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Villain Overview

There seems to be some confusion. My name is Oswald Cobblepot. Many of you no doubt will have heard of me. So... you clearly have not... For those poor, ignorant souls I offer illumination. I am not a man to be trifled with, no... I'm powerful! I'm vicious! I'm King of Gotham!
~ Oswald Cobblepot introducing himself at Arkham Asylum.
This is Gotham City, there will always be crime...
~ Penguin referring to the criminal background of Gotham - his most famous quote.

Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot (born Kapelput), also known as the Penguin, is the main antagonist of the DC comics TV series Gotham. He is a former small-time crook turned notorious crime lord in Gotham City who seeks to take control of the entire city. He is Jim Gordan's archnemesis, Fish Mooney's former umbrella boy, and Edward Nygma's best friend/archrival.

He was played by Robin Lord Taylor, who also portrayed Julian Lambrick in Would You Rather.

Overview[]

Cobblepot is introduced as a small-time criminal working for mobster Fish Mooney as her "umbrella boy". When Mooney learns that he has informed on her for the Gotham City Police Department, she breaks his kneecap, giving him his distinctive "waddle"-like limp. Along with her boss Carmine Falcone, he orders GCPD detectives Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock to kill him. Gordon spares Cobblepot's life, however. Cobblepot then slowly but surely climbs the ladder of Gotham's criminal underworld, allying himself with both Falcone and rival mob boss Sal Maroni and subtly playing them against each other. In the first season finale, he instigates a mob war in which Maroni and Mooney are killed and Falcone is forced to retire, leaving him "the king of Gotham".

In the second season, Cobblepot controls all of Gotham City's organized crime. However, he is forced to help corrupt billionaire Theo Galavan in his campaign for mayor when Galavan's sister, Tabitha, kidnaps Cobblepot's mother, Gertrud. Cobblepot obeys Galavan's orders to murder the rival candidates, but Tabitha kills Gertrud anyway. A heartbroken Cobblepot swears revenge and dedicates himself to destroying Galavan. He eventually succeeds in unraveling Galavan's criminal empire with help from Gordon, and he gets his revenge when he and Gordon kill Galavan together.

Cobblepot is arrested for killing Galavan and sent to Arkham Asylum, where head psychiatrist Hugo Strange subjects him to a series of psychological tortures that render him timid and harmless. After his release, he meets his wealthy biological father, Elijah Van Dahl, who takes him into his family. Van Dahl's wife and stepchildren are plotting to kill him and inherit his fortune, and use Cobblepot in their schemes. After they kill Elijah, they make Cobblepot their servant. When he discovers what they have done, his conditioning wears off and he becomes his old self again. Angered by the loss of his father, he takes brutal revenge: he slaughters his step-siblings and cooks them into a pot roast, feeding them to Grace before killing her as well. As Van Dahl's only living relative, Cobblepot inherits his father's fortune.

Upon learning that the vigilante Azrael is the recently resurrected Theo Galavan, Cobblepot and his henchman Butch Gilzean kill him with a missile launcher. After Arkham is overrun with Strange's mutated "experiments", Cobblepot arrives there to kill Strange, only to find that the doctor has also revived Fish Mooney.

Six months later, Cobblepot leads an angry mob against Mooney and Strange's creations. He spares Mooney after she says she is proud of what he has become, and tells her to leave Gotham and never come back. He is hailed a hero for defeating Mooney, and makes a successful run for mayor with help from his best friend and fellow criminal mastermind Edward Nygma, with whom he falls in love. When Nygma enters a relationship with a woman named Isabella, Cobblepot grows jealous and hurt, and has her killed. When Nygma discovers what Cobblepot has done, he embarks on a campaign of revenge, ultimately causing him to lose his mayoralty. Nygma then brings Cobblepot to the harbor docks, where he shoots his former friend in the stomach and pushes his body into the harbor.

