MOVIE NEWS – It’s not the first time Magpie, the infamous Batman villain, appears on screen. How is the version seen in The Penguin different, and what kind of future could the character have?
The Penguin introduced another Batman villain in Matt Reeves’ Gotham City. Magpie, or Magpie, is a minor name among Batman’s villains. She’s certainly not one of his famous villains like the Scarecrow or Two-Fac, nor the “Sirens of Gotham City”, among the three female antagonists of the Batman universe, who are, of course, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Yet the character, played by Marié Botha in The Penguin, is a perfect fit for the epic crime saga, continuing the trend of appearing in Batman adaptations that don’t feature the protagonist.
Who is Magpie, and where have we seen her before?
As mentioned, Magpie is a lesser-known Batman villain. Originally named Margaret Pye, she is a skilled jewel thief who steals jewels named after birds and leaves traps behind. Her first appearance was in “The Man of Steel” #3 in 1986, where she was defeated by Superman and Batman together.
The character of Magpie has since appeared in several adaptations. We first saw her in the short-lived Beware the Batman animated series, where her character was interestingly supplemented with some of Catwoman’s characteristics. She also appeared in live-action productions. She played Sarah Schenkkan in a single episode of the Fox series Gotham. The most we could see her was in the Batwoman series. Played by Rachel Matthews, her character is presented in a slightly more nuanced way.
Marié Botha plays Magpie in The Penguin. This is her third appearance – and the third time she has appeared in a non-Batman-lead TV series. This says a lot about the character’s status. She is also part of the rogues gallery, but not a large enough number to merit a film appearance.
Why was she a good choice for The Penguin?
While Magpie may not be one of the great Batman villains, she’s a perfect fit for The Penguin. It allows the writers of the series to draw from the world of DC Comics, giving the world’s inhabitants a recognizable name while not drawing from the top tier of arch-villains. The Penguin expands the criminal layer of Batman’s universe. This is not a world of supervillains but mobsters, drug dealers, and thieves.
This makes Magpie a perfect fit for this world, helping to add to the story of Gotham City while not breaking the solid sense of reality that the series has established.
Magpie is also a “supervillain” but a down-to-earth one. She’s basically just a thief with a costume gimmick that makes it easier to fit into the down-to-earth aesthetic that Matt Reeves has set for Gotham. Ironically, as a low-level jewel thief, she fits into this Gotham better than fantastical villains like Poison Ivy, let alone more kitschy villains like Two-Face.
While it’s unlikely that Magpie will appear in The Batman – Part II or have a role beyond The Penguin, her inclusion is a nice nod to the rich world of DC Comics. It is also an exciting look into the future. Magpie shows that Gotham’s underworld still has plenty of exciting names who could appear in such a more down-to-earth interpretation.
Source: Polygon
