Penguin (comics)

Penguin
The Penguin / Oswald Cobblepot
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #58 (December 1941)
Created by	Bob Kane Bill Finger
In-story information
Full name	Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot
Team affiliations	Injustice League Suicide Squad The Society Super Foes
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Assorted bird-related paraphernalia Deadly trick umbrellas Vast underworld connections Organizational leadership Surprising physical strength Knowledge of judo and boxing

The Penguin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is known as one of Batman's oldest and most persistent enemies. Artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger introduced him in Detective Comics #58 (December 1941). The Penguin is a short, rotund man known for his love of birds and his specialized high-tech umbrellas. A mobster and thief, he fancies himself as being a "gentleman of crime;" his nightclub business provides a cover for criminal activity, which Batman sometimes uses as a source of criminal underworld information. According to Kane the character was inspired from the then advertising mascot of Kool cigarettes – a penguin with a top hat and cane. Finger thought the image of high-society gentlemen in tuxedos was reminiscent of emperor penguins.^[1]

Burgess Meredith portrayed the Penguin in the 1960s Batman television series and its movie; this is perhaps the character's most well-known incarnation. Danny DeVito played a darker, more grotesque version in the 1992 film Batman Returns. Subsequent Batman animated series featured him in depictions that alternated between deformed outcast and high-profile aristocrat. The former interpretation appeared in comics, most notably in the miniseries Batman: The Long Halloween and its sequel Dark Victory. He made a cameo appearance at the end of the Long Halloween with no lines. He had a slightly more notable role in Dark Victory – this incarnation included elements of Meredith's interpretation. Paradoxically, the Penguin has repeatedly been named among the worst^[2][3] and best^[4][5] of Batman villains.

Unlike most of Batman's rogues gallery, the Penguin is in control of his actions and perfectly sane, features that help him maintain a unique relationship with the crime-fighter. His latest characterization has him running a nightclub that is popular with the underworld. Batman comes to tolerate his operations so long as the Penguin remains one of his informants. The entrepreneurial Penguin often fences stolen property or arranges early prison furloughs – for a hefty fee, of course.

Fictional character biography

Born Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, the Penguin was bullied as a child for his short stature, weight, and beak-like nose. In some media, his fingers are fused, resulting in flipper-like hands. Several stories relate that he was forced as a child to always carry an umbrella by his overprotective mother due to his father's death from pneumonia after a drenching. His mother owns pet birds that Cobblepot lavishes with attention, and served as his only friends growing up. His love for birds would eventually lead him to obtaining an Ornithology major in college. In some versions, Cobblepot turns to crime after his mother dies and the birds are repossessed to pay his mother's debts; in others, he is an outcast in his high society family and their rejection drives him to become a criminal. In keeping with his origins, the Penguin pursues his criminal career with class. He prefers formal wear such as a top hat, monocle, and tuxedo while he steals.

The Penguin's alias first came from a childhood taunt over his grotesque appearance and love of birds.^[6] In an early account, when Cobblepot first attempted to join a gang, he was belittled as a "penguin" and mocked for his umbrella before being literally kicked from the crime den. Outraged at the rejection, he resolved to make "the Penguin" a name to fear and the umbrella a fearsome weapon. He returned to the den and killed the crime boss with "the world's first .45 caliber umbrella," then claimed leadership of the now-terrified criminals. Some later stories suggest that he tried to abandon the nickname, which he initially hated but came to accept.

Pre-Crisis

Originally known only by his alias, the Penguin first appeared in Gotham City as a skilled thief, sneaking a priceless painting out of the museum by hiding the rolled-up canvas in the handle of his umbrella. The Penguin later used the canvas as proof of his intellect to a local mob, which he was then allowed to join. With the Penguin's help, the mob pulled off a string of ingenious heists, but the mob's leader and the "be-monocled bird" eventually fell out, leading Cobblepot to kill him with his umbrella gun. The Penguin became leader of the mob and attempted to neutralize Batman by framing him for theft. The Penguin's plans were eventually thwarted, but the bandit himself escaped.^[7]

The Penguin was a persistent nemesis for the Dynamic Duo (Batman and Robin) throughout the Golden and Silver Ages, pulling off ploy after ploy, such as teaming up with The Joker,^[8] attempting to extort money from a shipping company by pretending to flash-freeze a member of its board of directors,^[9] and participating in Hugo Strange's auction of Batman's secret identity.^[10]