Cobblepot is later found and healed by Ivy Pepper, and forms a partnership with her in order to kill Nygma and combat gangster Barbara Kean, who has taken over Gotham in his absence. They recruit Victor Fries and Bridgit Pike as minions, and help Gordon stop the Court of Owls from using a weaponized virus on the city. Mooney is fatally wounded during a showdown between Cobblepot and Kean's forces, and with her dying words tells Cobblepot to make Gotham his or "burn it to the ground".

The GCPD makes a deal with Nygma to entrap Cobblepot, but the plan fails when Kean, Tabitha and Gilzean show up to fight; Cobblepot escapes while the two sides fight each other. Cobblepot takes Nygma to the same docks where he shot him, and has Fries encase him in a block of ice, as Cobblepot wants to keep him as a reminder to never again let love weaken him. Later, Cobblepot and Ivy work on their plans for the Iceberg Lounge, with Cobblepot intending to use the frozen Nygma as the centerpiece.

Three months later, Cobblepot announces that no one can commit crimes in Gotham without a "license" from him; Mayor Aubrey James sanctions the scheme to keep crime down, and in return Cobblepot keeps the majority of the profits of any crime he permits. The GCPD reluctantly goes along with it except for Gordon, who pledges that he will arrest any criminal he finds, and eventually Cobblepot himself.

One night, Cobblepot discovers that Nygma has escaped from his ice prison and orders his personal assassin, Victor Zsasz, to find him. Nygma sends Cobblepot a series of riddles to make him guess his location. When Cobblepot does not show up at the location mentioned in the riddle (Stoker's Cemetery), he tells Nygma that he has lost his edge, and is no longer worthy of his attention. However, he changes his mind when he finds out that Nygma is making fun of him at a club in the Narrows as part of a wrestling act with Gilzean, who was killed months before and is now reborn as Solomon Grundy.

Meanwhile, Cobblepot forms a tenuous alliance with Carmine Falcone's daughter, Sofia. Together, they open an orphanage, and he befriends one of the orphans, a mute boy named Martin. He teaches the boy about the finer points of revenge and sabotage, and has him spy on Sofia, who he does not know how to trust. Martin later informs him that he saw Gordon and Sofia kissing, and Cobblepot realizes that she has been manipulating him. She arranges a meeting with him with Kean, Tabitha and Selina Kyle in tow and threatens to kill Martin unless he surrenders his territory. He fakes Martin's death to keep him safe, and declares war on Sofia. Cobblepot reveals Sofia's plotting to her father, who decides to send her away; moments later, however, Don Falcone is shot dead by men working for Sofia. Zsasz, believing that Cobblepot ordered the hit on his mentor, implicates him in Martin's apparent death, for which he is arrested and sent to Arkham. Psychopathic criminal Jerome Valeska, who is in the cell next to his, makes his life miserable by subjecting him to beatings and humiliation.

Six weeks later, Cobblepot receives a visit from Nygma, who leaves him with a riddle; he realizes that Nygma is still "the Riddler" deep down inside, and can help him escape. He then stands up to Jerome and beats him to a pulp, winning the lunatic's respect; Jerome agrees to deliver a letter from Cobblepot to Nygma and offers to take him into his gang. When Nygma visits once again, Cobblepot tells him to read the first word of each sentence of the letter, which is asking The Riddler to bring Nygma to Arkham so that Cobblepot can set the former free. Nygma allows his "Riddler" persona to take over, and breaks Cobblepot out of Arkham.

Cobblepot and Nygma visit Leslie Thompkins, who is now in charge of the Narrows. Thompkins and Nygma concoct a plan to take down Sofia, which a horrified Cobblepot discovers involves Victor Fries encasing him in a block of ice and delivering him to Sofia. Sometime later, a timer Fries planted on him goes off and melts the ice; upon being thawed out, Cobblepot tortures Sofia's underling The Dentist until he tells him where Sofia's thugs have taken Nygma. He finds them at the pier where Nygma shot him, and saves Nygma's life by shooting the thugs dead; they then reconcile as friends. Cobblepot joins forces with Jerome's "Legion of Horribles", along with Victor Fries, Bridgit Pike, Jervis Tetch and Jonathan Crane, and manages to recruit Butch with the promise of helping to find Hugo Strange to cure him. However, when he learns that Jerome intends to poison the city with lethal laughing gas, he goes to Gordon behind Jerome's back, informing him of Jerome's plans and asking for protection. When Jerome learns of Cobblepot's treachery, he has Tetch and Crane imprison him in a blimp that contains the laughing gas, set to kill thousands of people. Cobblepot overpowers the hypnotized pilot and flies the blimp out of the city toward a nearby river.

