It would be no understatement to say that Penguin is one of Gotham’s most unpredictable villains. For the most part, he hobbles around trying to kill anybody who stands in his way with that bloodthirsty trait helping him rise to become one of the worst people within the whole city. That, for a place as bad as Gotham, takes some doing.
However, Robin Lord Taylor’s character is also prone to rare moments of niceness that prompts audiences to question what they really know about the character. Here are 10 examples of Penguin being nice to people—despite being one of Batman’s deadliest foes.
Saving Jim Gordon
In the very first episode of Gotham, Jim Gordon is pressured into murdering Penguin against his better judgment. The GCPD officer is a rookie, and, with the criminals having a big hold over the city’s big players, it means that he must wipe out the villain to prove that he will be compliant.
Jim doesn’t do this, of course, allowing Oswald Cobblepot to escape. Everyone else thinks he did the deed, though, leading to an investigation. However, Penguin puts his own life at risk to return and clear the rookie cop of any wrongdoing, repaying Jim for letting him live.
Any Scene With His Mother
Behind every strong man, there’s a strong woman. That, at least, is how the old saying goes. However, in Gotham, it’s Penguin who is the strong one in the family with the villain often looking after his naive, angelic mother Gertrude—even when head of the criminal underworld.
Every scene between the duo is touching. Penguin never does anything untoward towards the woman he loves, instead playing the role of loyal and lovely son to perfection. That makes her death at the hands of Tabitha Galavan in season two all the more sad and takes his character further down a dark path.
Looking After Martin
In series four, Penguin is keen to win round Sofia Falcone by showing himself to be invested in the residents of Gotham, particularly those in dire situations. His trip to an Orphan home means he strikes up a close bond with young Martin, who later comes under threat from female quartet Sofia, Barbara Kean, Selina Kyle, and Tabitha Galavan.
Oswald goes to show he’s not gone soft by seemingly blowing up Martin, putting his reputation first. But a nice scene shows how he helped the boy escape to safety before pressing the trigger, and the bond they share is another example of the villain’s softer side.
Saving Bruce From Theo (The First Time)
It’s fair to say that Penguin absolutely hates Theo Galavan, the mysterious businessman who comes to Gotham at the start of the second season. Oswald immediately finds himself being blackmailed by the villain who, it emerges, has come to the city in order to murder Bruce Wayne out of revenge for the way his family was treated in the past.
Penguin, for the most part, is unable to deliver any blow to Theo. However, he joins the fight to save Bruce by helping the likes of Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Alfred Pennyworth rescue the youngster from death. Once again, it’s a rare moment where he puts somebody else first (even if revenge was no doubt on his mind).
Saving Bruce From Theo (The Second Time)
Penguin thinks he’s seen the last of Theo Galavan when he sticks an umbrella through the villain’s throat on the shores of Gotham. However, he’s left reeling when he discovers that Theo had been revived by Hugo Strange and brought back under the name of Azrael, becoming a warrior hellbent on murdering the citizens of Gotham.
Azrael begins to piece together fragments of his past, and that leads him into making another attempt on Bruce’s life. Fortunately, Penguin comes to the rescue by blowing him up with a rocket launcher. For us normal folk, that would be drastic, but, for Oswald, it’s a moment that once again shows he has good inside him—as well as bad.
Being Honest With His Father
In series two, Penguin undergoes a dramatic change of character following a stint as Hugo Strange’s Guinea Pig in Arkham. That leads him into becoming softer as a result, with the villain even abandoning his position as head of the criminal underworld. During this time, he meets father Elijah Van Dahl.
Given how much this means to him, you could have forgiven Oswald for keeping the truth about his past secret. He doesn’t, however, and does the right thing by fessing up, earning the respect of his father in the process. He stays transformed until Elijah is murdered by his wife, which is the trigger for Penguin to revert back to his evil, nasty self.
Letting Fish Mooney Live
Penguin is downright terrified when he discovers not only that Fish Mooney is alive, but also that she’s now blessed with some... specialist... skills. He thought he’d seen the last of his former boss when he threw her into Gotham’s river (inheriting her empire in the process), but Hugo Strange is able to bring her back.
He gets a chance to kill her early into season three, pointing a gun at her head, but he ultimately decides to let her live when she reveals her affection for her. This was a big shock to viewers who were taken aback by his softer nature.
Saving Gotham From Jerome Valeska
You can tell somebody is rather crazy when even Penguin is scared of them, and Gotham’s first version of The Joker, Jerome Valeska, terrifies the criminal head when they spend time together in Arkham. During that spell, Jerome hatches a plan to drive everybody in the city insane by using some specialist gas.
But Penguin doesn’t want that and intervenes to save the day. Firstly, he apprehends the driver of the blimp that’s carrying all the gas, and he then steers it away to safety to ensure Jerome’s plan fails.
Saving Tabitha From Jeremiah Valeska
Everybody in Gotham breaths a sigh of relief when it’s revealed that, for the second time in his life, Jerome Valeska has died. However, what the residents of the crime-haven weren’t counting on was his twin brother, Jeremiah Valeska, using his vast-intelligence to blow up the bridges of the city and turn it into No Mans Land.
Shortly before this, Penguin is among a band of fighters trying to prevent this from happening. During a fight against both Jeremiah and Rah’s Al Ghul’s cronies, he saves Tabitha Galavan from certain death. This is a nice moment, but things quickly change after the battle, with Penguin killing Tabitha’s boyfriend Butch and later murdering her himself in season five.
Fighting With The Allies
Penguin is never going to be a good guy. He’s done some horrific things over the course of his life, from murdering hundreds of innocent people to endorsing the criminal actions of others. However, that doesn’t mean that, from time to time, he can act in a humane manner.
The final nice act that makes this list is when he turns his back on escaping with Edward Nygma in order to save Gotham from Bane and his soldiers. He even takes a bullet for Nygma and ultimately helps the city secure reunification with the mainland.