The Penguin star appeared in Zack Snyder’s DC film over 10 years ago

While The Penguin is considered separate from Zack Snyder’s universe, a Man of Steel star has moved on to James Gunn’s DCU with a new role.

As we’ve seen in Marvel films, an actor playing one role doesn’t preclude him from portraying other characters as well.

Gemma Chan played two different people in Eternals and Captain Marvel, Michelle Yeoh appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Shang-Chi and Mahershala Ali will take on the Blade mantle after playing Cottonmouth in Luke Cage .

It’s no different at DC, and more than ten years after his appearance in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, an actor is taking on a new role in The Penguin.

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Michael Kelly played Steve Lombard, The Daily Planet’s sports columnist. In “The Penguin” he became the main protagonist and portrays Johnny Viti, an enforcer for the Falcone family.

While other characters from Man of Steel reprized their roles, such as Amy Adams’ Lois Lane and Laurence Fishburne’s Perry White, Kelly did not appear in any other films.

The DCEU, the cinematic universe that began with “Man of Steel” in 2013, is officially over. It ended with last year’s “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” ending a divisive era of superhero films.

Now Gunn and Peter Safran have a clearer vision for the future of the studio. After a soft start with Creature Commandos, the DCU begins with Superman, followed by Supergirl, The Authority and The Brave and the Bold.

So where does “Batman and the Penguin” fit in? They are considered Elseworlds projects – in other words, they are not part of the official DCU timeline. They stand on their own and therefore have no connection to Joker 2, nor are they influenced by any films or superhero TV shows outside of the story.

Check out our recaps of The Penguin Episode 1 and Episode 2 and find out when you can watch Episode 3. You can also read our theory on why Dr. Julian Rush could be a secret Batman villain and why Batman won’t appear in The Penguin, and what’s happening with The Batman 2.