Batman Lore Changes Forever, as DC Reveals a Classic Gotham Villain Was His First Sidekick

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Penguin #6!Long before Batman worked with a Boy Wonder, a surprising villain helped him clean up Gotham City. Sure, the Dark Knight has worked with several stalwart heroes to improve his city. But an unexpected alliance helped Bruce Wayne rid Gotham of a dangerous criminal at the cost of making way for a new one.

In The Penguin #6 by Tom King and Stevan Subic, a flashback to the Penguin’s earliest days are shown. Long before Oswald Cobblepot was Gotham’s most ruthless crime boss, he was working for Carmine Falcone. However, Cobblepot tires of the abuse he receives from Falcone and reaches out to Batman.

Cobblepot becomes Batman’s informant and helps the Caped Crusader take down several of Falcone’s operations, including a human trafficking ring. With the Penguin’s assistance, Batman takes down Carmine Falcone and leaves Oswald to run the Iceberg Lounge to stay looped into Gotham’s criminal activity.

The Penguin Helped Batman Clean Up Gotham City

The Penguin was out of the game for good when he faked his death and moved away from Gotham City. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for him. Cobblepot was arrested by the United States government, which turned him into a controlled asset. In the hopes of gaining control of Gotham’s underworld, Penguin was ordered to reclaim his old territory by any means necessary. Cobblepot set out and began putting together a crew, some who came willingly, others he had to ‘encourage’ via blackmail or threats. But Penguin got his crew and is preparing to take his city back.

When people think of Batman’s earliest days, they think of him fighting a city’s criminal elements alone, or at most, with Robin. But this glimpse into the past reveals that long before they were enemies, the Penguin actually helped Batman make a sizable dent in taking out the Falcone crime family. Of course, Cobblepot’s ultimately driven by ambition and only worked to gain power and influence in the crime world. But for better or worse, it was the help the younger Batman needed. Had the Penguin not offered his help, Batman might not have been able to take down Falcone.

Penguin Was the Partner Batman Needed, Not Deserved

As the flashback showed, Batman struggled to gain a foothold when he first started out. The only way Bruce was going to get an edge over Falcone was with inside information. Together, they managed to make some serious improvements in Gotham and take down one of the worst gangsters in the city’s history. Unfortunately, it only served to pave the way for Cobblepot to seize power and become the Penguin. It’s not an ideal chapter of the hero’s history, but thanks to the Penguin’s help, Batman got one of his first big wins by apprehending Falcone.

The Penguin #6 is available now from DC Comics.