Fans were surprised to discover that in "Batman: Caped Crusader," the beloved DC Comics supervillain, The Penguin, is portrayed as a woman. This new animated Batman epic, from the mind of "Batman: The Animated Series" creator Bruce Timm, is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
The series offers a unique take on Gotham City while staying true to the character. Set in a 1940s Gotham, it is reminiscent of "Batman: Year One," depicting a time when Batman has only recently begun his vigilante career.
As a result, the show presents fresh interpretations of iconic Batman villains, allowing audiences to encounter these characters for the first time alongside Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Why Is Penguin A Woman In "Batman: Caped Crusader"?
One of the most surprising changes to the Batman canon in "Batman: Caped Crusader" is the portrayal of The Penguin as a woman. This fresh interpretation has caught the attention of fans, as the character has traditionally been depicted as the grotesque, hook-nosed man, Oswald Cobblepot.
In this animated series, the character is named Oswalda Cobblepot. She maintains a similar look to the traditional Penguin, but with longer hair, lipstick, and more feminine features.
Aside from this gender-bend by the creators, there aren't many differences between this version of The Penguin and her comic book (or big screen) counterparts. She still leads a criminal syndicate as she does in the comics. However, instead of using a Gotham City club as a front, in "Caped Crusader," she runs a high-end gambling boat.
The only major difference is that she appears to be younger and more agile than the typical Penguin. This makes sense, as "Caped Crusader" depicts a younger Batman encountering many of his villains for the first time in a 1940s alternate reality.
Minnie Driver, who voices the female Penguin, spoke about the character at a roundtable event for the series at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, which was attended by The Direct. She described the character as a "great reimagining" of the longstanding DC personality:
"She's a very new character that so fits into the Batman oeuvre - it's a great reimagining. It's amazing as a lot of times today we are trying to redress the balance of representation and you sometimes feel that things have been shoehorned in - it's more performative than organic."
She mentioned that this gender switch felt "organic" and "believable," as The Penguin's persona transcends gender:
"This is organic, like it is completely believable that this bizarre, strange, larger-than-life character is genderless, because it's the essence of The Penguin, what we are looking at, which is the essence of the original comics and animation. The way that this person is drawn, I feel like that's kind of what we went into. When you even look at her, she's kind of weirdly genderless to me, she's a creature, so I kind of love that that's what we're exploring now."
In a conversation with Showbiz Junkies, the "Caped Crusader" star reiterated that The Penguin "is outside of the male/female binary" and is more of an "essence" than anything.
She also noted that the character being female adds an interesting twist, as she is portrayed as a mother. She described this as "exciting" because it shows a motherly character who is also a terrifying psychopathic criminal.
This isn't the first time a comic character has been reinterpreted into a new gender. Examples include Taskmaster in the Black Widow movie, The Mighty Thor, and Spider-Woman.
Has Penguin Ever Been A Woman In The Batman Comics?
No, the Penguin has always been depicted as a male in the Batman comics, including the various alternate universe incarnations of the supervillain over the years. The closest to a female version of the Penguin are his female sidekicks, who sometimes emulate his top-hat-and-tails look. That said, there's likely at least one reality in the DC multiverse where the Penguin is female; one that just hasn't been encountered yet.
The Penguin has never been depicted as a woman in any other Batman media besides "Caped Crusader." From Burgess Meredith to Colin Farrell, Oswald Cobblepot has always been portrayed as a man on both the big and small screens. This also holds true for the numerous Batman video games, including Rocksteady's Arkham series. Therefore, "Batman: Caped Crusader's" female Penguin is breaking new ground for the franchise – precisely what Timm, Reeves, and Abrams aimed to achieve!
"Batman: Caped Crusader" is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
