Batman's most financially successful villain, the Penguin, is about to lose everything he holds dear. A new one-shot comic will showcase Oswald Cobblepot's losing his stranglehold on the criminal underground, as well as his trademark umbrella.
Unlike most other Dark Knight antagonists, the Penguin is known for his aristocratic presentation and his more "gentlemanly" style of crime. Not one for bank robberies or more ornate displays of crime, Cobblepot prefers to run his criminal dealings out of his club, the Iceberg Lounge. But just because Penguin doesn't like to get his hands dirty, doesn't mean he won't go toe-to-toe with the Batman should it be necessary. Recently played by Colin Farrell in The Batman, Oswald is renowned in the city of Gotham for his unique and deadly arsenal of umbrellas which double as guns, saws or even personal helicopters.
But it looks like another criminal in Gotham is itching to steal Penguin's style. Amid a spree of announcements for the upcoming Batman: One Bad Day initiative, DC has revealed a look at a story that will feature the worst day of Cobblepot's life. On Twitter, DC's Batman account posted a teasing message: "When The Penguin’s criminal empire is stolen by a former associate, Batman faces both Oswald and The Umbrella Man on the burning streets of Gotham!" Along with the cryptic post was a motion teaser that shows the Penguin sitting in the rain with an umbrella barely keeping him dry as the image of Batman overlooks the bird-themed mobster. DC also announced that the story would be written by John Ridley and drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli and will arrive this October.
It's interesting to note that the Penguin shown in the motion teaser strongly favors Colin Farrell's portrayal. In that same vein, the Riddler is about to go on a killing spree in his own One Bad Day story, also hearkening to his characterization in the same film as a major threat to the city. The One Bad Day reveals have all strongly hinted that Batman's adversaries are about to become much darker versions of themselves, with chaotic events heightening the threat they pose to Bruce Wayne's beloved city. Due to his role as a side character in The Batman, Penguin was toned down as a threat, but One Bad Day promises to go in the opposite direction.
While the Umbrella Man is a mystery so far, it's implied that he'll be a gang figure set on unseating Penguin and taking Gotham for himself, starting a war which will rage out of control. This premise is similar to Batman's 'War of Jokes and Riddles' arc, which saw the Dark Knight take a side in a clash between Joker and Riddler. Will Bruce likewise join Penguin against a more chaotic threat?
The Penguin has always skirted the line between mobster and supervillain. While he's no doubt a flamboyant antagonist, he's generally a more formal and old-school style rogue, less fond of destabilizing a city that makes him rich. But as the Joker famously said in The Killing Joke "All it takes is one bad day" for someone to change for the worst. Losing the empire he's worked so hard to build to a former associate would be bad enough, but someone's clearly out to replace Penguin. Stealing his umbrella gimmick is the salt in the wound that someone like Oswald Cobblepot will no doubt will take personally. Losing everything during One Bad Day may just turn the Penguin into the most brutal version of himself that he's ever been.