Warning: Spoilers for Batman/Catwoman #4!
The newest issue of Batman/Catwoman features a brutally violent scene, the implications of which allude to the Penguin‘s death at Catwoman‘s hand. So far, Tom King and Clay Mann’s Batman/Catwoman has used animals as a conduit to convey the primal nature within its characters, and issue four of the maxi-series just took that motif to a vicious new level.
Batman/Catwoman takes readers on a winding trip through the past, present and future of the Bat and the Cat, laying the ground for a deep analysis of these complex costumed characters. In the future timeline, Helena Wayne – Gotham’s latest Batwoman and daughter of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle – is onto her mother after discovering evidence proving she was involved in the Joker’s murder. Issue four opens with Helena cornering Oswald Cobblepot – the Penguin – and demanding he provide her details about the Joker and her mother’s relationship. The scene cuts away from there, leaving readers to wonder exactly what, if anything, Cobblepot told Helena.
Later on, Selina confronts the Penguin at his headquarters – confirming Selina now knows full well that her daughter is suspicious of her and attempting to uncover answers. Selina demands Cobblepot fess up to the information he passed onto Helena, but the Penguin isn’t about to roll over and show his belly in his own territory. Calm, collected and without hesitation, Selina places her pet cat on the floor, directly across from Cobblepot’s pet penguin. The remainder of the scene focuses on the cat and penguin as the feline pounces on the defenseless bird and violently rips its throat out. All the while Selina and Cobblepot’s dialogue accompanies the brutal moment, with Cobblepot begging Selina to stop as she declares her ownership over Gotham City.
By reading this scene as a visual parallel for what Selina’s doing to Cobblepot, it’s pretty safe to say Catwoman murdered the grotesque crime boss right then and there. Emphasizing the cat striking the penguin makes the moment even more brutal than if Cobblepot’s death was shown on page, as imagining what Selina might be doing to the Penguin is far more disturbing than any comic book image could have captured. However, given that a clear answer is not yet provided, the depiction of a cat attacking the penguin may also represent a metaphorical killing. In this case, allowing her cat to dominate and kill Cobblepot’s prized pet would be a showing of dominance on Selina’s part. There’s no doubt Selina would still be brutally harming Cobblepot as a way of asserting her power over him, but she would have a vested interest in keeping him alive, at least long enough for him to spill details on what he told her daughter. In this case, the cat killing the penguin would be symbolic for the Penguin’s death as Gotham’s head crime boss, while Oswald Cobblepot still draws breath.
The official answer to whether Selina’s Cat killing Cobblepot’s penguin is a literal or figurative visualization of what occurred between the two characters will have to wait until next issue. Likewise, Helena will undoubtedly soon be confronted with her mother’s propensity for violence and vengeance, and she’ll have to make a choice. Up to this point, Batman/Catwoman‘s portrayal of the unpalatable primal nature existing within all its characters has been highly effective, but the latest issue’s scene between Catwoman and the Penguin is easily the most gruesome depiction yet.
