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| NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Penguin from Matt Reeves' Batman Saga. The mainstream version can be found here: Penguin (DC). |
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| “ | Woah, woah, woah, woah! Take it easy, sweetheart. You looking for me? I see you met the Twins. Boy, you're everything they say, ain'tcha? I guess we both are. How you doin'? I'm Oz. | „ |
| ~ The Penguin meeting Batman. |
| “ | The world ain’t set up for the honest man to succeed. That should be the American Dream right there. You know? A beautiful story with a happy ending. But that ain’t the way the world works. America’s a hustle. Not that I'm complainin'.” | „ |
| ~ Oswald explaining his worldview to Victor Aguilar |
| “ | I GOT YOU! | „ |
| ~ Penguin's catchphrase. |
Oswald "Oz" Cobb, also referred to as the Penguin, is the secondary antagonist of the 2022 film The Batman, the titular main protagonist of its 2024 HBO spin-off miniseries of the same name, and will return in some capacity in the 2026 film The Batman – Part II.
He is a powerful mobster in Gotham City who was Carmine Falcone's top lieutenant and his right-hand man, serving as the second-in-command of the latter's mob and managing its operations, particularly the Iceberg Lounge and drops drug business, by the second year Batman is fighting crime. The Penguin longs to take over Falcone's organization and become the biggest crime lord in Gotham.
He is portrayed by Colin Farrell, who also played Bullseye in Daredevil, Bobby Pellitt in Horrible Bosses, a version of Tony Shepard in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Jerry Dandridge in the Fright Night remake, Carl Hauser in the Total Recall remake, and Percival Graves in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Appearance[]
Oswald, in many ways, looks like a typical gangster. It can also be said his unattractive physical appearance is a reflection of his true nature, a monster on the outside as he is internally. He is a tall, imposing, rather ugly and slightly overweight middle-aged man with a receding hairline of black hair. He is in some ways similar physically to Tony Soprano, whom Farrel cited as an inspiration. He walks with a limp as a result of a clubfoot and uses a leg brace. He has gold teeth, a beaklike nose and scars across his face. As a result of his limp which causes him to waddle, his beaklike nose and his overall physique, he was nicknamed, "the Penguin," which he despises.
He is often seen wearing long dark leather long coats and suits. At the Iceberg Lounge he wore a tuxedo (which ironically made him look even more like a penguin than he did before). In the final episode of his titular miniseries, he is dressed like the incarnation from, "Batman: The Animated Series," wearing a suit with a black suit and dress pants, white shirt, and a golden vest, with a top hat and umbrella to complete the image.
Personality[]
The Penguin is seemingly a cordial and classy mobster who hides his multiple criminal activities behind a façade of legitimacy, such as his management of the Iceberg Lounge nightclub. When Batman interrogates him about Mayor Don Mitchell Jr.'s murder, Penguin is cooperative and friendly with the Caped Crusader, although he is not afraid to threaten the vigilante when slammed against a glass wall.
He claims to be uninvolved with the mayor's illicit doings, which is proven to be true when he is questioned by Batman and Gordon later in the film, where he also shows his loyalty to Falcone and how he's being kept in the dark regarding his boss's murder of Annika Kosolov and double dealings with the GCPD as an informant. Penguin's loyalty to Falcone is eventually broken when the latter's status as an informant is publicly revealed, being outraged that he would work with law enforcement behind the backs of his men and even attempting to shoot and kill his former boss when he insults him, albeit unsuccessfully.
The Penguin also has a sarcastic and witty sense of humor, which he commonly uses to humiliate those who oppose him. When he was alleged about being "El Rata Alada" that Gordon and Batman were looking for, Oswald scoffs and calls out the detectives for their poor Spanish skills, jokingly calling them the "world's greatest detectives" for not being able to tell the grammatical difference between "él" and "la." Later on, after killing Taj and Nadia Maroni by immolation, he receives a phone call from Salvatore Maroni, who calls him cooked after the Penguin's failed attempt on his life. The Penguin angrily replies that if he thinks he's cooked, he should call his family, mocking their fates.
