Warning! Spoilers for Batman #125 by DC Comics
The Penguin is dead, and Batman is being framed for the DC Comics villain’s murder. In Batman #125, Oswald Cobblepot’s attempt to take down the Gotham City elite ends with the revelation he’s dying of mercury poisoning. When the Dark Knight confronts his longtime foe, the Penguin reveals why he’s been going after billionaires and ends his own life, framing the hero as a murderer.
Batman faces off against The Penguin in the brand new run of his ongoing series from Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez. Batman #125 by DC Comics reveals the villain’s dastardly plan to murder anyone in Gotham City with a net worth of over five million dollars unless they give away their money. While Oswald Cobblepot has enjoyed a lavish life of luxury, he believes he earned his fortune through hard work. So unless his fellow millionaires give away their money, Cobblepot threatens to kill them and their families. However, the Penguin has an even bigger plan at play, as he is framing Batman for his own murder.
In Batman #125 by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, Belen Ortega, Tomeu Morey, and Luis Guerrero from DC Comics, Bruce Wayne attends a gala for wealthy Gotham City elites, knowing the Penguin would make the event his next target. However, the Penguin is Clayface in disguise, and Batman can only watch in horror as Robin is shot in the ensuing chaos. The Dark Knight finds the real Penguin in the hospital, where the villain reveals mercury poisoning is killing him. After Cobblepot shares that he’s killing millionaires for how they treated him, despite his wealth, he dies intentionally ingesting a cyanide pill. Batman attempts to give him CPR, but witnesses see what appears to be the hero ending the villain’s life.
Batman soon discovers that the media is pushing a narrative that “Batman is a murderer.” However, despite feeling lost, he tells Oracle that Penguin grossly underestimated the potential damage caused as crime is down with criminals being scared that Batman might cross a similar line as he did with the villain. Still, Batman doesn’t see the moment as a victory, as he’s back to being enemy #1 to the public.
The Penguin’s plan to kill himself and frame Batman as the murderer ends up putting the negative focus on the Dark Knight, but what the villain’s long-term play remains to be seen. Damaging Batman’s reputation and making Gotham City view him as an enemy isn’t anything new, as the hero has survived several attempts to harm his image. But, perhaps, Penguin wanted to drive one last spike into Batman’s public persona before dying. Readers will soon find out if the attempt was successful or if Batman can survive getting framed as a murderer of the DC Comics villain.