Following Jerome's death, Cobblepot joins forces with Butch, Tabitha Galavan and Barbara Kean to stop Ra's al Ghul and Jerome's equally psychopathic brother Jeremiah from destroying Gotham with a cluster of bombs, in hopes of collecting a reward from the city and getting clemency for their crimes. Jeremiah gets the better of them, however, forcing the unlikely allies to attack Ra's directly. Meanwhile, Cobblepot persuades Strange to cure Butch – only to shoot him dead in front of Tabitha as revenge for Tabitha killing his mother. When Gotham is evacuated following the bombs' explosion, Cobblepot carves out his own territory from the abandoned city.

In the fifth season, he returns as one of the three main antagonists (along with Jeremiah Valeska, Bane and Nyssa al Ghul). In the aftermath of Jeremiah's destruction of Gotham, Cobblepot and his thugs take control of all the ammunition in Gotham. He kills Tabitha during an all-out war with Gordon. He also frames Zsasz for bombing a building, in order to take full control of Gotham. When Bane and Nyssa al Ghul try to destroy the city with one of Jeremiah's bombs, Cobblepot and Nygma devise a plan to leave Gotham forever in a submarine. Cobblepot cannot bring himself to let Gotham be destroyed, however, and so he and Nygma agree to help Gordon defeat Bane and Nyssa. In the ensuing firefight, Cobblepot loses his right eye, which he covers with a monocle. He and Nygma help save the city, but lose the money and power they had amassed, so they resolve to work together to once again take control of Gotham.

Ten years later, Cobblepot is released from Blackgate Prison, having been imprisoned there six months after helping save Gotham. He kidnaps Gordon, now the GCPD Commissioner, and tries to kill him as revenge for locking him up, but Gordon escapes. Cobblepot then reunites with Nygma, who has recently escaped from Arkham. The two of them plan to resume their reign of crime, but are unexpectedly captured and tied up by a mysterious vigilante calling himself "the Batman". They manage to escape, however, and resolve to fight this new adversary together.

Appearance[]

Cobblepot is a rather skinny young man of average height, pale skin and noticeably bright blue eyes. His nose is slightly crooked and pointy, like a beak and he is usually grinning. His thin black hair looks like always wet and messily plastered on his head, with some spiky ends pointing erratically at the top of his head. His attire consists of a white shirt with a black Continental Cross tie with its ends tucked inside a silk, purple checkered vest and a black coat with dark green lapels, black pants and matching shoes, and mostly carrying a black umbrella. For betraying Fish Mooney, she beats him with a cane and cripples one of his legs, giving him his distinct penguin waddle.

In his older age, Cobblepot has put on some weight, and now wears a monocle over his damaged eye, a purple suit and wears a top hat.

Personality[]

Cobblepot is a ruthless, Machiavellian criminal mastermind whose every move is aimed at achieving a certain end. He is methodical and patient, and is willing (and often eager) to kill to get what he wants. He is also very short-tempered, often killing people for minor reasons especially during the earlier seasons. This, combined with him being willing to back-stab anyone if it benefits him, makes him a highly ruthless yet efficient mob enforcer.

He is not without a softer side however. His complicated feelings for Edward Nygma reveal a need to be loved, and his mentorship of Martin reveals a paternal instinct, even if he doesn't acknowledge it. Furthermore, as shown in the later seasons, he does care about Gotham and will stand up against those who threaten it.

