- "It's gotta stop and it's going to stop."
- ―Mayor Jenkins referring to the chaos in Gotham.[src]
Roscoe Jenkins was the Mayor of Gotham City during the Penguin's reign of terror.
Biography[]
Lighting of the Tree Ceremony[]
Though it was unknown how Mayor Jenkins' ratings fared during his term, the greatest threat to his career came in the form of Max Shreck's proposal to build a power plant that was supposedly for the purpose of preserving Gotham's power in the future and avoiding an economic depression. Unknown to Jenkins was Shreck's secret intention for the power plant to drain Gotham of its electricity, store it, and thereby bring the city under the Shreck family's undisputed control. Jenkins was strongly against the idea of the power plant in the first place, which made him something of an enemy for Shreck, who hinted at getting Jenkins recalled, though Jenkins ignored the "threat" since Shreck didn't have a candidate to back it up. Despite that, Jenkins' capabilities as Mayor began to be questioned when the disgraced Red Triangle Circus attacked the ceremony in an attempt to kidnap Shreck. The Batmobile arrived and the chaos was dispersed, the Mayor approached Batman to try and thank him personally while Commissioner Gordon spoke with him after the attack.
Kidnapping of the Mayor's son[]
Jenkins promised Gotham that such an attack would never happen again at a press conference, but a Red Triangle acrobat kidnapped Jenkins' baby son in front of his very eyes and disappeared into the sewer. But the Penguin, until then regarded as a nightmarish rumor, "rescued" Jenkins' baby and won the sympathy of the public, though that was a ruse on part of both Shreck and the Penguin. During this time his birth name was revealed as Oswald Cobblepot, and his disingenuous journey for self-discovery became a media sensation.
Still scheming to rule Gotham, Shreck used the Penguin's newfound popularity to challenge Jenkins, and had the Red Triangle Gang attack and loot the streets again to defame him. Cobblepot and his crew began interfering with Mayor's speeches, often causing random feedback while he stood at his podium.
Relighting of the Tree Ceremony[]
Jenkins tried to persuade Gotham that they had the situation under control, but he was again made to look ineffectual with the death of the Ice Princess at the Relighting of the Tree. Shoved off a building in the plaza and landing on the stage next to the podium, apparently at Batman's hands before their very eyes, the woman's body had landed directly on the button, lighting the tree and releasing thousands of caged bats planted in the tree to further incriminate Batman. The Mayor and his entourage looked up in horror as they saw the Dark Knight glide down from the building through the swarm in the plaza. Shortly after that, reports came in of his apparent rampage throughout the city in his armored vehicle, serving as the final straw. The public was outraged the Mayor and police Commissioner had allowed Batman to roam freely to police their city. Cobblepot would have very well have been elected to replace Jenkins, had Batman not interfered with his campaign shortly thereafter.
Maxquerade Ball[]
Following the Penguin's fall from grace, Jenkins was forgiven and reinstated as Mayor. In attendance at the Maxquerade Ball, his chosen costume was that of Julius Caesar with a knife in his back. Jenkins survived the explosion from the ground before Cobblepot's duck vehicle emerged from the dance floor. He was again shoved aside overestimating his importance, so that Max could be forcibly taken to the Old Zoo to be murdered.
Different Fates[]
According to one account, Jenkins completed his term and was replaced by Mayor Burian-Mohr. His life after leaving the office is unknown.
Behind the Scenes[]
In a deleted scene for the alternate ending, Jenkins and Commissioner Gordon stood by the Batsignal, contemplating recent actions, and wondered if Batman would ever forgive Gotham for hunting him like a criminal. The signal and lights all over the city flickering on and off, as Shreck had predicted at the start of the film due to Selina Kyle's murder/suicide using the massive generator in Cobblepot's lair.
Trivia[]
- In the later Daniel Waters drafts, Wesley Strick revisions and throughout the final film, Jenkins went unnamed, only referred to as "The Mayor" or "Mr. Mayor". The name Roscoe Jenkins was identified in one of Waters' earliest versions of the story.
- Michael Murphy narrates the audiobook based on Craig Shaw Gardner's novelization of the film.
Gallery[]
Photos[]
