DC Comics’ New Offices Are An Accidental Batman Villain Reference

The name of DC Comics’ new offices unintentionally references a major Batman supervillain. After it was reported that the publisher will be moving locations from The Pointe in Burbank, California to a building in Los Angeles designed by famous architect Frank Gehry dubbed “the Iceberg,” many fans drew a connection to the Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge.

When DC Comics moved from New York to California in 2011 and rebranded as “DC Entertainment,” it felt like a new era for the comic book publisher. As the move coincided with the launch of The New 52, DC Comics has come a long way since then. According to The Beat, DC will soon move out of Burbank and into the city of Los Angeles. The new building designed by Gehry has been finished, and is speculated to be the new home of DC employees in June at the soonest. The project which began in 2020 was set to house multiple Warner Bros. divisions, but it is only recently that it was revealed also to be the new home of DC Comics.

The building has been called “the Iceberg” for its height and appearance, which is ironic considering one of DC’s most famous villains, the Penguin, is the owner of the Iceberg Lounge in another city, Gotham. In the DC Universe, Oswald Cobblepot AKA the Penguin is a gangster and club owner of the Iceberg Lounge. The arctic-themed nightclub imposes his presence in the city that he has been known to terrorize. In some depictions, supervillains casually attend the Lounge, including the Joker. It has become a common setting for Batman stories, as emphasized by the recently released film, Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

Although it generally keeps up appearances as a legitimate nightlife spot in Gotham City, Batman is aware that the Iceberg Lounge is a safe haven for many criminals. It’s strange that at the fictional setting’s height of notoriety, DC Comics is moving into a space with a related name. Architect Frank Gehry’s design also happens to resemble The Pointe, where DC has been located for over a decade. Both locations stand out from regular office buildings, and look like properties that either Lex Luthor or Bruce Wayne might own.

It would be a missed opportunity for the Iceberg’s commissary to not adopt the name “the Iceberg Lounge.” With the recent inclusion of the Penguin’s nightclub in The Batman, it seems like a no-brainer. DC Comics will likely move into the Iceberg later this year.

Source: The Beat

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