History
The Penguin, one of Batman's oldest foes, is an eccentric criminal mastermind, known as much for his love of ornithology and trick umbrellas as for his shady business dealings. Gotham's popular Iceberg Lounge serves as Cobblepot's front for a number of illegal financial activities that fund much of the city's underworld. Despite his short stature, the Penguin is a wily foe whose umbrellas conceal a variety of deadly weapons and gadgets.
Origins
Oswald's descent into crime began in his grandfather's time, when Henry Cobblepot opened a hotel chain to compete against the one owned by one Judge Solomon Wayne. The Wayne family hotel chain was, however, very successful while the Cobblepot chain was not. This didn't stop Stanley Cobblepot, Oswald's father, from sinking the family fortune into the hotel chain until the family was bankrupt. Oswald himself was attending boarding school in England, where he was mocked for his short size and homely, hunched-over appearance. He took to skipping class to go hang around criminals and, in doing so, picked up quite a colorful education. When he came back to Gotham City, he was penniless and nursing a grudge against the Wayne family, despite it being his own father's folly that lost the family fortune.
Using his knowledge of the criminal world and his own savvy, Oswald established several successful businesses on both sides of the law, and then opened the Iceberg Lounge to try to establish himself as a member of high society. He has a grudge against the Joker ever since the Joker sprayed a waitress in the face with acid for spilling a drink on him, and maintains his vendetta against Wayne family by directing it at Bruce. The Iceberg Lounge is where many of the Penguin's illicit deals happened--he financially ruined a young Victor Zsasz by cheating at cards and, one night, he caught a man cheating the house and ordered him tortured in front of the crowd as an example. A friend of the victim picked up a glass liquor bottle and shoved the broken bottle into the Penguin's face, giving him an appearance of always wearing a twisted monocle. Because it's set into the bone all around his eye, no doctor will attempt to remove it because of the probably fatal results of doing so. The Penguin decided he doesn't mind it too much.
Main article: Batman: Arkham City
Much of the Bowery is owned by the Penguin, and he politically and financially resisted the Arkham City project. This worked well, up until he lost his temper. He ordered his guards to shoot at police officers attempting to evict him, killing three of them. Now publicly a criminal, he was put into Arkham City--but Professor Hugo Strange made a deal with the Penguin, to supply him with weapons and equipment if the Penguin offers the occasional assistance.
He's a major antagonist of Arkham City, and wars for control of the prison against Two-Face and the Joker. He's based in the Pinkney Museum. The Penguin makes his first appearance trying to hit Bruce Wayne with some brass knuckles and earns a broken hand for his trouble. Later, he captures Mister Freeze and takes the scientist's Freeze Gun and uses it in his fight against Batman. When he's bested, Freeze exacts some revenge and then imprisons the Penguin in one of his own display cases, while his turf and gang is mostly absorbed by Two-Face.
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Genius Level Intellect
- Business Management: Even when his business is trapped in the super prison Arkham City, Penguin still finds a way to make it thrive.
- Firearms: Penguin is a crack shot with his umbrella gun. He can even fire it one-handed short distances. [2]
Paraphernalia
Weapons
- Penguin's Umbrella
- Brass Knuckles
- Rocket Launcher
- Mister Freeze's Cold Gun (Formerly)
Notes
- Penguin is voiced by Nolan North.
Related
- 35 Appearances of Oswald Cobblepot (Arkhamverse)
- 10 Images featuring Oswald Cobblepot (Arkhamverse)
- 3 Quotations by or about Oswald Cobblepot (Arkhamverse)
- Character Gallery: Oswald Cobblepot (Arkhamverse)
Footnotes
  Batman Villain(s) |