Oswald Cobblepot (née: Kapelput; cryptonym: The Penguin) is a character and one of the main antagonists of the FOX television series Gotham, portrayed by Robin Lord Taylor.
Based on the DC Comics supervillain of the same name, he was adapted by showrunner Bruno Heller for the series, which is intended to explore the origin stories of characters from the Batman mythos.
This is the first version of the character who had queer implications; he has complicated feelings for fellow criminal and best friend Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith).
[3][4] However Taylor, who is gay, has said that he does not consider the character to be explicitly homosexual or bisexual, and that Cobblepot's feelings for Nygma constitute "a romantic, yearning need to connect with somebody" rather than strictly sexual interest.
After Mooney discovers that Cobblepot is an informant for the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD), she hobbles him by breaking his ankle, leaving him with a waddle-like limp that befits his hated nickname, "Penguin".
[7][8] Cobblepot allies himself with Falcone and rival mob boss Sal Maroni (David Zayas), and climbs his way up the ladder of Gotham's criminal underworld through murder and treachery.
Angered by the loss of his father, he takes brutal revenge: he slaughters his stepsiblings and cooks them into a pot roast, feeding them to Grace before killing her as well.
Upon learning that the vigilante Azrael is the recently resurrected Theo Galavan, Cobblepot and his henchman Butch Gilzean (Drew Powell) kill him with a missile launcher.
He is hailed a hero for defeating Mooney, and makes a successful run for mayor with help from Edward Nygma, towards whom he develops ambiguous feelings.
Cobblepot is later found and healed by Ivy Pepper (Maggie Geha), and forms a partnership with her in order to kill Nygma and combat gangster Barbara Kean (Erin Richards), who has taken over Gotham in his absence.
They recruit Victor Fries (Nathan Darrow) and Bridgit Pike (Michelle Veintimilla) as muscle, and help Gordon stop the Court of Owls from using a weaponized virus on the city.
One night, Cobblepot discovers that Nygma is gone from his ice prison and orders his personal assassin, Victor Zsasz (Anthony Carrigan), to find him.
When Cobblepot does not show up at the location mentioned in the riddle (Stoker's Cemetery), he tells Nygma that he has lost his edge, and is no longer worthy of his attention.
However, he changes his mind when he finds out that Nygma is making fun of him at a club in the Narrows as part of a wrestling act with Gilzean – who was killed months before and is now reborn as Solomon Grundy.
She arranges a meeting with him with Kean, Tabitha and Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) in tow and threatens to kill Martin unless he surrenders his territory.
Cobblepot joins forces with Jerome's "Legion of Horribles", along with Fries, Pike, Jervis Tetch (Benedict Samuel) and Jonathan Crane (Charlie Tahan), and manages to recruit Butch with the promise of helping to find Strange to cure him.
When Jerome learns of Cobblepot's treachery, he has Tetch and Crane imprison him in a blimp that contains the laughing gas, set to kill thousands of people.
[10] Later, Penguin forms an alliance with Selina Kyle in order to defeat jewel thief Magpie (Sarah Schenkkan), who had stolen a precious diamond from Cobblepot.
He now appears more similar to his comic book counterpart with a frock coat, a cravat, a waistcoat, an opera hat, and a slightly overweight stature.
The two of them plan to resume their reign of crime, but are unexpectedly captured and tied up by a mysterious vigilante dressed as a bat, who unbeknownst to them is really Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz).