The Penguin has a secret QR code that unlocks cryptic Easter egg

If you pause The Penguin at the right second, there’s a real QR code you can scan – and it’ll reveal an Easter egg that connects to the Riddler.

The Penguin Episode 1 had more than a few Easter eggs. For example, outside Oz Cobb’s apartment, there’s a sign of a mustached man sporting a monocle, a nod to Burgess Meredith’s version of the villain in the ’60s.

It also name-drops Batman villains like Rex Calabrese and the Hangman, and notably, as Oz looks through Alberto Falcone’s phone, a meeting with the Gotham Knights is marked on his calendar.

But all of these are easily caught. If you were watching the premiere live or didn’t think to pause it, you’ll have missed another big Easter egg via a QR code you can actually scan.

At around 39:30, Oz and Victor Aguilar are taking a train out of Gotham. A masked individual walks past them, handing out flyers with a QR code and telling passengers, “Scan the code, see Gotham’s true face.”

HBO

If you scan that code, you’ll be taken to gothamstrueface.com, which redirects to rataalada.com, a website that was also active during The Batman’s release in 2022.

You’ll see a conversation between four of the Riddler’s followers, which reads:

Cl0ckbreak3r: What’s been put in motion can’t be stopped.
xxREIGNITINxx: Arkham’s releasing patients and Blackgate is a mess… no one’s really a prisoner in there. Not even our old pal Sal Maroni.
HOLDTHELINE81: People say they want the truth but they shield their eyes when we shine the light. DETERMINATOR: Let’s make sure they’re not blinded again to the corruption, the killings, the Falcone power grab…
HOLDTHELINE81: We start in the streets. Tonight at 9pm. Meet at the metro outside Crown Point.
Cl0ckbreak3r: Done and done. The revolution is just getting started.

The link on “Falcone power grab” will take you to a report in the Gotham Gazette about Alberto Falcone, Carmine’s son, “gallivanting” and partying across the city.

It’s unclear exactly what it means right now, but seems like unrest is brewing on the streets of Gotham in the wake of the Riddler’s attack. Considering The Penguin will set up the events of The Batman 2, it could be a tease for the sequel.

In the meantime, keep up to date with The Penguin’s release schedule, and check out our rankings of the best superhero TV shows and best superhero movies.