The Penguin (DC animated universe)
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| The Penguin
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| Bob Kane Bill Finger |
The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot), a DC Comics supervillain and enemy of Batman, consistently appeared in Batman: The Animated Series, and several of the related series created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, played by Paul Williams.
When the producers originally designed the series, the Penguin was thought as the cold minded crime kingpin he actually became eventually in the comics and later seasons of the show.
His background was supposed to be the same as in the current comics continuity, a refined criminal grown as an only child by his overprotective mother surrounded by birds, and his modus operandi was supposed to be one of a real crime boss, similar to a godfather. As it can be seen below in the design section, Bruce Timm's originally planned to have the Penguin looking as he did during the comics golden age era, however the release and massive success of Batman Returns featuring him as the main villain suddenly changed all of this.
The Penguin was redesigned to fit the film's version with a similar look. His background was never explored in any episode, but references to the one from the movie were often shown in his lair and character. His modus operandi turned out to be oriented to one shot hits, often designed to get rid of Batman in the process (manipulating the Batmobile, attacking him while unconscious or blind, setting a "bird trap" for him, paying for information about his secret identity, etc.).
In the New Batman Adventures season, after the Penguin actually became a kingpin in the comic’s continuity, his look was drastically changed with no explanation and he starts acting as in the comics.
Contents |
[edit] Appearances
- I've Got Batman In My Basement
- The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne
- Almost Got 'Im
- Birds of a Feather
- The Mechanic
- Blind as a Bat
- Second Chance
- Joker's Millions
- The Ultimate Thrill
- Girls' Night Out
- Judgment Day
- Knight Time (Superman: The Animated Series)
[edit] Cameos
[edit] Movies
[edit] DC animated universe biography
When Batman: The Animated Series debuted in 1992, The Penguin was voiced by Paul Williams. This choice in casting was rumoured to be an in-joke among producers, as Williams himself is short and stocky. As with the Joker, most hints revealed about the Penguin's origins make reference to the version from the Tim Burton's movie, due to the close relation in time between those movies and the animated series. The freakish look of the deformed Danny DeVito in Batman ReturnsPenguin remained, though toned down some. Other references were his lair in the Gotham Zoo sewer, and the mechanical duck he uses as transport.
The way he operates was also changed from the refined cold blooded kingpin of crime the producers originally intended towards a more impulsive and temperamental one that resambles the way Burgess Meredith's version of the character did. Unlike the Joker or the Riddler who often engage wit matches with the Batman and feel the compulsive need to make his crimes as creative as possible, the Penguin focuses more on clear goals, the most notable among them is getting rid of Batman.
The episode that gets to explore the Penguin's personality the most is perhaps Birds of a Feather. In this story, after feeling disappointed by the lack of attention he gets after his prison release, he tries to reform in order to impress Veronica Vreeland and the rest of Gotham City's high society. The contrast between his snobby pretentious and his loud and poorly educated reality is highlighted when he sings from his seat at the opera, shows his table manners and mingle with the high society. As he learns Vreeland and his friend Pierce have been toying with him all along he tries to get revenge by kidnapping her for ten million dollars. He ends up going back to jail but according to a newspapper header in I Am the Night he eventually escapes and in The Mechanic he gets revenge on Batman by sabbotaging the Bat-mobile.
In Second Chance Two-face's debt and current tense situation with the Penguin, makes the last one of the main suspect when Two-face is kidnapped before his reconstructive surgery. This his only real appearance in the second season, however, in Riddler's Refrom (the one right before Second Chance), Penguin is featured in a TV news report in Bruce Wayne's living Room. According to Summer Gleeson, his trial is verdict-less and the jury's not convinced of his guilt. The report is apparently completely ignored by Batman. Likely the trial is over Penguin's activities in Birds of a Feather or The Mechanic. This legal situation fits with his status when next seen The New Batman Adventures. Riddler's Reform is the second time the Penguin's appearance in the news is used to annoy or create stress on Batman, making his crime-fighting efforts seem pointless.
