The origins of this infamous Batman villain will shock you! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re exploring the comic book origins of the top hat wearing, monocle-clad, gentleman of crime, Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're exploring the comic book origins of the top hat-wearing,
00:08monocle-clad gentleman of crime, Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin.
00:22Don't be fooled by his stature and appearance.
00:24This flightless sack of criminal smarts has terrified Gotham for years, and rolls with
00:28some of the Caped Crusader's biggest baddies, waddling his way into Batman's criminal
00:33history books and the lead role in the upcoming Penguin series from Max.
00:38Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, The Penguin's first appearance in Detective Comics number
00:4358 portrayed him as a run-of-the-mill art thief, using the fruits of his labor to gain
00:48favor with the local mob boss.
00:50Thanks to his masterful planning, the mobster was able to pull off incredible heists, only
00:54to be slain during an argument by The Penguin, who would take the reins of the whole operation.
00:59The following adventures would be foiled time and time again by the Dark Knight and his
01:03trusty sidekick.
01:04As with many Golden Age characters, the origins of The Penguin vary.
01:08However, it's his Silver Age origin that would define his lore for all his later appearances,
01:13making him the bird we know today.
01:21Oswald was born into a middle-class household.
01:24The Cobblepots were a proud, ancient Gotham name, but as he would learn during his life,
01:28his name would only get him so far.
01:30Forever rejected by his father and brothers, and endlessly teased by other children, Oswald
01:36lived a tortured childhood.
01:38This was made better only by his relationship with the birds in his parents' bird shop,
01:42whom he considered to be his best friends.
01:44This connection, along with some infantile creativity by his tormentors, would bestow
01:48upon him the schoolyard moniker of The Penguin, a nickname that he would soon come to embrace,
01:53as these flightless birds are known for their adaptable nature and swift and decisive retribution
01:58when threatened.
01:59It's something he would take to heart and model his whole appearance on, even going
02:03so far as to be pictured as an almost human-penguin hybrid in Tim Burton's Batman Returns and
02:08Batman The Animated Series.
02:15Always the snappy dresser, Oswald keeps it simple, pursuing his criminal career in a
02:20hat, umbrella, monocle, and tuxedo ensemble that gives him his distinct look, one forged
02:25from both tragedy and public image.
02:28In line with his aristocratic origins, especially in his post-Silver Age character lore, The
02:32Penguin always keeps his best threads pressed and cleaned.
02:36After his father's death from pneumonia, Oswald was forced by his mother to walk everywhere
02:40with an umbrella, out of fear of getting sick from the pouring rain.
02:44This childhood trait would become his main tool for mayhem and crime, filling his arsenal
02:48with all sorts of umbrella-based weaponry and gadgets, including flamethrowers, guns,
02:53laser blasters, rocket launchers, and all sorts of chemical threats.
02:57As one of Batman's more level-headed and intelligent villains, The Penguin rose through
03:02the ranks of Gotham's superstitious and cowardly lot, relying on his cunning, wit, and just
03:07good old-fashioned intimidation to gain both profit and stature.
03:15Yes, he may be a trained judo, fencing, ninjitsu, and bare-knuckle boxing expert, sometimes
03:20to the level of the Bat himself, but he saves these abilities for special occasions, always
03:24taking the smart way out and delegating the dirty work to his never-ending cavalcade of
03:29henchmen.
03:33Cobblepot has teamed up with the likes of The Joker, Catwoman, The Riddler, and other
03:36great examples of Gotham's worst, playing both the star and the middleman for some of
03:41Batman's greatest adventures.
03:43As a staple and pillar of crime in the city, Penguin has become a supplier of weapons,
03:47business connections, and information for both the good and the bad in Gotham, at one
03:52point working as an informant to the masked vigilante himself.
03:55From his swanky and barely-legal nightclub, the Iceberg Lounge, Oswald has taken his seat
04:02at the high table of the city's criminal element, at one point even joining the political
04:06class as mayor of Gotham during the new 52 Comics continuity.
04:11During a time when the heroes were MIA, he divided up the city into territories and handed
04:15them out to the inmates of Arkham Asylum.
04:33As of late, Oswald Cobblepot has returned to his mobster origins, coming out from under
04:38the shadow of crime boss Carmine Falcone in the 2022 Matt Reeves film, The Batman,
04:43The Penguin is played by the entirely unrecognizable Colin Farrell.
04:50He'll once again don the fins and nose for the Max Original Series' The Penguin.
04:57What do you think of this new version of The Penguin?
04:59Let us know in the comments below!