HBO’s The Penguin makes a few drastic changes to the titular DC villain’s origin and backstory, adapting him to Matt Reeves’ grittyand grounded The Batman universe. The Batman introduced Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb as the dangerous owner of the Iceberg Lounge dance club, closely tied to Gotham’s criminal underworld. The Penguin further develops Gotham’s crime hierarchy, cementing Oz as an influential figure but revealing that there are always much bigger fish in Gotham City.

Matt Reeves’ The Batman and The Penguin have been very well received by critics and general audiences alike. Yet, both installments have departed from the source material in significant ways. For instance, Robert Pattinson’s hero is as withdrawn and brooding in his Bruce Wayne persona as he is in his “Batman Vigilante” persona; Paul Dano’s Riddler also adopts a darker, more serious criminal personality than most Riddler iterations from the comics. Likewise, The Batman and The Penguin present a more realistic adaptation of Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. the Penguin.

The Penguin’s DC Comics Origin Story Explained

The Penguin Has A Privileged Background And A Unique Villainous Motivation

 

Like most other characters in the DC multiverse, the Penguin has had several different origins throughout the years. However, most of the Penguin’s origin stories have a few elements in common. Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot is a descendant of a long line of wealthy socialites that can be traced back to the Revolutionary War. The Cobblepot lineage includes powerful figures such as colonels, mayors, and entrepeneurs. Despite his privileged background, Oswald Cobblepot suffered a tough childhood, as he was relentlessly bullied by his peers and his own father due to his physical appearance.

Oswald Cobblepot eventually snapped and gave in to his violent urges, and he gradually took a liking to murder and all sorts of criminal activity. DC’s Zero Year and Year Two reveal that Oswald begins his criminal career as Carmine Falcone’s underling. Embracing his “Penguin” nickname, Oswald Cobblepot pushes Falcone out of the way and rises through the ranks of Gotham’s criminal underworld, joining forces with powerful villains like the Joker and the Riddler. This part of the Penguin’s history is the one being adapted in The Batman and The Penguin, parallel to Batman’s early years.

The Penguin’s New Origin For Oz Cobb Explained

The Penguin Is A More Realistic And Down-To-Earth Criminal In The Batman Universe

When Oz meets his mother Francis, it’s revealed that this version of the Penguin doesn’t come from a wealthy family, and that he’s much closer to his mother than any other iteration of the villain. Oz evidently didn’t have the resources to build a criminal empire on his own from the start, forcing him to join the Falcones in order to join the business. The Penguin episode 1 shows that Oz’s physical appearance isn’t as relevant to him as it is to his comic book counterpart, though he does have a clear malformation in his foot that causes his emblematic limp.

How The Penguin’s Changes To Oz Cobb Serve His Character In The Batman Universe

The Penguin’s lack of resources and connections in The Batman universe make his feats with the Iceberg Lounge and his “drop” business seem much more impressive, as it is implied that Oz made a name for himself in Gotham completely on his own as a low-level criminal. Instead of resentment over his physical appearance and tough childhood, Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb is driven by greed; and instead of using a penguin theme to murder enemies and innocent people, Oz likes to manipulate and lie in order to ammass power and influence.

Has The Penguin Ever Had Brothers In The Comics?

Oswald Cobblepot’s Brothers Are Key In His Transformation Into The Penguin In DC Comics

When Oz Cobb makes small talk with Victor Aguilar to lower the tension in The Penguin episode 1, he recalls a store called Buddy’s. Oz reminisces about a brand of drink, Slush Puppies, and he tells Victor, “me and my brothers, we used to go there every day in the summer. You know, we’d mix the flavors…”Oz recalls his brothers happily, which suggests that he had a positive relationship with them as well. Still, it’s possible that Oz conveniently left out a tragic falling out with his brothers.

In the comics, Oswald Cobblepot’s brothers Jason, William, and Robert bullied him just as much as his father. When Oswald’s brothers attacked his pet birds, Oswald believed they crossed the line, and he killed them one by one. Killing his brothers and his father awakened Oswald’s bloodthirst, and he went on a downward spiral that helped him embrace his “Penguin” moniker and transform into one of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals. The Penguin‘s references to Oz’s brother and family suggests this is not the case in Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe.