The penguin never misses its prey.
The Penguin's Image. What to Expect from a Gentleman?
- Always more fun to humble you, Batman!
Penguin
He doesn't have any sexy artwork on the spread
Greetings to all blog readers. Today I would like to discuss one of the new characters in the upcoming game. In AC, Batman will face new (and at the same time, very old) enemies. This includes The Riddler, Two-Face, and the most unexpected new character - The Penguin. Why unexpected? Because he is rarely in the center of chaos, preferring to plan and lead without getting his hands dirty. And he is certainly not some kind of madman or anarchist like 90% of the riot participants in Arkham City.
So, The Penguin. We remember him from Tim Burton's film as a maniac, a grotesque monster, a heartless creature brilliantly played by Danny DeVito. At the same time, in the comics, he was originally just a man who resembled a penguin and had a great love for birds. A successful businessman, a gentleman criminal, a leader of the underworld, who prefers to do everything through others and adds a touch of wealth to all his actions. So who is he really, this Penguin? I hope this brief excursion into the most famous cases involving him and his history will help you understand this multifaceted character.
His first appearance dates back to 1941 in Detective Comics #58, where he was simply a good thief with a large arsenal of umbrellas.
Yep, right next to Batman and Robin
Just a few pages later, he becomes the new boss of a criminal gang, having killed the previous leader with an umbrella.
After that, The Penguin framed Batman, then naturally suffered defeat but managed to escape justice, becoming one of the first villains to succeed in this. As we can see, there was nothing remarkable about his character at this point; he was simply a thief with an interesting appearance and a love for clever umbrellas. He committed many remarkable thefts, regularly crossed paths with Batman, and teamed up with the Joker a couple of times (almost successfully). At that time, a television series had just come out, and the character became extremely popular, right alongside the clown. He frequently faced Batman but, like everyone else, constantly failed. And again, the only distinctive trait that made him different from other criminals was his great love for elegance and good manners.
*Yes, everyone was like that back then*
Then DC lost interest in him and, after a very long break, transformed the ordinary thief The Penguin into a crime boss and handed him the Iceberg Lounge casino, where he made his home. This casino, by the way, we will see in the game.
From this moment on, the character began to develop fully, maturing and becoming more serious. At the same time, he started sometimes helping Batman by providing him with the necessary information about the criminal world (he had connections, after all), which also distanced him from ordinary supervillains.
He acquired his characteristic rich flair, a certain exterior nobility, and all the main traits, such as the manner of always speaking in proper English, never stooping to simple curses and rudeness.
This is actually very interesting - all The Penguin's curses consist of a few words, like "primitive baboon" or "stupid Neanderthal"; he never says "fuck" and other banalities. Additionally, he has a great love for wordplay related to birds.
Now that he's moved, let's take a closer look at The Penguin's character, for that is when the true story of the character we know today began.
How, I haven't introduced you to our hero yet? Meet - Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, the son of wealthy parents, who suffered from his short stature, obesity, and long, pointed nose from a young age. Even his own family distanced themselves from him; what can you say about his peers? We all know how cruel children can be, and here we have such an example. You can imagine what that led to. Girls avoided him, and boys mocked him. His only friends were the birds in the local pet store.
A school bully made him wear a suit that was too small, showcasing him as a penguin for the first time
But one day Oswald saw the weakest, sickly, and ugliest chick from the hatch let out a cry that frightened the other birds. And young Cobblepot realized that an outcast, in any society, be it human or avian, is capable of much. He can frighten the entire "flock", become something they fear.
Here we see The Penguin's most important trait emerging. He does not forgive mockery. Never. As he grew older, this developed into a frightening habit - to always seek revenge, to do so coldly, meticulously planning, and with great cruelty. His brilliant intellect and almost maniacal ability to focus on something until it is fulfilled aided him. Bruce even said that if The Penguin became obsessed with Bruce Wayne, he would learn who Batman was, sooner or later. His focus and almost obsessive desire for revenge would be the main theme of his life.
For instance, he took revenge on that bully, training (by himself!) to the level of a good fighter and knocking out his teeth.
But that was not enough, as we will see, not enough. This thug (and I am talking about the bully; Oswald was still just an ordinary boy) and his school friends raided the pet store and killed all the birds. Thus, he made the biggest mistake of his life. Years later, when Oswald would become The Penguin and a serious threat to society, he and his thugs would find that poor idiot again. And rather elegantly (by criminal world standards) they would take their revenge. They would smear him with fish oil (also one of their mockeries of Oswald, dunking his head in fish soup, since penguins love fish!) and throw him in a cage with tigers at the zoo.
This, let me remind you, was for the birds he killed. After a decade had passed. Oswald remembers everything.
*Batman saved him, no panic*
By the way, what about his love for umbrellas? That's another story. His father died of pneumonia after getting caught in the rain. Because of this, his mother forced little Oswald to carry an umbrella everywhere, which didn't help his reputation among his peers. But even then he managed to stand up for himself.
All this, by the way, underscores another crucial feature of The Penguin. He is practically the only one of Batman's enemies who is completely sane. He has no serious mental disorders, he is extremely intelligent and focused, which makes him an even more dangerous adversary. He loves to plan; otherwise, he wouldn't have become so rich and successful. His only weakness is a certain obsession with umbrellas and birds, but this never hinders him. Of the obvious psychological issues - an inferiority complex that he compensates for throughout his life, and quite successfully.