The Penguin's last appearance, fittingly, was the last appearance of the Earth-One Batman. After he and a multitude of Batman's enemies were broken out of Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison by Ra's al Ghul, the Penguin accepted the offer of the immortal terrorist and carried out Gul's plans to kidnap Batman's friends and allies. The Penguin, along with the Joker, the Mad Hatter, Cavalier, Deadshot and Killer Moth, laid siege to Gotham City Police Headquarters, but were infuriated when the Joker sabotaged their attempt at holding Commissioner Gordon for ransom. A standoff ensued, with the Joker on one side and the Penguin and the Mad Hatter on the other. The Joker quickly subdued both with a burst of laughing gas from one of his many gadgets.^[11]

Post-Crisis

Following the Crisis rebooting the history of the DC Universe, the Penguin was relegated to cameo appearances, until writer Alan Grant (who had earlier penned the Penguin-origin story "The Killing Peck") and artist Norm Breyfogle brought him back, deadlier than ever. Within the era of the Tim Drake Robin, the Penguin formed a brief partnership with macabre criminal and hypnotist Mortimer Kadaver, who helped him fake his own death as a ploy to strike an unsuspecting Gotham. The Penguin later gunned down Kadaver, after plugging his own ears with toilet paper so that the hypnotist no longer had power over him.^[12]

After Batman foiled this particular endeavor, the Penguin embarked on one of his grandest schemes in the three-part story "The Penguin Affair." After finding Harold Allnut on a lonely street, undergoing physical and verbal abuse by two gang members, the Penguin takes the technologically-gifted hunchback in, showing him kindness in exchange for services. Harold builds a gadget that allowed the Penguin to control flocks of birds from miles away, which the Penguin utilized to destroy radio communications in Gotham and crash a passenger plane. This endeavor, too, was foiled by Batman. Batman finally hired Harold as his mechanic.

The Penguin resurfaced during Jean Paul Valley's tenure as Batman as one of the few to deduce that Valley was not the original Batman. To confirm this theory, he kidnapped Sarah Essen Gordon, placed her in a death-trap set to go off at midnight, and turned himself in, utilizing the opportunity to mock Commissioner Gordon as midnight approached. An increasingly infuriated Gordon was nearly driven to throw Cobblepot off the police headquarters roof before Valley showed up in the nick of time with a rescued Sarah. As Valley left, he commented, "There's nothing the Penguin can throw at me that I haven't encountered before." This was a sentiment with which the Penguin reluctantly agreed, accepting that he had become passé.^[13]

Subsequently, Cobblepot turned his attentions to a new modus operandi, operating under the front of a legitimate restaurant and casino known as the Iceberg Lounge.^[14] Though he was arrested for criminal activities several times during the course of his "reformation", he always managed to secure a release from prison thanks to high-priced lawyers.

During the storyline "No Man's Land," when Gotham City was nearly leveled by an earthquake, Cobblepot stayed behind when the US government closed down and blockaded the city. He became one of the major players in the mostly-abandoned and lawless city, using his connections to profit by trading the money that nobody else in Gotham could use for goods through his outer-Gotham contacts. One of these connections was discovered to be Lex Luthor and his company, LexCorp.

The Penguin was swept up in the events of Infinite Crisis. In the limited series' seventh issue, he was briefly seen as part of the Battle of Metropolis, a multi-character brawl started by the Secret Society of Super Villains. The Penguin, along with several other villains, was bowled over at the surprise appearance of Bart Allen.

One Year Later, while the Penguin was away from Gotham City, the Great White Shark and Tally Man killed many of the villains who had worked for him and framed the reformed Harvey Dent. Great White had planned to take over Gotham's criminal syndicate and eliminate the competition, the Penguin included. Upon his return to Gotham, the Penguin continued to claim that he has gone "straight" and reopened the Iceberg, selling overpriced Penguin merchandise. He urged the Riddler to avoid crime as their non-criminal lifestyle was more lucrative.

