History Characters / BatmanThePenguin

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[[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter Batman]]\\

[[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]] | Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) | [[Characters/BatmanClayface Clayface]] | Characters/HarleyQuinn ([[Characters/HarleyQuinnTheCharacter Harleen Quinzel]]) | [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] | [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] | [[Characters/BatmanLeagueOfAssassins League of Assassins]] ([[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]] | [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al Ghul]]) | [[Characters/BatmanMrFreeze Mr. Freeze]] | '''The Penguin''' | [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]] | [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]] | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1 A-H]] | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 J-R]] | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart3 S-Z]]\\

[[WMG:[[center:[-''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' '''[[Characters/{{Batman}} Main Character Index]]'''\\

* BadassNormal: Has no powers and still managed to battle Comicbook/{{Firestorm|DCComics}} (who has powers of molecular reorganization) to a standstill armed only with an umbrella. He also beat up the Joker in ''The Batman''. It's pretty impressive for a man with a hip problem to perform a full split in midair.

[[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]] | Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) | [[Characters/BatmanClayface Clayface]] | Characters/HarleyQuinn ([[Characters/HarleyQuinnTheCharacter Harleen Quinzel]]) | [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] | [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] | [[Characters/BatmanLeagueOfAssassins League of Assassins]] ([[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]] | [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al Ghul]]) | '''The Penguin''' | [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]] | [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]] | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart1 A-H]] | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 J-R]] | [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart3 S-Z]]\\

Whereas most of the Bat-Villains are insane to a degree, Penguin is usually portrayed as sane and operates the "Iceberg Lounge" nightclub as equal parts legitimate business and front for his OTHER business. Penguin, like Catwoman, skirts the line between being criminal and being on the up-and-up, to the point Batman will even be willing to give him some leeway as long as he doesn't get too dirty. Unlike Catwoman this isn't because he is an AntiVillain but mostly just a case of PragmaticVillainy. Batman's even used him as an information source on underworld info since the Penguin knows "everybody". They're enemies, but they're willing to let each other be as long as their paths don't cross.

Eventually, his frustration built up to a point where he finally decided to release it by becoming a criminal. Due to his upbringing, he always tries to look his best in a tail-coat, top hat, and monocle. In addition to his notable love for birds and the lessons in cruelty he was taught in childhood, all of that inspired him to take the moniker "The Penguin." What began as a malicious childhood nickname has become one of the most feared monikers in Gotham's criminal underworld.

* AffablyEvil: Penguin conducts himself in a gentlemanly fashion, is almost always very polite (except when he's stuffing his face with fish), civil, and refined, prefers negotiation to bloodshed, can be very charming when he wants to be, has a (twisted) sense of honor, still has a heart and when he cares does so genuinely, is willing to work with Batman, and has [[VillainousRescue helped pull said hero's ass out of the fire more than once]]. He's also a ruthless mob boss, responsible for much of the illegal trade in Gotham as well as a greedy, often amoral cold-blooded killer. If you happen to offend him, he will slit your throat with a razor-sharp ferrule, and, as you lie on the floor choking on your own blood, the last thing you'll hear is him calling the florist to send condolence flowers to your widow. If you're "lucky". Bruce has recently reluctantly admitted that a united criminal underworld in Cobblepot's control tends to be less dangerous for ordinary civilians. He's still scum, but there are worse people out there who would be more than happy to take his place if the situation to do so arose.

* OnlySaneMan: One of the few recurring Batman villains who is generally considered sane and rarely gets sent to Arkham, and he usually goes to Blackgate Penitentiary instead. He is highly eccentric (eating raw fish, his fixation on birds, his eccentric dress), but this rarely affects his judgment or disrupts his everyday functioning. However, the ''Gotham'' and ''The Batman'' versions are far wilder.