Powers and Abilities[]

  • High Level intellect/Expert Tactician: Oswald is methodical in creating plans that are meant to benefit him. He managed to orchestrate a gang war between Maroni and Falcone that he hoped would result in their deaths and allow him to control Gotham's criminal underground.
    • Leadership: Oswald is capable of running a criminal organisation without getting caught by the GCPD and could convince the citizens of Gotham that Fish Mooney and her gang of "monsters" were a serious threat to the city, despite his status as a criminal and even become Mayor for a short period of time.
  • High Pain Tolerance: Oswald has a high tolerance for pain as he showed no reaction after being stabbed in the hand with a pin by Fish Mooney. He was also able to kill Mooney and escape from the GCPD, despite being shot both times.
  • Indomitable Will: Oswald has shown to almost never give up on getting revenge towards those who have wronged him. He also was willing to let himself be killed to protect Nygma due to his love for him.
  • Intimidation: While most people do not take him to be a serious threat, Oswald is able to intimidate several people with threats of violence, such as Liza. Eventfully, once he became a major mob enforcer, Oswald became infamous for his ways of dealing with disrespect. Even some of his most loyal henchmen, only obey him out of fear. This is also one of his biggest flaws as every one of his henchmen left because they feared him.
  • Master of Deception: Oswald is able to manipulate others and use them in his plans. He managed to convince Irish hitmen to kill Maroni by telling one of them it would make them Falcone's top hitmen instead of Zsasz, when in reality he planned to have them killed by Maroni and his men. While working as a double agent in Maroni's organisation for Falcone, he was able to prove his usefulness to Maroni, with the latter not realising it was all a ruse.
  • Networking: As a crime lord, Oswald has connections to multiple crime families and hitmen.
  • Singing: Oswald is skilled at singing as shown when he performed in duet with Nygma in the latter's apartment.
  • Marksmanship: Oswald is skilled in the use of firearms.
  • Torturer: Oswald is able to inflict brutal torture on several of his victims without restraint, such as when he beat Theo Galavan with a bat multiple times. He is also an expert at extending his opponents pain before killing them.
  • Toxicology: Oswald has some knowledge of poisons as he laced the cannoli he served to the bank robbers he hired with a unknown poison that killed them.
  • Combatant: Oswald has shown some skill in brawling, this seen when he fought against Fish Mooney and when he beat up Jerome Valeska in Arkham.

Victims[]

Season One[]

  • Unknown Man - Throat slashed with a fishing knife by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Unknown Man - Stabbed in the throat with a broken bottle by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Unknown Man - Killed off-screen by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot after failing to get ransom money for him.
  • Fish Mooney's Henchman - Stabbed to death off-camera by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Lou - Shot to death by three robbers hired by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Two of Salvatore Maroni's Men - Shot to death by three robbers hired by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Three Robbers - Accidentally ate poisoned cannoli given to them by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Frankie Carbone - Stabbed to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Timothy - Stabbed to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot's men on his orders.
  • Unknown Man - Killed with a glass cup off-camera by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot, blood splatter shown.
  • Marge - Shot to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Flower Delivery Man - Stabbed in the throat with a broken piece of glass by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Four Unknown People - Accidentally blown up by one of The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot's hitmen, aiming for Carmine Falcone.
  • Six of Fish Mooney's Men - Shot to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Fish Mooney - Pushed off of a roof into the ocean by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot. Resurrected by Hugo Strange later.
    • Total - 25

Season Two[]

  • Unknown Criminal - Shot in the head by Victor Zsasz, on Oswald Cobblepot's orders.
  • Janice Caulfield - Stabbed to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Unknown Man - Beaten to death with a fire poker by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Leonard - Killed off-screen by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot and The Riddler/Edward Nygma.
  • 29 Order of St. Dumas Cultists - Shot to death by James Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot, Gus, several unknown GCPD Officers, and several of The Penguin's Henchmen.
  • Theo Galavan - Beaten with a baseball bat by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot/Shot in the chest by James Gordon. Shared kill, resurrects later.
  • Elijah Van Dahl's Doberman - Drank the same poisoned alcohol Elijah was killed with, given to it by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Sasha Van Dahl - Killed off-screen in an unknown manner by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot, remains fed to his mother Grace Van Dahl.
  • Charles Van Dahl - Killed off-screen in an unknown manner by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot, remains fed to her mother Grace Van Dahl.
  • Grace van Dahl - Stabbed to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
    • Total - 38