In the 1997's follow-up to the original animated series, The New Batman Adventures, The Penguin lost his deformed appearance[1], regaining his five-fingered hands and losing his hunched back (although, like the other changes characters underwent, this was not a story point, but merely a new artistic interpretation of the character). His new appearance also saw him return to a role more similar to the one in the comic books: a "legitimate" businessman and mob boss that ran a night club called the "Iceberg Lounge". Along with this changes he stopped his obsessive efforts to get rid of Batman and focused on his underground illegal bussiness. This was in deference to the character's re-imaging by comics writer Chuck Dixon, who against all odds, defined the character just as Bruce Tim and Paul Dini previously did before Batman Returns forced some changes.
He also appeared in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, this time voiced by David Ogden Stiers. The Producers made this changes because Stiers provided a more menacing tone to Penguin's voice. In the Direct to DVD film, he joins with Rupert Thorne and Carlton Duquesne to produce weapons for the fictional country of Kasnia. When Batman and Batwoman start spoiling their operations he hires Bane to get rid of them. So far, that's his final attempt to kill Batman.
[edit] Personality and design
For the original kingpin concept of the character, the producers had a design that looked just like the original design by Bob Kane, but when they were later asked to stick with the Batman Returns look, a new design was made with several references like the shape of the long eagle nose (instead of the turned-up shape of the comics), the long hair with baldness, the hunch, and most notably the ectrodactyl hands. However, among the main diferences are the way the fingers are joined, in the movie the index is the only one free wthi the other three joined while in the series the index is joined with the middle. He is ais also more chubby in the series and the gray hair color is changed to black, making him more similar to an actual penguin. The is also some change with the clothing. In the series the coat has no fur and he doesn't wear gloves . And he is never seen in his underwear pijamas.
In The New Batman Adventures, after the character actually became a kingpin in the comic’s continuity, when he is first seen, his personality, modus operandi and look has drastically changed to reflect his comics version with no further explanation. His physical design was similar to the previouly droped one inspired in his golden age look, only more youthful.[edit] Action figures
The Penguin was released as an action figure by Kenner in 1992 among the first wave of villains (which also includes Two-face and The Riddler). Its jacket is made out of fabric to aloud leg movement, it also doesn't have the sleeves sawed. It comes with an umbrella weapon that never apears in the series.
In 2005, years afterthe cancelation of The New Batman Adventures, an action figure modeled after the new design of the character was released. It comes wit an umbrella.
[edit] Scrap and other trained pets
In Second Chance the Penguin makes a big cameo in a prison sequence. He is shown training doves to dance and after he is interrogated by Batman, he command the doves to attack him. During The New Batman Adventures he is not seen using trained animals again, but he had a collection of penguins and polar mammals as a visual attraction for his night club "The Iceberg".
Even though the Penguin's origins are hinted as the same as in Batman Returns he never uses the army of penguins from the movie. However, his mechanic duck is featured twice.
[edit] Gang
[edit] Falcon, Eagleton and Sheldrake
Falcon, Eagleton and Sheldrake are the Penguin's gang during The Mechanic and Blind as a Bat. They look and operate with their boss in a similar way he did with his gang in the 60s Batman show. They execute the Penguin plans and have handy pilot and driving skills.
They are never seen again during The New Batman Adventures, but by then, the Penguin's operations are so big that he requires an impressive amount of trustworthy criminals on Gotham's underworld.
Falcon was played by Walter Olkewicz, Eagleton by John Delancie and Sheldrake by Barry Gordon.[edit] Jay, Raven and Lark
Jay, Raven and Lark are the Penguin's henchwoman during the later season and the Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman movie. They are attractive women in little "Playboy Bunny" style uniform outfits who work as waitresses at The Iceberg club, while they discreetly handle the Penguin's criminal affairs.
They also serve as bodyguards and show some level of fighting training.[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The World's Finest, a site with a complete guide to the DC animated universe. It's the source of a great deal of the related images in Pop-Cult Guides.
- DCAUResource.com, a very well documented site when it comes to DC fictional biographies.
- The Animated Batman, an Unofficial Guide, a site with a complete guide to Bruce Timm's Batman. It's the source of a great deal of the related images in Pop-Cult Guides.
![[1]](http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/images/2004/mar24/penguin.jpg){kind=link}
