Yet here I am - resurrected. And now I will have my revenge: Henry Cobblepot will pay for what he's done. 
- — Cyrus Pinkney src
History
Cyrus Pinkney was the architect who designed Gotham's distinctive style in the middle of the 19th century, with credits such as the Gotham Pioneers Bridge, the Gotham Cathedral, and the mansion and other buildings which later became Arkham Asylum. He was a close associate of both Solomon Wayne, judge and ancestor of Bruce Wayne, and Henry Cobblepot, ancestor of Oswald Cobblepot--the Penguin. He was long listed as Gotham's most mysterious cold case, murdered on the even of his 40th birthday, until Batman found his hidden journal pages and found Cyrus' account of his 'death'.
Gotham was a growing city, expanding to the other side of the bay and there was much money in real estate. During this time, Solomon Wayne believed the city would be a shining example of virtue to the rest of the country. Pinkney was somewhat more realistic, but hoped for Solomon's better future, fairer and freer of crime and corruption, to be made real. The arrangement went like this: Solomon bought land, Pinkney designed what would go there, and Solomon paid for it to be built. Henry Cobblepot occasionally got a commission out of Pinkney, but the architect knew the millionaire's money was dirty. Around this time, Pinkney made acquaintance with a brilliant, educated young man, Amadeus Arkham, who had the unbelievably progressive (for the time) idea that the insane and criminal should be rehabilitated rather than punished. Impressed with the young man's ideals, Pinkney designed him an asylum and other buildings on his family's island.
One day, Pinkney checked the accounts and found that Wayne's finances were currently unable to cover the current phase of purchases and construction. Despite his deep reservations, he approached Cobblepot for money. Cobblepot agreed, sanctimoniously claiming it was going to be a gift for the good of the city, but Pinkney knew that Cobblepot would want the favor repaid. Time proved him wrong, as eventually Cobblepot came to Pinkney and demanded that the architect's friendship and influence with Gotham's mayor be used to get Cobblepot a munitions factory inside of Gotham's city limits, which he wanted Pinkney to design. Pinkney was horrified at the thought--munitions factories of the mid-1800s were incredibly dangerous places to work and even be near--a fire could make the various shells and other materials inside detonate to catastrophic effects. Pinkney went to the mayor and alerted him of Cobblepot's desires, and begged him to push for a city ordinance forbidding any such thing even near the city. The mayor and council approved this ordinance, and Pinkney knew Cobblepot would want him dead for what he'd consider a betrayal.
Cobblepot bided his time, until close to Pinkney's 40th birthday. He invited Pinkey around just before, for a small secret meeting in his honor, to show there were no hard feelings. Pinkney knew it was a lie, but went anyway because he believed Cobblepot would strike at Pinkney's family to hurt him, if Pinkney himself was out of reach. The next day, his dead body was found and, shortly after, interred in a crypt he'd designed himself, on the edge of Gotham. And Cobblepot was never found as the murderer.
That's the official story, however. The last page, left in Pinkney's crypt, revealed the truth: Pinkney had discovered that Cobblepot intended to poison him, and with the help of Amadeus Arkham, switched the poisoned wine with something Arkham concocted that would feign death--no movement, no pulse, no reaction, for a few days. Pinkney awoke in his crypt, with Arkham opening the sarcophagus to let him out, and wrote the last of his story for whoever had diligently traced his journal pages to find out the truth: Pinkney had eluded death at the hands of Cobblepot, and swore that he would have revenge on the man for his crimes.
Henry Cobblepot died in one of the first automobile accidents, some time later. Batman is certain it was murder at the hands of Pinkney.
Pinkney's whereabouts and life after his 'death' are unknown.
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Notes
- This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the video game Batman: Arkham Origins and is an adaptation of Cyrus Pinkney. The original character was created by Dennis O'Neil and Chris Sprouse and first appeared in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #27.
Related
- 1 Appearances of Cyrus Pinkney (Arkhamverse)
- 4 Images featuring Cyrus Pinkney (Arkhamverse)
- 2 Quotations by or about Cyrus Pinkney (Arkhamverse)
- Character Gallery: Cyrus Pinkney (Arkhamverse)
Footnotes