Oswald Cobblepot

Minister **Oswald Chesterfield** "**Ozzy**" **Cobblepot** (オズワルド・チェスターフィールド・“オジー”・コブルポット, *Ozuwarudo Chesutāfīrudo "Ojī" Koburupotto*), also known as **Penguin** (ペンギン, *Pengin*), is a fictional character and antagonist of the *DC* series. He is both a brutal and sadistic crime lord, and funded much of its criminal operations as one of its biggest black market manufactures in the Gotham City's Underworld. Directing his affairs from predominately the Iceberg Lounge, Oswald was seen as a reputable business man to the people of Gotham, but was a sadistic, and mass murdering gang leader in reality.

This short, paunchy appearance, coupled with his mother's insistence that he carry an umbrella, made him the target of widespread ridicule, which lead to Oswald becoming obsessed with proving his worth and got his own back by becoming a force to be reckoned with in Gotham City's underworld.

As befitting his pedigree, Oswald conducts himself in a gentlemanly fashion and is almost always very polite, civil, and refined, preferring negotiation to bloodshed. However, he is also a ruthless mob boss and is responsible for much of the illegal trade in Gotham.

"*Listen, I'm what you might call... a collector. If someone wants it, I like to think I've got it. And if I don't have it... I'll get it.*"

—Penguin to Batman.

## Appearance & Biography

*Voice Actor*: Nolan North (English), Mamiya Yasuhiro (Japanese), Not Known (Arabic), Not Known (Brazilian), Not Known (Chinese), Not Known (Dutch), Not Known (Finnish), Not Known (French), Not Known (German), Not Known (Hebrew), Not Known (Hungarian), Not Known (Italian), Not Known (Korean), Not Known (Norwegian), Not Known (Poland), Not Known (Polish), Not Known (Portuguese), Not Known (Romanian), Not Known (Russian), Not Known (Serbian), Not Known (Spanish), Not Known (Swedish), Not Known (Thai), Not Known (Brazilian Portuguese), Not Known (European Spanish), Not Known (European Portuguese), Not Known (Latin American Spanish), Not Known (Latin Spanish)

### Biography

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, Penguin is a wily foe whose umbrellas conceal a variety of deadly weapons and gadgets.

### Appearance

#### As Penguin

* Hair Color: Black
* Skin Color: Not Known
* Eye Color: Blue
* Age: Not Known
* Birthday: Not Known
* Height: 4 ft. 10 in
* Weight: 225 lbs. (102 kg)

### Attributes:

* Criminal and financial mastermind.
* Expert hand-to-hand combatant.
* Driven by a need to prove himself in spite of his comical appearance.
* Employs various weapons, many based on umbrellas and birds.

## Relationships

### Friends/Allies

* Riddler
* Electrocutioner
* MECH
	+ Deathstroke

### Family

* Henry Cobblepot (ancestor, deceased)
* Theodore Cobblepot (ancestor, deceased)
* Tucker Cobblepot (father)
* Miranda Cobblepot (mother)
* Stanley Cobblepot (brother)
* Robert Cobblepot (brother)
* William Cobblepot (brother)

### Neutral

* Ferris Boyle
* Mister Freeze

### Rivals

* Carmine Falcone
* Black Mask
* Joker
* Two-Face

### Enemies

* Justice League
	+ Superman
	+ Batman
* Teen Titans
	+ Robin/Nightwing - Worst adversary.
	+ Robin
* Katana
* Victor Zsasz

## Powers and Abilities

### Abilities

* **Genius-Level Intellect**: Penguin is a genius in the fact his able to hide his illegal actions for years after appearing as a reformed criminal. According to Batman's file, cunning and paranoia has allowed Penguin to avoid being seen conducting his illegal business deals. Upon first opening his black market deals, Penguin sold guns on his ship The *Final Offer* because selling the firearms on U.S. soil is illegal; off U.S. soil, it's 100% legal. To allows make sure he's on top, Penguin goes by the motto "I only take the best", and that goes for everything for thugs, weapons, and even assassins.
* **Deception**: Oswald has succeeded in fooling both Fish Mooney and Sal Maroni, acting as an undercover informant for Carmine.
* **Animal Training**:
* **Business Management**: Even when his business is trapped in the super prison Arkham City, Penguin still finds a way to make it thrive.
* **Computer Hacking**: He almost managed to hack into Bat-Computer and this lead Bruce to shut down his whole underground system.
* **Swordsmanship**: Penguin spent an indeterminate amount of time in the Orient and developed a mastery of swordsmanship. The exact style that he utilizes is unknown, but his mastery is great enough that he can slice completely through a massive tree branch with a single slice and with very little effort. Unlike most swordsmen, Penguin uses an umbrella in place of a sword.
* **Fencing**:
* **Tactical Analysis**:
* **Firearms**: Penguin is a crack shot with his umbrella gun. He can even fire it one-handed short distances. A hidden blade is in the handle of the umbrella.
* **Aviation**:
	+ **Vehicle Combat**:
* **Gadgetry**: The Remote Claw was a device of Deathstroke's which was used to suspend his targets upsidedown. It could also be used to make tightrope bridges for gaps. Batman confiscated this from him to make his Line Launcher.
* **Leadership**:
* **Hand-to-Hand Combat** (Advanced): He was able to go toe-to-toe with Batman when they fought in Wayne Enterprises.
* **Martial Arts**: Penguin spent an indeterminate amount of time in the Orient and developed a mastery of the martial arts, mainly judo and ninjutsu. His combat skills are proficient enough that he can hold his own in a fight against the Batman.
	+ - **Eskrima**:
* **Military Protocol**:
* **Stealth**: Deathsroke was able to infiltrate *The Final Offer* and attack Batman while the Dark Knight was in the middle of an interrogation.
* **Interrogation**:
* **Throwing**:
* **Weaponry**:
* **Criminal Mastermind**:

### Weapons

* **Trick Umbrellas**: The Penguin wielded a variety of trick umbrellas, with knives, guns, and/or gas dispensers concealed in them.
* **Brass Knuckles**
* **Rocket Launcher**
* **Mister Freeze's Cold Gun** (formerly):

### Transportation

Penguin will occasionally use one of his trick umbrellas as a mini-helicopter. These devices are ideal for getaways escaping the grasp of the Batman.