** His story in the comic book "Joker's Asylum" has him doing everything he could to ruin the life of a chef who he thought was laughing when he went on a date with a beautiful woman. Less than two months later, he had ruined the chef's life so thoroughly that [[DrivenToSuicide the guy hanged himself]], and it wasn't even sure that the guy was laughing at him - for all Penguin knew the chef may have just happened to be looking in his direction while laughing.

** PlayedWith in "Series/{{Gotham}}". His single mother Gertrud Kapelput, a poor European immigrant in this continuity, [[MyBelovedSmother was extremely controlling]], assuming out of the blue that if he doesn't come home for a few days that he's been lured away by "some painted slut", though she still adored him. When he finally met his father, they hit it off so quickly that he pushed his stepchildren aside to make Oswald his heir. While none of this ended well regardless, Oswald was even able to throw it in Sofia Falcone's face that his parents loved him unconditionally when hers did not.

* {{Acrofatic}}: While he is "usually" portrayed as a capable physical combatant when he feels the situation calls for it, his level of skill varies widely DependingOnTheWriter. He has been written both as a physical match for Batman and as a character the masked vigilante can floor with a solid punch (even if it takes him a while to actually land one) and anywhere in between. For a fat guy, he's quite the fighter.
** Confusing things further is his propensity towards intentionally losing fights as part of a scheme or to avoid exposing his respectable businessman persona as a sham.

* BackwardsFiringGun: In "Crime on the Wing" in "Batman" #33, the Penguin drops one of his gimmicked umbrellas while fighting Batman. Batman picks it up and fires it at the Penguin, only to discover that the umbrella is booby-trapped, and fires a dose of gas back in the firer's face.
* BadassNormal: Has no powers and still managed to battle Comicbook/{{Firestorm|DCComics}} (who has powers of molecular reorganization) to a standstill armed only with an umbrella. He also beat up the Joker in "The Batman". It's pretty impressive for a man with a hip problem to perform a full split in midair.

* BadGuyBar: The Iceberg Lounge counts, but not all of it: supervillains and criminals hang out, deal in illegal weapons, drink and shoot the breeze / threaten to kill one another in a backroom kept "very" separate from the main area, because most of Gotham's villains aren't exactly good with people, and Cobblepot has a reputation to uphold. However, while the main area of the Lounge does not, itself, count, being a BadGuyBar is still the "theme" of it - Penguin himself cites the touristy appeal of a hobnob with famous [[TheThemeParkVersion "gangsters" and "supervillains"]] as the main draw to the establishment.

* BigBrotherBully: Oswald's brothers brutally abused him, physically and emotionally, "and got away with it". He was willing to tolerate their maliciousness [[spoiler: [[TheDogBitesBack right up]] until they started killing his birds]]. One drowned in ice and the other choked on his own vomit as a result.

* CuddleBug: Zigzagged. It's a little off-putting at times, but on a good day, the man is "remarkably" affectionate with those he considers his friends. Yes, even towards ComicBook/TheJoker. On an off day, [[HatesBeingTouched however]]...

* DependingOnTheArtist: His appearance can vary wildly from issue to issue. How obese and grotesquely deformed he is can never be made consistent. Sometimes he is a squat, spherical humanoid with a two-foot nose and sharp piranha teeth, and sometimes he looks like a perfectly ordinary mildly chubby man with a Bob Hope face in a suit. In ''Gotham'' and ''Telltale'' he is quite thin, and his height varies from a little over 4 feet to 5 foot 2. He has also been shown as a noirette, a redhead, a brunette, graying, or completely bald. In "Gotham", he experiments with his bangs and highlights a lot.

** How adept at hand-to-hand combat is he? A BoisterousWeakling who needs to rely on his craftiness? Not a bad fighter but prefers to stick to ranged weapons? A capable street brawler? A talented martial artist? Granted, even if it is the latter, up against Batman, most modern takes come off looking like a sick duck.

-->" 'Penguin'": Gotham is the Penguin's city, and no one else's. And woe to the man who forgets it.