Bruce also recognizes his intelligence
As Oswald grew older, the attitude toward him did not change. But in him remained a seed of hope, faith in people, and that they would accept him. However, time and time again, his self-esteem was crushed, making him feel inferior. In college, he believed a note from one of his classmates.
This was the last straw. He finally became embittered and for the first time used his mind for openly bad purposes. He trained his birds and unleashed them on the heartless beauties. For the first time, he felt malicious pleasure from what he saw.
However, the girls figured out who was responsible for the unexpected bird attack. Beating up Oswald, they left him lying among his feathery friends. Then something unexpected happened.
He was betrayed by the only beings who had ever done him no harm
This shocked Cobblepot so much that in a fit of blind rage, he killed all his birds, after which he cried for a long time. This event firmly established him as the unforgiving Penguin that we know. He started a diary in which he collected newspaper clippings telling of everyone who had laughed at him and paid for it.
For instance, do you want to know what happened to the chef who simply laughed at something and looked (accidentally!) in The Penguin's direction? His restaurant was bought by a large corporation, and all the employees were fired. His girlfriend was deported, and his best friend was accused of distributing child pornography. His favorite park was bulldozed, and the church he attended was attacked by killer bees and closed for disinfection. A guy who constantly played loud music moved in next door, and the landlord stopped answering the manager's calls. Soon after, a 24-hour wine shop opened right in front of his house, while the manager was a recovering alcoholic. Less than two months after he laughed while glancing toward The Penguin, he committed suicide.
Oswald managed to fall in love with a woman only once in his life, but upon learning who he really was, she wanted to sever all ties with him and made the terrible mistake of calling him a monster. In the end, The Penguin sold her back into the human market, into the same cage from which he had saved her. He removed from himself the only person he had ever loved. And, as we can guess, what he did to her was the least of what he COULD do. This was perhaps the last time The Penguin opened up to someone. But he has principles; he never forgives. As the Joker said - he who laughs last, usually laughs alone.
Here he was truly happy
Now that we have a bit of an understanding of how quiet and downtrodden boy Oswald Cobblepot became the head of the criminal world, The Penguin, let's move on to no less interesting events. We'll walk through two cases that highlight his main traits.
The first will be the case when The Penguin decided to become an “honest” businessman. Why in quotes? Because this is The Penguin. Through that very bully who he slashed with a sharply pointed umbrella, The Penguin began to trade on the stock market, using his special methods to achieve maximum profit. But this was only a superficial goal. Yes, The Penguin was practically indifferent to profit. His true goal was to set the poor guy up as an accomplice to settle the score for his childhood trauma. The idea of starting a legitimate business came to him in prison when he heard a discussion about himself on television. And instantly, he tailored that idea for revenge. In other words, he was just lying there and IMMEDIATELY came up with a plan that would allow him to take revenge. Can you imagine this? A man so consumed by revenge that any idea can be INSTANTLY reshaped to allow him to strike back with it. Moreover, to take revenge not on Batman, for instance, but on someone who had long forgotten about The Penguin. But he remembers everything and is always ready to strike.
In short, I greatly pity those who stand in the way of The Penguin.
The second case is extremely interesting as it closely resembles the situation in AC. After a strong earthquake, Gotham found itself cut off from the outside world. After the evacuation of the majority of the population, the U.S. Army blocked all entrances and exits, allowing no one in or out and ceasing to supply food or provide any help in the evacuation of those residents who remained. All supervillains immediately divided the city into spheres of influence. And who do you think had secret connections to the outside world, allowing him to become the most important and needed person in Gotham?
That's right, our hero, The Penguin. In a city where a bike is worth more than a Ferrari and an apple is more expensive than a 20-carat diamond, the speculator and trader Oswald felt right at home. All goods from across the city flowed to him; at his auctions, you could find anything; he was perfectly equipped. All because The Penguin always gets what he needs. This is his credo.
A similar situation is anticipated in AC; rumors say Cobblepot's gang is better supplied than all the others, and he himself strives to get everything he wants (mostly expensive things). By the way, there is one question that puzzles me - why hasn't the ubiquitous Penguin been able to acquire a decent monocle?
Now let's move on to his two television incarnations.
"On land you may command, by sea it is me! waugh, waugh!"
―The Penguin
The first is The Penguin from the 60s TV series, played by Burgess Meredith. As we see, the classic Penguin of that time, a purple top hat, a bowtie instead of a necktie. Always in hand, a cigarette with a holder and an umbrella, with a monocle over his eye. A characteristic laugh reminiscent of a penguin's cry. The quintessential Penguin on whom the comic book image had long relied (though never fully matched).
"You're just jealous because I'm a genuine freak and you have to wear a mask!"
―The Penguin to Batman
The new Penguin, who was nothing like his prototype. Terrifying, disgusting, gothic, and grim. I was always amazed at how unlike the cute bird he was. I only learned that it was Danny DeVito many years later after multiple viewings of the film in childhood (it was my favorite movie, alongside the first part). Tim Burton brought something new to the familiar image of the gentleman criminal, though it would be more accurate to say he