## History

### Past

Oswald "Ozzy" Cobblepot was born into the Cobblepot Family, descended from one of the most prominent yet aristocratic families whose lineage goes back to Newcastle, England. Alfred Pennyworth's grandfather was once a butler to the English Cobblepot's and Alfred was raised on stories on how cruel and disrespectful the Cobblepots were to their staff.

As Oswald got older, Oswald's father: Tucker Cobblepot, and his brothers: Stanley, Robert and William Cobblepot, looked upon him with the same disgust by his appearance and took to neglecting and abusing Oswald physically and emotionally. For her part, Oswald's mother, Miranda Cobblepot, loved her son despite his appearance, but actively ignored her husband and her other son's abuses when questioned.

Due to his short, stubby appearance and distinctive nose; Oswald would get teased and bullied by other children. Most often comparing him to a bird due to his appearance and his love of the birds in the family pet shop, which he had taken to as his only companions due to the torment he suffered from his peers. Seeing his love of the birds, one day the schoolyard bullies invaded his man made aviary and tore down every nest in the aviary, killing the baby birds within.

Oswald's direct family line had a mansion located in Gotham City, but the family squandered their fortune away many years ago and fell on hard times due to some poor business deals made by Tucker. As the years of torment continued, Oswald's brothers all died in a series of freak accidents. After the untimely death of her husband due to bronchial pneumonia, which he had contracted also in mysterious circumstances, Miranda made her son carry an umbrella whenever he went outside, convinced that Oswald might catch pneumonia and die like his father had, and beat him with it whenever he refused.

Not long after Oswald graduated from college, the stress of her family's decline caught up with his mother, soon suffering from a stroke and becoming invalid, leaving Oswald with a great deal of debt that sends their holdings into foreclosure and Oswald loses everything; including the pet shop and the birds within it. As the apparent sole surviving member of the Cobblepot legacy, Oswald let the family estate fall into ruin, and eventually converted it into a huge aviary.

Desperate, Oswald went to a known criminal and his confederates, and offered his services in exchange for money, however, Oswald was kicked out and mocked for his appearance. This final rejection spurred Oswald to become obsessed with proving his nay-sayers wrong and gaining vengeance. A few years ago, Oswald left Gotham City and spent several years traveling the Orient. There he met two silent female assassins known only as the Kabuki Twins who later went on to work for him as his personal bodyguards.

Despite his portly physique, Oswald took an interest in martial arts, and trained his body into top fighting form. After killing the head of the criminal group and ensuring the late criminal's accomplices were arrested, Oswald took over what remained of the group and used illicit means to buy his way back into high society, restoring his family's former wealth and status.

During this time, he developed a unique method with birds and decided that such animals would be ideal in helping him regain his family's former glory. Taking the name "Penguin" as his criminal alias, training the birds to obey his commands, and modifying his umbrellas to serve as weapons, Oswald turned to a life of crime.

## See also

* Final Offer
* Iceberg Lounge
* Penguin's Criminal Syndicate
* Secret Society of Super-Villains

## External links

* Penguin *Wikipedia*
* Penguin *DC Database*
* Penguin *Batman Wiki*

## Notes & Trivia

* Penguin first appeared in Detective Comics #58 (December 1941).
* Cobblepot loves tea, is a wine connoisseur, can play the violin, studied Shakespeare, and has an appreciation for opera, poetry, and world history. He is also a gifted engineer who usually makes his umbrellas and other mechanisms himself when not delegating the job to his employees.
* Batman has reluctantly admitted that a criminal underworld under Cobblepot's control tends to be less dangerous for ordinary civilians and that there are worse people out there who would be more than happy to take Cobblepot's place. As such, Batman has on several occasions actively defended the Penguin against rival Mafiosi who have attempted to kill the villain and take over his empire.
* Cobblepot and the Riddler share a mild friendship due to Cobblepot recognizing that Nigma was the only member of the Arkham Inmates that was intelligent and stable enough to engage with on an intellectual level. Cobblepot appreciates Nigma enough that he has passed the Iceberg Lounge on to him in the event of his death.
* Oswald is one of the few of Batman's rogues who is considered sane and as such rarely gets sent to Arkham Asylum. He usually goes to Blackgate Penitentiary instead.
* Cobblepot blames the Waynes for his family's fall from grace and has a bitter enmity against Bruce Wayne, who he sees as spoiled and immature.
* As part of an army to defend his empire, the Penguin has assembled thematic street gangs like the Bat Killers (who are based on Batman's enemies), the Dead End Boys (who are based on the Suicide Squad), the Femme Fatales (who are based on female villains), the Five Points Gang (who are based on the Fearsome Five, the L.O.D. (who are based on the Legion of Doom) and the New Rogues (who are based on the Rogues).
* Following his resurrection of the Iceberg Lounge, Cobblepot hired three henchwomen, Jay, Raven and Lark, to aid him in running the lounge and assist him in other "endeavors". Lark in particular is most constantly seen chauffeuring Cobblepot around Gotham.