Warning: Spoilers for The Penguin Special #1Gotham City is home to the most dastardly criminals the DC Universe has to offer, and the Penguin proved that he is the worst of all. This nemesis of Batman has gained fame in the 83 years since his comic book debut, but 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 shivers down the Joker’s spine.
A preview for The Special Penguin #1 offers the first look at a story titled Mr.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 is explained that her immobility is the result of tranquilizers, and now that the nurse got the prescription right, she is finally getting better. However, when the Penguin visits Madeline and finds that she is recovering, he says ominously: “This is really bad…”
It turns out that The Penguin’s goal is not for Madeline to recover, but rather for her condition to worsen. The horrific scene that follows demonstrates just how twisted the Penguin is and why he deserves more credit as one of Gotham’s most villainous figures.
“Overtaking is easily corrected”: the penguin is officially the most cruel villain in Gotham City
The Penguin’s Dark Side Has Been Released
As well-intentioned as the nurse is in helping Madeline, he could not have predicted the Penguin’s true intentions with the poor woman. Oswald Cobblepot is torturing her and hints at his reasoning at the end of the preview when he mentions how she left him despite her belonging to him. Evidently, Madeline tried to escape the Penguin when she got tired of being treated like a possession, but he caught her and drugged her as punishment. She’s not the only one who suffers at his hands in this story, as another dark act reveals the Penguin’s true sadistic colors.
Not realizing the Penguin’s vile nature, the nurse informs him about the change he made to Madeline’s medication. As soon as the Penguin finds out about this intervention, he attacks the young man for doing what is right. He hits the nurse’s ankle with his umbrella and takes away her ability to walk. This violent outburst horrifies Madeline and the nurse, who struggles to move away as the Penguin berates him for not “taking care of Madeline” properly. Madeline and the nurse did nothing to justify the pain he inflicted on them, thus reinforcing the Penguin’s cruelty to the Joker’s level.
The Penguin proves he’s even scarier than the Joker
Batman’s underrated nemesis deserves the reputation the Joker gets
Even though the Joker committed some of the worst crimes in the DC Universe, the Penguin just gave him a run for his money. Committing crimes openly is one thing, but the way he torments Madeline is inhumane enough to make anyone cringe. Combined with the brutal beating of a nurse who simply did her job, this sequence establishes that Oswald Cobblepot is much more of a threat than his penguin design makes him out to be. THE Penguin has been portrayed in a new light that will forever change the way readers see him, surpassing even the Joker’s villainous status.
The Special Penguin #1 is available October 30, 2024 from DC Comics.