It's recently been confirmed that HBO's The Penguin has cast a significant villain who will debut in The Batman universe, one who could continue to tip the balance of power in Gotham City forever. Following the death of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) in Matt Reeves' The Batman starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, the upcoming spin-off series starring Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot will likely feature a massive power vacuum in Gotham's underworld. However, the emergence of Falcone's son does not bode well for the future of the Falcone Crime Family or Gotham City in general.
It's recently been confirmed that actor Michael Zegen has been cast in The Penguin as Alberto Falcone, son of Carmine and brother to Sofia Falcone played by Cristin Milioti. While the Falcone children will likely attempt to maintain their father's legacy following his demise as seen in The Batman, Alberto's potential to become a major villain could jeopardize all of organized crime in Gotham, just as he does in the original comics with Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory. Although Penguin will likely be attempting to carve out his own territory and claim power for himself, he may have to contend with Alberto as the Holiday Killer.
Alberto Falcone Is A Major Batman Comics Character (The Holiday Killer)
In The Long Halloween, Alberto returns to Gotham after studying at Harvard and Oxford. However, Alberto always wanted to work for Carmine who in turn wanted his son kept out of the family business. Alberto took this personally as an offense which led to his dark transformation as Holiday, an anonymous serial killer who only killed on holidays and targeted members of the Falcone Crime Family. He even orchestrated a massive gang war between the Falcones and the Maronis and killed Salvatore Maroni himself.
Eventually, Carmine was forced to rely on the "freaks" that had been popping up in Gotham, those who would eventually become known as Batman's rogues gallery. Believing himself to be one of the "freaks" and having evaded Batman for almost a full year, Alberto helped ensure that organized crime in Gotham never reclaimed the power it once had before he was ultimately incarcerated in Arkham Asylum and later killed by Sofia in Dark Victory. As such, Alberto debuting alongside the rest of his family in The Penguin could come with a similar story being adapted from The Long Halloween.
Holiday Continues The Batman Universe's Long Halloween Inspirations
The Batman itself carries some major ties to The Long Halloween, providing a look at the Dark Knight early on in his career just like in the iconic comic storyline. Likewise, Carmine Falcone plays a major role in both, having become the most powerful person in Gotham who had long had a strong grip and control over all crime in the city. He even manipulated the arrest of Salvatore Maroni in The Batman, his longtime rival in order to claim his operations and territory.
Not only is it highly hinted that Carmine had Bruce Wayne's parents killed, but his history with Thomas Wayne from The Long Halloween is also canon to the Matt Reeves' Batman universe along with Falcone being the biological father of Catwoman. Given all these connections that are present already in The Batman, it wouldn't be surprising if Alberto is indeed revealed to be the Holiday Killer in The Penguin, even if the killings are happening after Carmine's death as seen in The Batman.
The Holiday Killer Can Be Gotham's Major Tipping Point
Alberto's actions as Holiday made him the tipping point for Gotham City. Thanks to Carmine's son, the age of the supervillain truly began in Gotham after the gangs had been massively diminished through Alberto's murders as well as Batman's own operations. However, this could be good news for Penguin as well as the rest of The Batman trilogy, bringing about the evolution of Gotham alongside the Dark Knight with new rogues demanding changes to his crusade and tactics.
One of Oswald's biggest skills has always been his ability to adapt and take advantage of any given situation. As such, Penguin eventually forms his own criminal empire from the Iceberg Lounge, though he's also flexible and tolerant enough to handle Gotham's "freaks". Penguin essentially exists as a happy medium between the old and new classes of criminals in Gotham, and he was certainly helped by the Holiday killings which freed up lots of room for personal growth and advancement during the power vacuum. Here's hoping The Penguin show does the same for Oswald in Matt Reeves' The Batman universe.