** ''Film/BatmanReturns'', ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' and the ''WesternAnimation/{{Batman|UnlimitedAnimalInstincts}} [[WesternAnimation/BatmanUnlimitedMechsVSMutants Unlimited]]'' movies, ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction'' depict Oswald as suffering from syndactyly. That said, the transition from "B: TAS" to "The New Batman Adventures" would see Oswald with normal hands, suggesting either the earlier design was an artistic choice or that at some point during the TimeSkip, the Oswald of that universe got corrective surgery.

* EvilBrit: Sometimes. Otherwise, this is an affectation, if implied at all. He speaks with a British accent in some video games, while in "The Batman", he simply had relatives from Newcastle. However, in "Gotham", his mother is Hungarian or German.

** In "Gotham", Bruce and Oswald are both orphans whose parents were murdered in front of them and are traumatized by it, but Bruce shows mercy while Oswald swears revenge (and gets it, brutally). They have the same goal of bringing the city to heel, and they both work outside the law to do so; their only difference is the selfish streak that Penguin indulges. Bruce relies on physical prowess and intimidation tactics to subdue criminals, while Penguin's weaker stature ensures his reliance on negotiation and compromise, but they are both equally pragmatic and tolerate each other's existence because of it. Oswald was the son of a poor Hungarian immigrant, and Bruce was raised in extreme wealth, but they both understand isolation all too well, and people tend to underestimate them. Oswald puts on a servile mask to hide his proud and ambitious nature, while Bruce puts on a cocky demeanor to disguise his kind and humble core. Oswald even seems to have his own Alfred in Arthur Penn, whom he belittles and mistreats in contrast to the close relationship between Bruce and Alfred. They are somewhat lonely but have a select few loved ones they care about deeply. By the end of the series, they've both overcome the odds and risen to power.

* FamilyHonor: Part of his motive as a villain. He plans to restore the Cobblepot family name to its former glory. He has a very skewed idea of how this should be accomplished, especially during his rather bratty appearances in "The Batman".

** In the "Arkham" games, it's the stump of a broken bottle that got shoved into his eye during a bar brawl, to emphasize that he's a thug with delusions of classiness. Removing it would cause him to die from brain damage.
** In "Telltale" it's a smartglass he uses to jam Batman's communications and interface with military drones he's swiped.
** In "WesternAnimation/BatmanUnlimitedAnimalInstincts", it's a Terminator-esque scope, which comes in handy to observe people's intentions.

* ImpoverishedPatrician: The Cobblepots would eventually fall on hard times due to some poor business deals made by Oswald's father, leading to his motive to restore his family's former affluence and standing, thus "proving" his worth as a Cobblepot (and defeating his father's despising ghost). His portrayal in "The Batman" revolves around "restoring the Cobblepot name to its former glory".

** Averted in "Batman Returns": "Shit! I picked a cute one!"

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: "Heavy" emphasis on the jerk. Between hiring ex-cons to his "authentically" legitimate business who had been having trouble getting steady work because no one else would give them a chance in "Love Bird", and saving the lives of a doctor, a cop, and a group of children they are trying to get out of Gotham in "The Underground Railroad". Cobblepot has shown himself capable of compassion and not just for his mother or his pet birds, both of whom he couldn't be more protective of if he tried.

* LetsGetDangerous: Rarely fights, but is a very effective combatant. Anyone who can beat up "Superman" is a threat.

* MisterBig: Has always been depicted as a man of below standard height, sometimes comically so. The "VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries" stats place his height at "4, 10," average…if you happen to be a ten-year-old. In most books, he is 5 foot 2. His incarnation on "The Batman" is one of his shortest.

* NotSoHarmlessVillain: You wouldn't think a short, chubby guy dressed in evening wear who deliberately models himself after a goofy, non-threatening flightless bird would be at all threatening. But you'd be very, "very" wrong; he's one of Batman's most intelligent and dangerous foes.

