The Penguin, aka Oswald Cobblepot, is looking to be one of the primary villains in Matt Reeve’s newThe Batmanfilm starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, and Colin Ferrell as the Penguin. The Penguin has a long history with Batman, first appearing inDetective Comics#58by Bob Kane and Bill Finger back in 1941.
RELATED:DC: Villainous Things Batman Has Done In The Comics
DC Comicsis notorious for their “Elseworlds” stories. In these tales, writers and artists reimagine DC Comics characters in different settings and contexts. Such stories include beloved titles likeKingdom Come,Superman: Red Son, andBatman: Gotham by Gaslight. The Penguin has received his own share of such reimaginings, and they can get quite strange.
7Emperor Penguin Is An Old Penguin Henchman Who Became A Super-Villain
The Emperor Penguin is not Oswald Cobblepot at all. Instead, it is Ignatius Ogilvy, a former henchman to the Penguin. At one point, Ogilvy saw an opening and performed a coup against the Penguin. Ogilvy took the name of Emperor Penguin in his place and injected himself with a chemical cocktail composed of one of Poison Ivy’s plants, Bane’s Venom serum, and Kirk Langstrom’s Man-Bat potion.
The result was a super-strong and super-durable Ogilvy with bark-like skin. Cobblepotwent to Batman for helpin dealing with Emperor Penguin, and the two teamed up to bring the new villain down. The character of Emperor Penguin was created by John Layman and Jason Fabok.
6FlashpointPenguin Is An Assistant To Thomas Wayne
In theFlashpointtimeline, Bruce Wayne was killed instead of his parents, and Thomas Wayne became a lethal Batman who used guns to deal with Gotham’s underworld. In this world, Oswald Cobblepot is an assistant to Thomas Wayne.
RELATED:Best Third-Person Adventure Games Of All Time, Ranked
This is particularly funny, as a common thread in the Penguin’s story is him having a familial grudge against the Wayne Family (though sometimes it’s actually a feud with the Pennyworths, Alfred’s family). This version of Penguin was created by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso.
5In An Alternate Timeline, The Penguin Becomes The President
In oneBatmanstory by Tom King and Tony S. Daniel, the time-traveling hero Booster Gold goes back in time to save Bruce Wayne’s parents from being killed as a bizarre gift for Batman.The result is a warped Gotham City where Dick Grayson grows up to be a violent gun-toting Batman. Needless to say, Booster Gold has to fix this mess-up.
In this version of reality, Oswald Cobblepot becomes the President of the United States. This isn’t really explained at all, and it isn’t known how Cobblepot found himself in this position.
4Admiral Cobblepot Is A Sailor Who Betrayed England
In one Elseworlds story, Batman is known as Leatherwing.He is a privateer who, alongside Alfredo, Capitana Felina, and Robin Redbladehunt down pirates such asthe Laughing Man.
One such enemy of Leatherwing is Admiral Cobblepot, a former officer in the British Navy who turned traitor and became a part of the Spanish Navy.He attempts to capture Robin Redblade and Capitana Felina, but Cobblepot is defeated by Leatherwing.
3The Monster Penguin From The World Of Tomorrow
On another alternate world called “the World of Tomorrow,” there was an Oswald Cobblepot who was kidnaped by Warden Alexander Luthor of the “World of the Knight.” On this world, Cobblepot is mutated by Luthor and turned into a giant muscular beast.
RELATED:Every Opening Scene In The DCEU, Ranked
This version of the Penguinis ultimately beaten by Batman and Robin of the World of the Knight, and they eventually team up with the Superman of the World of Tomorrow. This story was put together by Gene Luen Yang and Ivan Reis.
2Penguello Is A Robotic Penguin Skeleton
Superman/Batman #60by Michael Green, Mike Johnson, and Francis Manapul told a story where Superman and Batman get “mashed-up” together. This is all revealed to be a ploy by Doctor Destiny but not before some truly bizarre combinations of Superman and Batman villains are unveiled.
Among these villain combos is Penguello, a mixture of Penguin and the robotic Metallo. He is a crime lord’s mind in a mechanical penguin skeleton body with an umbrella, and he formed part of the Brotherhood of Injustice led by Lex Joker.
1The Menagerie Of Dark Nights: Death Metal Penguins
TheDark Nights: Death Metalstory by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo had a spin-off one-shot calledThe Last 52: War of the Multiverses.In this comic, there is a tale called “Apicius” by Marguerite Bennett and Inaki Miranda.This part of the story finds the Penguin of Prime Earth fighting Penguins from across the Multiverse.
Such Penguins include a massive blob Penguin, a tall and lanky Penguin, and a Penguin who rides a leopard seel and hunts actual penguins. The Prime Earth Penguin somehow transforms into a giant crow and kills the other Penguins. Yes, this all happens in the same story, and the whole event’s conclusion ends up being quite a triumphant moment for Batman’s iconic villain.