Season Three[]

  • Boris - Shot in the head by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Isabella - Accidentally hit by a train in her car after Gabe cut the breaks on her car, on the orders of The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Tarquin Stemmel - Beaten to death with a trophy by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • One of Gabe's Friends - Shot in the head by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Gabe - Stabbed to death with a garden digging fork by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Court of Owls Guard - Throat slashed by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
    • Total - 6

Season Four[]

  • Street Demonz Leader - Stabbed in the throat by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Dietrich - Electrocuted to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Two of Sofia Carmine's Men - Shot to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Butch Gilzean - Shot to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
    • Total - 5

Season Five[]

  • Six Low Boyz Members - Shot to death by The Penguin's men on his orders.
  • Tabitha Galavan - Stabbed to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Two Gang Members - Shot to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Magpie - Shot to death by The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot after getting caught in one of his traps.
  • Two of Nyssa's Henchmen - Blown up with a bomb made by The Riddler/Edward Nygma and The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Two Unknown Soldiers - Shot to death by either Harvey Bullock, James Gordon, The Riddler/Edward Nygma, or The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.
    • Total - 14

Kill Count[]

  • Total - 88

Appearances[]

Appearances for Oswald Cobblepot

Gotham[]

Season 1[]

  • "Pilot"
  • "Selina Kyle"
  • "The Balloonman"
  • "Arkham"
  • "Viper"
  • "Spirit of the Goat"
  • "Penguin's Umbrella"
  • "The Mask"
  • "Harvey Dent"
  • "LoveCraft"
  • "Rogues' Gallery"
  • "What The Little Bird Told Him"
  • "Welcome Back, Jim Gordon"
  • "The Fearsome Dr. Crane"
  • "The Scarecrow"
  • "The Blind Fortune Teller"
  • "Red Hood"
  • Everyone Has a Cobblepot"
  • "Beasts of Prey"
  • "Under the Knife"
  • "The Anvil or the Hammer"
  • All Happy Families are Alike

Season 2[]

  • "Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do"
  • "Rise of the Villains: The Last Laugh"
  • "Rise of the Villains: Strike Force"
  • "Rise of the Villains: Scarification"
  • "Rise of the Villains: By Fire"
  • "Rise of the Villains: Mommy's Little Monster"
  • "Rise of the Villains: Tonight’s the Night"
  • "Rise of the Villains: A Bitter Pill to Swallow"
  • "Rise of the Villains: The Son of Gotham"
  • "Rise of the Villains: Worse Than A Crime"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Mr. Freeze"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: A Dead Man Feels No Cold"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: This Ball of Mud and Meanness"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Mad Grey Dawn"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Prisoners"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Into the Woods"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Azrael"
  • "Wrath of the Villains: Unleashed"

Season 3[]

  • "Mad City: Better to Reign in Hell..."
  • "Mad City: Burn the Witch..."
  • "Mad City: Look Into My Eyes"
  • "Mad City: New Day Rising"
  • "Mad City: Anything for You"
  • "Mad City: Follow the White Rabbit"
  • "Mad City: Red Queen"
  • "Mad City: Blood Rush"
  • "Mad City: The Executioner"
  • "Mad City: Time Bomb"
  • "Mad City: Beware the Green-Eyed Monster"
  • "Mad City: Ghosts"
  • "Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It"
  • "Mad City: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies"

Season 4[]

