Was the Penguin inherently evil?

[Grissom]

From the very beginning when he slaughtered the cat from his "cage", I've always felt the Penguin to be evil from birth. His deformity may not have been just physical but he may have had a mental imbalance as well. However being raised in the sewer and having to be a spectacle at a circus in his childhood really contributed to his hatred of the citizens of Gotham.

It's a question I have recently mulled over. Was he always a dastardly soul or is it more of nurture than nature?

[The Laughing Fish]

I've been asking myself the same thing and wanted to start the topic myself.

Penguin was definitely a depraved and primitive villain, but you can't just help but wonder if his parents' abandonment made him get worse psychologically. He never learned compassion because nobody was there to teach him, and he spent his whole life treated like a freak. When Max Schreck manipulated him to "reclaim his birthright", Penguin thought he could finally be accepted by as a person instead of being treated like a monster, and he put his plans to murder every first born child on hold in favour for his election campaign. When Batman exposed the Penguin's distaste for Gotham City, Penguin returned to his original plans.

The Penguin does show shades of humanity when he visits his parent's graves at the cemetery, so he's not completely without heart. But having said that, he's still evil at his core, since he tried to frame Batman for the Ice Princess' murder and boasted how he tricked the entire town in the process. In short, despite a few examples of pathos, I'd say that the Penguin is naturally an evil villain. But his parents disowning him completely when he was a baby unlocked his demented potential.

[The Dark Knight]

I posted this last year:

I think a note Burton makes about Oswald is him fighting his animalistic desires. As a toddler, he feasts on the family cat. That's his pure undiluted instinct. As an adult, he's after all the poontang he can get. But if he's to be mayor, discipline is required. And he sticks to that plan. Only when the plan is jeopardised does he give in to his appetites completely.

[Grissom]

Thanks for the replies. I think there is alot of factors involved but Penguin just like the Joker has no respect for life and peace. Evil is their penchant.

[JokerMeThis]

When Penguin killed the cat though he had already been imprisoned in a cage for God knows how long. If he had been loved from the start he might not have been a monster at all. We never see any indication he ever did anything bad before he was imprisoned.

Plus right after his birth his mother and father screamed at the sight of him. This was literally his first time to meet his parents. What do people say about first impressions? Might not that scar him for life?

[johnnygobbs]

When Penguin killed the cat though he had already been imprisoned in a cage for God knows how long. If he had been loved from the start he might not have been a monster at all. We never see any indication he ever did anything bad before he was imprisoned.

Plus right after his birth his mother and father screamed at the sight of him. This was literally his first time to meet his parents. Who do people say about first impressions? Might not that scar him for life?

I have similar feelings JokerMeThis.

Even if he was 'born evil' he may have stood a chance at becoming a decent member of society had his parents not ruthlessly discarded him.

IMHO the capacity for evil is a combination of nature and nurture.  Some people may be more biologically inclined to evil behaviour than others but even inherently evil people are less likely to commit foul crimes if they're raised in a loving and protective environment than inherently evil people raised in wretched circumstances akin to those experienced by The Penguin.

[THE BAT-MAN]

I started a post back in 2010 regarding this very subject.  You can check it out here.

http://www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=1256.0

[The Dark Knight]

Thanks for the replies. I think there is alot of factors involved but Penguin just like the Joker has no respect for life and peace. Evil is their penchant.

Ultimately, yes. One of the first things he did was check into the hall of records and write down a list of Gotham's firstborn sons. Penguin always had this scheme up his sleeve. But he was actually willing to let it slide if he was loved and accepted by the general public.

Initially, he was. And he soaked the adulation up. He was living the life he always wanted. When he's literally run out of town, the death list comes back out. And then finally, he aims to kill everyone.

This is a man lashing out at the world - hurt beyond belief. He realises he wasted his time with Max playing his little games and wants to take control of his own life. He doesn't want to be 'Oswald', to pretend he's civilised. He wants to be a cold hearted animal.

The fat clown who cops a umbrella gun bullet after Penguin's rageful rant should have kept his mouth shut. Penguin's past was a big factor in his behaviour.

[JokerMeThis]

The Penguin in this movie is a totally pitiful character. He was given a really bad life and couldn't find any joy in it except through revenge and murder. I can't help but feel sorry for him in spite of all of the evil he did. I can only imagine how cruelly he was treated by nearly everyone he ever met. 

[The Dark Knight]

We all feel like The Penguin at some point in our lives. That we've had enough and want to cut loose. To kill everybody. But it's just a feeling. The Penguin actually tried to do it.

The public rejected him (with good reason), so he rejected them too.

I feel Penguin's intense hate from time to time. But ultimately, it doesn't do any good. It does ruin you. I'm more introverted than Oswald. I'd rather sit in a pitch black cave and brood alone. Shut myself off from the world.

But alas, I can't. I have to keep living.