Penguin (character)
The Penguin is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character made his first appearance in Detective Comics #58 and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The Penguin is one of Batman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery. The Penguin has repeatedly been named one of the best Batman villains and one of the greatest villains in comics. The Penguin was ranked #51 in IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time.
The Penguin is a Gotham City mobster who fancies himself the number one "Gentleman of Crime". He is most often seen as a short, fat man with a long nose who wears a monocle, top hat, and morning suit while carrying his signature umbrella. He also has a cigarette holder in his mouth. The Penguin uses high-tech umbrellas as different tools. His umbrellas have been used as guns, gas sprayers, swords/knives, a mini-helicopter and many other unconventional tools. The Penguin owns and runs a nightclub called the Iceberg Lounge which provides a cover for his criminal activity.
Batman sometimes uses the nightclub as a source of criminal underworld information. Unlike most of Batman's rogues gallery, the Penguin is completely sane and in full control of his actions. According to his creator Bob Kane, the character was inspired by the advertising mascot of Kool cigarettes in the 1940s; a penguin with a top hat and cane. However, similarities have been found between Penguin's design and the appearance of the Dick Tracy character Broadway Bates, who was introduced in 1932. Co-creator Bill Finger thought that the image of high-society gentlemen in tuxedos was reminiscent of emperor penguins. His main color is usually purple.
The character has been featured in various media adaptations, including feature films, television series, and video games. His live-action portrayals include Burgess Meredith in the 1960s Batman television series and its spin-off film, Danny DeVito in the film Batman Returns, Robin Lord Taylor in the television series Gotham, and Colin Farrell in the film The Batman and a self-titled spinoff series. Paul Williams, Tom Kenny, Nolan North, Wayne Knight, Stephen Root, and Elias Toufexis, among others, have voiced Penguin in animation and video games.
Publication history
The Penguin made his first appearance in Detective Comics #58 and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The character received a solo title as a part of the Dawn of DC initiative, with the book being written by Tom King and drawn by Rafael de Latorre.Fictional character biography
Golden Age
Originally known only by his alias, the Penguin first appeared in Gotham City as a skilled thief, sneaking a pair of priceless paintings out of an art museum by hiding the rolled-up canvases in the handle of his umbrella. The Penguin later used the stolen paintings as proof of his underworld acumen to a local mob boss, who allowed him to join his crime family. With the Penguin's planning, the mob pulled off a string of ingenious heists. The "be-monocled bird" and the mobster eventually fell out, leading Cobblepot to kill him with his umbrella gun. The Penguin became the leader of the mob and attempted to neutralize Batman by framing him for the theft of a statue which Penguin, himself, had stolen. As part of the plot, Penguin actually already owned the statue and was framing Batman and Robin to commit insurance fraud. The Penguin's plans were eventually prevented, but the bandit himself escaped.Penguin was later sighted when Dick Grayson was traveling on a train. Batman and Robin found out that he was getting reward money for turning in criminals that he later sprung from prison. While Batman and Robin defeated the criminals during the conflict, Penguin fell into the Mississippi River.
Penguin made his way to Florida, where he set up a gambling operation with Joe Crow, Buzzard Benny, and Canary. The patrons would win big and then would be followed by Penguin's henchmen so that they can rob them. Batman and Robin put an end to the gambling operation, but Penguin got away.
Penguin later utilized some exotic birds to assist in his crime spree. Batman and Robin stopped this spree, but Penguin escaped again.
Penguin later set himself up as an underworld advisor, selling his foolproof plans to different criminals. When the criminals pulled off a successful heist, Penguin would kill them and steal their loot. To get to the bottom of this caper, Batman posed as a rival criminal called "Bad News Brewster". Despite Penguin realising that Batman was posing as a criminal, Penguin was brought to justice.
Penguin soon became less violent and began to obsess over birds and umbrellas. After breaking out of prison, Penguin heard that Batman didn't consider him a threatening villain. To prove Batman wrong, Penguin built himself some gimmick guns and fishing poles. Batman was able to defeat him with an umbrella.
Penguin later escaped from prison and tried to rob three eccentric millionaires. While Batman and Robin failed to catch him after the first two robberies, succeeded during the third due to the fact that the third millionaire has been dead for a year.
