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This article contains spoilers for The Penguin episode 1.
With Matt Reeves’ The Batman putting the ‘dark’ in the Dark Knight and scoring big at the box office in 2022, it’s no surprise that word quickly spread about a return to this grittier take on Gotham City for a sequel and multiple spinoffs. While plans for a GCPD series and Arkham Asylum standalone have been placed on hold, the Lauren LeFranc-developed The Penguin brings back Colin Farrell’s titular crime boss as he tries to rise through the ranks of this criminal underworld.
Oswald “Oz” Cobb (having dropped the “Cobblepot” from the comics) is the focus of this HBO miniseries, picking up in the aftermath of The Batman’s cataclysmic finale and giving us something to watch while we wait patiently for The Batman Part II. The season premiere “After Hours” has already introduced us to some major players from the comics, but has it also teased an underrated foe from Batman’s rogue’s gallery?
Alongside Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Falcone and Clancy Brown’s Sal Maroni adding some A-list talent to Reeves’ Batverse, Carmen Ejogo highlights the supporting cast as Eve. Although Eve appears only fleetingly in episode 1 to give Cobb an alibi for the murder of Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), her high-profile casting suggests there’s more to her character. The full credits of The Penguin confirm Ejogo’s character is called Eve Karlo, and for those up on their Batman mythos, it’s a surname you’ll recognize.
Basil Karlo was introduced in 1940’s Detective Comics #40 as the alter ego of the original Clayface. Karlo was a struggling actor who took on the mantle of a villainous character he portrayed in a horror movie. Batman co-creator Bob Kane was inspired by his love of movies, with Clayface honoring Lon Chaney Sr.’s Phantom of the Opera. Although the original Clayface didn’t have any powers and only appeared a handful of times in the Golden Age, he transformed (quite literally) into a shapeshifting villain in the Silver Age. Karlo was followed by the likes of Matthew Hagen and Preston Payne. Sondra Fuller took on the guise of Lady Clay in 1987’s Outsiders #21, so picture the scene where Ejogo is playing a gender-flipped Basil Karlo or his vengeful daughter.
The Penguin’s potential family ties haven’t gone unnoticed, with director Craig Zobel and Ejogo both teasing her importance. When The Hollywood Handle noted Eve’s surname, Zobel explained, “I really don’t know what’s inside of people’s heads, but I was thinking about Clayface as a bad guy the entire time.” Referring to Farrell’s heavy prosthetics, Zobel continued, “If you remember, the original Clayface was a makeup artist, and we were doing 3.5 hours of makeup every day.” He went on to admit, “I want to see the grounded Clayface who’s a makeup artist.”
Ejogo is also remaining typically tight-lipped but confirmed Eve will live to fight another day when she told the outlet, “I’m not sure where things will go for Eve, I mean she’s a smart cookie. She figures out how to survive this jaunt with Penguin, so who knows?” One thing’s for sure, and that’s that any take on Clayface would have to fit with Reeves’ Gotham, just like Paul Dano Riddler’s was reimagined as a Zodiac-inspired serial killer. Confirmation that The Batman Part II is taking place in winter has obviously fueled rumors that Mr. Freeze will be the big bad, but Clayface would be a curveball choice.
Clayface has appeared in live-action and animation before, popping up as Basil Karlo in Gotham (portrayed by Brian McManamon), again in Harley Quinn (voiced by Alan Tudyk), and as an original character in Pennyworth (played by Lorraine Burroughs). Despite Clayface’s popularity, the villain is yet to appear in any movies, with Hollywood tending to fall back on safer bets like the Joker and Catwoman. With Zobel wanting to see a tragic makeup artist turning to a life of crime, Clayface could easily fit into Reeves’ ever-expanding franchise.
Reeves has already discounted some of the more outlandish villains, suggesting to SFX Magazine (via Deadline) that someone like Gentleman Ghost wouldn’t fit this world. Similar to Christopher Nolan and Tom Hardy’s take on Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, Clayface could easily work in The Penguin or The Batman Part II with a little tinkering. Karlo’s Clayface has an interesting tie to Penguin thanks to The New 52 continuity. Here, a washed-up Karlo is given a formula by Cobblepot but ends up messing with his DNA and becomes an amorphous creature made of clay. If Ejogo’s Eve is destined to become Clayface, a tragic twist could be on the way before The Penguin’s final credits roll.
The first episode of The Penguin is available to stream on Max now. New episodes premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, beginning September 29 and concluding November 10.
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