The Penguin Show Cast & DC Character Guide

Before Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II is released in 2026, HBO’s The Penguin began its season rollout on September 19, 2024, which is a spin-off series also set in The Batman universe. Taking place after the events of the first film starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, The Penguin follows Oz Cobb’s rise to power as he becomes a major gangster in Gotham City. Beyond Colin Farrell, who reprises his role as the titular criminal, the classic Batman villain is surrounded by a brand-new cast of characters.

In The Batman, Gotham’s biggest mob boss, Carmine Falcone, was murdered by The Riddler. As such, one of the movie’s final scenes is focused on the Penguin, Falcone’s right-hand man. Seeing opportunity in the newly created power vacuum, the HBO series centers around Penguin’s attempts to take advantage and become Gotham’s next kingpin of crime. To that end, a new collection of allies and rivals are featured who help and/or hinder his goals. Here’s a guide to The Penguin’s cast of characters.

Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb, AKA The Penguin

Date of Birth: May 31, 1976

Actor: Colin Farrell has been around since the mid 1990s, and really came into his own in the mid 2000s with films like Minority Report and Miami Vice. The Academy Award nominee is also known for his roles in True Detective, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Lobster, and most recently, The Banshees of Inisherin.

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Character: Reprising his role from The Batman, Colin Farrell puts on an impressive amount of makeup and prosthetics once more, transforming into the Penguin. Farrell’s Penguin has the potential to become a household name in Gotham, which would in turn change the very landscape of the city’s underworld. Likewise, the events of The Penguin will likely force Batman to change tactics in his ongoing crusade in The Batman – Part II.

Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone

Date of Birth: August 16, 1985

Actor: Best known for her role in How I Met Your Mother as Tracy, the mother the entire story has been revolving around. She has also had parts in The Sopranos, Fargo, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Her performance in the Groundhog Day-inspired romantic comedy, Palm Springs. She is a versatile actor that fits right in with the rest of The Penguin cast.

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Character: Cristin Milioti will be playing Sofia Falcone, daughter of the deceased Carmine Falcone. As Sofia Falcone, Milioti is a ruthless criminal in her own right, looking to inherit her father’s criminal empire. Sofia and Oswald will look to form an alliance, to not only go against the Maronis, but also the Falcone family as well.

Rhenzy Feliz as Victor Aguilar

Date of Birth: October 26, 1997

Actor: Rhenzy Feliz is a relatively new actor, having been in a few TV shows like Casual and Teen Wolf, before landing a role in Marvel’s Runaways as one of the main characters. He is also the voice of Camilo Madrigal in the Disney hit, Encanto. However, the actor has had a wide range of roles across the course of his career thus far, with his experience in different genres – including prior experience in a superhero release – helping set the stage for his appearance in DC’s gritty crime drama series.

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Character: Rhenzy Feliz plays Victor Aguilar, a small-time criminal that is almost killed by Oz Cobb after he tries to steal his car. Oz Cobb forces Victor Aguilar to work for him, and the two of them get down to business, trying to scheme their way to the top of Gotham’s underworld. It’s good to note that Victor Aguilar is an entirely original character created for The Penguin.

Michael Zegen as Alberto Falcone

Date of Birth: February 20, 1979

Actor: Michael Zegen has been around since the early 2000s, working on TV shows like Rescue Me. He is known for his work on series such as The Walking Dead where he played Randall, as well as his roles on Boardwalk Empire and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He is also featured in a variety of smaller films, like Frances Ha and Brooklyn.

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Character: Micheal Zegen plays Alberto Falcone in The Penguin, the son of Carmine Falcone and brother to Sofia Falcone. Following the death of his father, Alberto Falcone looks to step up as the new head of the Falcone crime family. In the overarching Batman mythos, Alberto is considered to be the linchpin that ceded control of Gotham to the “freaks”.

Clancy Brown as Salvatore Maroni

Date of Birth: January 5, 1959

Actor: Clancy Brown is an incredibly accomplished actor in both film and television. Brown is best known for his roles in The Shawshank Redemption, Starship Troopers, Highlander, and most recently, John Wick: Chapter 4 as the Harbinger. He’s also the voice behind several major roles in animation, such as Lex Luthor in Superman: The Animated Series, as well as Mr. Krabs in SpongeBob SquarePants.

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Character: Clancy Brown plays Salvatore Maroni, Carmine Falcone’s chief rival in the comics as well as in The Batman universe. Although he wasn’t seen in The Batman, Salvatore Maroni still played a major role. The originator behind Gotham’s drug epidemic with “drops”, Maroni’s criminal empire rivaled Falcone’s. With Carmine Falcone dead, Maroni looks to take control once more, even if he is behind bars.