Penguin later escaped from prison. To catch him, Batman and Robin set up an umbrella repair shop. Despite some difficulties, Batman and Robin were finally able to catch Penguin when he tripped over an umbrella.
Penguin later met Joker in prison. After escaping, Penguin and Joker competed against each other in robberies until they eventually cooperated. Their differences would be the advantage that Batman and Robin would use to apprehend them.
Penguin took the son of a criminal under his wing and started to teach him about crime. The uninterested boy wrote a book about Penguin's crimes, impressing Penguin to the point where he plotted to get it published. When that failed, he started to steal some publishing supplies which led to the boy attracting the attention of Batman and Robin. After Batman and Robin apprehended Penguin, the book is shown to the readers that "crime doesn't pay".
Penguin later attempted to extort money from a shipping company by pretending to flash-freeze a member of its board of directors. This plot was foiled when Batman and Robin found that the frozen victims were all dummies. His next plot also failed.
Penguin's next crimes included being tricked by three crooks into distracting Batman & Robin, and opening a restaurant called the Penguin's Nest as part of a plot to get arrested to collaborate with an incarcerated forger.
When a fire broke out in prison, Penguin saved the prison warden. He was released on parole and tried to go straight only for him to see a cartoon that depicted and mocked penguins. This sent him into a frenzied spree, until his eventual capture.
Next, Penguin posed as an assistant to a reclusive ornithologist named Professor Boyd, using his ornithology stage as a front.
Upon release, Penguin set up his own bird shop, selling his birds to the prominent people of Gotham City. The birdcages had bombs that would enable Penguin to break into their houses and rob them.
Penguin's next plot involved extorting the singers of Gotham City by using special microphones that released a type of gas that affected the singers' singing abilities, which he held to ransom.
Penguin's next step was to compete with Joker and Catwoman's crime waves, with his own involving rare birds. As usual, Penguin was apprehended by Batman once again.
Penguin was then forced to improvise when a thunderbolt destroyed his hideout and trick umbrellas.
After his arrest, Penguin began to use codes in order to get information on how to break out of prison, but was foiled when Batman obtained his code book.
Penguin broke out of prison and vowed not to use birds in his crime spree. One of those crime sprees caused Penguin to be tripped by birds. When some chicks swallowed some diamonds, he attempts to make off with them only to be apprehended by Batman and Robin.
Upon being released from prison, Penguin started a sideshow attraction called Pee-Wee the Talking Penguin. This was a cover for a scheme to use the penguin costume to commit robberies to obtain the money to pay off his previously hired goons.
Penguin got out of jail for snitching on the criminal Squeeze Miller which led to Miller's execution. He was surprised that Miller listed him in his will. To get the inheritance, Penguin had to commit a specific robbery using specific birds. He was apprehended when it turned out that Miller's inheritance was worthless.
After being paroled, he tries to get the Bird Lovers' Society to elect the penguin the state bird. When that was turned down, Penguin seeks revenge by stealing from the society.
After yet another arrest and imprisonment, he uses the prison's workshop to create mechanical wings and escape from prison. He and his henchmen use the wings to abduct Robin and force Batman to reveal his true identity. Batman rescued Robin and defeated Penguin and his henchmen.
After so many failed attempts, Penguin had difficulty recruiting henchmen. He feigned going straight again and converted a mansion into a museum and bird sanctuary, where he started returning stolen loot to the robbery victims. This turned out to be a plot to plant gas bombs and re-steal the loot.
On Penguin's birthday, he received mocking gifts from other criminals.
Penguin is paroled from prison again and was asked to release his birds as a sign of good will. Penguin proceeds to open up his umbrella company called Penguin Umbrellas Inc. and fools Batman into endorsing his products, which contained special magnets. Following the robbery, Penguin fled to Oasis Beach Island in the Caribbean Sea, where he attempted another umbrella-themed theft before being apprehended by Batman and Robin.
In his final Golden Age appearance, Penguin pretended to be a legitimate businessman and sold counterfeit mythological birds. Penguin then claimed that Batman was associated with a Man-Bat of his own design.