  • "A Dark Knight: Pax Penguina"
  • "A Dark Knight: The Fear Reaper"
  • "A Dark Knight: They Who Hide Behind Masks"
  • "A Dark Knight: The Demon's Head"
  • "A Dark Knight: The Blade's Path"
  • "A Dark Knight: Hog Day Afternoon"
  • "A Dark Knight: A Day in the Narrows"
  • "A Dark Knight: Stop Hitting Yourself"
  • "A Dark Knight: Let Them Eat Pie"
  • "A Dark Knight: Things That Go Boom"
  • "A Dark Knight: Queen Takes Knight"
  • "A Dark Knight: A Beautiful Darkness"
  • "A Dark Knight: Reunion"
  • "A Dark Knight: The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause"
  • "A Dark Knight: Mandatory Brunch Meeting"
  • "A Dark Knight: That's Entertainment"
  • "A Dark Knight: To Our Deaths and Beyond"
  • "A Dark Knight: That Old Corpse"
  • "A Dark Knight: One Bad Day"
  • "A Dark Knight: No Man's Land"

Season 5[]

  • Legend of the Dark Knight: No Man's Land: Year Zero
  • Legend of the Dark Knight: Penguin, Our Hero
  • Legend of the Dark Knight: Ruin
  • Legend of the Dark Knight: Pena Dura
  • Legend of the Dark Knight: 13 Stitches
  • Legend of the Dark Knight: Ace Chemicals
  • Legend of the Dark Knight: Nothing's Shocking
  • Legend of the Dark Knight: The Trial of Jim Gordon
  • Legend of the Dark Knight: I Am Bane
  • Legend of the Dark Knight: They Did What?
  • Legend of the Dark Knight: The Beginning...

Gotham Stories[]

  • "Chapter 1 - Penguin's Cold Surprise"
  • "Chapter 2 - Mr. Freeze Targets Penguin"
  • "Chapter 3 - Run, Penguin, Run!"
  • "Chapter 4 - Can Gordon and Bullock Help Oswald?"

Quotes[]

Season 1[]

Sorry.
~ Oswald Cobblepot's first word in the show when he failed to keep Fish Mooney dry as she beat a thug.
Oswald: Mario Pepper was framed by Fish Mooney and the cops. I saw Ms. Mooney with Martha Wayne's necklace. She was discussing how to get it into Pepper's home inside a baga drugs. This was shortly after she met with Detectives Bullock and Gordon from the homicide squad.
Allen: Mooney works with Carmine Falcone's mob. You saying Falcone had the Waynes killed?
Oswald: I'm just telling you what I saw.
Montoya: Then why? Why snitch on your own boss?
Oswald: I confess that... that poor orphan boy pricked my conciseness.
Allen: Nah, you wanna push Fish out.
Oswald: That's beside the point. I've done my civic duty. Good day to you both.
~ Oswald selling out Fish Mooney to Crispus Allen and Rene Montoya.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Oswald Cobblepot, I live... I breath!
~ Oswald revealing himself to be alive and well.
Foolish arrogance led me astray. But I learned my lessons. I'll be back, stronger and smarter than ever.
~ Oswald Cobblepot.
I'm the King of Gotham!!!
~ Oswald Cobblepot upon killing Fish Mooney.
There is a war coming, a terrible war. Falcone is losing his grip and his rivals are hungry. There will be chaos, rivers of blood in the street. I know it. I can see it coming.
~ Oswald Cobblepot to Jim Gordon about the coming war.

Season 2[]

You need an assassin. This is Gotham; you can find them in the phonebook under 'A'.
~ Oswald to Theo Galavan.
I'm going to kill you.
~ Oswald before seemingly killing Theo.
Hello, old friend.
~ Oswald when Azrael was revealed to be Theo.
Oswald:… Impossible…
Fish: Nothing is impossible…
~ Oswald Cobblepot and Fish Mooney when meeting each other again.
For months, I warned the police about the threats to our city, posed by Hugo Strange's freaks, by the murderer Fish Mooney, and how did they protect you? They said that Fish Mooney wasn't real, that these escapees were victims who need our help. Well, Fish Mooney was real, and once she was cornered by the GCPD, finally, they let her escape. And these "victims"-- well, I, for one, am not afraid to call them by their proper name: MONSTERS! Our city is invaded by monsters, attacking our brothers and sisters, and it is up to us! To you! To kill every monster you see! WHO IS WITH ME?!
~ Penguin encouraging Gotham citizens to hunt down Indian Hill escapees.

