'The Penguin' Episode 4 introduces a DC villain we never expected
Contains spoilers for 'The Penguin' Episode 4
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Diving deep into Gotham City's underworld, HBO's 'The Penguin' has been making quite a splash among the DC fans. At the center of the gripping tale about power, rivalry, crime and betrayal are Colin Farrell as Oz aka The Penguin and Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone.
The show continues to make waves, rolling out one epic episode after another, and this week’s release has raised the bar yet again by bringing in a surprising supervillain from DC Universe. The episode primarily gives us a flashback of how Sofia landed in Arkham Asylum and the events that transpired during her decade-long stay. During this throwback into the past, we get to see a supervillain who has previously been adapted for screen quite a few times.
All you need to know about new DC villain in 'The Penguin' Episode 4
In 'The Penguin' Episode 4, we meet Magpie (played by Marie Botha), a patient at Arkham. This DC villain was created by John Byrne, and first appeared in November 1986's issue 'The Man of Steel #3'.
In the comics, she is a jewel thief who is defeated by Superman and Batman together. When she is released on an insanity plea during the events of 'Legends', she goes on another rampage, before she is again stopped by Batman along with Jason Todd. Later, she is revealed to be sharing a cell with Poison Ivy at Arkham.
In 'The Penguin', we see her in a cell next to Sofia's when she is thrown into isolation. Magpie is seen taking the drops in the mess hall. When Sofia is denied a trial after six months, she is sent back to the asylum, where Magpie is waiting for her, telling her that they'll now be able to celebrate birthdays and holidays together.
Magpie's introduction redefines Sofia Falcone's character in 'The Penguin'
Here's another big spoiler for you - Magpie dies in 'The Penguin' Episode 4. Her appearance was brief but important to give a notable shift to the character of Sofia. This episode revealed that Sofia isn't the Hangman but her father Carmine was! When she learned about his criminal history, he framed her to ensure that his truth never came out.
Sofia held onto her innocence for a long time inside the asylum. Even when she had the chance to kill an inmate who had previously attacked her in the hall, she held back, knowing it would reflect poorly on her. Unfortunately, that inmate ended up taking her own life using a fork, but Sofia still faced the consequences.
However, when her trial was rejected, Sofia lost all hope. Believing that Magpie was spying on her, she launched a brutal attack on Magpie and killed her in front of everyone. This was a major turning point for her character when she unleashed her killer instincts for the first time. Nothing was ever the same for her from here on!
This isn't the first time Magpie has received an on-screen portrayal. This character was previously played by Sarah Schenkkan in the final season of 'Gotham', and later by Rachel Matthews in the first season of the Arrowverse series 'Batwoman'.
Although Magpie won't be returning for further episodes, we hope that 'The Penguin' keeps entertaining us with such surprising appearances and nods to comics.
Four episodes of 'The Penguin' are available to stream on Max