The Penguin was featured as a prominent figure in the new Gotham Underground tie-in to the series Countdown. He fought a gang war against Tobias Whale and Intergang while supposedly running an "underground railroad" for criminals. As the Penguin conducted his affairs, Two-Face entered the club and wanted in on his underground railroad project. The Penguin told him to meet him later after hours and subsequently held a meeting with several of Gotham's most notorious villains including Hugo Strange, Two-Face, the Scarecrow, and the Mad Hatter. Batman, in the disguise of Matches Malone, spied on the meeting from behind a darkened alcove. Suddenly, the Suicide Squad burst into the room and attacked the assemblage of villains.^[15] It was revealed that the Penguin was involved with the Suicide Squad, and that he had set up the other villains to gain the favor of the Squad.^[16] The Penguin later met up with Tobias Whale in order to negotiate with him.^[17] The Penguin and Spoiler had assembled gangs like the Bat Killers, who were based on Batman's enemies; the Dead End Boys, based on the Suicide Squad; the Femme Fatales, based on female villains; the Five Points Gang, based on the Fearsome Five; the L.O.D., based on the Legion of Doom to which the Penguin himself had once belonged; and the New Rogues, based on the Rogues.^[18] The Penguin and Tobias Whale were then fighting each other as Robin, the Huntress, Batgirl, and the fourth Wildcat all got involved. Even though the Penguin got the upper hand, Whale reluctantly called a truce with him to stop Johnny Stitches and Intergang.^[19] Johnny Stitches sent the Penguin a package containing the Riddler's glasses and Mr. Jessup's cut-up body. When the Penguin had a talk with Johnny, the latter mentioned that Tobias Whale was not on the "Penguin's side" any longer. Johnny also mentioned that he had threatened the families of those fighting on the Penguin's side and told the Penguin that he was giving him one day to get out of town.^[20] When the Penguin and the Riddler were talking in the Iceberg Lounge, members of Intergang attacked. Things were looking bad for the Penguin until Batman arrived and came to his rescue. However, Batman was not there simply to save Cobblepot's life. Instead, he informed the Penguin that he now owned Cobblepot and that he was expected to report everything to Batman concerning Intergang and what was going on in Gotham, to which Cobblepot was actually quite happy to agree.^[21]

Cobblepot later lost Batman's support after the latter's mysterious disappearance and Intergang's exploitation of the return of the Apokoliptan Gods. He appeared in Battle for the Cowl: The Underground which showed the effects of Batman's disappearance on his enemies.

The Penguin's mob was absorbed by Black Mask II and his actions controlled. Cobblepot, with the aid of the Mad Hatter, abducted Batman and brainwashed him to assassinate Black Mask.

During the events of Brightest Day, the Birds of Prey discovered the Penguin beaten and stabbed at the feet of a new villainess who was calling herself the White Canary.^[22] The Birds rescued him and fled to the Iceberg. While recovering, the Penguin expressed his attraction to Dove.^[23] Eventually, the Penguin revealed that his injury had been a ruse, and that he was working with the White Canary in exchange for valuable computer files on the superhero community. He betrayed the Birds and seriously injured both Lady Blackhawk and Hawk before the Huntress defeated him.^[24] The Huntress taped him up with the intention of taking him with her, only to be informed by Oracle that she had to let him go due to a police manhunt for the Birds. Enraged at Cobblepot's traitorous actions, the Huntress considered killing him with her crossbow, but ultimately left him bound and gagged in an alleyway with the promise that she would exact her vengeance on him later.^[25]

The Penguin was eventually attacked by the Secret Six, who killed many of his guards in an ambush at his mansion. Bane informed Cobblepot that he needed information on Batman's partners as he planned on killing Red Robin, Batgirl, the Catwoman, and Azrael.^[26] The Penguin soon betrayed the team's location, which resulted in the Justice League, the Teen Titans, the Birds of Prey, the Justice Society, and various other heroes hunting down and capturing the criminals.^[27]

Around this time, a new super-villain, who called himself the Architect, planted a bomb in the Iceberg Lounge as revenge for crimes committed by Cobblepot's ancestor. Though Blackbat and Robin were able to evacuate the building, the Lounge was destroyed in the ensuing explosion.^[28]

The New 52

In The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe), the Penguin was a client of a criminal named Raju who was sent to offer gold to Dollmaker for Batman's release.^[29] While in his Iceberg Casino, the Penguin was viewing a disguised Charlotte Rivers on his surveillance cameras and he told his henchwoman Lark to make sure Rivers got a story to die for.^[30] During the Death of the Family crossover Penguin put his right-hand man, Ignatius Ogilvy, in charge of his operations in his temporary absence. Ogilvy, however, used the Penguin's absence to declare him dead, taking over his gang completely and killing those who were vocally loyal to the Penguin, and, under the alias of Emperor Penguin,^[31] formally took over Cobblepot's operations. Upon the Joker's defeat the Batman unsuccessfully attempted to imprison the Penguin in Blackgate Penitentiary only to be forced to release him later. Oswald would be shocked to learn upon his return that Ignatius, whom he'd adopted into his gang after a teenage Ogilvy's father had been murdered, betrayed him. His subsequent attack on Ogilvy's new empire fails when Batman, following the discovery that Zsasz (who had been hired by Emperor Penguin) had killed Cobblepot's lawyers, sees an opportunity to finally capture Cobblepot and bring him to justice for his crimes. However, Mr. Combustible, who'd secretly remained loyal to his old boss, helped Cobblepot escape the trial without a mark to his record. Meanwhile, Ogilvy released Kirk Langstrom's Man-Bat serum on Gotham City, turning many of the citizens into the creatures. Dr. Langstrom would discover a cure, returning the citizens to normal. Ogilvy then took the serum himself, along with additions made by Poison Ivy, who was, rather uncharacteristically, returning a favor for freeing her from a fate he himself put her in, turning him into a monster with superhuman strength, endurance, speed, and agility. Emperor Penguin then proceeded to challenge Batman openly to a fight, defeating the masked vigilante with his newfound prowess, and leaving Bruce to be rescued by Cobblepot. The pair forge a temporary alliance, and following the ensuing battle, Ignatius found himself in Blackgate Prison where he currently resides, leaving the Penguin free to effectively reclaim his control of the Gotham underworld.