From an early age, the Penguin had been exposed to the criminal world through a local gangster in his neighborhood, Rex Calabrese. Rex's genuine kindness, notoriety and moreso the way he was revered even after death inspired Oswald to become the mobster he now is, aiming to imitate Rex's greatness in order to be worshipped. However, unlike Rex, Penguin doesn't care for his community, instead serving only himself and those he holds close such as his mother, Francis.
| “ | What you did wasn't impulsive; it was instinctual. You shot that junkie pissant because you wanted to. Just like that. | „ |
| ~ Francis Cobb justifying her son's murder of Alberto Falcone. |
Similar to other versions of the character, Oswald is insecure about his condition and his physical appearance, as well as the moniker that came from having it. When insulted or disrespected, Oswald will enter a blind fit of sometimes murderous rage, described by his own mother as an instinctual defense mechanism. This behavior had been present in Oswald since his childhood, as seen when he purposely locked his brothers in the Gotham City tunnels when they made fun of him for his condition, leading to their deaths by drowning.
| “ | You are so good at talking your way out of things. Even at the cost of someone else's life. Especially then, right? | „ |
| ~ Sofia Gigante accurately describing the Penguin's most defining trait. |
Penguin is highly manipulative, cunning and quick-witted, even in situations where he is cornered by his enemy. For example, he, alongside Victor Aguilar, were able to device a plan to deceive Sofia Falcone into temporarily believing the Maronis were responsible for her brother Alberto's death, even though she was already under the impression Oswald was behind it all.
Oswald's most prominent trait is his utter lack of loyalty to anyone but himself and his two-faced fickleness, where he is completely willing to double cross just about anyone just to come on top. Even ten years before the main events of The Batman, Penguin had betrayed Sofia (whom he was very close with) by ratting her out to her father Carmine, which led to her incrimination and subsequent incarceration in Arkham. He is also shown to be a sadist, as seen when he smiled while burning a Sal's wife and son alive, and again when he murdered Vic.
The sole person Oswald shows care for is his own mother, whom he desperately attempts to please. Besides that, he cares little for anyone else, seeing them only as tools or people to fuel his own ego. However, even his love of his mother is shown to be twisted, as Oswald in actuality craves appreciation and love from her, to the point of killing his own brothers and lying to her about their true cause of death for decades on end, and keeping her alive in a vegetative state in his penthouse despite her asking to kill him, all in a plea for affection. It is heavily implied that this affection is rooted in an Oedipus Complex, as seen when he makes his lover, Eve Karlo, dress up and roleplay as his mother in her young age.
| “ | That's the thing about family. It's your strength. It drives you. But f-ck if it don't make you weak, too. I can't have that sh-t, I can't. | „ |
| ~ Oswald's last words to Victor before killing him. |
Throughout several points of The Penguin, the limited amount care Oz has shown for his mother and for Vic had nearly been his undoing, as it had been exploited by his enemies. While he had already taken some measures on this issue by saying that his mother was dead in his time in the Falcone Crime Family, this was exposed as false by Sofia years later. Upon Oz emerging on top of Gotham's criminal underworld, he resolved to a more permanent solution to cast away his weakness so that it would not hold him back, keeping his mother locked away in a penthouse in a vegetative state and murdering Vic despite the latter's genuine loyalty.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
The Devil in My House[]
Born in 1976, Oswald Cobb was the middle child of Francis Cobb and an unnamed man. Oswald was born with a malformation in his right toe, which forced him to wear a metal prosthetic around his leg as support when walking. From an early age, Oz always envied the affection and attention his brothers, Jack and Benny, received from his mother, likely as a result of being a middle child as well as an early sign of his narcissistic personality.
This, however, did not stop the three brothers from getting along. In Oswald's own words, they were very close as a family and would more often than not hang out with each other. They are mentioned to have frequented the arcade and the cinema together, as well as going to a local store named "Buddies" where they'd mix several flavors into one cup. The brothers also had a hideout in an abandoned underground trolley station, which had tunnels stretching all over Gotham, where they would often play flashlight tag.
