While the exact timeline of The Penguin remains shrouded in mystery, it’s safe to assume that it takes place and is set within the broader Batman universe. Given the character’s prominence in Gotham City, it’s likely that the series will delve into a period post-Batman’s emergence as a vigilante. This raises intriguing questions about the nature of their relationship and the power dynamics within Gotham City during the timeline.
Is The Penguin a contemporary of Batman or perhaps a successor to the city’s criminal underworld? Let’s find out!
When do The Penguin and The Batman take place?
The events of The Batman occur in 2022, and The Penguin is its immediate sequel. Episode 1, set a week after The Batman’s November 5-6 conclusion, follows the power vacuum in Gotham City after Carmine Falcone’s death. The timeline is confirmed by Alberto Falcone’s November 13, 2022, death date inscribed on his tomb. This aligns with The Penguin’s timeframe, suggesting the series will explore the rise of Penguin in Gotham’s newly destabilized criminal world.
The chronological sequence of events in the Batman universe is further clarified by the confirmed timeframe between The Batman and The Penguin. The Batman series is set in 2022, specifically on Halloween, October 31st. The events of The Penguin unfold a week after the climactic flood caused by the Riddler, aligning with the timeline presented in the film.
The murder of Alberto Falcone, which takes place on November 13th, follows logically from these events. This precise timeframe solidifies the connection between the two series and provides a clearer understanding that is set within the Batman universe.
Batman’s initial filming in 2019 suggested a contemporary Gotham setting. However, pandemic-related delays pushed its release to 2022. During an interaction with Screen Rant, director Craig Zobel said, “I can’t really speak for Matt a hundred percent, but my impression was that Matt sort of had decided the timeline before even Lauren [LeFranc] had started crafting the story and that it was certainly supposed to be 2022. It just maybe hadn’t gotten mentioned directly in the movie, but I think the gift of that movie is that it’s just a very specific world and look.”
New episodes of The Penguin are released every Sunday evening on Max.