During the Forever Evil storyline, Penguin is among the villains recruited by the Crime Syndicate of America to join the Secret Society of Super Villains.^[32] With the heroes gone, Penguin becomes the Mayor of Gotham City and divides the different territories amongst the Arkham inmates.^[33]

Powers and abilities

The Penguin is a master criminal strategist and occasional engineer who uses his genius-level intellect to gain wealth and power through criminal means. Driven by self-interest and an inferiority complex, the Penguin relies on cunning, wit, and intimidation to exploit his surroundings for profit. He usually plans crimes, but does not often commit them himself as it makes tracing the crimes back to him much more difficult and acting for himself risks exposing his respectable businessman persona to the general public. Although the dirty work is mostly delegated to his henchmen, he is not above taking aggressive and lethal actions on his own, especially when provoked. In spite of his appearance, he is a dangerous hand-to-hand fighter with enough self-taught skills in Judo and Fisticuffs to overwhelm attackers many times his size and physical bearing. Cobblepot is usually portrayed as a capable physical combatant when he feels the situation calls for it, but his level of skill, like the Joker himself, varies widely depending on the author and as a result the character has been written both as a physical match for Batman and as someone the masked vigilante is capable of defeating with a solid punch and anywhere in between. His crimes often revolve around the stealing of valuable bird-related items and his car and other vehicles often have an avian theme.

The Penguin always carries an umbrella due to his mother's obsessive demands. The umbrellas usually contain weapons such as machine guns, sword tips, missiles, lasers, flame-throwers, and acid or poison gas spraying devices. He often carries an umbrella that can transform its canopy into a series of spinning blades. This can be used as a mini helicopter or as an offensive weapon; he often uses this to escape a threatening situation. Another umbrella has a spiral pattern on the top with which he can hypnotize enemies.

Other versions

Joker

The Penguin (referred to mockingly as "Abner"^[34] by the Joker) appeared in Joker, a graphic novel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo. This incarnation operates the Iceberg Lounge, handles most of Joker's personal investments, and deals with revenues from boxing matches.

Elseworlds

In the Elseworlds story Batman: Crimson Mist, the third part in a trilogy that turned Batman into a vampire, the Penguin was the first of many criminals to be killed by the vampiric Batman after he surrendered to his darker instincts. Batman brutally tore the Penguin's throat out as he drank his blood and subsequently decapitated his enemy to ensure that he could not return as a vampire.

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of Flashpoint, Oswald Cobblepot did not become the Penguin. Instead, he worked as the security chief of Wayne Casinos, providing information about his clients and the criminal underworld to that world's Batman, Thomas Wayne.^[35]

Earth One

On the alternate earth, Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, Oswald Cobblepot, who was never called the Penguin himself even though the media made references to Mayor Cobblepot's "Penguin" suit on a panel, was a more normal looking man who is the corrupt mayor of Gotham City. He attempted to orchestrate the death of Thomas Wayne, but his plan failed and his opponent along with his wife were killed in a random mugging the same night. Cobblepot ran Gotham with an iron fist, controlling all the power centers of the city and using a mysterious murderer named "Birthday Boy". He almost killed Batman with his umbrella (which concealed a blade) once he discovered Batman's secret identity before he was shot in the head and killed by Alfred Pennyworth. It is also implied that he had had James Gordon's wife murdered when the detective got too close to finding out Cobblepot's involvement with the Waynes' murder, and that he had tried to do the same thing to Gordon's daughter Barbara by "sending" her to Birthday Boy, but she was saved by Batman, Gordon, and Harvey Bullock.^[36]