Oswald's neighborhood was under the supervision of a local small-time gangster, Rex Calabrese, who looked after each and every one of his neighbors through favors and his influence. Though he barely got to see him in person, Oz came to look up at Rex, who became his first look at the luxuries of the criminal life. Another fixation of Oswald's at the time were 1940s musicals, which he used to watch with his mother and would later influence his sense of fashion once he became a gangster.
One rainy day in April 1988, Francis sent out her kids for an errand relating to a book owned by Rex. Oswald originally refused to go, wanting to spend the day with her alone, but was ordered to go alongside his brothers to train his leg. After reaching Rex's place, they see him outside with other gangsters, intimidating a seemingly innocent man. Jack quickly tells his younger brothers to stay at a safe distance as to not get involved, which bothers Oswald, who was excited to see Rex.
After Jack delivered Rex's book, he paid them 50 dollars. The brothers left the area to their hideout, not before Oswald gets to says hi to Rex himself. On the way to the hideout, the rain becomes more and more intense. The brothers started playing flashlight tag as usual, though it seemed like Jack and Benny had something planned out, as they immediately forced Oz to be It.
Oswald fakes counting to ten and rushes to find them. He hears Benny's voice echoing through the tunnels, leading to a hatch with an unstable ladder. Jack and Benny, knowing that Oz couldn't safely go down the hatch due to his condition, tease him and make fun of him. Oswald was immediately aggravated and closed the hatch on them, locking them in the tunnels as the rain intensified even more. Oz would then leave them behind and return to his mother.
Once he was back home, Oswald spent the rest of the day with his mother like he had intended to from a start, under the excuse that his brothers wouldn't be back soon since they were watching Beetlejuice at the cinema. After hours of watching 1940s mob-themed musicals, Francis started to get worried about her children not showing up home. Oswald could have told his mother the truth about Jack and Benny, but chose not to.
Days later, Jack and Benny's drowned bodies were found in the trolley tunnels. Francis fell in a catatonic state, not leaving her bed for anything. Until one seemingly random day, she stood up, dressed in a fancy dress and took him to Monroe's club. Once there, Oswald reassures his mother that no one, not even his dead brothers, could understand her the way he does; that he sees her by what she is, by what she does. This reaches Francis' heart, and the two danced all night. On the dance floor, Oswald promised to her that he would take care of her and give her the life she deserves by all means possible.
In reality, Francis had taken Oswald there to have Rex kill him after finding a flashlight in his coat, which made her realize that Oswald was responsible for Jack and Benny's deaths. However, due to Oswald's speech about how he understood her, she just couldn't do it and called him off last second.
Two years later, Rex died of a heart attack. After his death, the entire neighborhood made a makeshift parade in honor of his memory and his caritative deeds throughout the years. Seeing what one can accomplish by being the hand that feeds, Oswald became inspired to become a gangster like Rex so that one day he too can be revered.
Sofia's Driver[]
Oswald began work as a driver for mobsters. Eventually he was placed as the driver of Sophia Falcone, Carmine's daughter. After witnessing Sophia talking to journalist Summer Gleeson, and despite Sophia insisting she said nothing, Oswald reported it to Carmine. This resulted in Carmine, along with the rest of the family, to lie about Sophia's mental health and had her sent to Arkham for a decade, making Oswald responsible for Sophia's incarceration.
Falcone's Right Hand[]
Over the following decade, Oswald rose through the ranks and gained a reputation as a highly competent and fearsome gangster within the Falcone crime family. He was entrusted with running the Iceberg Lounge and 44 Below nightclubs. Despite the fact he wasn't 100% Italian and therefore couldn't be made, he nonetheless earned Falcone's trust enough to become his de-facto right hand man, even more so than underboss Johnny Viti and consigliere Milos Grapa.
The Batman[]
The Penguin comes into conflict with Batman early on as he finds that Cobb is somehow connected to the death of Don Mitchell Jr. Their confrontation at the Iceberg Lounge leads to Batman encountering Selina Kyle. Batman and Penguin get into conflict again as Batman is trying to solve the riddle of who "El Rata Alada" may be, believing it to be Penguin. The two get in a confrontation, and Penguin is chased by the freshly assembled Batmobile throughout the streets of Gotham. In an act of desperation, he rams the car before him, which then slides in front of an 18-wheeler, causing a massive fiery pile-up on the freeway, which Cobb believes kills the Batman and begins gloating about the latter's perceived defeat.