* OddFriendship: The Penguin with any one of his friends[[note]]Joker, [[DependingOnTheWriter Mad Hatter, and the Riddler]][[/note]], really. "Gotham" portrays the Riddler as an unrequited love interest.

* OralFixation: The Penguin is seldom seen without his trademark cigarette holder. However, some more kid-friendly versions removed this for obvious reasons. He's quite the wine and tea fan, too.

* RedRightHand: His short stature and beak-like nose are a more subtle version of this. In "Film/BatmanReturns", Creator/{{Tim Burton}} decided to strenthen Penguin's physical resemblance to his namesake, fusing the three lower fingers into flipper-like appendages(syndactyly). This enjoyed some vogue in animation[[note]]" WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries" made use of this flipper-hand design before the art change for "The New Adventures of Batman", and "WesternAnimation/TheBatman" also retained the sharp, vicious teeth of Tim Burton's Penguin[[/note]], but has never been accepted in the comics.

* TheResenter: Of just about ''everyone''.[[note]] The Penguin self-identifies as a "freak" in "The Penguin Affair", predating his memorable line in "Film/BatmanReturns" when he says: "You're just jealous because I'm a genuine freak and you have to wear a mask." Like most people's problems, his have their origins in childhood. Cobblepot's anger and resentment stem from more than being peeved at the people who bullied him as a kid. It's something more immediate that is still happening to him as an adult, his own self-loathing and the undeniable fact of his physical deformity, something he has to live with daily and confronts every time he looks in the mirror. Not only do others find him repulsive, but he despises it himself. Every time he sees his appearance, it reminds him of the very things he can never acquire, no matter how much wealth and power he gets. Consequently, he feels the frustrated jealousy of a man who believes he's always fated to be outside looking in.[[/note]] But Bruce Wayne is at the top of the list. Cobblepot blames the Waynes, and Thomas in particular for his family's fall from grace, and this sentiment puts a bitter enmity between him and Thomas' heir, Bruce, who he sees as [[SpoiledBrat spoiled]] and [[ManChild immature]].

* SelfMadeOrphan: In most versions, his father dies of bronchial pneumonia, but in "Penguin: Pain and Prejudice", [[spoiler: his [[AbusiveParents father]] 's behavior and [[YouShouldHaveDiedInstead commentary]] eventually pushed him too far, and he murdered Tucker Cobblepot, leaving him alone with his mother. The only one that showed any signs of loving him.]] In "Gotham", his father, Elijah Van Dahl, (played by Pee Wee Herman, who played Mr. Cobblepot in "Batman Returns") was poisoned by Oswald's stepfamily, he would avenge his death by slaying them.

* SinisterSchnoz: He typically has a prominent nose despite assorted contrasting appearances across various incarnations. Although long in most versions, it resembles an average Roman nose in "Gotham" and "Telltale".

* TalkingInYourSleep: He once mumbled "penguin party in my pants" while sleep-frenching (in "Birds of Prey" Volume 2 #3). Second-hand embarrassment is real and can strike without warning.

* TooKinkyToTorture: During "ComicBook/SecretSix", when Bane starts whaling on him, he asks Bane to be replaced by a female member so he could enjoy it more, and he develops a crush on Dove after she knocks him out in "ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey".

* TrainingMontage: Briefly shown during "ComicBook/SecretOrigins Special" #1, where he was shown lifting weights and practicing with a punching bag as a kid. Result? He knocks out a bully's teeth with a single punch.

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: In the mainstream DCU continuity, he is a successful businessman and mob boss. In the DCAU and "Gotham", he had a tenure as Gotham's mayor.

** When investigating the Red Triangle Gang in "Film/BatmanReturns", Batman notes that the Red Triangle Circus was shut down, shortly after announcing an "aquatic bird-boy" in the freak show, due to an alarming number of children disappearing or turning up dead in the wake of the circus' visits, with "one freak" evading capture and interrogating. Combined with the fact that Penguin's plan is ultimately [[spoiler:to murder every first-born child in Gotham City]], it's obvious Penguin has been a child murderer since he was rather young himself.

