OSWALD COBBLEPOT AKA THE PENGUIN
The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot), is a DC Comics supervillain and is an archenemy of Batman. He was introduced by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, he first appeared in Detective Comics #58 (December 1941).
In most incarnations, The Penguin is a short, chubby man who wears a tuxedo, top hat, and monocle. A mobster-type criminal, he fancies himself a "gentleman of crime." Unlike most Batman villains, he does not theme his crimes around a psychotic obsession; his intelligence and aristocratic personality starkly contrast against demented Batman villains, such as The Joker. However, he recently became a nightclub owner who engages in more quiet criminal activity whom Batman tolerates as a source of criminal underworld information.
Origin
Born Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, the Penguin was teased very much in childhood due to his short stature, obesity, and bird-like nose. According to the recent encapsulated origin of the Penguin as shown in Countdown 29, young Cobblepot was not wealthy and his mother owned a pet shop; Cobblepot only became a criminal after neighborhood bullies murdered all the animals in the shop, including his beloved birds. The Penguin received his alias from a childhood nickname, bestowed by his peers, who teased him because of his grotesque appearance and love of birds (some retellings of his origin suggest he also suffered from some sort of hip ailment, which caused him to waddle when he walked. The Penguin shows no signs of suffering from this affliction today).
Analysis of Criminal Insanity
What all of the origin stories agree on is that while the Penguin lives a life of crime and evil, he usually does not actively engage in it publically any longer and executes it with his own self proclaimed high society class and style. When he was an active criminal, he commits crimes with the theme of the various birds he loves.
The Penguin's trademark are the various deadly umbrellas he uses to execute his evil plans, that serve some specialized function, such as hang-gliding and weaponry. Several Origin stories say he was forced as a child to always carry an umbrella by his over-protective mother, due to his father dying of pneumonia after being drenched in a downpour. In keeping with his pretensions of being a refined gentleman, he also prefers to wear formal wear such as a top hat and tuxedo during his jobs. In his top hat (in some cases) he has a hand pistol for urgent situations. He also has a pop-out machine gun in his hotel suite umbrella holder for urgent cases also.
The Penguin has a keen analytical mind, and a sharp business acumen. He is proficient in areas pertaining to organized crime and business management. He is one of few batman foes that is 100% sane. He has an uncanny high agility rate and is fast for his body stature. Now that he rarely ever strays away from his resteraunt booth, it can be guessed his speed has dwindled over time.
http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Penguin
Film portrayal
In Batman Returns, the Penguin was portrayed by Danny DeVito. Director Tim Burton, inspired by the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, re-imagined the character not as an eloquent gentleman of crime, but a physically deformed sociopath with a homicidal grudge against Gotham City.
While this Penguin retained a number of trademarks, such as a variety of trick umbrellas and the use of a monocle, he was given a huge visual makeover. Where the comic version had varied between a full head of hair and varying degrees of thinning, this Penguin was bald at the top, with his remaining length of hair long and stringy. His hands were now flippers, with a thumb and index finger, and the remaining three fingers fused together. An unidentified thick, dark green bile-like liquid sometimes trickled from his nose and mouth.
In the film, the Penguin is born disfigured and his wealthy parents lock their infant son in a metal stove and throw him into Gotham's sewers. The child survives, floating down Gotham's sewers and under the city zoo, where he is taken in by a group of penguins and later joins a circus freak show. While researching Penguin, Batman speculates that the Penguin was responsible for the disappearance of children during his time in the circus freak show. Batman then attacks Penguin's Red Triangle Circus goons and puts a stop to the kidnappings. Penguin then dispatches an army of rocket-armed Penguins to bomb all of Gotham. Batman manages to jam the birds' control signals and turn them around so that they attack Penguin's base instead, apparently killing the Penguin and what is left of his gang inside. Later on, following a confrontation between Catwoman and Max Shreck, a gravely injured Penguin emerged from the water, ready to kill Batman. Ultimately though, he collapses from his wounds and dies, and six large Emperor Penguins emerge from the shadows and pull his body back into the water which becomes his grave.
http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Penguin_%28Danny_DeVito%29
No comments:
Post a Comment