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Sofia Falcone, later Falcone-Gigante, also known as the Hangman, isn’t one of Batman’s most famous villains. This is mainly because she only makes a prominent appearance in two different comics. But as it so happens, both of those comics remain among the best Batman comics ever published—Batman: The Long Halloween, and Batman: Dark Victory. Yet despite these few appearances, she appeared in the TV series Gotham, the animated Long Halloween adaptation, and now, on HBO’s The Penguin , played by the incredible Cristin Milioti. This relatively minor player has gone on to have a long shelf life outside comics.
Batman: The Long Halloween Introduced Sofia Falcone
Written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by the late Tim Sale, Batman: The Long Halloween was an epic 13-issue crime mystery series that came out back in 1997. It dealt with a serial killer who murders only on the corresponding holiday of every month. However, it was also a thematic bridge between the Godfather-like crime world of Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, and the carnival of freaks that populate most Batman stories taking place later in his career. The Long Halloween explains what ultimately became of Carmine Falcone’s crime family from Year One, before the clowns and assorted weirdos ruled Gotham City.
Jeph Loeb introduces Sofia Falcone into the story when her father Carmine pulls strings and gets his daughter out of prison early. Once free, her father gives her the job of discovering the identity of the mysterious Holiday Killer, and bringing him down. Yet she ultimately can’t track him down. Eventually, the Holiday Killer (apparently) murders Sofia’s brother, Alberto Falcone. Eventually, they reveal that Alberto faked his own death, and was himself the Holiday Killer. Alberto goes to Arkham Asylum, but in the chaos that follows, Two-Face kills Carmine Falcone, and Sofia finds herself paralyzed in a battle with Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman.
In Batman: Dark Victory, Sofia Falcone Becomes The Hangman
In the sequel Dark Victory, Sofia Falcone takes over her father’s criminal empire. But not long after, a second serial killer emerges in Gotham, one targeting police officers. Particularly, cops with connections to Harvey Dent/Two-Face. This serial killer would always leave a noose behind, and Hangman puzzles as clues. Because of that, the Gotham press quickly labeled this killer as The Hangman. Batman believes that Two-Face is the Hangman, but it wasn’t actually Dent. It was Sofia Falcone herself who was the Hangman, hiding her crimes behind her disability. She murders her brother Alberto, thinking of him as a weakling and not worthy of the Falcone name. Eventually, Two-Face kills Sofia just as he did her father, and the Falcone crime family empire crumbles.
Sofia Falcone in Gotham, and the Animated Long Halloween Film
Despite her limited comic book exposure, Sofia Falcone has crossed over into other media a few times. The TV series Gotham introduced Sofia in season 4, portrayed by actress Crystal Reed. In the series, Sofia is a crime boss who takes down the Penguin’s own criminal empire. She’s much more conventionally attractive than her comic book counterpart, and was James Gordon’s former lover. (But who wasn’t on that show?) Sofia also appears in the animated Long Halloween adaptation, voiced by Laila Berzins. However, it is her current role on The Penguin, where she’s played by Cristin Milioti, that we think is really going to elevate Sofia into A-list Gotham baddie status.
The Penguin Gives Us the Ultimate Version of Sofia Falcone
The Penguin has changed Sofia Falcone’s backstory significantly from the comics, as well as from Gotham. In the HBO series, she went to Arkham Asylum ten years prior, after she was accused of serial murders as the Hangman. However, in this version, the Hangman killed several women, not cops. Suffering horrific abuse in Arkham, Sofia finally gets out after her father’s death in The Batman. After this decade-long incarceration, she’s clearly a broken woman, shattered by her experiences. What does sustained trauma like that do to someone? In Batman’s world, it tends to make you one dangerous villain. We think Oz Cobb is about to discover just how dangerous.
