The Penguin (Batman)

The Penguin is Oswald Cobblepot. He is an enemy of Batman.

Like many Batman villains, there have been different versions of the Penguin on page and screen, but some key characteristics remain constant.

The Penguin is so called because he resembles the aquatic antarctic bird, with a squat body and a long pointed nose. He usually accentuates the resemblance by wearing a tuxedo, often accessorized with a top hat, spats, white gloves, monocle, and a cigarette holder.

He is almost never seen without an umbrella, which is usually ascribed to his childhood promise to his mother that he always carry one in case of rain. His umbrellas are his best known weapons, as each one contains some kind of dangerous trick, earning the Penguin the nickname of "The Man of a Thousand Umbrellas."

The Penguin's other great arsenal is his birds, which are most often penguins, but can be any kind of fowl. He is an expert trainer, and his flocks can be the size of small armies.

The Penguin's greatest weapon, however, may be his devious mind. He has often convinced the public that he is is an honest citizen, even to the point of becoming a mayoral candidate. While he is a very intelligent and cultured man, enjoying opera, fine cooking and reads Nieztche and Goethe, the Penguin hates most people and considers himself above them, often blaming them for his status as an outcast.

The Penguin's weakness is his vanity. No matter what the crime or misdeed, he desires recognition, and Batman has often exploited this desire to trap him.

The Penguin made his screen debut in the 1966 Batman television series, where he was played as an irascible con man by Burgess Meredith. This characterization became the standard until 1992's "Batman Returns," in which Danny Devito played him as a hideous mutant living in the sewers of Gotham.

Subsequent versions of the character have seen him as anything from a grotesque, acrobatic street criminal to a debonair "legitimate" nightclub owner controlling all organized crime in Gotham City.

The Penguin's most detailed origin appeared in "Batman Returns," in which he was born in a wealthy family, but his parents dumped him as a baby because of his deformities. He was picked up and raised by the Red Triangle Circus Gang, a criminal organization posing as a traveling circus. When he got older, he climbed up the ranks in the organization until he became the crime lord known as the Penguin.