In other media

Television

• The Penguin is one of the main villains in the Batman television series of the 1960s and one of the most recurring villains. The Penguin was portrayed by Burgess Meredith. (Mickey Rooney had been producer William Dozier's first choice for the character, but he had rejected the role.^{[citation needed]}) A campy interpretation in the villain-driven, action/comedy-heavy show, Meredith's performance is perhaps best remembered for his signature laugh, meant to mimic the squawk of a penguin. One cause of the laugh was the smoke from the cigarettes the character always smoked, which irritated Meredith's throat and made him cough because he had already quit smoking in real life. His thugs wear black bowler hats and dark clothing adorned with names of various animals of prey such as birds ("Hawk") or fish ("Shark"), or sometimes simply "Henchman" (in Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin). His prison cell {PG1} is in the "Supervillains" section next to that of Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Egghead and King Tut. The Penguin can be clever when he so chooses (he once brainwashed Alfred into spying for him and tricked Batman into planning crimes for him)-although he suffers from a short term memory loss-he had trouble recognizing Alfred Pennyworth in disguise {Although he had kidnapped him for brainwashing experiments} and thought that Bruce Wayne was a rival umbrella factory spy. Once when he tried to get back into prison as part of a larger plot to team up with a convicted forger in a scheme involving kited, worthless checks, he was enraged when Batman put him into a common jail cell and was later severely disappointed when Bruce Wayne helped to reform the forger before the Penguin could actually be sent to prison. In one episode, he claims to have been an actor. In the film, he commands a nuclear submarine that his minions are using as part of their plot and which has been painted to resemble a penguin.

• Burgess Meredith made a brief cameo appearance as the Penguin in the 1968 episode of The Monkees titled "Monkees Blow Their Minds". Years after his death, his memorable performances as the Penguin would become a staple of late-night comedians as well as Internet users, who lampooned various politicians with his likeness.

• Penguin is a major enemy in Filmation's The Adventures of Batman animated series, which ran from 1968 to 1969, and then ran as Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, without Superman or Superboy segments. He is voiced by Ted Knight.

• Along with Joker, Penguin was one of the villains from the episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair" and "The Caped Crusader Caper" that were later combined on the "Scooby-Doo Meets Batman and Robin" DVD. He was reprised by Ted Knight. Here, he put on various disguises including as a dryad.

• In Filmation's series The New Adventures of Batman, Penguin is voiced by Lennie Weinrib. He frequently rolls his 'r's and laughs in a manner similar to Meredith's portrayal. He appears in four episodes: "Reading, Writing and Wronging," "Birds of a Feather Fool Around Together" and "Have an Evil Day, Parts 1 and 2."

• Penguin appeared in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians episode "The Case of the Stolen Powers" voiced by Robert Morse. He is shown in prison as a cellmate of Felix Faust. He gains Superman's superpowers by accident when Felix Faust tries to get them for himself. Batman is not featured in the episode.

• When Batman: The Animated Series debuted in 1992, Penguin was voiced by Academy Award-winner Paul Williams. Due to the close relation in time between Batman Returns and the animated series, the film version's physically freakish depiction of the character was adapted for the animated series, but he retained the traditional refined mannerisms and personality of his comic counterpart. His most prominent appearances include the episodes "I've Got Batman in My Basement", "The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne", "Almost Got 'Im", "The Mechanic", "Birds of a Feather", "Blind as a Bat", and "Second Chance". He is the only villain, other than Joker, not to be given an origin story.

• Paul Williams reprised his role as Penguin in the 1997 follow-up to the original animated series, The New Batman Adventures. The character appeared more like his traditional comic book portrayal. His role was also similar to that in the comic books: a "legitimate" businessman and mob boss who runs a night club called the "Iceberg Lounge". He appears in "Joker's Millions", "The Ultimate Thrill", "Girl's Night Out", and "Judgment Day".

• While the Penguin does not appear in Justice League Unlimited, his club, the Iceberg Lounge, made a cameo appearance at the beginning of the episode "This Little Piggy".

• The character appeared in The Batman, voiced by Tom Kenny. In this continuity, Penguin is primarily concerned with re-establishing the Cobblepot family name in society by stealing from the citizens of Gotham to rebuild his wealth. While he shares the comic incarnation's love for birds and aristocratic look, this Penguin retained a deformed appearance more similar to the Batman Returns incarnation, with orange hair instead of black and sharp, pointy teeth. Unlike in the previous animated series, this Penguin in this incarnation is a rude, selfish villain. His speech is often peppered with confused squawks.

