6. Danny DeVito - The Penguin
1992's 'Batman Returns', the Penguin was re-imagined - no longer was he the comical gentleman of crime; but rather, a horrific reminder of high society's obsession with aesthetics - also, a twisted parallel of Bruce Wayne, as both are born to Gotham's elite; both lose their parents, except Cobblepot's personally reject him whilst Wayne's are stolen from him. From these moments of tragedy, both men's lives run adjacent, however occasional comparisons are made throughout the film - Bruce sits by the open fire of his luxurious mansion, mournfully telling Alfred that he hopes Oswald will find his parents, and when the Penguin snarls at Batman later on "You're just jealous that I'm a genuine freakĀ and you have to wear a mask!". The strange spiritual connection between the two is an interesting dynamic, but unfortunately is not something greatly explored in Daniel Waters script - had they chose to delve deeper into the interconnection between these characters, we could seen Batman emerge as a more centric character, as opposed to a hero lost amongst the colourful characters of Gotham City. That was my main problem with 'Batman Returns' - the titular character was cast too deep into the shadows, to the point where the film quite literally became "Penguin: The Movie". Regardless, Danny DeVito portrayed the Penguin to perfection; truly, I could not envision another actor in the role. Arguably, he is the darkest, most disgusting villain ever envisioned in the Batman franchise - with his foul snorts that punctuate his crass attempts at sexually 'seducing' Catwoman or the shocking scene of the Penguin biting the nose off of one of his political supporters; Devito lined the villain with a devilish unpredictability. Wearing a body suit - with a face covered in prosthetics; his character appearance was inspired by 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' with the disturbing features of Tod Browning's 1932 film 'Freaks' - Devito's Penguin is a villain we can't help but feel pity for; despite the despicable nature of the individual. There's something extremely tragic about Oswald's final scene - as the emperor penguins lead their master into the pool to meet his icy grave; DeVito's villain presents human failure - a being with clear intelligence and potential, forced into insanity by society. In a world where the murder of a boy's parents creates Batman; a weird figure of the night - is it really surprising that a child being ostracised by his parents for his unconventional external appearance would create a deranged 'Penguin'? These are the types of questions DeVito's Penguin generates; and for that reason, he deserves a prominent place on this top 10.