unlike Arkham Asylum, Blackgate is where non-insane criminals such as Catman, David Cain, Monsoon, Ernie Chubb, KGBeast, and various henchmen, mobsters, and mafia bosses are incarcerated.)
“To me, Oz, you were always just a gimp in an empty suit,” provokes Carmine, and Oz whips out a gun from his jacket pocket. Shots are fired, but not from Oz’s gun. Falcone is, instead, shot by the Riddler with a sniper rifle and he dies in Batman’s hands.
It’s a slightly different scenario portrayed in The Penguin because, in the opening montage of news reports, Carmine lies dead outside The Iceberg Lounge—a posh nightclub and Oz’s base of operations—with a sheet draped over his body. Carmine is also played by a different actor in flashbacks.
Why isn’t John Turturro in The Penguin?
John Turturro played Carmine in The Batman but was unavailable to return for The Penguin so he was recast with Mark Strong. “Practically, John was just unavailable to us. He had scheduling conflicts, and we couldn’t make it work, but honestly, I’m so thrilled that we brought Mark Strong on,” showrunner Lauren LeFranc told IGN.
“I think he’s really good. Even though, maybe in the beginning when you first meet him, you might think, ‘Oh. Well, for fans of The Batman, I’m so used to John Turturro,’ and obviously, John’s a great actor, but I feel like the gravitas that Mark brings, it’s different. It’s very specific, and I hope, by the end of that episode, you’re just thinking, ‘That’s Carmine Falcone,’ and you’re engaged in what Mark brings to it.”
The Penguin premieres on MAX on Thursday, September 19, and then will air episodically on Sundays from September 29.