There were many changes made to characters in the transition to DC’s New 52, but certain basic points about the Penguin remained the same. While all of the members of Batman’s Rogue’s Gallery are original, there are certain aspects of the Penguin’s character which completely separate him from the other members of the group.
Penguin
Funding
Have you ever wondered how members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery make money? Of course, they all have budding schemes, but how do they afford their henchmen? For the most part, DC avoids the issue by saying Joker has a cult-like following or different baddies have “secret investors.” Usually, the question is completely avoided and we just jump right into the story.
The original Penguin, Burgess Meridith’s portrayal on the 1960’s TV show, and the New 52 version are all businessmen. He is one of the few members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery which makes his own money through a network of nefarious businesses. He might make money from an umbrella company in Gotham or he might make money off of the stock market. Either way, he does not need to commit crime to be rich. Only to become unbelievably rich.
Penguin’s Drive Towards Crime
Two-Face’s ambition to commit crimes is typically driven by revenge for what happened to him in the past. The Joker’s crimes usually revolve around getting at Batman or making money so that he can bring the Big Black Bat down. Harley Quinn was usually driven towards committing crimes to profess her love for Joker while Catwoman pretty much only knew a life of crime.
Penquin is different from the other members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery in the fact that he is driven towards crime out of greed. Sure, he finds he sometimes has to gain revenge against the other members of the gallery (as we see in Arkham Asylum) but the majority of his crimes are performed in the hope of gaining more territory in Gotham or for making him as rich as possible. We could say that his drive is one of the cleanest of all in the gallery.
Penguin’s Sanity
Try to name a member of Batman’s Rogues Gallery which is sane other than Penguin? Joker and Harley are completely insane and could not even be considered as remotely sane. The argument could be made that Bane and Killer Croc can’t be considered as insane or sane since they both simply refer to animal-like instincts. Two-Face, Riddler, and the Mad Hatter are well out of the realm of sanity as are Scarecrow and Poison Ivy. Penguin is the only sane one of the bunch.
The next time you read a story about Penguin, think about how he differs from the other members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery. Instead of being a criminal driven by insane goals, he just wants to make as much money as possible. Batman is not always a target, but is always in the way of Penguin’s next score.