When captured, he is placed in Arkham Asylum instead of Gotham State Penitentiary. He is sometimes aided by two henchwomen, a masked pair called the Kabuki Twins (although their names were never mentioned in the show, in the first The Batman comic book, which starred the Penguin, he reveals their names to be Gale and Peri). In addition, it is clear that he also knows martial arts and is athletic enough to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Batman, dodging and parrying with his various trick umbrellas. He seems to be in a rivalry with Joker (and, to a lesser extent, Riddler) for the title of Gotham's most dangerous criminal. This Penguin regards Bruce Wayne as a personal enemy and has held him hostage on multiple occasions (though he is unaware of Wayne's alter ego). In one episode, he even infiltrates Wayne Manor, though does not discover the Batcave. He holds a grudge against Alfred due to the Pennyworths having left the service of the Cobblepots generations before (Alfred claimed it was because of the Cobblepots' obnoxiousness). Unused concept art from the show indicates that a more classic version of Penguin was considered for the show.^[37]

• In the animated cartoon series Krypto the Superdog, the Penguin's pet birds are recurring foes of Krypto and Ace the Bat-Hound. Although the Penguin is referenced in this series, he never makes an appearance.

• The Penguin is featured in Batman: The Brave and the Bold voiced by Stephen Root. In "Legends of the Dark Mite!", he appears in Bat-Mite's fantasy. In "Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure!", Batman ends up dealing with the Penguin's crime spree. When Batman is captured and placed in a deadly drinking bird trap, Aquaman comes to his rescue and gets shocked by the Penguin, who reveals that his umbrella drones will spread a paralytic gas over Gotham City. Aquaman manages to make contact with some crabs to free the family as the Penguin sics his minions on Batman and the Aquaman family. Batman redirects the umbrella drones into the ocean and then pursues the Penguin. Upon catching up to him at his submarine, Batman manages to jam the Penguin's umbrella with his cape and defeat him. He then cameos in "Chill of the Night!" as one of the villains at a weapons auction held by Joe Chill. The Penguin has a quick cameo in the teaser for "The Last Patrol!" and also appears in "Night of the Batmen!" fighting Aquaman in a Batman costume, only to be defeated later on.

Film

• Burgess Meredith reprised his role as the Penguin in the 1966 film Batman alongside several other villains from the television show.

• Danny Devito portrayed The Penguin as the main villain in Batman Returns. Director Tim Burton, inspired by the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, re-imagined the character not as an eloquent gentleman of crime, but a former freak show performer with a homicidal grudge against the aristocrats of Gotham City. While this Penguin retained many trademarks, such as a variety of trick umbrellas and the use of a monocle, he was given a dramatic visual makeover. Where the comic version had varied between a balding head of short cropped hair and varying degrees of thinning, this Penguin was still bald at the top but with his remaining length of hair long and stringy. His hands were now flippers with a thumb and index finger, and the remaining three fingers fused. An unidentified thick, dark green bile-like liquid or blood sometimes trickles from his nose and mouth. Instead of a tuxedo, he wore a more gothic, Victorian-style outfit with a jabot as opposed to a bow tie. In certain scenes, he also wears black boots, a dickey, and a union suit. However, Burton's design maintained the top hat seen in the comics along with a monocle and a cigarette in some scenes. He also has penguin-like appetites, as shown in a scene where supporting villain Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) lures him out of his room with what appears to be a raw fish (though Shreck's dialogue in the previous scene implies that it was a fried fish).

• He appears in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman as the main villain, this time voiced by David Ogden Stiers. The plot involves the Penguin, Rupert Thorne and Carlton Duquesne in an illegal arms deal with the President of Kasnia. Of the three Batwomen, the Penguin shares a personal history with Dr. Roxanne Ballantine, as he was the one who framed her fiancée Kevin years ago, which led him into prison in order to find evidence that would get his sentence commuted.

• Tom Kenny reprised his role of Penguin in the animated movie The Batman vs. Dracula. In the movie, after escaping from Arkham, he accidentally resurrects Count Dracula with his blood in the Gotham cemetery (while in search of buried treasure). Dracula then hypnotizes the Penguin to work for him. He is later released from the spell upon Dracula's death and accused of the vampire's crimes, and is thus returned to Arkham Asylum.

Video games

• The Penguin has appeared as a boss in several Batman video games, including Batman: The Caped Crusader, the various video game adaptations of the movie Batman Returns, Batman: The Animated Series and Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Super NES.

• At one point he was planned to appear as a boss in The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega CD, in which he would try to kidnap Summer Gleeson. The Penguin was cut from the game because it was tight on villains, but the storyboards for his animated cut-scene are displayed in Paul Dini's book, Batman Animated.

• The Penguin is the chief villain of an online flash game, Batman: The Cobblebot Caper, which is modeled after The Batman animated series. His ultimate plan is to construct a giant mechanical phoenix which he intends to use as a war machine against Gotham City.

