The Penguin’s QR Code Explained & What The Secret Riddler Message Means

Among the subtle DC comics references in HBO’s The Penguin, there’s an interactive secret that leads to a huge revelation concerning The Riddler. The spin-off is the first DC TV show to be released under the DC Studios banner – though not as a part of James Gunn’s main DCU timeline, dealing with the fall-out of The Batman‘s ending. And it seems there are some significant loose ends beyond Oz Cobb’s story.

The Penguin‘s Easter eggs include a QR code confirming that while Batman caught The Riddler, he never won. Gotham’s destruction is a very tangible indication of that, but on top of that, it seems The Riddler’s army is still active in Gotham.

Where The Penguin’s QR Code Is

The QR code and its secret message can be seen where Oz and Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) get on Gotham’s metro train system, roughly 40 minutes into The Penguin episode 1. They’re approached by a young man wearing a black mask, who is handing out flyers emblazoned with a QR code. The flyer also copies one of Paul Dano’s Riddler quotes in The Batman: “the true face of Gotham”, which the villain used as a mantra for the city’s corruption.

“You’ve seen Gotham’s true face now. Together, we’ve unmasked it. Its corruption, its perversion masquerading under the guise of renewal”. –
The Riddler, The Batman (2022)

What The Penguin’s QR Code Leads To

When you follow the link from the QR code, you’re taken to the Rataladaa website that The Batman‘s release in 2022 used for marketing to build The Riddler’s mythology ahead of release. A new message posted to the site references the start of a “revolution”, prompting remaining followers to meet at the metro outside Crown Point.

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 9 p.m. Meet at the metro outside Crown Point.”

Clockbreak3r: “Done and done. The revolution is just getting started.”

Crown Point was one of the areas of Gotham City most affected by The Riddler’s attack at the end of The Batman, and is where both Oz Cobb and Victor are from.

What The Secret Message In The Penguin Means

Most importantly, just as the masked figure’s presence and message about the “true face of Gotham” confirm, the secret message confirms that The Riddler’s imprisonment in Arkham at the end of The Batman didn’t end his influence. While it’s somewhat illogical that Riddler’s followers would still follow his philosophy after his plan targeted them and the people they were supposedly saving, it’s clear the message here is about the persistence of extremism.

This of course leads to speculation that The Riddler could yet return in Matt Reeves’ Batman trilogy, and that his followers still present a problem for Robert Pattinson’s Batman. Interestingly, of course, this could also explain why Batman is missing from The Penguin entirely. He still has active fallout from the events of 2022 to sweep up. It sounds very much like The Riddler is indirectly building an army again.