** Averted in the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse by ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' creator Creator/PaulDini. When interviewed about The Penguin's fate in the "Batman Beyond" future, as other Batman villains (such as ComicBook/TheJoker and ComicBook/MrFreeze) had made appearances, [[WordOfGod Dini replied]] that in his senior years, Cobblepot gave up crime and the nightclub business and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold opened a daycare center]], where he was affectionately known as "[[ParentalSubstitute Uncle Pengy]]" by the children there, before finally dying of old age.

* TalkingInYourSleep: He once mumbled "penguin party in my pants" while sleep-frenching. Second-hand embarrassment is real and can strike without warning.

** PlayedWith in "Series/{{Gotham}}". His single mother Gertrud Kapelput, a poor European immigrant in this continuity, [[MyBelovedSmother was extremely controlling]], assuming out the blue that if he doesn't come home for a few days that he's been lured away by "some painted slut", though she still adored him. When he finally met his father, they hit it off so quickly that he pushed his stepchildren aside to make Oswald his heir. While none of this ended well regardless, Oswald was even able to throw it in Sofia Falcone's face that his parents loved him unconditionally when hers did not.

* WouldHurtAChild: When investigating the Red Triangle Gang in "Film/BatmanReturns", Batman notes that the Red Triangle Circus was shut down, shortly after announcing an "aquatic bird-boy" in the freak show, due to an alarming number of children disappearing or turning up dead in the wake of the circus' visits, with "one freak" evading capture and interrogating. Combined with the fact that Penguin's plan is ultimately [[spoiler: to murder every first-born child in Gotham City]], it's obvious Penguin has been a child murderer since he was rather young himself.

*** Averted in the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse by ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' creator Creator/PaulDini. When interviewed about The Penguin's fate in the "Batman Beyond" future, as other Batman villains (such as ComicBook/TheJoker and ComicBook/MrFreeze) had made appearances, [[WordOfGod Dini replied]] that in his senior years, Cobblepot gave up crime and the nightclub business and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold opened a daycare center]], where he was affectionately known as "[[ParentalSubstitute Uncle Pengy]]" by the children there, before finally dying of old age.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Absolutely loves this trope. He's well aware that he appears non-threatening, even silly, and uses the assumption to his advantage. [[note]] So good it even fools some writers. Penguin was the first villain to escape from Batman and outsmart him, and it was a running theme in all of Penguin's first stories that he always somehow managed to find a way to escape. Truth is, people too often forget that the Penguin's shtick is that you're SUPPOSED to underestimate him. People are SUPPOSED to be thrown off by the ridiculous quirks and mannerisms of a funny little man in evening wear that they never see the scheme coming before they've fallen victim to it.[[/note]]
** Quote from Bruce Wayne/Batman to Tim Drake/Robin in "Penguin Triumphant": "Everyone seems to consistently underestimate the Penguin — myself included. In point of fact, Cobblepot is ruthless, vindictive, calculating, inventive — and perhaps the most brilliant man I've ever fought. He's smarter than I am."

The character is one of the most prominently featured Batman villains, having appearances in virtually every Batman-related media, his most iconic depictions being in the 1960s ''Series/Batman1966'' television series, portrayed by Creator/BurgessMeredith, and in the 1992 film ''Film/BatmanReturns'', where he was portrayed by Creator/DannyDevito. He's also appeared in 2022's ''Film/{{The Batman|2022}}'', played by an unrecognizable Creator/ColinFarrell. Creator/RobinLordTaylor portrays a younger version of Oswald Cobblepot in the television show ''Series/{{Gotham}}''. Creator/TomKenny has voiced him several times. Music/PaulWilliams voiced the character in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. He is currently voiced by Creator/DanaSnyder in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueAction''.