Batman It’s not infallible. Comics, movies, TV shows and video games have all shown the Dark Knight’s downfall, and it’s almost always due to the same reason: he feels overwhelmed by his human condition. Although sometimes the reasons are simpler and more brutal: a broken back by Bane, an invasion of parademons and/or exhaustion from fighting Superman, among others.
Defeat the Batman It’s no easy task, but one of Gotham’s most iconic villains has just managed it. He hasn’t laid a finger on him and has followed his modus operandi: establishing a strategy that leaves his rival no choice. Oswald Cobblepot, commonly known as the Penguin, has beaten Batman at his own game.
The comic strips The Penguin #12 (Tom King and Rafael de Latorre) shows Oswald Cobblepot and Batman chatting quietly on the roof of a Gotham building. The “retired” villain tells the vigilante how he has gained control of the city and offers him a collaboration, assuring him that he will not be a problem for his interests. And this ti me Batman does not blow up the Bat Signal.
Cobblepot tells Batman who has returned to Gotham with the support of the US government. He is now a patriot. “They provided me with resources in exchange for my loyalty so they could run crime here through me.” It’s a masterful move: the government controls the city’s crime and does its dirty business, and that one gets control of the city. He is the criminal he has always been, but now with the support of the United States.
Panels from The Penguin #12 shared by ScreenRant
He offers him two options: to lock him up in Arkham again and let the chaos of crime return to the city or to maintain the status quo for the sake of order and be a double agent. He will tell Batman about the corrupt plans so that he can act accordingly, as long as it does not mess up his business. In other words, Cobblepot forces Bruce Wayne (who knows his identity) to choose the lesser evil. He needs him to be aware of any danger. Checkmate. Game, set and match.
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