Michael Kelly As Johnny Vitti

Date of Birth: May 22, 1969

Actor: Michael Kelly is a seasoned actor, working in a variety of movies and television over the years. He is known for Dawn of the Dead, The Sopranos, and Jack Ryan. He had a long-running stint on Netflix’s House of Cards as well. Kelly isn’t a stranger to DC either, playing Steve Lombard in Man of Steel.

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Character: Michael Kelly plays the role of Johnny Vitti, one of the higher-ups in the Falcone crime organization. He works closely with Luca Falcone, the brother of Carmine Falcone and the uncle of Alberto Falcone and Sofia Falcone. Like many other characters in the show, Johnny Vitti has his own sets of secrets that Oz Cobb will look to exploit.

Deirdre O’Connell as Francis Cobb

Date of Birth: 1953 or 1954

Actor: Deirdre O’Connell has been working in the television and movie industry since the mid 1980s. She is best known for her appearances in Law & Order and Outer Range, as well as roles in films like Secondhand Lions and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The Penguin isn’t her first role in a comic book project either, playing Anna Nelson in a handful of episodes of Netflix’s Daredevil.

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Character: Deirdre O’Connell plays Oz Cobbs’ mom, Francis Cobb in The Penguin. Oz Cobb visits her regularly as she is showing signs of progressing dementia. Because of this, Oz feels pressure to quickly overtake Gotham’s underworld and finally make a name for himself and his mother.

Theo Rossi as Dr. Julian Rush

Date of Birth: June 4, 1975

Actor: Theo Rossi has a significant history as a television actor, most notably with his role in the long-running series, Sons of Anarchy. He was in the Matt Reeves-directed film, Cloverfield, already having the connection to Reeves as he joins his Batman universe. He is also in Army of the Dead and was a returning character in Netflix’s Luke Cage.

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Character: Theo Rossi plays Dr. Julian Rush in The Penguin. He seems to be some sort of therapist for Sofia Falcone, helping her fight off a handful of panic attacks and keeping her level throughout. Aside from Oz Cobb, Sofia Falcone is the most significant character in The Penguin, meaning Rossi’s Dr. Julian Rush should have an important role to play in her narrative.

The Penguin’s Supporting Cast And Characters

Shohreh Aghdashloo – Shohreh Aghdashloo plays Nadia Maroni in The Penguin. She is the wife of Salvatore Maroni and helps run the Maroni crime family while Salvatore is locked up. Aghdashloo is best known for his roles in The Expanse and House of Sand and Fog.

Carmen Ejogo – Carmen Ejogo plays Eve Karlo, an escort that has a close connection to Oz Cobb. When needed, Eve Karlo also provides a good alibi for Cobb if he finds himself in trouble. Ejogo is best known for her roles in Selma, The Purge: Anarchy, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

James Madio – James Madio is Milos Grapa in The Penguin. Grapa is one of the higher-ups in the Falcone crime family. James Madio most notably appeared in Band Of Brothers, Law & Order, and Hook, though he also had an extensive role in USA High.

Scott Cohen – Scott Cohen plays Luca Falcone, brother of Carmine Falcone and uncle to Sofia and Alberto Falcone. He appeared in 10 episodes of Law & Order: Trial By Jury, and is likely best known for this alongside his appearances in Gilmore Girls and NYPD Blue. Following this, Cohen has also had more recent roles in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Power Book II: Ghost, and The Resident.

David H. Holmes – David Holmes plays Nick Fuchs, an enforcer for the Falcones who works at the Drops plant. He has most notably appeared in Mr. Robot, Mindhunter, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Craig Walker – Craig Walker plays Detective Marcus Wise, a corrupt cop addicted to Drops that is hired by Sofia Falcone to find out who the rat is within the Falcone syndicate. Walker appeared in the first episode of Netflix’s Iron Fist. Alongside this, the actor has also appeared in Orange Is The New Black, Hightown, and FBI: Most Wanted.

Mark Strong – Mark Strong plays Carmine Falcone in The Penguin after John Turturro was unable to reprise his role due to scheduling conflicts. Mark Strong has a history with comic book movies, having been the primary antagonist in Shazam!, as well as Kick-Ass, while also having a notable appearance in the Kingsman series.

Berto Colon – Berto Colon plays Castillo and works for the Falcones alongside characters like Oz Cobb and Johnny Vitti in The Penguin. Berto Colon is best known for his roles in Orange is the New Black, and Power Book II: Ghost.

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