Not that Nygma's the only one whose future career as a costumed criminal is telegraphed to an almost insulting degree. No, that dubious honour must lie with the slim Oswald Cobblepot, who within about five seconds on screen is already being called The Penguin. A nickname which he claims not to like, and yet one which we know he'll fully adopt and buy into somewhere down the road as he becomes one of the more fearsome members of Batman's rogues gallery. Here he's already in the process of trying to gain some power for himself in Gotham's criminal underworld, attempting to push out his boss Fish Mooney by ratting her out to the cops. Robin Lord Taylor actually does a pretty good job with a more grounded version of The Penguin, who lacks the diminutive stature and more exaggerated facial features of the comic - here he just has a slightly hooked nose, pale skin and a waddle-like limp he only gets towards the end of the episode - and he does a good line in the sort of brutal, unfeeling violence Oswald is able to dole out from time to time. From the looks of it this Penguin won't have the same tragic past as previous incarnations, and lacks the slightly silly taste for raw fish. Although he does kill a fisherman and eat his sandwich so, like, same difference?
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
