DC Comics’ Absolute Universe has provided many unique and interesting spins on classic heroes and villains. Batman’s rogues’ gallery has undergone bold reimaginings that shake the very core of the Dark Knight’s mythos. The most shocking of all was having the characters Penguin, Two-Face, Riddler, Killer Croc, and Catwoman as Bruce Wayne’s childhood friends. Instead of grotesque and/or cruel psychopaths, these characters were presented as well-adjusted people with no deformities to speak of. However, by Absolute Batman #12, every one of Bruce’s friends had undergone drastic, and sometimes nightmarish, transformations to resemble their mainline counterparts more closely. And perhaps the most horrific transformation of them all is that of Oswald “Ozzie” Cobblepot, aka the Penguin.
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In the main DC Universe continuity, Oswald Cobblepot is one of Batman’s most iconic and disturbing foes. The notorious crime lord earned his nickname due to his severely deformed body, which he had had since birth. The extent of these deformities varies between various adaptations of Gotham’s calculating and sadistic crime boss. Some adaptations portray him as having a club foot and facial scars, like in the movie The Batman. Other films take a far more drastic approach, such as Batman Returns, which portrays the Penguin as having a short and fat body, pale skin, flipper-like hands, sunken eyes, and a hooked nose. Unlike his other incarnations, the Absolute Universe introduced him as a tall, thin, and handsome man. Instead of a wealthy criminal mastermind, Ozzie is a low-level crook but is, overall, a nice guy. However, all of that changed when he came face-to-face with the supervillain known as Bane. Now, the Absolute Universe’s Penguin is the most grotesque and heartbreaking version of the character ever created.
How Bane Created the Penguin
Over the course of the “Abomination” storyline, the villain Bane has been attempting to break Bruce physically, mentally, and spiritually, so that he can transform the hero into a dark reflection of himself. Following Bruce’s escape from the prison Ark M after weeks of experimentation, Bane targeted the people the Dark Knight cares about the most. Absolute Batman #11 ended on the cliffhanger of Bane cornering Bruce’s friends, Ozzie, Harvey, and Eddie. The next issue opens with Bruce waking up from a 20-day coma induced by the various experiments Ark M had done on his body. After he awoke, Bruce learned that Bane had attacked his friends. Bruce’s visit to the hospital, combined with a series of graphic flashbacks, reveals the horrific outcome of Ozzie, Harvey, and Eddie’s encounter with Bane. All three of Bruce’s friends suffered life-changing injuries that mutilated their bodies to resemble their villainous main continuity counterparts more closely. Ozzie, in particular, had some of the most disturbing injuries ever presented in comic book history.
Bane deduced from Ozzie’s lifted shoes and muscles that the petty criminal wanted to be big. So, instead, the villain crushed Ozzie like a soda can. He meticulously and savagely broke nearly every bone in Ozzie’s body by ruthlessly beating him into the pavement. By the end, Bane had broken and compacted Ozzie’s entire body. However, Bane made sure not to damage any of Ozzie’s vital organs, ensuring that he would live to see the monstrosity that he had become. When we see Bruce’s friend in the hospital, his whole body is swollen and deformed in a manner unseen in any previous depiction of the Penguin. The nurse tells Bruce that, if Ozzie somehow pulls through, he’ll be almost two feet shorter than he used to be. Additionally, his hands and feet have suffered irreparable damage. The nurse concludes that Ozzie’s life will, from that day on, be one of constant pain. Everything from the design to the description to Ozzie’s injuries is utterly sickening, demonstrating clearly just how cruel Bane truly is.
The Tragedy and Future of the Penguin
Ever since the introduction of Bruce’s friend group in the Absolute Universe, fans had been theorizing that they would turn into his iconic enemies. With the release of Absolute Batman #12, not only were fans’ theories proven to be correct, but it also gave us the most tragic and horrific versions of Batman’s rogues’ gallery. Ozzie isn’t the only one of Bruce’s friends that have undergone a traumatic transformation courtesy of Bane. Harvey sustained third-degree burns on half of his body, scarring him and transforming him into Two-Face. Bane also created the most nightmarish version of the Riddler to date. The villain ripped out Eddie’s eyes and the top of his skull, exposing his brain.
The mental changes that Harvey and Eddie have undergone, along with their hideous physical transformations, suggest what Ozzie’s likely future relationship to Bruce will be. Ozzie has yet to awake from his trauma-induced coma, but Harvey and Eddie have already begun to exhibit personalities more in line with their mainline continuity versions. Harvey blames Bruce for his condition, but only half of the time. He also holds a poker chip in the same manner the main DC Universe version carries his iconic coin. Eddie’s brain damage caused him to become obsessed with answering questions, which he deluded himself into thinking was a good thing – that, if anything, Bane had upped his mental capacities. Given the lifelong pain Ozzie now faces for the rest of his life and his disfigured appearance, Bruce’s friend seems destined to suffer a devastating mental collapse. And given his pre-existing connections to Gotham’s criminal underworld, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he becomes a twisted crime lord like his main universe counterpart. With their trauma warping their minds, there is no doubt that Ozzie, Harvey, and Eddie will become some of Bruce’s greatest adversaries. Where once Bruce’s friends were his support structure and kept him grounded, now they are his most significant failures.
What makes the origin of the Absolute Universe versions of Penguin more tragic than his mainline counterpart is his relationship with Bruce Wayne. In the main DC Universe, the Penguin underwent his descent into villainy entirely independent from Batman. The Penguin’s father and older brothers bullied him for his deformities. In response, he murdered all of them when he was just a child. Growing up, the Penguin killed all his bullies and even friends whom he believed had betrayed him. With such a childhood, it’s not a surprise that the main continuity version of the Penguin would become a vicious kingpin. However, in the Absolute Universe, not only did Ozzie not have any of his counterpart’s deformities or anger issues, but his eventual descent into villainy is directly tied to his friendship with Bruce. Bane and Ark M only went after Bruce and his friends because the Dark Knight wanted to investigate the private prison’s suspected criminal operations. Ozzie and the others were acting as Bruce’s informants and strategists on how to uncover Ark M’s schemes. When Bruce and his friends got too close to the truth, Ark M unleashed Bane to silence them. If Bruce had never become Batman or decided to investigate the private prison, Ozzie and the rest of his friends would have never been in danger. Now, Ozzie has gone from a kind-hearted yet petty criminal into a broken husk of a human who will undoubtedly hold a grudge against his childhood friend. With such a sudden transformation breaking Ozzie’s body and almost certainly his mind as well, and his in-depth knowledge of Bruce’s life, Ozzie will most likely become an even deadlier version of Gotham’s most fearsome kingpin.
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