SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read DETECTIVE COMICS #20 yet and do not wish to know what happens, stop reading this post now (major spoilers ahead!)

Who could forget when, a few months back, Ignatius Ogilvy pulled a fast one on Oswald Cobblepot by declaring himself Emperor Penguin?

“I wanted to explore the idea that once in a while a henchman comes along with a brain and some ambition, and rises above the others,” series writer John Layman recently teased to NERDIST while discussing Ogilvy. But how much more can the character rise after Cobblepot exacts his revenge and takes him down at the end of the main story in DETECTIVE COMICS #20?

Well, based on the issue’s back-up story, “Empire of The Son,” it seems that Ogilvy’s devious plans are far from over. A new inmate at Blackgate Penitentiary, Ogilvy meets the prison’s “Boss,” and reveals not only some previously untold details about his origin, but also about what specifically triggered him to take control of Cobblepot’s empire. But just as the Boss tells him that he’s willing to help him rank highly within the power structure of Blackgate, Oglivy pulls another unexpected move: he murders him with his bare hands!

As Ogilvy is escorted to his own cell, the other inmates exchange whispers about how he killed the Boss. It is then that Ogilvy retires his Emperor Penguin moniker and embraces his new self-appointed title: Emperor Blackgate!

Above, take a look at the final page of “Empire of the Son” as Ogilvy settles into his new home at Blackgate Penitentiary and declares himself Emperor Blackgate. What could this mean for the prison – and for Gotham City at large? Place your bets in the comments section below.

DETECTIVE COMICS #20, in stores now, comes to you from the creative team of writer John Layman and artists Jason Fabok and Andy Clarke.