The Penguin (Batman: Arkham City)

"Look around you. This awful bunch of psychopaths are all begging to join up with me, but unfortunately for them, I only take the best. And today, best means whoever can kill you."

- The Penguin to Batman in the Gladiator Pit

Oswald Cobblepot is known in the Gotham City Underworld as The Penguin. He is referenced in Batman: Arkham Asylum and appears in its sequel, Batman: Arkham City.

Before Arkham Asylum
Oswald Copplepot, heir to the Copplepot dynasty, is in constant conflict with Bruce Wayne over the Wayne Family's near bankrupting of the Copplepot Family in the hospitality industry. This led Oswald to eventually build The Iceberg Lounge where he employed an anything goes sensibility. Gambling ran rampant through the Lounge and those who couldn't pay were either put into a private torture room or were killed. With one such client that couldn't pay a bar room brawl broke out resulting in a broken beer bottle being lodged in Penguin's face. After seeing the finest doctors it was determined that the removal of the bottle would result in death.

Batman: Arkham Asylum
While the Penguin does not appear in Batman: Arkham Asylum, his top hat and a collection of his trademark umbrellas can be seen behind glass at the South Corridor of the Arkham Mansion. An advertisement for his club, the Iceberg Lounge, can also be seen in the Intensive Treatment Center in William North's office. His name also appears on the party list.

After Arkham
When Arkham City was developed, Penguin ended up trapped within the city because of his refusal to abandon the Iceberg Lounge (as he didn't wish to let it be caught at the hands of some of the thugs), to which he also hated Dr. Hugo Strange for forcing his place in Arkham City. In order to survive Arkham City's violent environment, Mr. Penguin starts his own gang. He ends up meeting Lester Kurtz, who wished to join the gang after fleeing the Joker's. Unlike Joker, Penguin didn't want to put Kurtz through any initiation and just told him to follow orders and he'll be paid. He then turns to another thug named Grisby, revealing a picture showing him double-crossing Penguin by giving information to Harley Quinn. He then sends a panicked Grisby to "tell the man downstairs" and sends him down a trapdoor. Kurtz asks him what's down there and Penguin simply replies "Pray you never have to find out." Since Grisby told the Joker about the raid on the Security Armory planned by the Penguin, he tells his thugs they will have to get the weapons before they get to the armory. Due to the unexpected appearance of the Joker's goons, Kurtz had to destroy the guns infuriating Penguin, but Kurtz was able to talk his way out of being sent "downstairs" and instead cuts his pay in half and makes him lead a strike on the weakened Joker's hideout the next day. To be sure he doesn't escape, Penguin tells his men to lock Kurtz up for the night, but he escapes anyway by knocking out the goons, a little later. Penguin never realized that Kurtz was a new alias of his mortal enemy, Batman. Presumably because of Kurtz' earlier actions, the Penguin instigated an initiation process where he would handpick any "horrible psychopaths" who wished to join who proved themselves to be the best, the exact initiation process being different each day.

Batman: Arkham City
When Bruce Wayne is imprisoned within Arkham City for leading a protest against the city, the Penguin and his gang is among the first of the criminals to greet him. Desiring revenge against Wayne for his family, the Cobblepots, being ruined, he takes out some brass knuckles to beat him up. Although he managed to land a blow on Wayne, Wayne managed to grab his hand while he was preparing a second blow and bend it around, breaking it. Penguin then has his gang kill Wayne, but he defeats them with ease, also breaking his handcuffs in the process. Later, the Penguin managed to capture Mr. Freeze and steal his suit, as well as lock Freeze himself in a museum display stand resembling Hawaii in the War Room, locking Freeze's suit in the Armory, and using Freeze's Ice Gun for himself. In addition, he also had captured 10 undercover cops from Precinct 13 and held them hostage, frequently torturing them within the Iceberg Lounge. Eventually, Batman, trying to locate Mr. Freeze so he could gain a cure for the Titan poison that he was infected with by the Joker, managed to encounter Penguin, who mercilessly executed one of the cops, Officer Best. After a failed attempt at getting Batman to surrender and become a part of his collection, he then has some inmates attempt to kill Batman as their initiation.

