Bruce Timm’s latest Batman animated series is out and it has got fans talking. All ten episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader were out on August 01 and right from the get-go, the series received mixed reactions from die-hard fans of Batman. Why? Well, one of the biggest reasons behind the raised eyebrows was Bruce Timm’s creative decision to turn the notorious villain, Penguin, into a woman.
Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot alias Penguin is one of the most popular villains in Batman’s world for all the right reasons. The man has got what it takes to give Bruce Wayne nightmares and is the epitome of a villain. Needless to say, fans love the guy. However, when Batman: Caped Crusader turned Oswald into Oswalda, fans had polarizing opinions on the decision. Here’s why Bruce Timm decided to go down this route.
Why Bruce Timm Turned Penguin into a Woman
From Joker to Riddler, the Batman world is filled to the brim with some of the most iconic villains of the superhero universe. But perhaps this was not enough for Bruce Timm who wanted to take it all to the next level. Thus, taking advantage of creative liberty, Timm had the mind-boggling idea of gender-flipping Penguin.
Who once was Oswald Cobblepot is now Oswalda Cobblepot in Timm’s latest series, Batman: Caped Crusader. Talking to the Televisions Academy, the Emmy-winning director opened up about his decision to go down this path with Penguin.
He revealed that it all started during a conversation between him and co-executive producer, James Tucker. The two veterans of the Batman world were discussing how there were not too many good villains under Batman’s name and thus came the idea of gender-flipping Penguin.
Timm stated,
James and I were talking about the overview of the show, and we said, ‘One of the problems with Batman, as he is, is there’s a lack of good villains. You’ve got Catwoman, you’ve got Poison Ivy, you’ve got Harley Quinn. But it would be really good to have more female villains.’ And off the top of my head, I said, ‘We never really could figure out exactly what to do with The Penguin, what the gimmick for The Penguin would be. What if we gender-flip The Penguin?’
As soon as Timm put this idea out, the wheels in Tucker’s mind began turning at a rapid pace and he was flooded with ideas about how this suggestion could turn their show around.
In Tucker’s words,
When he said ‘Maybe we can gender-flip Penguin,’ I just got this flood of ideas. I was thinking of Marlene Dietrich in her tuxedo and Cabaret the musical and the art form of cabaret, and I just started drawing. I instantly got a flood of ideas. Also, I was thinking a little bit of Harvey Fierstein and Hairspray and Divine. It just was like I knew instantly what it could be.
Timm’s opinion on the superhero’s famous Rogue Gallery which includes villains like the Joker, Poison Ivy, Bane, and so many more, led him to making this decision and many fans are not too pleased with it.
Fans React to Penguin’s Gender Flipping
The new version of Penguin is voiced by none other than Minnie Driver and while the Cinderella actress is a great choice for the role, fans have mixed feelings about it all.
While there are a handful who stand by Timm and Tucker’s decision, there are many who do not support it at all. Fans are confused why the creators took this path when there were already a ton of great female villains in Batman’s world.
Some even stated that they were super excited to watch Caped Crusader but stopped watching the moment Oswalda came on screen. Yikes. Fans also suggested that the show could have sold the idea by simply calling the villain Penguin’s wife, Penny Cobblepot, instead of changing the gender.
Here’s what fans had to say about the Penguin gender flip:
Finished watching Caped Crusader. Oswalda showed up for one episode and I already love her. I don't care if people hate female Penguin. She's such a delight. Terrifying but a delight!#Batman #CapedCrusader pic.twitter.com/1XyLTKABdR
— Phantom Flower (@PhantomFlower2) August 6, 2024
watching batman: caped crusader, where penguin was reimagined as a woman. gotta say, i fucking love that they didn't try and beautify her, she's still so damn recognizable as penguin, hell, she's even got a buncha wigs on wigheads implying that she's bald just like the OG. pic.twitter.com/d2bW0h3Yu2
— Mochi🍡 (@JKchaan) August 3, 2024
Can we STOP changing well established characters genders for the sake of being woke?
The new show “Batman The Caped Crusader” on Amazon Prime turned the Penguin into “Oswalda” instead of “Oswald”.
Batman has PLENTY of awesome female villains why do this? @EndWokeness pic.twitter.com/nMGACNgAQ2
— Social Apocalypse (@socialapclyps) August 1, 2024
Started watching the new Batman Caped Crusader on Amazon Prime. Was excited for it, but stopped less than 10 mins into episode 1 because they gender swapped the Penguin. pic.twitter.com/S4PDh6mLKX
— A Beacon Of Wisdom In These Ignorant Times (@KyleTDavis1) August 9, 2024
🤢 There are so many amazing female villains they could’ve put in Batman: Caped Crusader and instead by opting to gender swap established characters like Penguin to “Oswalda Cobblepot”, you’re only pushing potential viewers away. pic.twitter.com/ry9WgrBnDX
— Vara Dark (@Vara_Dark) August 3, 2024
Regardless of fans’ opinions on Oswalda aka Penguin, the show seems to be doing pretty well for itself with a solid 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Read FandomWire’s review of the animated series here.
You can stream Batman: Caped Crusader on Prime Video.
