The premiere of HBO's new crime drama "The Penguin" had an extra treat for sharp-eyed viewers: an Easter egg in the form of an interactive QR code. Based on DC Comics' villainous character the Penguin, the show stars reprising his role of Oswald "Oz" Cobb which starred Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne. Oswald is, of course, the true identity of the Penguin, the latest villain trying to reign over the corrupt Gotham City.
“The Penguin,” which premiered on HBO and Max Sept. 19, begins where “The Batman” left off in 2022, with scheming Oswald ready to seize an opportunity created by the Riddler’s devastating attack on Gotham City. Oswald, once a lieutenant for the recently assassinated mob boss Carmine Falcone, is now ready to call the shots on his own.
But first he must face Carmine's son Alberto (Michael Zegen), the heir apparent to the family's criminal operation. A little more than 39 minutes into the action-packed premiere, Oswald and his new young sidekick Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) are aboard a train leaving Gotham City. Someone wearing a mask walks through the train, handing out flyers featuring a QR code.
“Scan the code. See Gotham’s true face," the masked man says. After pausing the episode, viewers at home who scanned the code themselves found that it really works.
The code leads to a website called gothamstrueface.com, which quickly redirects to rataalada.com, a website that popped up months before "The Batman" premiered in theaters in March 2022, reported at the time.
The site, at that time, shared riddles created by the devious Riddler, the primary antagonist of "The Batman," played by Paul Dano. Once users solved a series of riddles, images and clues related to the movie appeared on screen. What users saw this week on the site, however, was a cryptic message printing out right before their eyes.
The entertainment lovers at tweeted an image of the message in its entirety. The message, written in a vintage green computer font on a black background, read: Clicking on the phrase “the Falcone power grab” in the message leads users to another web page showing an unflattering news report in the Gotham Gazette about Alberto Falcone. The report details how Alberto Falcone is spending his time "gallivanting with his well-to-do friends" rather than preparing to become the new head of the Falcone family.
While Alberto Falcone’s fate becomes clear by the end of "The Penguin" premiere, the rest of the QR code's message is still a mystery. Still, viewers loved the idea of the show featuring a barely detectible interactive Easter egg, with many on X trying to figure out what the message meant. “Watching The Penguin show and the riddler QR code on screen worked? Love when shows incorporate extra media like this,” one.
"Hehe i scanned the code in the penguin episode tonight i freaking love that they do this!!!!!" another. Many noted the rataalada site's previous connection to the Riddler and the message's mention of Arkham State Hospital, where the Riddler was incarcerated at the end of “The Batman.” "They’re definitely plotting to break riddler out," one Meanwhile, another viewer believed that if the Riddler to escape Arkham, he'd likely bring another patient with him.
One of the final scenes of the 2022 film saw Dano's Riddler meeting a "The Riddler/Joker team up is coming," the person Gina Vivinetto is a writer for TODAY.com..