This is short-lived, however, as the Batmobile blasts through the flames and crashes into his car, which violently rolls over several times and leaves the helpless Penguin to be subdued by the Caped Crusader. Batman and Jim Gordon then interrogate him, telling him that he is El Rata Alada. Penguin then tells them that in Spanish, it would be "La Rata Alada", not "El", prompting them to realize it means URL. The two then leave to put the rest of the pieces of the riddle together, abandoning the Penguin at the lot.
Later on, as Falcone is being arrested and his collusion with the Gotham City Police Department exposed, Penguin curses his hated boss as a "rat". When Falcone retorts that Penguin is "just a gimp in a suit," Penguin pulls a gun on him, but doesn't fire, although Falcone is shot dead moments later by The Riddler.
The Penguin[]
After the events of the film, the Penguin goes to the Iceberg Lounge and uses a hammer to open a safe containing valuables, such as blackmail material. There, he is held at gunpoint by Carmine's drug addicted son Alberto Falcone, who has taken control of his father's criminal empire in the wake of his death. Penguin manages to convince Alberto to put the gun down, and the two share a drink, where Alberto reveals his plans to unleash a new drug on the street far more powerful than "drops", the mob's main drug. During their conversation, Penguin reveals his motivation for becoming a gangster, having been inspired by one who helped people out in his neighborhood, and who had a parade thrown in his honor. Alberto criticizes Penguin for this perceived stupid idea and eventually begins mocking him, leading to Penguin impulsively shooting Alberto.
While attempting to carry Alberto's body away, Penguin witnesses a group of kids trying to steal the rims off his car, and shoots at them, holding a member named Victor Aguilar at gunpoint causing the teen to be very worried and plead for his life. Penguin forces Victor to help with the dead body and other errands. Later, Penguin meets with the current heads of Falcone's empire, where he acts ignorant of Alberto's death, and attempts to pass off his new drug idea as his own. However, he is confronted by Alberto's sister Sofia, who was sent to Arkham Asylum for murder, but has been "rehabilitated". Sofia invites Penguin to dinner and confronts him about stealing Alberto's plan. Penguin is able to defend himself, but arouses Sofia's suspicions.
Fearing for his life, Penguin goes to his mother and attempts to convince her to leave town, only for her to criticize him for being a pussy, and encourage him to take over Gotham's criminal underworld. Penguin visits the imprisoned Sal Maroni in an attempt to convince him to take the Falcone family's current main drop facility, which Maroni refuses. Penguin gifts Maroni his ring back (the ring was stolen by Carmine after Maroni's arrest) and leaves. On his way back, he is chased by and kidnapped by Sofia's henchmen, and tortured for proof of killing Alberto. However, Victor sends a car with Alberto's corpse in it to the Falcone mansion, turning suspicion away from Penguin and allowing him to leave.