Season 3[]

To hell with the people!
~ Oswald upon being called out on TV.
I just remembered, there's somebody I need to kill…
~ Oswald about Nygma.

Season 4[]

You know, Augustus Caesar once presided over the longest period of peace and prosperity the world has ever known. It was called the Pax Romana. Perhaps, one day this will be known as the Pax Penguina.
~ Oswald to an assembled press conference.
New times, new methods.
~ Oswald after killing Sofia's men.
You wanted a war, you got one!
~ Oswald Cobblepot to Sofia Falcone and the Sirens.
I know that laugh…
~ Oswald Cobblepot recognising the voice of Jerome Valeska.
I see the other you. The one whose name I wouldn't speak. But because he has earned it and because I need him, I'm saying now: I need you… Riddler…
~ Oswald Cobblepot to Edward Nygma about his alternate personality.
Jerome: Mr. Oswald. Thank you for doing your part in hosting us today.
Penguin: Anything for an old friend.
~ Jerome Valeska and Oswald Cobblepot during the villain brunch.
Did you think I forgot that you murdered my mother? That I just got over it? I have lived with that pain every day. I could have killed you any time I wanted, but I believe in an eye for an eye. You took away the one person I love, so I took away the one person you love. And you get to live with that. But don't worry, in time, when I feel that you have suffered enough I will kill you, too!
~ Oswald Cobblepot to Tabitha Galavan after killing Butch.

Trivia[]

  • While most versions of The Penguin tend to accept and like the nickname "Penguin", this version has a great dislike for the nickname, even going so far as to kill someone, if he can get away with it. However, with some advice from Sal Maroni (that an image/moniker was a sign of power), he begins to embrace the nickname. In Season 2, he begins to address himself with the name and is comfortable with it and by season 3 insists people address him by the name.
  • Cobblepot seems to be somewhat insane, unlike most incarnations who are sane. This seems inspired by the Batman Returns incarnation played by Danny DeVito, as well as the Arkham video game version of the character who is shown to be ruthless and bloodthirsty, rather than the sophisticated version in some comic adaptations who sees himself as a gentlemen of crime.
  • In the Season 2 episode "Mad Grey Dawn" Cobblepot is revealed to be 31 years old, which makes him 17 years older than Bruce Wayne. Since Bruce normally starts off as Batman at the age of 25, by then Cobblepot will be 42.
  • Interestingly, Cobblepot has helped save the life of Bruce Wayne (who would ironically thwart the villain by becoming Batman) twice from Theo Galavan.
  • Cobblepot is thin in the Gotham series, while he is obese in the comics and a majority of his other incarnations. However it is possible this version will put on weight, which is shown in his concept art depicting an older Cobblepot, plus his depiction of enjoying drinking alcohol and eating snacks.
    • Robin Lord Taylor has said the character will gradually start gaining weight in order to fit with his comic counterpart which eventually happened in the series finale.
  • This incarnation of the Penguin has been very well received with critics and viewers alike, with Robin Lord Taylor's portrayal also praised. Actor Danny DeVito (who played the Penguin in Batman Returns) praised Taylor's performance. Taylor himself had previously stated he used DeVito's Penguin as inspiration for his version of the character. Actor Mark Hamill, best known for voice acting the Joker in the Animated Series and Arkham Games also praised him.
  • He could be considered the "evil counterpart" to protagonist James Gordon as both are newcomers that recognize a great conflict is brewing. Whereas Oswald manipulates the conflict to benefit himself, Gordon is trying to fight against it and clean up Gotham and, while Oswald kisses up to authority figures only to later betray them, Gordon's stubbornness causes him to make enemies.
    • Oswald ends up reverting back to his 'evil' ways. In the film A Clockwork Orange, it is implied that Alex would be going back to his violent ways once again.
  • This is the first version of the character Penguin to be homosexual.
  • Penguin has cheated death more than anyone in the series.
  • The Penguin in Gotham could be considered the main antagonist of the series for appearing the most, is a more constant threat than anyone else, and is always portrayed as a thorn in Jim Gordon's side, even when the pair have teamed up together to deal with a threat to Gotham.
  • His appearance in the finale resembles the Burgess Meredith version from the 1960s television series Batman.
  • The Penguin appears in more episodes than any other antagonist in the series, only being absent in five out of one hundred total episodes. Those episodes are "Knock, Knock", "Pinewood", "A Legion of Horribles", "One of my Three Soups", and "Trespassers".
  • There is not a single death in the episode "Pax Penguina" (named after Pax Romana, a 200 year span of relative peace in the Roman Empire), being one of two episodes in the entire series without any.
  • This version of Penguin has inspired other adaptations of the character. When the DC Comics relaunched with "Rebirth" in 2016, Oswald Cobblepot's background showed him working for the Falcone crime family as a umbrella boy when a younger man, something which hadn't been done in the comics prior to Gotham. The 2022 film The Batman show Penguin working for Carmine Falcone and running his own nightclub in the same vein as season 1 Penguin. The only difference between them two is that movie Penguin is loyal to Carmine Falcone and refuses to snitch, a complete contrast to the Gotham counterpart.

