Oz Cobb might have an ally in this ‘The Penguin’ antagonist
Batman has a long list of enemies, ranging from evil cult leaders, psychopathic mass killers, and a plethora of crime bosses, all hell-bent on putting an end to the caped crusader’s vigilante act.
Some of these villains are going to get ample screen time in Lauren LeFranc’s show The Penguin, which takes place after the events of The Batman. One of these anti-heroes is Salvatore Maroni, a character you might remember from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. While the character was played by Eric Roberts in the 2008 classic, Clancy Brown has been entrusted with the role in LeFranc’s series.
Spoilers for The Penguin and Batman comics follow!
In the show, Maroni will be depicted as a former mob boss and rival to Gotham’s biggest crime lynchpin, Carmine Falcone. Maroni is jailed as a result of a grand conspiracy by Falcone to eliminate competition in the city, effectively neutralizing his biggest opponent without the use of force. Shown to be old, weak, and feeble in the show, Maroni once used to rule the Gotham underworld. Now behind bars, Maroni repeatedly evaded strict punishment for his crimes thanks to his cunning lawyers.
Maroni’s connection with the show’s lead antagonist, Oz Cobb, started from his frequent visits to Cobb’s nightclub, Iceberg Lounge, which practically became his second home. Cobb was on Falcone’s crew at the time, and despite being rivals, Maroni and Cobb had mutual respect for one another.
Maroni’s prime clashed with Thomas Wayne’s ambitions of running for Gotham Mayor. Determined to get Wayne on his side, Maroni bribed an investigative journalist to run a story on Martha Wayne’s mental health struggles and her stints in Arkham State Hospital and Gotham Asylum. In turn, Wayne approaches Maroni for help, who gets the reporter murdered.
The crime boss’ descent begins from the point of Thomas and Martha Wayne’s deaths, as corrupt politicians and criminals start misusing the Gotham Renewal Fund. Maroni wanting a bigger cut from the fund leads to a sting operation against him, which leads to his and his family’s arrest as ordered by the Mayor. It is later revealed that the sting operation was facilitated by Falcone and a small group of other crime bosses to eliminate the Maroni crime syndicate from the picture.
While it’s not confirmed, Maroni is credited with throwing acid on Harvey Dent and turning him into Two-Face. It remains to be seen how the creators of The Penguin deal with the now frail character, though it’s likely he’ll become Oz Cobb’s ally in his struggle against the Falcones.
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