Victims[]
- Jack Cobb
- Benny Cobb
- Alberto Falcone
- Two Unnamed Falcone Guards
- Two Unnamed Maroni Enforcers
- Ervad Hakimi
- Unnamed Maroni Enforcer
- El Jefe
- Nadia Maroni
- Taj Maroni
- Two Unnamed Gigante Enforcers
- Marcus Wise
- Dom
- Enzo
- Victor Aguilar
Quotes[]
| “ | Have fun getting out! | „ |
| ~ A young Oswald leaving his two brothers locked in an overflow tunnel after they mocked him, leading to their deaths later that day when the tunnel was flooded during a rainstorm. |
| “ | Hey, Vengeance! You think you can come after my money, huh?! | „ |
| ~ The Penguin taunting Batman. |
| “ | Woah! This guy is crazy! | „ |
| ~ The Penguin as he is being chased by Batman. |
| “ | I got you! (laughs) I got you! Take that, you friggin' psycho! I got you! | „ |
| ~ The Penguin believing he killed Batman. |
| “ | That's the mayor? Oh shit, will you look at that? | „ |
| ~ The Penguin talking with Batman about a photo with the late Don Mitchell Jr. and Annika Kosolov in it. |
| “ | It’s La. La Rata. What is this Riddler stupid or something? Jesus, look at you two. World’s greatest detectives! Am I the only one who knows the difference between el and la? Jesus! No habla Espanol, fellas?! | „ |
| ~ The Penguin revealing the correct translation of el and la during his interrogation. |
| “ | Penguin: You better watch it. You know my reputation? Batman: Yeah, I do. Do you? Penguin: Look. I’m just the proprietor, okay? I mean, what people do here, ain’t got nothing to do with me. |
„ |
| ~ The Penguin explaining his occupation to Batman, while also threatening him of his reputation. |
| “ | Penguin: Goddamn rat. Falcone: What’d you say? Penguin: Enjoy your night at Blackgate, Carmine. Probably be your last. Falcone: Oh ho! So you're a big man now, Oz, huh? Penguin: Maybe I am. Falcone: Really, Oz? Because to me, you were always just a gimp in an empty suit. Penguin: I’ll spray paint your ass! |
„ |
| ~ The Penguin confronting and pulling a gun on his former employer Carmine Falcone before he gets killed by the Riddler. |
Trivia[]
- Oswald Cobb from The Batman is the second comic book character Colin Farrell plays on his career. The first was Bullseye from Daredevil.
- This version of the Penguin shares many traits with the Gotham incarnation of Penguin.
- Unlike his comic book counterpart, both versions of the Penguin are depicted as disliking such nickname and are yet to become one of Gotham's most powerful criminals.
- The two started out their criminal career by joining the Falcone Crime Family before starting a mob of their own, something which was later added to the DC Rebirth comics.
- In both works, Penguin grows fond of an ambitious child with a speech impediment and takes them under their wing, Martin and Victor Aguilar respectively.
- The two versions of the character have feuds with their respective versions of Sofia Falcone.
- However, there are some main differences between the two versions.
- For starters, this incarnation of Penguin love for his mother is incredibly twisted, as he murdered his brothers by leaving them to drown in a sewer tunnel (although it was stated to be an accidental death) and instead of honoring her final wishes to let her die in peace, he leaves her in a vegetative state because of his selfishness. Meanwhile, Gotham's incarnation of Oswald genuinely loves his mother with no selfish desire.
- Despite his fondness for Victor, Oswald callously strangles him to death because he saw his attachment towards the boy as a weakness and he couldn't afford that to be exploited. Meanwhile, Gotham's incarnation of Oswald never lost his care for Martin and went through many lengths to keep the boy safe from harm.
- In The Penguin, Oswald's last name is established to be just Cobb. This is because Matthew Reeves deemed that the Penguin's last name from the comics, Cobblepot, was "too unrealistic" and cartoonish for his vision of the Batman mythos.
- In The Batman, When Penguin is tied up with zip ties, he waddles in a manner akin to that of a real penguin.
- Colin Farrell is the fourth actor to portray the Penguin in live-action, after Burgess Meredith, Danny DeVito, and Robin Lord Taylor.
- Danny DeVito, who portrayed the character in Batman Returns, praised Colin Farell's performance, but stated that he still thinks his was better.
- Oswald murdering his brothers is directly inspired from the Penguin: Pain and Prejudice limited comic book series, where his mainstream counterpart murdered his older brothers and covered them up as just freak accidents.
- In the scene where Oswald tells Councilman Hardy about his plans to obtain legal power in Gotham, various white owl-like figures are seen as decors in the Courthouse's walls. Some fans theorize that this could be a hint of the existence of the Court of Owls.
External Links[]
- Penguin on the Batman Wiki
- Penguin on the DC Database Wiki
- Penguin on the Batman Universe Wiki
[]
 Villains
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The Batman Falcone Crime Syndicate Others: Catwoman | Salvatore Maroni | Train Gang | Joker The Penguin Maroni Crime Family Gigante Crime Family Penguin's Crew Burnley Town Massive Triads LoBoys Sullivan Crime Family Odessa Mob Arkham State Hospital Others: Marcus Wise | Squid | Rex Calabrese | ||