Batman defeats all of them with ease, so he unveils his big guns: more specifically, a henchman he injected with the Titan formula. After Batman managed to defeat the minion, Penguin escaped in the chaos back to the Iceberg Lounge. One of the cops he held hostage, Forrester, also managed to escape Penguin, but he wasn't able to get to the exit before Penguin froze him with Mr. Freeze's Ice Gun. He also released a shark in the frozen pool of water known as Tiny, which he also used to deal with several "problems." He then ordered his minions to guard the other cops, with the threat of killing them should they fail to do so. Eventually, Batman, after saving more of the cops, proceeded to the Iceberg Lounge, where Penguin taunted Batman with the intention of torturing Dennis by freezing one of his hands as well as declaring his intention of shattering the frozen hand with a hammer. Batman manages to arrive in time, but Penguin forced him to retreat due to his use of the Ice Gun. Batman eventually returned, but, thanks to Batman learning the override code for the Ice Gun, the gun failed to fire on Batman, resulting in Batman decking Penguin off the iceberg monument. Penguin tried to talk his way out of his predicament, but when Batman implied that he wasn't simply going to let him go scot-free, Penguin then destroyed the iceberg monument with a remote-controlled detonator, dropping Batman to a room below the lounge, with Penguin declaring that Batman brought it upon himself.

He activated an entity that he discovered under the lounge presumably before Arkham City was even established, Solomon Grundy, and forces Batman to fight him. After Batman manages to shut Grundy down for good, Penguin eventually is forced to fight Batman himself with a grenade launcher, but is easily defeated. Batman then delivers Penguin to Mr. Freeze. who step on Penguin's already broken hand. Batman tells him to stop hurting Penguin and focus on the cure. So Mr. Freeze places Penguin within one of his own display cases.

Psychological Profile (by Dr. Young)
The Penguin

Real Name: Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot

SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN AN UMBRELLA.

Psychological Profile: Pushed into schizotypal behavior by an inferiority complex. Cobblepot's specific eccentricities revolve around an obsession with ornithology and intense ideation based around umbrellas. Even within the confines of the asylum, he has managed to create working umbrellas with "trick" features. Maltreatment by other inmates and probings into possible sources for his insecurities always trigger intense overcompensation on his part, in the form of rantings about his business acumen and misunderstood intelligence.

Additional Notes

His off-putting, antisocial behavior is frequently at odds with his need to be valued and admired.

He is compulsive about his sartorial appearance, which argues with his avoidance and denial of his physical shortcomings.

Part 1

 * Penguin: Strange, don't think you've beaten me.
 * Strange: I just thought we could both benefit from a little talk, Mr. Cobblepot.
 * Penguin: Don't try that psycho mumbo-jumbo with me, Strange. I'm not like the other crazies.
 * Strange: Of course not. After all, considering the... challenges you've faced.
 * Penguin: Challenges!? What freakin' Challenges!? You're not better than me. No one is. I own this place.
 * Strange: Well, to be clear, I allow you certain freedoms but, let's continue. Why do you feel the need to own anything? I believe it is a mechanism to compensate for some childhood inadiquacy. You were friends with the Waynes, correct?
 * Penguin: I was. Til someone did the world a favor and blew the brains out of little Wayne's self-rightious parents. I was laughing for weeks. It still brings a smile to my face.
 * Strange: And you think that's ok?
 * Penguin: Ok? No I don't think it's ok... I think it's bloody Hysterical! Hahahaha! That family destroyed mine. What happened to them, well, it couldn't have happened to nicer people.

