Oswald Cobblepot is a short, paunchy man whose schoolmates nicknamed The Penguin. This, coupled with his mothers insistence that he carry an umbrella, made him the target of widespread ridicule, which lead to Oswald becoming obsessed with proving his worth and got his own back by becoming a force to be reckoned with in Gotham Citys underworld.

As befitting his pedigree, Cobblepot conducts himself in a gentlemanly fashion and is almost always very polite, civil, and refined, preferring negotiation to bloodshed. However, he is also a ruthless mob boss and is responsible for much of the illegal trade in Gotham.