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           Gotham-5428254c4abd4 Villains

Gotham City Police Department
Gillian Loeb | Nathaniel Barnes | Arnold Flass | Tom Dougherty | Edward Nygma

Falcone Crime Family
Carmine Falcone | Mario Calvi | Sofia Falcone | Fish Mooney | Butch Gilzean | Aubrey James | Oswald Cobblepot | Victor Zsasz | Arthur Penn

Trident Intercontinental Shipping
The Dollmaker | Patti and Doug | Thomas Schmidt | The Catcher

Maroni Crime Family
Salvatore Maroni | Frankie Carbone | Gabe | Oswald Cobblepot

Court of Owls
Ra's al Ghul | Shaman | Kathryn Monroe | Hugo Strange | Ethel Peabody | Talons

Penguin's Gang
Oswald Cobblepot | Edward Nygma | Butch Gilzean | Gabe | Arthur Penn | Victor Zsasz | Headhunter | Ivy Pepper | Victor Fries | Bridgit Pike | The Penguins

Wayne Enterprises
Sid Bunderslaw | Reginald Payne

Red Hood Gang
Butch Gilzean | Gus Floyd | Clyde Destro | Trope | Regan | Haskins

Order of St. Dumas
Father Creel | Theo Galavan | Tabitha Galavan

The Maniax
Theo Galavan | Barbara Kean | Jerome Valeska | Robert Greenwood | Aaron Helzinger | Arnold Dobkins

The Lady's Organization
The Lady | Matches Malone | Eduardo Flamingo | Billy Boy

Monsters
Theo Galavan/Azrael | Bridgit Pike | Victor Fries | Fish Mooney | Nancy | Sid | Subject 514A | Ridgeback Monster | Basil Karlo | Marv | Tweaker

The Mutants
Mutant Leader

Cult of Jerome
Jerome Valeska | Dwight Pollard

League of Shadows
Ra's al Ghul | Nyssa al Ghul | Shaman | Anubis & The Hunter | Eduardo Dorrance | Barbara Kean

Church of Jeremiah
Jeremiah Valeska | Ecco | Sykes

Legion of Horribles
Jerome Valeska | Oswald Cobblepot | Butch Gilzean | Jervis Tetch | Jonathan Crane | Victor Fries | Bridgit Pike

Raven Society
James Harwood | Bet Sykes | Peggy Sykes | Frances Gaunt | John Salt | Nelson Thursday | Arthur Pennyworth

Others
Mario Pepper | Davis Lamond | Richard Gladwell | Stan Potolsky | Electrocutioner | Aaron Danzig | Dorothy Duncan | Leslie Thompkins | Dr. Marks | Gerald Crane | The Ogre | Dick Lovecraft | Larissa Diaz | Grace van Dahl | Carlson Grey | Professor Pyg | Richard Sionis | Deever and Dumfree Tweed | Zaardon | Merton | Warden Reed | Jane Cartwright | Magpie

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