The Big Carmine Falcone Twist In The Batman No One Saw Coming
The following article contains spoilers for "The Batman."
Batman (Robert Pattinson) has his hands full in the newest entry to the Dark Knight mythos. This time around, Riddler (Paul Dano) is a serial killer targeting Gotham's elite to bring to light their corruption. Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) seems like she may be an ally, but as tends to be the case throughout her history with the Bat, she causes her own fair share of headaches. And Penguin (Colin Farrell) rubs elbows with the most dangerous criminals in all of Gotham via his nightclub. Batman's arguably the busiest person in Gotham, and that's just the beginning of his problems.
However, people with fun nicknames are only part of the equation when it comes to cleaning up the streets of Batman's city. There are plenty of criminals who keep a lower profile, and that's where Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) enters the picture. He's a crime lord who's awfully chummy with Penguin and has a history of keeping the most powerful people in the city under his thumb. He's a menacing force that lurks in the shadows, and while he may not be as flashy, he's just as terrifying.
Given his proclivity for criminal activity, it makes one of the movie's primary twists all the more shocking.
All signs point to Carmine Falcone as the rat
In "The Batman," Riddler sets out to reveal a massive conspiracy where the most powerful elite in Gotham took funds from the Wayne Foundation, namely the Renewal project that dedicated $1 billion annually to help Gothamites, to line their own pockets. However, there's a rat in their midst, and Riddler wants this individual to come to light to pay for their actions. Batman and Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) attempt to find this rat, knowing he'll be the next Riddler victim.
They have several guesses initially with the only thing to go off of is the Spanish phrase, "rata alada," which roughly translates to "winged rat." At first, Batman assumes the rat must be Penguin since a penguin is a bird that, indeed, has wings. However, Penguin is none the wiser, so Batman's back to square one. He wonders if he's at the center of this conspiracy somehow since a bat could be seen as a rat with wings. But that's when he makes the realization that "Falcone" has "falcon" right there in the name.
Suffice to say, it's a development that likely took plenty of fans by surprise. In the comics, Falcone is a ruthless mob boss known as "The Roman" in honor of his ruthless demeanor. He keeps more to the shadows in "The Batman," and his turn as the rat is a significant departure from what we've seen out of him before. No doubt it took plenty of audience members by surprise, just one of the many shocking moments to be found in "The Batman."
It's not the only twist centered on Falcone
Carmine Falcone doesn't get a ton of screentime in "The Batman," but he makes excellent use of the scenes he does appear in. It goes along perfectly with his attitude. He can be a more effective crime lord if he keeps a low profile and stays out of the public eye as often as possible. However, it's clear he gets into ample trouble behind the scenes, as evidenced by he's not only the rat in the film; he's also Selina Kyle's father.
Granted, some fans were probably more likely to see this particular twist coming, seeing how there's precedent for it in the comic books. Their relationship is hinted at in "The Long Halloween" and its sequel, where Catwoman suspects that she's the daughter of Falcone. In the animated film based on the comic book arc, Selina sets out to destroy Carmine's empire in an act of revenge, not unlike what she sets out to do in the latest cinematic outing.
The dynamic is somewhat of a departure from what we see in the film. Catwoman has official confirmation that Carmine Falcone is her father, but he's completely unaware of her existence. He only learns the truth when she reveals herself to him and mentions Maria Kyle to his face. Selina Kyle may be okay with letting Falcone live in the comics, but she's out for blood in "The Batman," missing her chance for revenge when Batman enters the picture and gets her to stop before she does something she might regret.
This isn't the first time Carmine Falcone has appeared in a live-action film, but Matt Reeves and crew have created a terrifying mobster who's unlike any iteration in the past.