More must-reads:
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TODAY'S BEST
Troubling news emerges on Bears QB Caleb Williams’ workout with HC Ben Johnson
It might have been a good thing the Chicago Bears didn’t play Caleb Williams on Sunday. The Bears might need to hide their second-year quarterback as he irons out his wrinkles in the pre-snap process and with accuracy issues. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft struggled with timing and accuracy during the Bears’ joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Friday. Caleb Williams was inaccurate in the red zone against no defenders On Sunday, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson chose not to play second-year quarterback Caleb Williams against the Dolphins in their first preseason game. Instead, Johnson led a workout with Williams and wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore before the game. Per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears ran a total of 87 plays during the workout. All of the plays were routes in the air with no defenders on the field for the scripted practice. Despite going against no defenders bringing pressure or guarding his receivers, Williams struggled to hit his targets in the red zone. "Williams would stand next to Johnson, who would give him the play," Biggs wrote. "Then, the quarterback simulated a huddle with the player (only one ran a route on each snap) and gave the play call. They’d break the huddle, go to the line of scrimmage, Williams would simulate pre-snap actions and then the play would be run… "Before ending the session with eight deep balls, there was a 25-play set of snaps in the red zone. One thing Williams struggled to connect on was out routes to Moore and Odunze near the goal line. Those throws were not close and Williams consistently led the receivers too much." A closed-door problem for the Chicago Bears The throws weren’t close during routes on air… in the red zone? Williams wasn’t ready to take the field for the preseason game. For all of the flak he’s been getting from practice reports, the quarterback would have been relentlessly mocked for having these issues shown during an NFL Network broadcast. Biggs’ report is troubling, with a month to go before the season. Williams has much to improve upon, and the Bears are very much trying to do so without cameras present for a reason.
Oregon suspends former five-star WR recruit indefinitely
Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons with the Ducks, and he is now in a terrible position heading into 2025 as well. Dickey has been suspended indefinitely by Oregon, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Tuesday. Lanning also suggested that Dickey may not play for the Ducks again. "We have two team rules; that’s respectful, be on time,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of The Oregonian. “There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now. "Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere; that might be here that might be somewhere else.” Dickey was a five-star recruit and rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country when he came out of Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California, in 2023. He suffered an injury in his senior year in high school and redshirted as a freshman at Oregon. Dickey has two catches for 14 years during his time with the Ducks. Oregon went 13-1 in Lanning's third season with the program last season. The Ducks lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
One Crucial Element Holding Up Terry McLaurin's Commanders Contract
We are nearly at the end of training camp, and Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin is still without his new deal. Given the Commanders know how valuable he is to Jayden Daniels and the offense, it does seem odd that the franchise, which hasn't had any significant bumps in the road since Dan Quinn took over, now has a big one, and one that can be avoided. With no movement on a contract, McLaurin pulled the trigger on a trade request weeks ago, but still no movement on a deal...and now we know why. Per ESPN's John Keim it isn't money that is holding up negotiations, it is something else entirely...and the Washington analytics department has a big say in it. “This likely remains the biggest sticking point because it frames the argument for Washington,” Keim wrote. “McLaurin will turn 30 on Sept. 15, which means he’d be 31 when an extension begins. The Commanders rely heavily on analytics, and the numbers aren’t kind to receivers at that age. According to ESPN Research, over the past five seasons only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game; six have averaged 60-plus.” So is Washington basing on whether or not to pay McLaurin is he age? It certainly seems like it. But there can be no denying that the Commanders' offense, without Terry, would be a shell of itself and would likely be missing a key ingredient that makes it a dangerous unit. Do we still think McLaurin and Washington will come to terms? Yes, but if age is a big sticking point, well, there's no changing that, and in truth, the franchise would have known this was coming down the pipeline, so if this was an issue, why not get out ahead of it and move on and get draft capital? Either way, this contract saga shows no signs of ending, but if there is a player who can buck the trend for aging receivers, it might just be Terry.
Celtics' ownership move should concern Lakers governor Jeanie Buss
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss is supposed to remain in charge of the team for years even after the sale. Given what just happened with the Boston Celtics, it might only be months. When the Grousbeck family sold the Celtics for $6.1B in March, ESPN reported that Wyc Grousbeck would stay on as the Celtics CEO and governor through the 2027-28 season. Now, new owner Bill Chisholm will take over once the sale is final. That should concern current Lakers team governor Jeanie Buss, whose family sold a majority interest in the Los Angeles Lakers to investor Mark Walter. Buss is supposed to stay on as team governor for "at least a number of years," according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, but new NBA owners haven't been keen on waiting to take control of teams recently. Mark Cuban thought he would continue running the Dallas Mavericks when he sold a controlling interest to the Adelson family in November 2023. Before the end of that season, when Dallas advanced to the NBA Finals, new team governor Patrick Dumont, the son-in-law of Miriam Adelson, was firmly in charge. General manager Nico Harrison reported directly to Dumont, which is how Luka Doncic ended up traded to the Lakers despite Cuban's objections. It might be different with the Lakers. Walter has owned a minority share in the Lakers since 2021, so he's had a working relationship with Buss. Her role as team governor may be a condition of the sale itself. With the team preparing for a long-term future with Doncic, Walter and his fellow owners might opt for continuity in the team governor role. But in general, people do not spend billions of dollars on a professional sports team so that someone else can be in charge. Buss is in charge of the Lakers now. Recent history says she won't be for long.
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