Batmanhas many iconic enemies. Joker, Catwoman, Two-Face, The Riddler. These are some of the biggest names in comic book villainy that have permeated pop culture through generations. Even someone who has never picked up a comic book in their life likely knows more of Batman’s villains than any other superhero. One villain stands among them as aniconic Batman villainbut also breaks many of the conventions and that is Oswald Copplepott also known asThe Penguin.
The Penguin is both super villain and a traditional mobster. He does not hide his identity the way many other supervillains do, and many know of his criminal elements while looking the other way in public. In many ways, he has a lot in common with Superman’s arch-enemy Lex Luthor.
While he is a famous member of the criminal element of Gotham City and one of Batman’s most iconic villains, it does call into question why The Penguin stands in the same status as other Batman villains. What about Penguin has made him such an enduring character after all these years? Why is he such a great villain for Batman? With thenew Penguin series starring Colin Farrellin development at HBO Max take a look at how a flightless arctic bird became associated with the Dark Knight.
Penguin Walks in Both Worlds of Gotham’s Criminals
The Penguin made his debut inDetective Comics#58 in December 1941 and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, inspiredby the penguin with a cigarettethat was the mascot for Kool’s cigarettes. Penguin is traditionally a short overweight man with a long nose, and uses a variety of umbrella-themed weapons.
Related:How The Batman’s Penguin Spin-Off Series Could Expand the Bat-Verse
Whereas Joker has the nickname “Clown Prince of Crime,” The Penguin is known as “The Gentleman of Crime” and is a Gotham City mobster who runs a nightclub known as the Iceberg Lounge which acts as a front for much of his criminal activity. Penguin in many ways is the bridge between the traditional mobsters of Gotham City that gave rise to Bruce Wayne’s war on crime, with another foot in the colorful supervillains that make up the new criminal element of Gotham City that happened following Batman’s arrival.
Television Made The Penguin Famous
Much of The Penguin’s popularity is actually due to television. While he was created early in Batman’s comic history, the character never quite caught on as a major recurring villain. It was his appearance in the 1960s Adam West-ledBatmanseries (where he was played by Burgess Meredith) that elevated his status. His recurring presence in the series as well as his role in the 1966Batmanmovie made The Penguin a household name and forever associated him as one of Batman’s arch-enemies. This made him one of the prime candidates for a villain in a live-action Batman movie which he eventually got in 1992Batman Returnswhere Danny DeVito playeda radically different, much darker reimagining.
Yet unlike Joker, Two-Face, and Catwoman who got second big screen reimaginings in the 2000s inThe Dark Knighttrilogy, Penguin had been sort of left in the background. However, the character got a major push in 2014’sGothamwhere Robin Lord Taylor played a young Penguin. The series showed the rise in crime in Gotham City, and part of the appeal was watching a young timid Oswald Copplepott rise through the ranks of Gotham’s criminal empire to become the ruthless supervillain audiences know he will become.
Penguin is a Different Type of Villain
Unlike much of Batman’s rogues' gallery, Penguin is sane and in complete control of his actions. He doesn’t belong in Arkham Asylum the same way Joker or Riddler would and would be more likely to be found in Bell Reeve prison alongside the mobster criminals of Gotham City. Yet he is a more theatrical character than a normal criminal and has rubbed elbows with many of Gotham’s most dangerous supervillains and even some of its heroes.
Related:The Batman: How Did Penguin Get His Villain Name?
Joker and Two-Face are often seen as mirrors to Batman, and to a great deal, they are mirrors of what Batman could become. Yet what is interesting about The Penguin is that he is a dark mirror of what Bruce Wayne could become. Like Bruce Wayne, The Penguin comes from one of the most wealthy families in Gotham like Bruce Wayne and shows how Bruce Wayne’s privilege, money, and childhood tragedy could be used for sinister purposes.
Why Colin Farrell’s Penguin is Getting His Own Show
Penguin is a fascinating villain, but he certainly would not be on the top of anyone’s list of Batman characters to get their own spin-off. While other Batman foes have gotten their own solo-centric stories like 2004’sCatwoman, 2019’sJoker, or 2020’sBirds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), those were all based on more popular and merchandisable characters who have also held comic book titles centered on themselves. The Penguin is iconic, but not a character many were asking to see in a full TV series.
However, following the release ofThe Batman, it made a certain level of sensitivity togive The Penguin his own series. Audiences saw a low-level Penguin in the film, but now with the head mobster Carmine Falcone out of the picture and the Riddler’s plan shaking up the foundational level of Gotham City’s infrastructure so much, this provides the point to see a crime boss rise to power. The age of the common criminal is over, and in its place will be a new type of villain: the supervillain. The Penguin will wrestle control of Gotham City from other mobsters and show himself as a threat worthy of Batman.
