Warning: Spoilers for The Penguin Special #1Gotham City is home to the most dastardly criminals the DC Universe has to offer, and thePenguinhas proven that he’s the worst one of them all. This Batman foe has made a name for himself in the 83 years since his comic debut, but he isn’t typically regarded as highly as other villains. Now, the Penguin has unleashed his dark side in a moment so chilling it would send chills down Joker’s spine.
A preview forThe Penguin Special#1 offers the first look at a story entitledMr. Cobb, written by Jeremy Adams with art by Howard Porter, Hi-Fi, and Troy Peteri. Here, a nurse is shown treating a patient named Madeline who uses a wheelchair. It’s explained that her immobility is the result of tranquilizing pills, and now that the nurse has fixed her prescription, she’s finally improving. However, when the Penguin visits Madeline and learns she’s on the road to recovery, he ominously says,“That’s too bad….”
As it turns out,the Penguin’s goal isn’t for Madeline to recover, but rather for her condition to worsen.The gruesome scene that follows demonstrates how twisted the Penguin is, and why he deserves more credit as one of Gotham’s most villainous figures.
“Overstepping Is Easily Rectified”: The Penguin Is Officially the Cruelest Villain in Gotham City
The Penguin’s Dark Side Has Been Unleashed
As well-meaning as the nurse is when he assists Madeline, he couldn’t have anticipated the Penguin’s true intentions with the poor woman. Oswald Cobblepot is torturing her, and he hints at his reasoning at the end of the preview when he mentions how she left him despite belonging to him. Evidently,Madeline attempted to escape the Penguin once she grew tired of being treated like a possession, but he caught her and is drugging her as punishment.She isn’t the only one who suffers at his hand in this story, though, as another dark act unveils the Penguin’s true sadistic colors.
Batman Is Officially Beaten, as an Iconic Gotham Villain Permanently Claims the City (Yes, This Is Real)
Batman has faced some of the DC Universe’s deadliest villains, but one of his most underrated foes has stolen Gotham right out from under him.
Not noticing the Penguin’s vile nature, the nurse informs him of the change he made to Madeline’s medication. Once the Penguin learns of this intervention, he attacks the young man for doing what’s right.He strikes the nurse in the ankle with his umbrella and takes away his ability to walk.This violent outburst horrifies both Madeline and the nurse, who struggles to crawl away as the Penguin berates him for failing to “take care of Madeline” properly. Madeline and the nurse have done nothing to warrant the pain he inflicts upon them, thus enforcing thePenguin’s Joker-level cruelty.
The Penguin Proves That He’s Even Scarier Than Joker
Batman’s Underrated Foe Deserves The Reputation Joker Gets
While the Joker has committed some of theworst crimes in the DC Universe, the Penguin just gave him a run for his money. Committing crimes outright is one thing, but the way he torments Madeline is inhumane enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. Combined with his brutal beating of a nurse who’d simply done his job, this sequence establishes that Oswald Cobblepot is much more of a threat than hispenguin-like designmakes him out to be. ThePenguinhas been portrayed in a new light that will forever change how readers see him, surpassing even Joker’s villainous status.
