The Penguin: Is Sofia Falcone the Hangman in the Comics?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Penguin Episode 1, “After Hours.”

Sofia Falcone is fresh out of Arkham Asylum in The Penguin‘s debut episode, following her pre-show killing spree as the villainous Hangman. But is Sofia also the Hangman in The Penguin‘s DC Comics source material?

Sofia Falcone’s Hangman Identity, Explained

We first learn about Sofia Falcone’s “Hangman” serial killer alias midway through The Penguin Episode 1, “After Hours.” She mentions it while having drinks with Oz Cobb, noting that the press gave her the name while she was a patient at Arkham. “What’d the [Gotham] Gazette call me?” Sofia asks Oz. “The Hangman? The guards insisted that I read every article, that I see all the stories.” We don’t find out any specifics about Sofia’s alleged crimes – although presumably, her weapon of choice was a noose – in the scene; the best we get is Sofia acknowledging her reputation as “a psycho killer.” So, you’ll have to tune in for The Penguin‘s seven remaining installments to get the full story on the Hangman!

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Alternatively, you could read the Batman: Dark Victory comic book collection. Dark Victory presents a version of Sofia’s exploits as the Hangman – albeit one decidedly different from The Penguin‘s, since the show is inspired by (rather than based on) the comics. There, Sofia spends an entire year early in Batman’s crime-fighting career bumping off members of the Gotham City Police Department. Her motivation? Revenge. Each of her victims directly or indirectly furthered the career of former district attorney Harvey Dent – who murdered her father, Carmine, after his transformation into Two-Face. Again, much of this material doesn’t jibe with the continuity established by The Penguin‘s big screen progenitor, The Batman, so don’t expect to see it reflected in the show.

Is Alberto Falcone a Serial Killer in the Comics Too?

He sure is. In fact, Alberto gets in on the multiple murders game before Sofia, as depicted in Dark Victory‘s predecessor, Batman: The Long Halloween. Like his sis, he devotes a 12-month period to themed killings, striking on holidays. This earning him an equally literal moniker, “Holiday.” However, unlike Sofia, Alberto’s targets are gangsters; he’s out to prove himself a bigger deal than Carmine and Gotham’s other old-school, pre-supervillain crooks.

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None of the above seemingly applies to The Penguin‘s incarnation of Alberto, though. There’s no mention of him committing any of Holiday’s murders in Episode 1, so it’s probably not part of his backstory. What’s more, Oz guns down Alberto fairly early in the piece, ruling out any future killings. So, it looks like Sofia Falcone/The Hangman is her family’s sole serial killer in this universe!

The Penguin is currently streaming on HBO and Max, with new episodes dropping Sundays.