Part 2

 * Strange: Take a seat Mr. Cobblepot.
 * Penguin: What now, Strange.
 * Strange: I wanted to talk about your apparent hatred of the Waynes. Your outburst last time was most interesting.
 * Penguin: It's simple really, I don't like the sneaky little bastards. Lookin all high and mighty cause someone killed mummy and daddy.
 * Strange: Most people look upon him with sympathy.
 * Penguin: No they don't, they're jealous. Jealous of his money, his cars, his women. He lost my sympathy when he vanished from the city. I can't tell you how much I hope he's visiting his dear mum and dad.
 * Strange: Where do you suppose he went?
 * Penguin: How'm I supposed to know?
 * Strange: Let us move on, then.
 * Penguin: No. It's time that you do something for me.
 * Strange: And what is that?
 * Penguin: Here's a list.

Part 3

 * Penguin: I thought I told you, Strange, no more little questions until you give me what I want.
 * Strange: Take a look, Mr. Cobblepot. Here is a purchase order for the various firearms you require. I must say, you chose an exotic selection.
 * Penguin: I only take the best.
 * Strange: A wise strategy.
 * Penguin: So, what's yours?
 * Strange: Excuse me?
 * Penguin: What are you up to? Why would you give me, me of all people guns, explosives... all this stuff?
 * Strange: Arkham City is an experiment, Mr. Cobblepot, a new way of thinking. We've separated you from society, so I'm more than willing to study the results if you all just decide to kill each other. Besides, your feud with the Joker is intriguing.
 * Penguin: I was here first. I bought my museum and the Iceberg Lounge fair and square. It was you and that mayor that stuck us all together.
 * Strange: Again, you refer to owning things, quite fascinating. I believe we gave you the opportunity to leave.
 * Penguin: And take over my turf? Never.

Part 4

 * Strange: Good evening Mr. Cobblepot, I trust you received the second delivery.
 * Penguin: Yeah, I did. I don't know what you did to those dribbling monkeys, Strange, but they were perfect.
 * Strange: I'm glad. It appears we can both help each other.
 * Penguin: If you say so. I suppose it doesn't hurt that by the time I'm done with 'em, they're usually in too many pieces for anyone to suspect what you are really getting up to in those rooms of yours.
 * Strange: I have no idea what you're talking about.
 * Penguin: So, Hugo, the clown. Is he really dying?
 * Strange: It appears so, self-inflicted of course, but yes he is. He has Mr. Freeze working on a potential cure, but I'm sure neither of us want him to get his hands on it, do we?

Part 5

 * Penguin: We're ready.
 * Strange: Good. Now one last thing. Your face.
 * Penguin: It's beautiful, isn't it?
 * Strange: The eye? I believe it was the result of a bar brawl, correct?
 * Penguin: The toe rag got lucky. He got his though. I took both of his, left him trying to walk across the Gotham Freeway at rush hour. Hilarious.
 * Strange: You're a rich man Mr. Cobblepot. You could have had that glass removed.
 * Penguin: They said it was impossible and what the hell, I think it gives me a... more unique look. Know what I mean? Now, where is Freeze?
 * Strange: He's right here, in the room next door. You can take him with you. Are you familiar with the term Napoleon Complex?
 * Penguin: No. What is it?
 * Strange: It's nothing. Oh, and one last thing. Here is a list of ten prisoners I believe work for you.
 * Penguin: Yeah, so what? You want to saw their heads open and scoop out their brains too?
 * Strange: No, I just thought you'd like to know that they are all in the employ of the GCDP.
 * Penguin: WHAT?
 * Strange: I believe you know what to do with them. I don't like being spied on, Mr. Cobblepot. Goodnight.

Game Over Lines

 * "Anyone want a slightly used Batsuit? I'm sure the blood'll wash off."
 * "And there was me thinking it was going to be difficult. Get him out of here!"
 * "Having a little lie-down, are you? Enjoy it. It's your last."
 * "Someone cut the mask off his face. No need to be gentle."