Even the biggest DC Comics fans are going to be thrown for a loop when they see the newest take on a classic Batman foe. As one of the biggest heroes in the DC Universe, the Dark Knight has faced hundreds of supervillains over the years. Two-Face, Riddler, the Joker, and that’s just the A-listers. Gotham is positively swarming with gimmicky bad guys, many of whom appear in the comics only a handful of times or even just once. But you’d be surprised how some of the lesser-known villains made an impact on Batman history.
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Take the Penny Plunderer, for example. Now you might be asking, “Who the hell is the Penny Plunderer?” and I wouldn’t blame you. The Penny Plunderer was a small-time crook with an obsession with pennies. He has appeared roughly 6 times in the nearly 80 years around, yet it’s because of him that Batman has the iconic giant penny in the Batcave (though later stories would often credit it to Two-Face). The Penny Plunderer is arguably one of the deepest cut villains in Batman’s rogues’ gallery, but that hasn’t stopped DC from reinventing the villain as a Gen Z menace.
DC Comics Introduces Penny Plunderer (No ‘The’) as Harley Quinn’s Newest Foe
In Harley Quinn #60 by Elliot Kalan, Carlos Olivares, Marissa Louise, and Lucas Gattoni, the titular anti-hero is in a weird place. Like the rest of the Omega Tournament’s participants in DC K.O., Harley has been affected by the Alpha and Omega energies shared by Superman. Harley has split into two separate people, one of which is a more unhinged, violent crusader who calls herself ‘Batquinn’. Batquinn adds a few Batman-like elements to her costume and begins dispensing justice to the Throatcutter Hill area of Gotham. Harley is completely unhinged, breaking people’s legs and using lead pipes as ‘batarangs’.
Harley is briefly confronted by her friends, who are all worried about her, but as Batquinn, all she cares about is justice. Before long, Harley discovers a bank robbery in progress and heads out to stop it. It’s there she meets the mastermind behind the operation, Penny Plunderer. Not the Penny Plunderer, who, according to Harley, was executed for stealing pennies (yeesh), but his daughter. Penny reveals that after her father was brought to justice, she decided to carry on his legacy to dismantle the corrupt capitalist systems her father hated.
Penny is absolutely ruthless. She wields giant, discus-like pennies and is backed up by her enforcers, the One-Centers, who are armed with guns that shoot, you guessed it, pennies. Batquinn is able to take out Penny’s henchmen, but the young woman is faster and more agile than Harley. However, an interruption by local Throatcutter Hill vigilante Chicken Fingers gives Harley an advantage. But Chicken Fingers’ plea for Harley to show mercy to Penny Plunderer allows the young villain to give them the slip, enraging Batquinn at the escape of her new foe.
Penny Plunderer is a Fantastic Update on Deep Cut D-Lister
I absolutely love it when creative teams update to characters that haven’t been seen in years. Sure, this issue of Harley Quinn could have just brought back the original Penny Plunderer and used him however the creators saw fit. But I actually enjoy the direction they went with here. A Gen Z social activist, adopting her father’s gimmick and targeting those benefiting most from capitalism? It’s a timely update and feels a lot more relevant than a bad guy who once tried killing Batman with a giant coin because he had some weird obsession with pennies.
Penny Plunderer has all the fury of younger generations, the skills and natural talent to keep up with someone as experienced as Harley, and a legacy name (not a great one, but still). That’s a lot of factors working in her favor that could guarantee she lasts much longer than her father did. Admittedly, not a hard job considering the original Penny Plunderer’s few appearances. But Penny Plunderer and her crusade against oppressive power structures make for an incredibly good foil for Harley Quinn as she’s in her ‘Batquinn’ era.
Sure, there’s a good chance Penny Plunderer will disappear for good after this arc is over, giving her about as many appearances as her father. But I appreciate the swing the creative team is making here. I’m quite curious to see how far Penny is willing to take things in her mission against the oligarchy, or how far Harley is willing to go to stop her. Hopefully, Penny won’t take too much inspiration from her father, and Harley won’t find herself on the wrong side of a giant penny.
What do you think about the newest version of the Penny Plunderer? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
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