• The Penguin appears in Lego Batman: The Videogame^[38] voiced by Tom Kenny. He is one of the leaders of the Arkham breakout. His plan is to use mind-controlled penguins to wreak havok in Gotham. To this end, he employs the Catwoman, Bane, Killer Croc, and the Man-Bat. He has the ability to call out robotic penguins from under his top hat. He can use his umbrella both as a gliding apparatus and a rifle. Despite his comic book appearance he has some ideas and characteristics of Danny DeVito's Penguin (e.g. taking over Gotham with a penguin army, having a liking for raw fish, and working with Catwoman). Being a Lego game, he cannot be portrayed as fat.

• The Penguin appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by David Jennison. Following Bane's defeat, a cut-scene features the Penguin stating his anger at the competition from the Falcone Crime Family, Bane, Two-Face, the Mad Hatter, Hush, Killer Croc, the Catwoman and the Joker due to all the chaos, but being a cunning crook, he plans on tricking them into wiping each other out and taking Gotham for himself. The players discover that a hacked kiosk contained a message from Two-Face describing the Penguin's smuggling operation in Gotham's old subway tunnels. The Penguin is served by Cryo Pengbots, Louie Sluggers, Machine Gun Tommies, Nickie Blades, Pengbots, Pyro Pengbots, Tammy Two Guns and a Pengbot Maximus.

• While the Penguin is not featured as an actual character in Batman: Arkham Asylum, as a key character in Batman's universe he is repeatedly referenced. An asylum security guard notes that he had witnessed the attempted smuggling of sharpened umbrellas into Arkham on at least one occasion before, a reference to the character. Additionally, an Iceberg Lounge advertisement can be seen in the Intensive Treatment wards, while a collection of trick umbrellas and top hats (apparently confiscated from Penguin upon his admittance to the facility) may be observed on display in the old Arkham Mansion. He is also one of the villains whose name is listed on the party list.

• The Penguin appears as one of the villains in Batman: Arkham City,^[39] voiced by Nolan North in a Cockney accent.^[40] The Penguin is redesigned without penguin-like mannerisms such as the waddle or the squawk-laugh, but retains his beaked nose and monocle (here depicted as the bottom of a glass bottle, said to have been shoved into his face by the friend of a young man that Penguin was torturing after cheating at cards). In this game, Penguin is also responsible for Victor Zsasz's descent into villainy, having cheated a young Zsasz out of his inheritance at a game of poker. He also wears what appears to be an electrolarynx strapped to or implanted in his neck. According to the Arkham City Stories included in the game, Cobblepot became trapped in the open-air prison perimeter of Arkham City after refusing to vacate his residence at the Iceberg Lounge (which was condemned as part of the new project). Cobblepot went on to establish himself as a warlord in the new criminal underworld, using the nearby museum to enshrine defeated enemies, vying with the Joker for control of Arkham City. At the start of the game he and his minions attack the just-incarcerated Bruce Wayne, only to have his hand broken by Wayne (which results in its being bandaged in such a fashion that it resembles the Batman Returns Penguin's flipper-hand). Despite his use of Mr. Freeze's freeze gun and the captive Solomon Grundy, Penguin is ultimately defeated by Batman, while Mr. Freeze adds insult to injury by locking Cobblepot in the exhibit planned for Bruce Wayne, where he remains for the rest of the game.

• The Penguin appears in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes voiced by Steven Blum.

• The Penguin makes a cameo appearance in Injustice: Gods Among Us sporting his Arkham City look. In the Arkham Asylum level, if one of the characters is thrown through the cell door on the right side of the second tier, they will be attacked by Two-Face, Killer Croc, Riddler, and Penguin before being punched by Croc into the next tier of the Arkham arena.

• A younger version of the Penguin from Batman: Arkham City appears in Batman: Arkham Origins with Nolan North reprising his role. In the game, Penguin is credited as Gotham's number one weapons dealer, using a legal loophole by staying aboard his refitted cruise liner, The Final Offer, to evade the law, while his goons make deals with the other gangs in Gotham. He is first mentioned after Batman scans a smashed recon drone found during the Blackgate riot, revealing that Penguin had been using it to spy on who he thought was Black Mask, but was really a disguised Joker. After interrogating one of his dealers, Batman makes his way to Penguin's ship. After fighting his way through Penguin's thugs, his assistant Tracey, and Electrocutioner, Batman finds and interrogates Penguin for information about Black Mask. Penguin mentions a murder in Lacey Towers, but is unable to reveal more before Batman is attacked by Deathstroke. He does not appear afterwards, but is mentioned as the prime suspect in Black Mask's "murder". In the game, Penguin does not yet have the bottle in his eye from Arkham City meaning the accident will happen after Origins.^{[citation needed]}

• The younger Penguin from Arkham Origins appeared in the spin-off game Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate as one of the criminals released in the Breakout.

Toys

• An 8" version of the Penguin was created by the Mego Corporation as part of their "World's Greatest Super-Heroes" line in 1974. Mego also released a 3 3/4" Penguin as a part of their Comic Action Heroes line in 1976.

• The Lego Batman line includes one particular set, The Batcave: The Penguin and Mr. Freeze's Invasion, which features Penguin. He appears as a minifigure in the set, with short, unbending legs, the classic top hat and monocle and a purple pin-stripe suit, but lacks the familiar pointy nose. Penguin rides in a submarine reminiscent of the one in the 1960s TV series and is assisted by miniature penguin robots. The set also includes a depiction of the Batcave.

• He also appears in the Batman Lego promotional video. He is the final villain to be caught (after Two-Face, Mr. Freeze and Joker).

• The Penguin was featured in the 1980s Super Powers Collection toy-line, featuring various DC Comics villains and heroes. The Penguin's appearance was much like that of the time, with a blue coat and top-hat. Penguin had "umbrella action" where his legs could be squeezed together, triggering his arm (holding an umbrella) to move up and down. - (This figure sculpt was later used for the Batman Returns figure line, with a new black paint application).

• There have been various toys of the Penguin for cartoon series, from the sophisticated aristocrat to the deformed outcast styles.

• Recently the Penguin was made into a toy by Funko who made small 3.75" figures with large heads and also soft toy version of the Penguin. The Penguin figure looked much like he had in Burgess Meredith's style from the 1960s, along with the comic book look. The figure featured an umbrella accessory, but the plush did not.

Parodies

• The Penguin appears in the Saturday Night Live segment "Superman's Funeral." When he makes his trademark "Penguin Cackle," Batman angrily tells him to stop laughing to which the Penguin replies, "I'm not laughing! This is also how I cry." In that appearance, the Penguin was portrayed by Robert Smigel.

• In the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Inside Plucky Duck," a cartoon called "Bat's All Folks" parodied the Penguin as Puffin who assisted Jackster (a donkey parody of Joker), Question Mark (a parody of Riddler), and Polecatwoman (a parody of Catwoman) in a plot to rub out Bat-Duck so that everyone would buy their T-Shirts.

• In Yin Yang Yo!, the villain called Puffin is a parody of the Penguin. His dressy appearance is based on the Penguin, although characters in the show stop talking before the connection is made and before lawsuits can be filed. Puffin is mentioned to have an advantage in the rain which has not been demonstrated.

• Episode 24^[41] of This American Life on Public Radio International, "20 Acts in 60 Minutes," contains a short story that supplies the Penguin with an alternate origin story. In this story, the Penguin and Mary Poppins are introduced at a dinner party by a friend who thinks that their ability to fly or float using umbrellas will bring them together. Unfortunately, the two have nothing in common, and Mary Poppins soon leaves with another guest, one who wears a conspicuous black cape.

• The Penguin appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Drippy Pony," where he is voiced by Seth Green. In a segment that parodies the Penguin in the style of the popular documentary film March of the Penguins, it shows him drinking heavily and soliciting prostitutes. Tom Kane provides a narrative style similar to that of Morgan Freeman in the English-language version of March of the Penguins. He appears in another sketch from a later episode, in which his umbrella was accidentally switched with that of an old woman.

• The Penguin was played by Patton Oswalt in a CollegeHumor skit, where he (along with Commissioner Gordon) tries to explain the concept of death to an oblivious Batman.

Politics

The character of the Penguin, particularly as portrayed by Burgess Meredith, has often been used as a theme to mock public figures that supposedly resemble him. Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, has made numerous references comparing former Vice President Dick Cheney with the Penguin, including a laugh similar to the one heard in the 1960s Batman series.^[42] In a similar manner, Stephen Colbert, host of The Colbert Report, called Franklin D. Roosevelt a criminal and told his audience to "ask Batman" "if they don't believe him," showing a picture of Meredith as the Penguin next to one of the former President; Roosevelt and the penguin are both pictured wearing a monocle and sporting a cigarette holder, suggesting a resemblance.^[43] Cheney was mocked in a similar capacity on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, while The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson chose to imitate John McCain with Meredith's Penguin laugh.

In May 2006, a Republican-led PR firm, DCI Group, created a YouTube video making fun of Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth. The video portrayed Gore as the Penguin using one of his trick umbrellas to hypnotize a flock of penguins into believing in the existence of global warming and climate change.^[44]

See also

• List of Batman Family adversaries
• Bulgarian umbrella - a real world weapon similar to the Penguin's umbrella gun which was used by the KGB in several assassinations in the late 1970s.

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Penguin

• The Origin of the Penguin at DCComics.com
• Penguin on DC Database, an external wiki, a DC Comics wiki

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